A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
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| Volume 6 Number 29 - Tuesday, July 20th, 2004 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
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The Orthodox Christian News Service |
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Regarding Conferring Sainthood upon Patriarch Athenagoras Dear Editor, Glory to Jesus Christ! I was saddened by the article "Greek Orthodox Retired Clergy Vote to Confer Americas Model of Sainthood upon the Ever-remembered Archbishop and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras" (posted July 13) because of the motivation to find "a model Saint for the Greek Orthodox Church of America" and to "seek to venerate one of our own." One of our own?? Are not all Orthodox saints equally our own inasmuch as we are in communion with one another in the Lord? Do we not "stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel" (Phil 1:27)? Or does each ethnic group need its "own" saint? While other American Orthodox ethnic groups may have produced saints Russians gave us Herman, Innocent, Tikhon, et al, Alaskans gave us the Martyr Peter the Aleut, Arabs gave us Raphael of Brooklyn, Serbs gave us Nicolai of Zicha, and Carpathians gave us Alexis of Minneapolis & Wilkes-Barre Greek-Americans have equal claim to these (and all) American saints. So, why play Me Too? It seems to lean toward Philetism. In Christ, Rev. Bartholomew WojcikSt. Nicholas Orthodox Christian Mission
Pella, Iowa |
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