Encountering Muslims - New Booklet and Upcoming Parish Discussion

Dear Parish Faithful,

I just read an announcement for a new book(let) that has recently appeared. Here is the promotional blurb:

Face to Face: A Guide for Orthodox Christians Encountering Muslims by Fr. Ted Pulcini

The author, an Orthodox priest and college professor (PhD), offers an invaluable guide to Orthodox Christians in their encounter with Muslims. In seven chapters he examines what both religions teach on the Understanding of God, Revelation, Sin and Salvation, Religious Community, Presenting Christianity to Muslims, etc. Clearly and simply written in non-theological parlance. 32 pgs. $5.95

As many of you may recall, we had a very lively and very well-attended discussion last Fall about the differences between Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. The booklet we used was also by Fr. Pulcini. I would like to have the same type of gathering in the early Fall to discuss what is becoming one of the major 'issues' of the postmodern world - the relationship between Christians and Muslims. Please let me know if you would like a copy of this booklet and I will order them later in the Summer. As you can see, it is rather inexpensive.

Fr. Steven

Webmaster's Notes:

• Fr. Ted Pulcini's booklet may also be ordered direct from Light and Life Publishing.
• In addition, here is a link to an insightful interview with Fr Ted Pulcini on this topic from The Illumined Heart, one of the premiere podcasts on Ancient Faith Radio. If you have trouble with the link, go to the main page of The Illumined Heart.

Saint Stalin?

Dear Parish Faithful,

This so defies human comprehension, that I will simply let you read the insanity below on your own, without any commentary. If this ever happened, then for sure I would retire to a cave to spend the rest of my days in prayer and fasting...

Fr. Steven
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Webmaster's Note: Link to original article. (No icons yet come up in my Google search - Thanks be to God!)

The Telegraph (UK) / 22 July 2008

Could Josef Stalin be made a saint?

>> The Communist party in St Petersburg has petitioned the Orthodox
Church to canonise Josef Stalin if he wins a television poll to nominate
the greatest Russian in history. <<

By Adrian Blomfield

(Moscow)

The Soviet dictator, who was responsible for the deaths of around 15
million people during his 31-year reign of terror, is in second place in
online voting for the Name of Russia competition.

Stalin last week surrendered a narrow lead to Nicholas II in the contest,
which is based on the BBC's Great Britons series.

But with a result not expected until the end of the year, the country's
Communists are convinced that Stalin will still emerge the victor.

While the poll, conducted by the state run Rossiya channel, has been
criticised for allowing multiple voting, there is little doubt that Stalin
has undergone a remarkable renaissance in recent years.

Opinion polls regularly name him Russia's greatest post-revolution
leader after Vladimir Putin, the prime minister.

The wartime leader's resurgence owes much to the Kremlin, which
under Mr Putin's presidency appeared to support a campaign to
rehabilitate Stalin, with television documentaries, films and books
released in recent years eulogising him.

A newly published history text book, approved by the Kremlin for use
in all schools, glossed over the more unappealing parts of Stalin's rule
and ultimately concluded that he was the Soviet Union's most
successful leader.

"Stalin is the most popular name in Russia," said Sergei Malinkovich,
the Communist party leader who is driving the Stalin canonisation
campaign.

"The people have forgiven him for the repressions, the collectivization,
the elimination of cadres of the Red Army and other inevitable errors
and tragedies of those cruel military and revolutionary times.

"Stalin has become the true national leader of Russia. He turned a
backward country into an industrial giant."

Yet the idea of tuning Uncle Joe into Saint Joe has so far won little
official backing from the Orthodox Church, which was one of Stalin's
chief victims.

Seeking to establish atheism as the Soviet Union's official creed, Stalin
destroyed thousands of churches and sent tens of thousands of priests to
the gulags and their deaths.

Despite the church's reluctance, St Petersburg's Communists are
convinced their vision will come to pass. They have already
commissioned religious icons depicting Stalin with a halo round his
head that have reportedly sold very well around the city.

"By the end of the 21st century, icons of St Josef Stalin will be in every
Orthodox Church," Mr Malinkovich said.

OCA Town Hall Meetings

Dear Parish Faithful,

Here is some more information concerning the upcoming Town Hall Meetings in our Diocese. There are links to other useful information.

I am hoping that there will be some good solid response from among you to join me in Indianapolis (yet feel perfectly free to join any of the three meetings here mentioned). Once again, I suggest car pooling for the trip there and back. With Archbishop Job as the "overseer," any and all questions will be allowed. If such questions have been accumulating in your own minds, here is the opportunity to ask them.

Personally, I do not believe that it is overly dramatic or an exaggeration to say that the future of the OCA is right now in precarious condition. We seem to be at the proverbial "fork in the road," having to make a deadly serious choice about "direction," yet without the assistance of most of our appointed guides! The OCA may indeed "survive" and stumble along down the wrong road, but that is hardly what we would want for the autocephalous Church in America. Perhaps these town hall meetings may set the "tone" for the upcoming All American Council in Pittsburgh, by raising - in a preliminary fashion - all of the serious and real issues that need to be addressed and not ignored. I am hoping that the meeting in Indianapolis will be the forum where we can openly discuss these issues and learn a great deal in the process.

Another possibility occured to me: If we can ascertain by mid-July or so, just who is committed to making the trip to Indianapolis, perhaps we could meet together as a group and come to a consensus on some key questions that we could formulate as a group. In addition, we could simply "catch up" together on where we stand presently and share some of our own concerns.

Fr. Steven


Webmaster's Note: For summaries of and commentaries on the previous Town Hall Meetings throughout the OCA, please proceed to ocanews.org.
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Reverend Fathers and Deacons,

Please find posted here, and reproduced below, information about AAC Preconcilliar 'Town Hall' meetings to take place in the diocese.

In Christ,
Deacon Joseph


--
Dn Joseph Matusiak
Assistant to the Archbishop
Diocese of the Midwest
tel. 312.202.0420
midwestdiocese.org


CHICAGO, IL [MW Communications] – The Diocese of the Midwest will host three "Town Hall" meetings during the month of July. The "Town Hall" meeting has been conceived as a venue where clergy and laity can offer their suggestions and express their concerns regarding the 15th All-American Council, set to convene in Pittsburgh, PA. 10 - 13 November 2008.

The schedule of meetings within the diocese is as follows:

• July 17, 6.30pm Ridge Manor, Brooklyn, OH (St Theodosius Catherdal meeting facility)
• July 24, 7.00pm St. Peter and St. Paul Church – Burr Ridge, Illinois
• July 31, 6.30pm St John the Forerunner Church – Indianapolis, Indiana

His Eminence, Archbishop Job of Chicago and the Midwest will be present at all three meetings. OCA Chancellor, Archrpiest Alexander Garklavs will be present at the Chicago area session. Matushka Michelle Jannakos, Preconcilliar commission member will be present at the Cleveland area and Indianapolis meetings.

A proposal for the meetings was approved by the Holy Synod of Bishops in April 2008. The text of the proposal can be found here.

Archbishop Job has stated that no topic for discussion will be considered "out of bounds", and no relevant question or comment will be prohibited.

The meetings are open to clergy and faithful from the diocese as well as those of the Bulgarian Diocese and Romanian Episcopate.