Orthodixie

At the risk of never being assigned to chauffeur bishops again — or worse! — I must admit to having done it once.

Ladies and Gentlemen, recently, I had the blessing of driving three hierarchs from their hotel to another hotel for dinner. I sat with two bishops at dinner, drove another to the airport the following day, spent time dining and serving with 3 more during hierarchical liturgy, and had a nice repast with the metropolitan following a baptism.

My hierarchical experience began at home, where I had to decide which shoes to wear. I know, it sounds odd to hear a man, a clergyman, saying such a thing. But, you see, I normally wear Birkenstock shoes — like sandals, just covered — with a side buckle. But, with the Metropolitan in town, dinner at fine hotel and all, I remembered the old Johnston & Murphys languishing in my closet.

I got ‘em out, shined ‘em up, and, much to the dismay of my Birk-freedom-loving toes, put ’em on.

Snazzy!

I headed out the door a full 40 minutes early for, what would normally be, only a 15 minute drive …

The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio.

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As part of our pastoral discussions we talked about the need for parishioners to confess as a rule to their own parish priests, and only with a specific blessing to confess to other priests. This is especially important given the propensity for some clerics outside the Russian Church to employ the canons as a cold rule of law rather than as a pastoral guideline applied with love. This has led in some instances to parishioners being given lengthy penances of excommunication for sins that have been confessed previously with little or no penance from their own parish priest. Further, we strongly call upon our flock to confess on Saturday evenings or eves of feasts, and only to confess on Sunday mornings or feast days before the Divine Liturgy in extreme circumstances.

Hear, hear! … and more here.

Church Plans To Burn Bibles, Christian Books
Pastor Says Burning Meant To Light A Fire Under True Believers

My friend, Constantine, sent me this story. Click the link, below, to view the TV news clip.

CANTON, N.C. — A North Carolina pastor says his church plans to burn Bibles and books by Christian authors on Halloween to light a fire under true believers.

Pastor Marc Grizzard told Asheville TV station WLOS that the King James version of the Bible is the only one his small western North Carolina church follows. He says all other versions, such as the Living Bible, are “satanic” and “perversions” of God’s word.

On Halloween night, Grizzard and the 14 members of the Amazing Grace Baptist Church also will burn music and books by Christian authors, such as Billy Graham and Rick Warren.

Telephone calls to the Amazing Grace Baptist Church and Grizzard’s home were not immediately returned Wednesday.

Click the source — here — to view the TV news clip.
(Yes, verily verily, you really should.)

On October 18th, following the Antiochian Synod of Bishops meeting (10/16) and the meeting of the Board of Trustees for the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese (10/17), Hierarchical Liturgy was served at St George Church; in addition to visiting priests and deacons, three hierarchs celebrated: Metropolitan PHILIP, Bishop ANTOUN, and Bishop ALEXANDER.

Listen to the Hierarchical Liturgy here.

Here’s some pics, thanks to Hatem Khalaf, taken during the service …

Metropolitan PHILIP, Bishop ANTOUN, and Bishop ALEXANDER bless the faithful with the dikirion and trikirion.

October is Youth Month; this youth is my favorite oldest daughter.

Bishop ANTOUN blesses the Epistle readers.

The Metropolitan delivers the homily.

The Great Entrance.

“Let us lift up our hearts!”

CHOIR: “We lift them up unto the Lord!”

The communion of the faithful (L to R: Fr Joseph Purpura, Fr Joseph Shahda, Bishop ALEXANDER, Fr Joseph Huneycutt).

Bishop ALEXANDER distributing the Holy Gifts.

The Vatican has announced that Pope Benedict is setting up special provision for Anglicans, including married clergy, who want to convert to Rome together, preserving aspects of Anglican liturgy. They will be given their own pastoral supervision, according to this press release from the Vatican:

“In this Apostolic Constitution the Holy Father has introduced a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony.”

More on this very important story later. But this is clearly a historic gesture by Pope Benedict which will encourage thousands of disaffected Anglicans to become Roman Catholics.

UPDATE: Bill Murchison, over at TOUCHSTONE’s MereComments writes: “We all need on some terms or other to be back together. The Reformation, as time marches on, looks more and more like the worst idea in human history …”

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Thanks to FWD from Fr Miguel Grave de Peralta.