Well there is some good news! My Podcast, Shepherd of Souls will now be on the local radio station here in the village. The Spirit 970 (WESO) will be broadcasting my program on Sunday mornings at 8:30. Have no fear the podcast will continue the format might change a little but that will be the only difference.
Hanna
Well it looks like all we are going to get is some rain and much wind so it could be a rocky night. I pray all is well out there for those in the path of this thing, and let us not forget the one right behind this one.
UPDATE: I just looked out my window and man it is really coming down out there. I hope Onchu is in for the night!
I forgot to ask for prayers for those who have to work tonight. Keep them all safe.
O God, your unfailing providence sustains the world we live in and the life we live: Watch over those, both night and day, who work while others sleep, and grant that we may never forget that our common life depends upon each other’s toil; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Compline. The Prayer Book Office
September 11th
I have been asked to be the speaker at our town’s 9/11 ceremony. Nothing like waiting until the last minute but I have some thoughts and some writing to do. I will try and record the talk and share it here and in the podcast.
OCA Follow up
Philippa asks a question what words of comfort I could share in the wake of all that has transpired in the OCA. My church does not belong to the OCA so I will not enter the fray of commenting on any particular event or person.
I will say this however. The church is bigger than one bishop or one priest! If you place all of your hope in one man you will be disappointed. If you place your hope in the institutional church it will let you down and you will be disappointed. I will also say this, if you leave the church because of one man or what the institutional church has done, I am not talking about abuse here that is a different story all together, then I will hold the door open for you.
Again the church is bigger than any one person or any one headquarters. Our hope should be on Christ and His saving message and nothing else. The church came off the rails as soon as Jesus left it to us to run. Power, sex, money will win out with men, and women by the way, every time. Our hope is in the Lord and no where else. Keep this in mind and all will be well. The Church of Jesus Christ will continue, all we need do is pray.
+Herman Retires
SYOSSET, NY [OCA Communications] — The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, meeting at the OCA Chancery in Oyster Bay Cove, NY, on Thursday, September 4, 2008, issued the following statement.
“On September 4, 2008, The Holy Synod of Bishops received a letter from His Beatitude, Metropolitan HERMAN. In this letter, His Beatitude asks for Retirement, effective immediately, ‘in the best interests of The Orthodox Church in America, and taking into consideration the current condition of my health.’
“Effective this date, The Holy Synod of Bishops grants His Beatitude’s request to retire from the Office of Metropolitan of All America and Canada of the Orthodox Church in America.
“The Holy Synod of Bishops resolves that, in retirement, the title will be `Former Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada.’
“The Holy Synod of Bishops expresses to His Beatitude, Metropolitan HERMAN, their fraternal love and gratitude for his primatial service and archpastoral labors.
“The Holy Synod of Bishops resolves that His Eminence, DMITRI, Archbishop of Dallas and the South, be Locum tenens of The Orthodox Church in America. In liturgical commemorations, he is to be commemorated as `His Eminence, DMITRI, Locum tenens of The Orthodox Church in America.'”
Council Asks OCA Synod to Deny +Herman’s Leave
The Metropolitan Council passed a unanimous resolution yesterday asking the Synod “in the strongest possible terms” to deny Metropolitan Herman’s request for a six month leave of absence “in view of the findings of the Special Investigative Committee’s Report”. The resolution asks instead that the Synod adopt the first recommendation of the SIC Report, that Metropolitan Herman be removed from office immediately.
The Synod is scheduled to meet today separately from the Metropolitan Council where it will discuss the matter as well as the other referrals for discipline. Other items on its agenda include the possible election of Archimandrite Jonah (Paffhausen) as Vicar Bishop for the Diocese of the South.
+Herman Requests Medical Leave of Absence
In an announcement posted on OCA.org this morning, Metropolitan Herman has requested a “medical leave of absence”. The brief announcement reads:
“His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman has submitted a letter to the Holy Synod of Bishops, in which he requests a medical leave of absence. Metropolitan Herman is scheduled for lumbar spine surgery on Tuesday, September 9, 2008.
The Holy Synod will review His Beatitude’s request at their session on Thursday, September 4, 2008. Further information ecomes available.”The OCA statement is titled: “Impending surgery forces Metropolitan Herman to submit request for medical leave of absence”. No mention is made of the forthcoming SIC Report, or as sources have confirmed, the Metropolitan’s meeting yesterday afternoon with three of the four officers of the OCA. OCA Chancellor Fr. Alex Garklavs, OCA Treasurer Fr. Michael Tassos and OCA Secretary Fr. Eric Tosi met with the
Metropolitan in Syosset and encouraged him to resign. The Metropolitan refused.
The SIC Report is scheduled for presentation to the joint meeting of the Synod and Metropolitan Council this morning.
-Mark Stokoe www.ocanews.org
Facing East Follow up
I forgot to post this yesterday.
In the recent cast we talk about the five most influential people in history. We ask the listeners of the cast to list their five here on my blog or over on Fr. Greg’s blog. We think of influence in a good way but not really. We talk about Adolph Hitler and Genghis Khan as examples of influential people in a not so good way.
So who are your? List away.
Republican Convention
To start with I fell asleep before Gov Palin’s speech last night so I cannot comment on it but by accounts she did a good job and introduced herself well to the world.
One comment I will make. I was flipping around the channels whilst watching Dog the Bounty Hunter and I turned on Cspan. I like to watch the conventions on Cspan because they do not have any talking heads telling you what the speaks just said like we are stupid and cannot figure it out for ourselves. Anyway there was a break in action and they were scanning the crowd. Music was playing in the background and people were dancing. Every person they showed was trying to sing but they did not know the words, and I am not sure if the same song was playing in the convention hall that we were listening too but man those people cannot dance! I don’t know I just thought it was funny.
So tonight Sen. McCain makes his speech. I will try and stay awake to hear it. I am also going to try and find a clip of Gov. Palin’s speech, I have seen the text but I would like to hear it in her own words.
Facing East Podcast
New episode of Facing East is now online.