“Clowns stationed on Harrison Street will attract cars to the church parking lot located on West 31st Street. Drivers will be greeted by a team of three “anglers” and supplied with the daily scripture and a take-home homily. Prayer requests will be honored.
Everyone will be given communion, but this will be specially delivered in a tackle box, the minister said, in a clean bait cup.”
Story H E R E.
Thanks: Thunderstruck
By Rachel Harden
THE DEAN of Lincoln Cathedral, Dr Alec Knight, has defended the Lincoln Chapter’s decision to allow parts of The Da Vinci Code to be filmed at the cathedral in August. He said this week that the Chapter “had considered the issue very carefully” before agreeing.
Speaking on Tuesday, Dr Knight said that the Chapter had discussed different approaches to the bestselling novel by Dan Brown, which questions orthodox Christian belief.
He said that there were two main approaches: that the Christian faith should be protected by not entering into the type of debate raised by The Da Vinci Code; or to take the book as an opportunity to proclaim the truth of the gospel.
“We took the latter approach, and filming will take place in August in the nave, chapter house and cloister.”
Read the story H E R E.
For my review(s) of the Da Vinci Code go H E R E.
Have son.
Have lump in throat.
A must read.
MOSCOW, June 1 (RIA Novosti) – An electronic version of the Orthodox Christian Encyclopedia will shortly appear on the Internet.
A resolution was made on that score as three bodies of the Orthodox Christian Encyclopedia ecclesiastical research center-the Observation Council, the Council of Trustees, and the Public Council-held a joint session in Moscow, May 31, His Beatitude Alexis II the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia chairing.
Information, references and the latest news will make a greater part of materials from the encyclopedia to be offered for free access on the sedmitza.ru, Internet portal of the Orthodox Christian Encyclopedia ecclesiastical research center.
“The electronic versions will appear as the encyclopedia volumes come out in book form,” said the Patriarch.
Offered to the conferees was an electronic version of Volume One, which concerns Russian Orthodox Church history.
Ten volumes of the Orthodox Christian Encyclopedia have come out of print for now. The edition is expected to comprise thirty or so.
From the Patriarchal Website
PATRIARCHAL MONASTERY OF THE VISION OF ST PAUL
His Beatitude Patriarch Theodosios VI was interested in a land parcel south of Damascus, at a site known as Kawkab. He intended to erect a gigantic building there after the old Roman or Byzantine style. It was a volcanic hill on which black stones spread. It was located to the left of the main road leading to the south, and through which a traveler passed, and cast only a careless look as there is nothing today that reminds us of St. Paul’s vision there and his guidance to Christianity nearly two thousand years ago.
“As he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven, and he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” (Acts 9:3 & 4)
The ancients knew the sanctity and importance of the place, therefore, they built a monastery known as St. Paul. Nothing has remained of it except traces, some polished stones (a Corinthian column head, two wells for collecting rain water) as there are trenches and uncovered foundations of a big building and some of those walls have still some chalk . There are also stone seats .There are remains of a church that lie between the volcanic hill and the Roman road. One may also see pieces of tiles which were used in the building. The inhabitants of the nearby villages mention that many of the rocky masses were extracted out of the walls and reused in new buildings of those villages. Thus almost nothing has remained of the ancient monastery. Some of the villagers found among the debris a golden censer. Finding it is a definite proof that the building was Christian and not a pagan temple. The existence of this monastery was substantiated by affidavits from Medieval centuries from the Crusaders’ period like the books “History of Jerusalem” and “Description of The Orient” and others. The inhabitants of the neighboring villages of Kawkab are still calling that place “the Hill of St. Paul.” It is a holy place for them, and they visit it and vow to baptize their children at the top. This place has become very important, even the Russian Patriarch Alexis I, Patriarch of Moscow donated money for building a round church at his own expenses in 1965. Upon the recommendation of His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV, and due to his interest in this deserted monastery and renovating it, he has appointed Archimandrite Matthew Rizk abbot of the monastery, so as to be an Orthodox light-house out of which the light of Christ illuminates and manages his affairs by God’s will, and to render spiritual and moral service to the faithful.
