July-August 2017
Post date: Nov 14, 2017 10:39:29 PM
For many of us, summer is a time to get away. This year, I even remembered far enough ahead of time to plan a vacation for our family. The fact that we left home without having planned all our accommodations along the way is something we will keep just between us. In the end, we did make it back without having to use the van as sleeping quarters. Along the way, we (barely) managed not to drive off the road in hilly Missouri, transformed on-line friends into real-life ones, and visited dear friends. We also stopped by church.
By a happy coincidence, Symeon’s godfather was scheduled to serve at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Wichita Falls, TX, the Saturday of our trip – something he does about twice a year. As Holy Cross had been my spiritual home for three and a half years and, in some ways, the place where my journey towards the priesthood began, it was a pleasure to return and see some of the people who helped make me feel at home six thousand miles away from home.
The next day we went to Fr. Nicholas’s church, St. Demetrios in Ft. Worth. Fr. Nicholas and I had come in and graduated together (both of us in three years), and had been in the same chant group at seminary. Both of us had been ordained before graduation, but these were the first Liturgies we served together. I had looked forward to these services and it was a blessing to be there… even though at St. Demetrios, Orthros begins at 7:45 and Liturgy around 9. Somehow, at least for one Sunday, that did not seem unreasonably early.
Fr. Nicholas wanted to make sure that I did not get rusty during vacation and offered me the opportunity to preach. And then, all of a sudden, everything was done by 11:30, which felt strange, and strangely enjoyable: Sunday afternoon had more than a couple of hours.
The final church stop of our trip was at Archangel Michael and All Angels skete in Weatherby, MO. We had visited there a couple of years ago and it was good to see all the changes that had taken place. A barn with farm equipment had been added, fields of wheat were growing, and several varieties of grape vines had been planted this year and were being worked on as we arrived. There are plans for a church next to the current chapel. We arrived as the workday seemed to be in full swing, at 7:40 in the morning. Rains were coming and the work needed to get done, we were told. We stayed, we ate breakfast, we looked at the beautiful monastery grounds, and we had the opportunity to venerate the relics of several saints, including St. Mary Magdalene and St. Helen, in the chapel. Looking around the monastery I was reminded of how much care monasteries give to their surroundings: so many varieties of plants arranged in orderly patterns and providing for many of the daily needs of the monastery. Even the roof of the refectory was made in such a way that it can be used as a garden.
Then, it was time to come back home. And it is good to be home, but I wanted to write a little about the churches we visited, because each church is different. Something here and there might strike us as something we could use at St. John. So, when you go to church on your vacations this summer, if you see something you think we could do, or even something you liked, even if we might not be able to do it currently, please let me know. And, if you have already returned, let me know where you went and what you saw. If, in academic circles, copying is plagiarism, in the spiritual life, copying that which is good is the way of ascent towards God. Let us be as spiritual bees, pick up that which is sweet from the spiritual places we visit, and bring it to St. John to sweeten the honey of our spiritual life.
May God grant all of you safe travels wherever you may go.
With love in Christ,
+Fr. Peter