Glory Be To God!
T254
The Orthodox church omits the word "Greek"
from its name to have a more universal appeal.
By Maureen Byrne
PALM HARBOR, February 7, 2000 (SPT) -- Responding to a
growing flock of Orthodox Christians in North Pinellas, the Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America has given its blessing to the
formation of a new congregation in Palm Harbor.
Yet members of the new St. Raphael, St. Nicholas and St. Irene
Hellenic Orthodox Church specifically left the word "Greek" out of
the church's name so it would have a more universal appeal.
"It makes the faith more approachable," said E. Vasili Ehrhard,
council president of the 50-family parish, which celebrated its first
liturgy Sunday at Palm Harbor Library. "All of our events will mostly
be conducted in English."
The church's founding reflects the desires of a growing number of
local Orthodox Christians who wish to embrace their faith in their
native tongue: English.
"We are a growing community of diverse families, and many of us
aren't Greek, so it's important to reach out to us," said member Jill
Wernicke, a second-generation Greek-American who lives in Tarpon
Springs.
Though Wernicke, 38, speaks Greek, her husband, a Catholic who
attends Orthodox services, and two sons speak very little of the
language.
Wernicke's situation is shared by many. About 85 percent of marriages
involving a Greek Orthodox are with a non-Orthodox, said the Rev.
George Patides of St. Stefanos Greek Orthodox Church in St.
Petersburg. Patides is the liaison between the new congregation in
Palm Harbor and Bishop Alexios of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of
Atlanta.
In addition, Patides said, the three already established Greek Orthodox
churches in Pinellas County -- St. Stefanos, St. Nicholas Greek
Orthodox Cathedral in Tarpon Springs and Holy Trinity Greek
Orthodox Church in Clearwater -- cannot meet all of the needs of the
county's Orthodox population.
For example, he said, though St. Nicholas Cathedral offers one weekly
service in English, the sanctuary seats only 400. That's not enough
room to accommodate the growing number of Orthodox Christians
who do not speak Greek, he said.
"Basically, this is the natural evolution of the increasing number of
our faithful," Patides said, adding that those in interfaith marriages and
recent converts needed a church with a more accessible environment.
"We would like this community to be more open to a new generation,"
Bishop Alexios said from Atlanta. "We have to have the Greek
language (at St. Nicholas) so the founders of the (Greek) community
(there) can feel happy."
For people like Ehrhard, a Protestant who converted to the Orthodox
faith in 1996, the different languages and cultural groups identified
with many Eastern Orthodox churches pose a problem for people.
Ehrhard, 39, said he appreciates the beauty and rich traditions of St.
Nicholas Cathedral, but the language barrier prevents him from getting
the most out of his new faith.
Like Ehrhard and Wernicke, many other parishioners of St. Raphael,
St. Nicholas and St. Irene worshiped at St. Nicholas Cathedral in
Tarpon Springs before founding the new church.
"I don't think of this movement as competitive," Patides said. "I look
at it as complementary because we are all on the same team. Our bond
is not ethnocentric. Our bond is spiritual."
The Rev. Tryfon Theophilopoulos, pastor of St. Nicholas Cathedral,
said he isn't concerned that the church has lost some parishioners. "It's
very good to open a church rather than a jail," he said. "It's really a
blessing. As long as they go to either church, it's a blessing."
The seed was planted for the new church about five years ago, Patides
said. That's when a group of people, most from Tarpon Springs, came
to him with the suggestion of starting an Orthodox church that would
offer all its services, classes and programs in English.
"They just told me we need more," he recalled.
Patides sent a formal request to Alexios. Last year, the diocese granted
permission for the establishment of a church. A temporary home was
found at the Palm Harbor Library and a priest was assigned to the
congregation.
"I feel delighted," said the Rev. John Protopapas. "It's a blessing from
God."
Protopapas, 73, retired to Florida in 1997. But he has been kept busy
ever since, filling in at Greek Orthodox churches here and out of state.
Protopapas said in his 45 years in the priesthood, he never served as
the first priest of a new church. In fact, there were a lot of firsts on
Sunday. In addition to celebrating its first liturgy, the church also
conducted its first baptism.
Nikitas, the 9-month-old son of George and Irene Koulianos of Tarpon
Springs, was welcomed during a ceremony Sunday afternoon.
* * *
robert G Tallick
Alexander Arnakis
>Yet members of the new St. Raphael, St. Nicholas and St. Irene
>Hellenic Orthodox Church specifically left the word "Greek" out of
>the church's name so it would have a more universal appeal.
>
Please clear up this mystery: Is the church's official name "St.
Raphael, St. Nicholas and St. Irene Hellenic Orthodox Church"? If so,
doesn't "Hellenic" mean the same as "Greek"?
Anyway, it sounds like a good idea to me -- segregate the English
speakers in the new parish so that the churchgoers of St. Nicholas
Cathedral can continue with their mostly Greek-language services
undisturbed!
As the Burt Lancaster character said in the movie "The Leopard,"
"Things must change so that things can stay the same!"
Bryan J. Maloney
<Arn...@postoffice.worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> On 27 Feb 2000 20:00:49 GMT, t2...@aol.com (T254) wrote:
>
> >Yet members of the new St. Raphael, St. Nicholas and St. Irene
> >Hellenic Orthodox Church specifically left the word "Greek" out of
> >the church's name so it would have a more universal appeal.
> >
> Please clear up this mystery: Is the church's official name "St.
> Raphael, St. Nicholas and St. Irene Hellenic Orthodox Church"? If so,
> doesn't "Hellenic" mean the same as "Greek"?
>
> Anyway, it sounds like a good idea to me -- segregate the English
> speakers in the new parish so that the churchgoers of St. Nicholas
> Cathedral can continue with their mostly Greek-language services
> undisturbed!
And then when they die out, the English speakers can have the buildings.
--
"Before we judge the lobotomist of old too severely, we
should go to the nearest street grate and see how we are
dealing with our mental health crisis today."