Good to be back!

Hello everyone. I was gone for the last week to Camp St Nicholas, the Diocese camping program for children ages 7-18. What a great ministry they are doing there! Several of the children from our parish went and had a great time. I also enjoyed the change of scenery, and was able to assist with the services, teach and preach at the Divine Liturgy, as well as serve both Daily Vespers and Orthros (Matins). This, of course, was in the Eastern rite, and I had to work a little bit harder than my brother priests there, but all went well. Thank God!
If you have children between the ages of 7 and 18, please look into sending them to camp next year. They will not be dissappointed, and neither will you. And let us never forget what our Lord said concerning them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." God bless them all!


Glory to God,
Fr Stephen

The Sacrament of Holy Unction

In our Holy Orthodox Church, there are seven 'main' sacraments: baptism, chrismation, the eucharist, confession, matrimony, holy orders, and last but not least, holy unction. It is this last one, unction, which I would like to speak about. Holy unction is the sacrament of healing and is administered to any Orthodox person who is suffering from a physical ailment. Instruction for this comes from the epistle of St James where he says, "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (5:14-15). Call to mind the miracles of healing by our Lord in the Gospels, and the subsequent healings that took place through the Apostles in the early church. God has always worked miracles of healing throughout history (there are many instancs of saints working various kinds of healings), and continues to do so today.


The ministry of healing continues in the Church today through the sacrament of holy unction which can be administered by a bishop or priest. If one is ill, please contact the parish priest to schedule a visit so he can administer this important sacrament. God loves the whole person, body and soul, and seeks to bring His wholeness and salvation to each one of us. Along with holy communion and confession, holy unction can be received whenever needed. Please afford yourself of this sacrament when it is needed.



"I anoint thee with oil, and I lay my hands upon thee, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; beseeching the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all thy pain and sickness of body, mind, or spirit being put to flight, the blessing of health may be restored unto thee. Amen." (Prayer during administration of Holy Unction; Western Rite Service Book).


To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen

The meaning behind the title for this blog

Some may be wondering why I chose the title I did for this blog. It came to mind when I originally considered doing this. Being a Western Rite parish in the Orthodox Church, we are part of the Eastern Church, celebrating a Western liturgy and following the Western Orthodox liturgical tradition. That being said, we look both towards the Eastern Church for our Orthodox doctrine and faith, and West for our liturgical tradition. Thus the name for this blog. Our Western Orthodox faith and practice is that of Ss. Patrick, Ambrose, Leo the Great, Jerome, Gregory the Great and many other Western saints who held to the "faith once delivered to the saints". Let us honor their memory by being faithful to this treasure that we have received and passing it on to future generations.

To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen

Independence Day

Happy Independence Day to all! As we celebrate our nation's birth this day, let us give thanks to God for the freedoms that we so greatly enjoy. We are so blessed to live in the United States. Let us never take our freedom for granted.
One of my interests or hobbies is early American history. I love to read about the founding of our country and the many individuals who are responsible for our republic. I have a particular interest in the Revolutionary War (the War for Independence) which continued on for another 7 years following the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It cost many their lives and homes to win the independence and freedom that we enjoy today. Let us honor those brave individuals and all who have followed in their footsteps since then by seeking to be courageous and standing up for what we hold dear and believe in.
Whatever you do on this day, spending it friends and family or going and doing some fun activity (watching fireworks?), take a moment to remember the great struggle that our newly established nation had to endure to take its place on the world stage, and those who were involved in that struggle. And thank Almighty God for all of it!
If you have a desire to learn more about our nation's founding, I recommend two marvelous books by David McCullough, an American historian, entitled John Adams (a Pulitzer prize winner) and 1776. These will take you right into the center of these great and historic events that we celebrate this day. And let me also recommend the newly released HBO miniseries John Adams (based on the book) which is wonderful! This will also give you a real-life experience of what it was like at that time in our history. I love it!
May God bless you this day, and may God continue to bless America, and let us pray that, even more importantly, that America may bless God.

To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen