OCDR – ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN DISABILITY RESOURCES
the household
Mairs Momilies is a weblog by a mother of a large family, Orthodox Christian; many of the children are adopted, and have special needs. And they home school these children. By means of the web address below one can access her posts related to the word “disability.” These are words (songs, if you will), based on experience: http://mairsmomilies.blogspot.com/search?q=disability
Once a member of a rock band, Archimandrite Themi now serves people in need in Sierra Leone as an Orthodox Christian Priest-Monk. The mission’s efforts include the building of a village for a 100 people with disabilities who previously were hounded by the authorities for begging, and also the provision of arms and legs to the amputee children.
Share the Faith: The Atheist Rocker who is an Orthodox Priest and a Missionary in Africa now: http://www.sharethefaith.net/2010/07/17/the-atheist-rocker-who-is-an-orthodox-priest-and-a-missionary-in-africa-now/ see also http://www.ipernity.com/blog/evangrek63/258903
To the Ends of the Earth: Fr. Themi: Atheist Rocker to Orthodox Missionary (includes a 9 minute video interview with Rev. Themi): http://orthodoxmissions.wordpress.com/2010/03/13/fr-themi-atheist-rocker-to-orthodox-missionary/
To the Ends of the Earth- a post by Fr. Themi which includes a section entitled The Holy Orthodox Diocese of Sierra Leone and the Disabled: http://orthodoxmissions.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/new-blog-by-fr-themi-sierra-leone/
To the Ends of the Earth: a 19 minute video in which Fr. Themi talks about Faith, Works, and Being Born Again: http://orthodoxmissions.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/fr-themi-on-faith-and-works/
Rev. Themi’s blog (including Mission Projects- a must see): http://pk4a.com/blog/
See also http://orthodoxwiki.org/Themistocles_(Adamopoulo)
St. Xenia of Petersburg
The following webpage describes, in a personal way, the celebration of the feast of St. Xenia of Petersburg, the Convent’s patron saint. First, there is the Divine Liturgy. First things first. Then there is a dinner, where many loving thoughts and feelings are shared: Day of St Xenia of Petersburg, Our Patron Saint http://www.obitel-minsk.by/obitel-minsk_oid496150.html
A life of St. Xenia of Petersburg with two troparions and a kontakion on the webpage of Holy Protection Russian Orthodox Church, 2049 Argyle Ave. Los Angeles, California 90068: http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/saints/xenia_petersburg.htm
Another life of St. Xenia, with two excellent holy icons of her, from St. Xenia Cathedral in Kanata, Ontario, Canada: http://www.stxenia.ca/en/stxenia.html
Icon from Orthodoxy in NWA: http://orthodoxynwa.blogspot.com/2011/01/st-xenia-of-petersburg-fool-for-christ.html
Most Holy Mary with Christ
(or Wawasinno Ki’chi Wa Mali’í Waabanowigaan)
from an email directed to me through the group home ministry I work with:
The Hesychastic Society of the Most Holy Mary, aka, Wawasinno Ki’chi Wa Mali’i Waabanowigaan, is a Metochion of the Monastic Society of St. Silouan the Athonite (OCA; Canada): a monastic brotherhood designed specifically for Aboriginal (Native N. American) and (higher functioning) Autistic Orthodox, and those wishing to live with them in Christian harmony. Our rule is simple: radical hesychasm and little folly. We are located, at present, in downtown Toronto, and, as of September 4, 2011, our first hermitage was sanctified, and was granted canonical letters.
Some very basic online info on the Community:
Email Monk Pierre (Vachon) hsmhm@live.ca
On the meaning of Hesychasm: http://orthodoxwiki.org/Hesychasm
See also: http://oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/bible-history/the-bible/the-jesus-prayer
On behalf of Focus North America: Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve, Charles Ajalat reports the story of Archbishop Iakovos of Blessed Memory and his involvement in the civil rights marches in Alabama in 1965 which were led by Martin Luther King, Jr. as he learned it from Al Raboteau in a lecture at Fordham University in 2006. It is a story of courage, of a hierarch moving forward, alone, unfortunately, against unjust voter registration policies.
A Unitarian minister who also participated had been killed the night before. A partial quote of Archbishop Iakovos, as to his reasons for joining the March:
Our [Orthodox] Church has never hesitated to fight, when it felt it must, for the rights of mankind; and many of our Churchmen have been in the forefront of these battles time and again….Let [Reeb’s] martyrdom be an inspiration and a reminder to us that there are times when we must risk everything, including life itself, for those basic American ideals of freedom, justice and equality.
She was chrismated into the Orthodox Church in 2010, taking Elizabeth as her Saint name.
May 2011 brought a very happy event- the prom.
And then in October 2011, a second job!
And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful. (Titus 3:14)
The Prom, with pictures: http://abideandnendeavor.blogspot.com/2011/05/now-this-is-happy.html
the jobs: http://abideandnendeavor.blogspot.com/2010/10/she-is-learning-to-juggle.html
A collaborative effort: robots for humanity. Here is a You Tube video in which a real man named Henry, who is paralyzed, by means of a robot, gains control of his own world:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DqrrxPwBcU4
St. Parasceva
St. Parasceva is an intercessor for people with visual impairments (blindness). During the era when the Roman Empire was persecuting the Church, while she was young she gave away all her possessions and traveled around, evangelizing.
She was arrested and tortured, and thrown into a vat of boiling pitch, which did not, miraculously, affect her at all. The Emperor Pius, who was present, asked her by what magic she cooled the pitch. She threw him some of the hot pitch, which burned him and blinded his eyes. The Emperor screamed and pleaded for St. Parasceva to heal him. And she did. He immediately ended the persecution of Christians.
But after he died, the new Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, renewed the persecution. St Parasceva, who continued to preach, was arrested and thrown into a pit with a snake. She made the sign of the cross and immediately it died. Eventually Saint Parasceva was beheaded for Christ.
Sources: http://www.antiochian.org/martyr_paraskeva
http://www.orthodoxcentral.com/saints/saintparaskeva.htm
http://saints.sqpn.com/saintp33.htm
Source of Icon: http://frmilovan.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/i-want-to-bless/
Holy Theophany
Holy Theophany at Saint Elias Church, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Thus says the LORD: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing…
Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with he recompense of God. He will come and save you.
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame leap like a hart, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters shall break broth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert…
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with singing, everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. Isaiah 35:1-10
Theophany is a very important Feast in the Orthodox Christian Church, even more important than Christmas. St. Elias Orthodox Christian Church in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, has a web page replete with pictures, You Tube videos, and a concise explanation of the meaning of the Feast. Here it is: http://www.saintelias.com/ca/feastday/theophany.php
Icon from http://frted.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/three-thoughts-on-theophany-1/
