[ALBSA-Info] Fw: Prayers in Wake of Tragedy

[albboschurch at juno.com]

Boston - Saint George Albanian Orthodox Cathedral is open for prayers of
consolation and comfort in the aftermath of the national tragedy which
has occured as a result of terrorism. On Friday, September 14 at 10 am,
the Divine Liturgy will be held on the Day of the Veneration of the Holy
Cross in spiritual solace and in remembrance of all victims.  Very Rev.
Arthur Liolin reflected upon the calamity:  "We lament this
heart-wrenching tragedy which has befallen our nation as a result of the
evil acts of misguided others. It is time both for intensified prayer and
focused deeds which will tame the violent and bring justice and peace to
a world sorely torn by its absence."   


Metropolitan THEODOSIUS Calls for Prayers in Wake of New York,
Washington Terrorist Attacks 

SYOSSET, NY -- Immediately upon learning of the unprecedented terrorist
attacks on New York City's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in
Washington, DC on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, His Beatitude,
Metropolitan Theodosius, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, led
members of the OCA Chancery staff in a Service of Prayer in Times of
Tragedy in Saint Sergius Chapel here.

"It is in the midst of such crises -- the likes of which we
have never experienced -- that our faith is especially tested,"
Metropolitan Theodosius said after the service. "Our prayers are with
all who have suffered and lost their lives in this horrible tragedy, 
and especially with their families, that 'they may not be like those 
who have no hope,' as Saint Paul reminds us. I also call upon the
faithful of the Orthodox Church in America to pray all the more
fervently for the eradication of the evil which prompts a complete 
lack of concern for human life."

Metropolitan Theodosius called upon the faithful of the
Orthodox Church in America "to gather in our churches across North
America, especially as we approach the Great Feast of the Holy and
Life-Giving Cross on Friday, September 14, and to offer fervent prayers
to Our Lord, that senseless hatred and attacks against the innocent and
vulnerable, both among the private citizenry and within the halls of
government, cease."

While an official statement by the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops
on the tragedy is being drafted and is expected to be released shortly,
the OCA Office of Communications is preparing special prayers
andpetitions for distribution to all parishes on the OCA's web site 
and by mail.

Updates will be posted on the Orthodox Church in America web site at
www.oca.org as further developments occur.
_______________________________________________________________________

   Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 00:08:59 -0400
Subject: Statement of Holy Synod OCA

Statement Of His Beatitude, Metropolitan THEODOSIUS And The Holy Synod Of
Bishops Of The Orthodox Church In America On The Tragic Terrorist Attacks
On
New York And Washington, DC





September 11, 2001

To the Venerable Hierarchs, Reverend Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of
the
Orthodox Church in America:

This morning, our minds and hearts were shocked beyond belief as images
of
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon flashed
across
our television screens. As the subsequent events of this morning began to
unfold - the collapse of the World Trade Center's twin towers, the severe
damage done to an entire wing of the Pentagon, the crash of an additional
hijacked airliner near Pittsburgh, and the subsequent fear of further
attacks against other cities and targets throughout the United States -
the
faith of a nation was severely tested in a manner hitherto unknown. In an
instant, the security and stability which we and our fellow Americans all
too often take for granted vanished, reminding us that indeed "all things
are but feeble shadows and deluding dreams," to quote Saint John of
Damascus.

Even more numbing than the visual images now indelibly etched on our
minds
is the fact that hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent lives were lost
as
a result of this senseless evil. The perpetrators of these terrorist
attacks
blatantly revealed their complete lack of respect for the sanctity of
human
life, including their own. While buildings can be rebuilt and systems
restored, the earthly lives of the innocent victims who perished this day
cannot. And the lives of their spouses and children, their parents and
friends, and, indeed, all of us who have witnessed these events surely
will
be changed in ways we have yet to consider or to comprehend. As the
realities of today's horrors begin to challenge the very heart of our
lives
and our faith, we might well join Saint John of Damascus in asking, "What
earthly sweetness remains unmixed with grief? What glory stands immutable
on
earth?" Our faith is being tested, individually and collectively, as it
has
never been tested before, and we are reminded in the midst of this
tragedy
that it is in Our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ alone that we find
the faith and the hope we need to discover, in the midst of our righteous
indignation, God's love and presence.

On behalf of the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox
Church
in America, I appeal to the faithful of our Church and to all North
Americans to turn to God at this moment, to reach out to those who are
forever scarred by the tragedies of this day, to strive all the more
fervently to see within all whom we encounter the living and loving image
of
Our Lord, Jesus Christ, and to pray with renewed fervor and intensity
"for
the peace of the whole world" - for the peace that "passes all
understanding," for which our world today so desperately hopes and seeks.

Pray for those whose lives were cut short as a result of today's evil
deeds,
as well as for those who are suffering and who will continue to suffer in
the days, weeks, and months ahead. Pray for those who lost their families
and friends, for those whose grief we can barely begin to imagine, and
for
those who will be scarred forever as a result of today's devastation.
Pray
for those who in countless ways are assisting the injured and the
bereaved,
that Our Lord will guide them in their efforts to bring about physical,
spiritual, and emotional healing. Pray for those who may be tempted to
lose
hope in the face of tragedy, that they may be touched by God's mercy and
compassion and the love of those who surround them. Pray for our civil
authorities and leaders, that Our Lord will inspire them to do the right
thing in the face of unimaginable anguish. Pray for the children of our
nation who once again have been robbed of their precious innocence by
witnessing such incomprehensible evils and tragedies. Pray for those who
perpetrated today's evils, asking the Lord to "make the evil be good" by
His
Goodness, as we pray in the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. And
finally,
let us pray for ourselves, that Our God will strengthen us to face the
consequences of today's tragedies and fill us with renewed faith and hope
to
abide in His love in a world which has grown cold and hard-hearted.

Our faith has been, and will continue to be, tested as a result of
today's
horrible tragedies. May Our Lord use us as instruments of peace in the
face
of war, of love in the face of hatred, and of supreme goodness in the
face
of all that is evil.

With love in Jesus Christ, our only Helper in the face of adversity,

+ THEODOSIUS
Archbishop of Washington
Metropolitan of All America and Canada

And the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in
America:

+KYRILL, Archbishop of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania
+PETER, Archbishop of New York and New Jersey
+DMITRI, Archbishop of Dallas and the South
+HERMAN, Archbishop of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania
+NATHANIEL, Archbishop of Detroit
+JOB, Bishop of Chicago and the Midwest
+TIKHON, Bishop of San Francisco and the West
+SERAPHIM, Bishop of Ottawa and Canada
+INNOCENT, Bishop of Hagestown and Auxiliary to His Beatitude
+NIKOLAI, Bishop of Baltimore and Auxiliary to His Beatitude 
________________________________________________________________
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