St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is with great joy that I announce the appointment of Mrs. Sophia Hennen as St. Anna’s first Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries. Sophie brings an incredible wealth of youth work, spiritual development, education, and enthusiasm to her new position, and I am thrilled to begin working with her in a more formal setting. Already deeply involved in many aspects of life here at St. Anna, Sophie’s involvement with our children and young adults will just be an extension of her life dedicated to her service of Christ. 

Sophie, her husband, Caleb and their six children, Elsie, Elin, Adelade, Gwendeline, Eva and Michael are active and vibrant members of our parish family and have captured our hearts since coming to the parish. Sophie, along with their older daughters sing in the choir, while Caleb plays the organ as we recess from church. In her former religious tradition, Sophie held many responsible positions in youth ministry and children’s religious education. However, I believe that being the mom of six young children, being raised in a vibrant Orthodox Christian home is experience enough! Everything else is icing on the cake.

In congratulating, thanking, and welcoming Sophie, I would also like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who applied for the position. The other candidates all had unique and distinguishable talents that would have warranted their hire, and I am deeply appreciative for the demonstrated interested in bringing our children and young adults closer to Christ, His Church, and to each other. 

Sophie will be coordinating efforts between our JOY, GOYA, YAL, Sunday School, Local Retreats, Vacation Bible School, Oratorical Festival, Camp Emmanuel, Metropolis Basketball Tournament, University of Utah Campus Ministry, and Altar Boys – working with the fine volunteers who are in charge of these programs at the local level.

She will be engaged in the collective vision of youth and young adult ministry, organizing their calendar of events, developing programs, and identifying the:

fun, cool, exciting, and awesome ways that our young people can know, love, serve and celebrate Christ.  

Please, everyone, join me in praying for her strength, energy and patience. And most especially, pray for the young people whom she will serve, together with their parents and families.

We are incredibly blessed that she made herself available to answer this calling. Again, Congratulations, and God Bless Sophie! I remain,

With Love in Christ,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Praying you are all well, I am so thankful to greet you in the lingering glow of Holy Pentecost. The Spirit has been sent. The Trinity is fully experienced. The presence of God shall never again be removed, hidden, concealed or separated from us. Glory to God for His generosity toward us and for His love for us; those which endure forever.

Last Sunday, we enjoyed the reading of the Kneeling Prayers – those declarative celebrations of the presence of the Holy Spirit, recited at the Vespers for the Monday of the Holy Spirit. During those three, prayers, we, as is the custom, knelt in the church in awe of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

On Sunday mornings, during the Epclisis Prayers of the Divine Liturgy, the time when we, in humility and anticipation, call upon the Holy Spirit to transform our bread and wine offering into the precious Body and Blood of the Christ, we are accustomed to kneeling. This is precisely why we placed the little black kneeling pads in the book racks of the nave. This is why Greek Orthodox churches throughout this country, have kneelers on the backs of pews, so they can be dropped down and knelt upon during this time of the Divine Liturgy. This has been the generally accepted practice in our Archdiocese since the 1950’s.

My beloved in the Lord, I do not need to tell you that from an Orthodox Christian perspective of time passage, the 1950’s is as if a half hour has passed. Though this has been the practice for a couple generations here in America, it does not mean that it was a correct practice. Last month, His Eminence Metropolitan Constantine of Denver sent a directive to the priests of the Metropolis instructing us that we return to the canonical and historic practice of standing during this part of the Divine Liturgy.

Here is some historical context:

Standing during the Epiclisis was first formally discussed at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea – May 325 AD. With nearly 300 hierarchs and clergy present, and in the presence of Emperor Constantine, this is where it was affirmed in the beginning stages.  

Canon 20 of the First Council of Nicaea

Forasmuch as there are certain persons who kneel on the Lord’s Day and in the days of Pentecost, therefore, to the intent that all things may be uniformly observed everywhere, it seems good to the holy Synod that prayer be made to God standing

To reaffirm this, it was again addressed in the 7^th century by Paul III of Constantinople and in the presence of Emperor Justinian II, with around 200 hierarchs and clergy present.

Canon 90 of the Quinisext Council (Trullo, 692)

We have received it canonically from our God-bearing Fathers not to bend the knee on Sundays.  Therefore, after entering the holy altar on Saturday evening, at the beginning of the Lord’s Day, we offer our prayers to God standing, until Sunday evening.

Here is some practical context:

When I look back on the innocent spiritual development of my youth, my first memories of sacred church music are while I was kneeling in the church, on Sundays. With my head buried in my arms, I would look forward to the choir soloist, our own Billy Poulos, singing the crowing apex of the hymn. I couldn’t see her. I was a little kid, so I didn’t know her. I did not need to see or know her, I attentively listened to her while offering my prayers to God, thanking him for “making Communion,” as I was instructed to do. 

So, I realize that our young tradition of kneeling on Sunday mornings is baked into many of our spiritual experiences. This might be a difficult adjustment for some. It will be a barely noticeable detail for many. Regardless of our innocent indifference, or our hard-wired desire to kneel down in prayer, His Eminence has asked us (well, more like instructed us) to make this change and return to what was intended since the early 4th century. 

And so that I’m clear, the kneeling pads will remain in the church. We are still encouraged to kneel in prayer during WEEKDAY LITURGIES. This entire discussion concerns Sunday Morning only. 

To be honest, while this may seem like an unimportant detail, hardly worth the effort of disrupting our local traditions or confusing the Faithful, I support and applaud the efforts of His Eminence to reintroduce consistency and uniformity within the liturgical practices of our sacred Metropolis. When it comes to our salvation, there are no details that are unimportant or practices that are vague. We will get used to this together.

Lastly, please know that I am not going to interrupt the Divine Liturgy by making any real-time announcements concerning kneeling/not kneeling. I hope that our people will read this, respond accordingly, and that this transition will be made smoothly and naturally. I remain,

With Love in XC,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This coming Monday, we commemorate Memorial Day, the day in which we set aside time to honor those who have passed – through military service to our nation, through the sacrificial work of first responders, and of course, we include those whom we love and have lost.

As Orthodox Christians, part of our natural worship experience includes memorializing those who have gone before us. We do this at prescribed times, marking the anniversaries of those who entered into their glory.

To prepare for the coming of Memorial Day, please reference the following service – the actual verbiage from the Memorial Service. I pray it brings you peace and comfort, thinking about, and praying for your loved ones as you read these prayers.

People: Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your commandments.

The choir of Saints has found the fountain of life and the door of Paradise. May I also find the way through repentance. I am the lost sheep: O Savior, call me back and save me. 

People: Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your commandments.

 Of old, You created me from nothing and honored me with Your divine image. But when I disobeyed Your commandment, You returned me to the earth from which I was taken. Lead me back again to Your likeness, so that the ancient beauty may be refashioned.

People: Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your commandments.

I am an image of Your ineffable glory, though I bear the scars of my transgressions. Take pity on me, the work of Your hands, Master, and cleanse me by Your compassion. Grant me the desired homeland for which I long, making me again a citizen of Paradise.

People: Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your commandments.

Give rest, O God, to Your servant(s), and place him (her, them) in Paradise where the choirs of the Saints and the righteous, O Lord, will shine as the stars of heaven. To Your departed servant(s) give rest, O Lord, overlooking all his (her, their) offenses.

People: Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Let us devoutly praise the threefold radiance of the one God as we sing: Holy are You, the Father without beginning, the co-eternal Son, and the divine Spirit. Illumine us who worship You in faith and deliver us from the eternal fire.

People: Now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Rejoice, gracious Lady, who gave birth to God in the flesh for the salvation of all, and through whom the human race has found salvation. Through you, pure and blessed Theotokos, may we find Paradise.

People: Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. Glory to You O God. (3)

Tone Eight

People: With the Saints give rest, O Christ, to the soul(s) of Your servant(s) where there is no pain, no sorrow, no sighing, but life everlasting.

Tone Four

People: Among the spirits of the righteous perfected in faith, give rest, O Savior, to the soul(s) of Your servant, keeping it (them) in the blessed life which is from You, O loving One.

People: In your place of rest, O Lord, where all Your saints repose, give rest also to the soul of Your servant, for You alone are immortal.

People: Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

People: You are our God who descended into Hades and loosened the pains of those who were held captive. Grant rest also, O Savior, to the soul of Your servant.

Now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

You the only pure and spotless Virgin, who ineffably gave birth to God, intercede for mercy and forgiveness of the soul of your servant(s).

Priest: Have mercy upon us, O God, according to Your great mercy; we pray to You, hear us and have mercy.

People: Lord, have mercy. (3)

Priest: Again we pray for the repose of the soul(s) of the departed servant(s) of God (Name) and for the forgiveness of all his (her, their) sins, both voluntary and involuntary.

People: Lord, have mercy. (3)

Priest: May the Lord God grant his (her, their) soul(s) rest where the righteous repose. For the mercies of God, the kingdom of heaven, and the forgiveness of his (her, their) sins. 

People: Grant this, O Lord.

Priest: Let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Priest: O God of spirits and of all flesh, You trampled upon death and abolished the power of the devil, giving life to Your world. Give rest to the soul(s) of Your departed servant(s) (Name) in a place of light, in a place of green pasture, in a place of refreshment, from where pain, sorrow, and sighing have fled away. As a good and loving God, forgive every sin he (she, they) has (have) committed in word, deed, or thought, for there is no one who lives and does not sin. You alone are without sin. Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your word is truth.

Priest: For You are the resurrection, the life, and the repose of Your departed servant(s) (Name), Christ our God, and to You we offer glory, with Your eternal Father who is without beginning and Your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages.

People: Amen.

The Dismissal

Priest: Glory to You, O God, our hope, glory to You.

Lord of the living and the dead, the immortal King and Risen Christ, our true God, through the intercessions of His all-pure and spotless holy Mother; of the holy, glorious, and praiseworthy Apostles; of our venerable and God-bearing Fathers; of the holy and glorious forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; of His holy and righteous friend Lazaros, who lay in the grave four days; and of all the saints; place the soul(s) of His servant(s) (Name), departed from us, in the dwelling place of the righteous; give rest to him (her, them) in the bosom of Abraham; and number him (her, them) among the saints and have mercy on us, as a good God who loves mankind.

People: Amen.

Priest: May your memory be eternal, brother worthy of blessedness and everlasting memory. (3)

For Women

Priest: May your memory be eternal, sister worthy of blessedness and everlasting memory. (3)

For Many

Priest: May their memories be eternal, sisters and brothers worthy of blessedness and everlasting memory. (3)

People: Eternal be his (her, their) memory. Eternal be his (her, their) memory. May his (her, their) memory be eternal. (3)

Priest: Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and save us.

People: Amen.

With Love in Christ,

Fr. Anthony Savas

Protopresbyter

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christ is Risen!

Truly He is Risen!

This Sunday is the Sunday of the Blind Man. Jesus does not restore his sight, but rather, gives it to him for the first time in his life. Living in darkness, marginalized from society, separated from his family, and finally finding hope, he encounters the Savior. The Christ. 

At the end of Chapter 8 in Gospel of Saint John, the Savior was disputing with the Pharisees in the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. He told them, “Your father Abraham was glad that he should see my day; and he saw it and rejoiced” (John 8:56). The Jews said that Jesus was not even fifty years old, so how could He claim to have seen Abraham? The Lord replied, “Before Abraham was, I am.” I am, of course, is the name that God revealed to Moses in the Burning Bush. When the Jews picked up stones to throw at Him, He hid Himself and went out of the Temple.

We read in SaInt John’s Gospel (9:1-38): “As He passed by, he saw a man who was blind from birth.” It might appear that Jesus was on His way to something or someone else, but in his Commentary on the Gospel of Saint John, the ever-memorable Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas, quotes from Homily LVI of Saint John Chrysostom: “that on going out of the Temple, He proceeded intentionally to the work, is clear from this: it was He who saw the blind man, and not the blind man who came to Him….”

Christ’s disciples asked Him who had sinned, the blind man or his parents that he had been born blind. Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God might be manifested in him” (John 9:3). It was thought that a person who had some affliction must have sinned (or his parents did) to deserve such punishment. In the Book of Exodus (20:5), God said that he would visit “the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.” This, however, applied to the sin of idolatry, if the children emulated their parents’ behavior.

The blind man was not born blind just so the miracle could be performed, but seeing the man in such a condition, the Lord decided to use him in a way that would manifest God’s glory. He Who is the Light of the world healed the blind man and enlightened him. Giving sight to the blind was one of the signs which would identify the Messiah (Matthew 11:4-6).

The Lord made clay when He spat on the ground and placed it in the man’s empty eye sockets and sent him to the pool of Siloam to wash. Most versions of the Gospels translate the word επεθηκεν as “anointed,” but it can also mean “to spread on,” or “to smear.” Siloam means “sent,” and in Saint John’s Gospel Christ says about forty times that He Himself had been sent by the Father.”

This manner of healing reminds us of the way God created man by fashioning him from the dust of the earth. In the Old Testament God created man from the dust of the earth, now Christ, the same God, fashions eyes from the clay and places them in the blind man’s empty sockets. At reading of the Oikos of this Sunday’s Matins, we hear “He receives physical eyes as well as those of the soul.” In the Verses of the Synaxarion: O Bestower of light. Who are Light coming forth from Light; You gave eyes to the man who was blind from birth, O Word.”

Jesus tests the faith of the blind man by sending him to the Pool of Siloam (which means “sent”). He respects the man’s freedom but asks for his voluntary and free participation in the miracle. The blind man, with faith, obeys God’s command. He goes and washes in the pool, and he returns seeing.

The former blind man’s life was not made easier, however. He becomes the object of the Scribes’ and Pharisees’ evil and hatred, those who believed in God and in the observance of His Law. They themselves were blind, yet they were suspicious of the formerly blind man, imagining that he only pretended to be blind and now was able to see. 

They questioned the man who was blind, but when they see the miracle before their eyes, instead of believing, they shut the eyes of their souls. Then the man’s parents were questioned. They were afraid to confirm the miracle that happened to their son who was born blind, because they did not want to be expelled from the synagogue. They tried to avoid trouble by concealing the truth. Therefore, they said, “He is of age, ask him!”

We who receive benefits from God every day are ashamed or afraid to confess God because of our lack of trust. We put our own interests above God, knowing that He will understand us! He will understand us, but He will also see our faith and what priorities we have in our lives. Christ will see what “gods” we have put in His place, but He will not cease to remind us that He is the light of the world.

The blind man was healed, not only in the eyes of his body but eventually in his soul as well. He recognizes Jesus as God, and does not hesitate to confess it before the religious rulers with courage that many of us would envy. Faith alone is not enough; we also need to confess our faith in order to become genuine children of God. When we confess Christ before men, He will confess us before His Father, as the Lord has promised us: “Everyone who shall confess me before men, I also shall confess him before my Father who is in Heaven; and whoever denies me before men I also will deny him before my Father who is in Heaven” (Matthew 10:32).

 With Love in our Risen Lord,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter