Blog Posts - POKROV

Theology Talk - 2 August 2020

1/8/2020

Please tune in to our fortnightly theology lesson this Sunday at 7pm, via our YouTube channel.

1. Fr Nicholas Karipoff will give a 30 min talk on "The Creed on One God"
2. Fr Nicholas Dalinkiewicz will follow on with a talk on "Creation and Science".
Questions can be texted to a number given on the night, and will be answered live.

A message from Sunday School

26/7/2020

To all our beloved Sunday School families

Happy feast day of our wonderful Saints Peter and Paul!

It feels so long since we have worshipped and gathered together, in Church and Sunday School. I hope everyone is doing as well as can be! I certainly really miss all the dear children and all the parents, my friends, very much. I kept thinking that maybe by now we may have been able to be together, but looks like not for a while yet.

I just wanted to touch base to share some of the best links and resources that I usually use in preparation for the Sunday School lessons, just in case you might be looking for some quality things to do with the children. I totally understand there are those who already feel there is plenty on the plate and I don’t mean to add more pressure, so please don’t feel like you aren’t doing enough, or should be doing more. For others, you may like to add some ‘religious’ activities to your usual routine, or maybe just on special feast days. For me personally, faced with potentially another round of 'remote online learning,' I've decided we will tackle things quite differently this time with less focus on the school assigned tasks and more ‘doing our own thing,’ what we personally consider to be ‘the one thing needful.’

Wherever you’re at, I hope these resources will be useful in keeping us and the kids connected to our faith and the Church in these trying times when we are not there physically. I encourage and remind all that we can and should turn each of our homes into a little church, while at the same time not becoming complacent with the current situation (as Fr Nicholas said in this morning’s wonderful sermon). Praying at home is great, but can’t replace our physical connection to liturgical life.

Good luck and God bless you all and please do reach out if I can help any more with the resources or for any other reason.
Fiona xx

P.S Feel free to forward these links on to anyone not on this email or other Orthodox families you know who might benefit.

1. https://orthodoxabc.com

a wonderful site, more geared for younger children with great printouts about the most important aspects of our faith, and a video series

2. https://orthodoxpebbles.com

Another great one for the younger kids, I would really encourage a good browse around the site, to see just how much it offers

3. http://ww1.antiochian.org/christianeducation/letusattend

This is great because it caters to both younger and older children, with printouts and audio. The gospel is covered for each Sunday of the year (just make sure you look at the right date for our calendar!)

4. https://myocn.net/orthodox-christian-childrens-newsletter/

These short weekly bulletins are really sweet, and speak directly to the little ones. It has been running for a long time, so there’s a huge library of material! I used to like reading them out to my kids in the car on to the way to church on Sunday mornings. Good little activity pages attached to it too if you click through (word searches, lives of Saints etc). I really love them!!

5. http://dce.oca.org

This is one amazing resource, something for all ages and stages and could keep you occupied for a very long time. I’ve printed out so many amazing books and activities over the years including these free downloads I printed and bound for my older 3 kids for the last lockdown, kept them busy for the 8 weeks! Amazing.
http://dce.oca.org/page/activity-books/

Enjoy! :)

Mental health wisdom from the saints

16/6/2020

Thank you to Courtnery Haubert for this wonderful resource. Our holy fathers and mothers left many writings that are a salve for the despairing soul. Please use this as a springboard to look deeper into patristic literature if you are so inclined!

Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Isaiah 41:10

Pokrov Leaflet - May 2020

2/6/2020

The Eucharist (2)

The first Pokrov leaflet on the Eucharist was published in time for Easter, Pascha with which is it intimately connected. The Lord told His disciples – and us – to do it in remembrance of Him. The greatest event of His life is the Resurrection and thus the Eucharist is a joyous proclamation that Christ is risen. Now that the Easter period is over, the Church looks forward to Pentecost. The Risen Lord ascends with His human nature to sit at the right hand of the Father and to send the Holy Spirit (Who proceeds from the Father) to the Church of the Apostles. Now we look at the shape of the Eucharistic liturgy with the accent on the Holy Spirit.

On the night He celebrated the Mystical Supper Christ told His disciples that it is better for them that He leaves, for then the Comforter can come to continue His work on Earth. On the day of Pentecost the ‘Church of the Holy Spirit’* is born. Since that day, the Church – led invisibly by its Head, the Lord Jesus Christ – continues the work of Christ through the grace of the Holy Spirit. This happens essentially in the Eucharistic liturgy, a Mystery that energises the existential perception of Christ in our midst through the sanctification of us – and the gifts of Bread and Wine, in which we commune (that is, interact) with Christ and with each other. This enables us to feel the union of love with God and our brothers and sisters in the Church, the Body of Christ. The key role here belongs to the Comforter. In the prayer of the Eucharistic canon, we ask God the Father to send the Holy Spirit to sanctify us- and the Holy Gifts.

The Eucharistic liturgy is a remembrance of Christ’s life as a timeless entry into it, a contemplation of it and a participation in it. In a structural sense, the liturgy consists of three parts corresponding to the three periods of Christ’s life: His birth, His ministry and His passion, death, resurrection and ascension.

Before the Liturgy as a communal event begins, the priest performs a preparation of the bread and wine and commemorates the living and the dead. This section is a contemplation of Bethlehem, the Incarnation, as well as the purpose of the Incarnation. He is born to become the Lamb of God, the gift of love for our sanctification with God’s humanity, according to St Gregory the Theologian (4th century). That sanctification occurs in the life of the Church, contemplated in the graphic arrangement of the bread on the discos, a round metal plate with a stem that represents the world. A cube-shaped ‘Lamb’ is cut out of the prosphora stamped with a cross and the letters IC XC NIKA – ‘Jesus Christ wins’. The prosphora, baked from two round parts of dough, represents the divine and human natures of Christ. The Lamb is cut from it with words said from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah (Chapter 53), contemplating the suffering Messiah being led to the slaugher as the Lamb of God. The Lamb prepared from the bread is used for consecration at the third part of the Liturgy. It is placed in the centre of the discos, as Christ is the Head of the Church. Wine with a tiny quantity of water is poured into the chalice at this point. Small triangular particles are cut out of the bread (prosphora) to represent the Mother of God and nine orders of saints (John the Baptist, the prophets, the apostles, the holy hierarchs, the martyrs, the ascetics, the unmercenary healers, the saints of the day and the author of the liturgy being served), as well as the living and the dead. These particles represent the Church around its Head. Names of the living and the dead, commemorated with particles added to the discos from other prosphoras, complete the picture of the Church. Before the Liturgy begins, the priest places a cruciform asterisk representing the star of Bethlehem (and the Cross) over the Lamb. The vessels are then ‘wrapped’ in sewn covers, representing swaddling clothes of Baby Jesus as well as His burial shroud. These two covers are cross-shaped and ‘wrap’ around the discos and the chalice. A larger cloth called the ‘air’ is placed over both vessels. This term comes from the use of the ‘air’ later in the Liturgy, waved above the Gifts during the singing/reading of the Creed. This motion is symbolic of the Spirit as in many languages the words for ‘spirit’, ‘breath’ and ‘wind’ are the same or similar. When the prepared Gifts are covered this way, the priest (or the deacon, if one is serving) censes the Gifts completing this first part of the Liturgy (‘proscomede’ = offering). He continues censing the altar and the Church in preparation for the beginning of the Liturgy of catechumens.

This should complete our description of the first part of the Eucharistic service. We will need another instalment or even two to give a meaningful picture of the whole Liturgy. The Eucharist needs more explanation than the other Mysteries because it is so central in the life of the Church.

Archpriest Nicholas Karipoff

*Expression of ancient Church writer Tertullian; the title of the book by Archpriest Nicolas Afanasieff

Baptismal font fundraiser

28/4/2020

Here is a list of things the Sisterhood does:

1. Decoration of the church - where else do you see such impressive displays of flowers? Go on, I'll wait
2. Running a full-size, industrial caterer's kitchen at church. Yes, those piroshki don't just fry themselves and that sugar bowl doesn't fill itself
3. Baking prosphora
4. Looking after all the vestments - and there are heaps!
5. Ensuring we have delicious food to feed hundreds on our patronal feast day
6. Providing help for the sick and ailing (with food and cooking), as well as the vulnerable (financially)
7. Fundraising for the church

and here is how you can help:
We are very blessed to have a growing number of catechumens and we don't want them to 'depart', we hope they will 'remain', and come home to the Orthodox Church.
The sisterhood is fundraising for a baptismal font, please give generously!

Pokrov leaflet -The Eucharist - April 2020

19/4/2020

Series on the Mysteries (Sacraments)
THE EUCHARIST
Christ is Risen!

The central annual event of the Church calendar intimately connects with the Pascha of each week. Christians immediately began to ‘break the Bread’ on the first day of the week, the day of the Resurrection, Sunday. Gradually other festal occasions developed when the Church came together for the Eucharistic liturgy.

The Gospels give us two main stories that are part of the revelation of Christ about His New Testament with all the nations. These stories speak of the fullness of life from God brought to Earth by the Saviour. The first story is the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes; the second, the story of the Mystical (‘Last’) Supper at which the Lord performed the one and only Eucharist. According to the teaching of the Orthodox Church when we serve the Eucharistic liturgy, we neither just ‘remember’ Christ’s story, not repeat what He did at the Supper with His disciples.

The morning after the feeding of the multitudes Christ spoke at the Synagogue in Capernaum about the underlying meaning of that miracle (Jn 6:12-69). He said: “I am the bread of life” (Jn 6:48), making a distinction between the manna that was given to Israel in the wilderness which served only to sustain bodily life on earth – and the food of eternal life that He would give them. This food would be His Body and Blood. These words shocked many of Christ’s listeners and even some of His followers left Him (Jn 6:66). Yet what better way was there to express the intimacy of connection with God through Christ! What powerful expression of sacrificial love giving up itself for the sustenance of humanity beloved by God.

The second event reveals even more about the meaning of salvation given by the Son of God. In the first instance, Christ’s audience in the synagogue asked Him for a sign, remembering that in the days of Moses manna was given to nourish Israel. His answer clearly indicates that everything about the story of Moses was only a prototype, a shadow of the real things to come. The Mystical Supper too, was celebrated by the Lord after the prototypical Passover meal. Its prayers or at last the ideas expressed in them became a structural basis for the New Testament Passover – the celebration of the Eucharist. Old Testament Passover celebrated the deliverance of the nation of Israel from the bondage of the Pharaoh. New Testament Passover (Pascha and the Eucharist) celebrates our deliverance from the Prince of death: “… instead of Moses, Christ is the salvation of our souls” (dogmatikon of the 2nd tone). Old Testament pact between God and Israel at the foot of Mt Sinai was sealed in the blood of sacrificed animals. Again, all of these sacrifices were only prototypes of the ultimate sacrifice of love – Christ crucified. He tells His disciples – and us – that the New Testament is in His blood. The shedding of His Blood is a many faceted phenomenon. It illustrates Christ’s own words that the greatest love one can have is to lay down one’s life for others (Jn 15:13). The Tree of the Cross becomes not only the sacrificial altar for the Lamb of God, but also the Tree of Life. This Tree – or Vine (Jn 15:5) – is Christ Himself, connecting us, the branches with the sap, the energies of God.

The Eucharist as Passover/Pascha is clearly not only a thematic expression of the essence of Christianity as the promise of real life (1 Pet 1:18). It is an existential fact that this life comes from the inner life of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – Unity in Trinity, one God. The Eucharist was perceived from the apostolic times as the medicine of eternity. This medicine gives an experiential perception of the healing of the inner wounds of each member of the Church and the restoration of the torn fabric of society caused by hate, animosity, aggressive competition, envy, jealousy and ultimately pride.

Other religious cultures too see a connection between a shared meal and unity of life. An example of this is the custom of commemorating the dead in many pre-Christian cultures, involving eating and drinking on their behalf. The difference between that basic, correct intuition and the Eucharist of the Church is great.

The Gospel, other New Testament books and the whole Bible give a huge picture of what Church teaching calls ‘God’s plan of salvation’. The Eucharist is central as an expression of that plan because it ‘remembers’ or enters symbolically into the life of Christ , but once we are connected with Christ in the Mystery we are also connected with spiritual bonds of love with each other. The ancient Christians saw it like this. We commune in the Body of Christ to become mystically part of Him and His Body – the Church. The separation between us due to our sinfulness disappears at least for a while as we experience a foretaste of unearthly harmony. The Eucharist is the main source of transformational grace in the life of the Church. However, personal effort of prayer and self-limitation has to be made in order for us to open to that grace. Christian life is very much about personal change, transformation. It is not about becoming ‘a better person’. It is about connecting with Christ.

This short introduction will have to be followed up by a more detailed picture of the Eucharistic liturgy – later.

Truly He is Risen!

Archpriest Nicholas Karipoff

ЕВХАРИСТИЯ
Христос Воскресе!

Центральное годовое событие церковного календаря тесно связано с Пасхой каждой недели. Христиане сразу же стали «преломлять хлеб» в первый день недели, в день воскресения Христа, в воскресенье. Постепенно и в другие возникшие праздничные дни Церковь стала собираться на евхаристическую литургию

Евангелия рассказывают нам о двух важных событиях, которые являются частью откровения Христа - о Его Новом Завете для всех народов. Эти истории говорят о полноте жизни, принесённой от Бога на землю Спасителем. Первая история – рассказ о насыщении народа пятью хлебами и двумя рыбами; вторая – Тайная Вечеря, когда Господь совершил одну, единственную Евхаристию. По учению Православной Церкви, когда мы совершаем литургию, мы не просто «воспоминаем» историю Христа и не повторяем, что Он совершил на Тайной Вечери со Своими учениками.

На следующее утро после чудесного насыщения народа Христос учил в Капернаумской синагоге, подчёркивая смысл этого чуда (Ин 6:22-69). Он сказал: «Я - Хлеб жизни» (Ин 6:48), указывая на разницу между манной, посланной Израилю в пустыни, которая только была необходима для физического поддержания жизни – и пищей вечной жизни, которую Он даст им. Это будет Его тело и Его кровь. Эти слова привели слушателей в ужас, и даже некоторые из следующих за Ним оставили Его (Ин 6:66). И однако, это был лучший способ, чтобы объяснить близость связи с Богом через Христа! Какое сильное выражение жертвенной любви, отдающей себя для питания человечества, любимого Богом.

Второе событие открывает даже ещё больше о значении спасения, дарованного нам Сыном Божиим. Первая же просьба слушателей была, чтобы Христос дал им знамение, так как была послана манна, чтобы накормить народ. Его ответ ясно указывает на то, что весь рассказ о Моисее и манне был прототип, тень грядущих настоящих событий. Тайная Вечеря была совершена Христом после обряда еврейской Пасхи. Молитвы её, или по крайней мере, выражения тех молитв, легли в основу Пасхи Нового Завета – Евхаристии. Пасха Ветхого Завета праздновалась в воспоминание исхода Израиля из египетского плена. Пасха Нового Завета (Евхаристия) празднует наше избавление от князя смерти: «… вместо Моисея, Христос - спасение душ наших» (догматик 2-го гласа). Ветхий Завет – договор между Богом и Израилем у подножия Синайской горы был скреплён кровью жертвенных животных. И опять, все эти жертвы были только прототипами окончательной жертвы любви – распятием Христа. Он говорит Своим ученикам – и нам, что Новый Завет – в Его крови. Пролитие Его Крови – это многогранное событие. Это подтверждается собственным славами Спасителя: величайшая любовь – положить душу (жизнь) свою за друзей своих (Ин 15:13). Древо Креста стало не только жертвенником Агнца Божия, но также и Древом Жизни. Это Древо – или Лоза – сам Христос, связывающий нас, ветвей, с соком, с энергиями Бога.

Евхаристия/Пасха – определённо не только тематическое выражение сущности христианства как обещания настоящей жизни (1 Петр 1:18). Реальный факт то, что эта жизнь дана из внутренней жизни Отца, Сына и Святого Духа – Единицы в Троице, Единого Бога.
Евхаристия воспринималась с апостольских времён как лекарство вечности. Это лекарство даёт основанное на опыте восприятие исцеления внутренних ран каждого члена Церкви и восстановление разорванной грехом (ненавистью, злобой, агрессией, гордостью) ткани общества.

В других религиозных культурах тоже существует связь между общей трапезой и единения в жизни. Пример этому - традиция поминать умерших за столом с едой и выпивкой, существовавшая во многих
дохристианских культурах. Разница между этой основной и правильной интуицией и Евхаристией Церкви - огромная.

Евангелие, другие книги Нового Завета и Библия в целом дают нам развёрнутую картину учения Церкви о так называемом «Божием плане спасения». Евхаристия – центральное выражение этого плана, потому что она «помнит» или вводит символически в жизнь Христа. Но как только мы соединяемся со Христом в таинстве, мы также соединяемся духовными узами любви друг со другом. Древние христиане это видели. Мы общаемся в Теле Христовом, таинственно становимся частью Его Тела и Крови – Церкви. Отчуждение между нами ввиду нашей греховности, смертности преодолевается хотя бы ненадолго от ощущения предвкушения неземной гармонии.
Евхаристия – главный источник преображённой благодатью жизни Церкви. Однако, должны происходить собственные усилия в молитве и самоограничении, чтобы быть готовыми к принятию этой благодати. Христианская жизнь – это изменение, преображение себя. Но это не значит «стать лучше», а это значит быть со Христом.

Это короткое введение об Евхаристии должно быть продолжено позже более подробно о самой литургии.

Воистину Воскресе!

Протоиерей Николай Карыпов

Theology talk on family and children

13/4/2020

Please join us on the YouTube channel on Sunday 26th April at 7pm for the third livestreamed theology talk with Father NIcholas Karipoff. Psychologist Helen Werts will be answering questions on raising children, as well as family relationships.

Please leave questions below.

Thank you!

Holy Unction

1/4/2020

Holy Unction will take place on Tuesday 7th April at 6pm.

It will be a closed service for now, but we will complete the anointing part of the service face to face in church, at some point in the (hopefully) near future.

If you can make the anointing please enter your name below.

Children's names can be entered if they are old enough to have confession and can attend the actual anointing.

Phone confessions during church closure

30/3/2020

For confession during the closure of our church, please call Father Peter who is taking confession by phone.

Home phone
Mobile

Father Nicholas is prepared to hold a general confession via livestreaming soon too. Please sign up to the newsletter for updates.

Closure and livestreaming

28/3/2020

Dear fellow parish members,

Closure and live streaming
With the recent Government restrictions related to COVID-19, and the updated statement from Bishop George, our Church is now CLOSED to the public for services. However, services will continue with only priests, deacon, reader, choirmasters and subdeacons in attendance.

The services will be live-streamed via the channel:

Pokrov YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_C_7kwTg6iu-E00Waw7y2g

To get started, copy and paste the above link into your web browser. Then click on subscribe. You will then get a notification when we start streaming the next service. When watching the live feed of a service, please treat this with reverence as if you are standing in Church. Stand near an icon and put up a candle(s) if you are able to. Be a participant in the service, rather than just an observer.

Appeal for financial support
While in-house services will continue, the Church will no longer be able to raise funds through the sales of candles and prosphoras, buffets and the operation of the bookshop. We therefore appeal to all families and individuals to consider supporting the Church via donations online (details below). It is understood that many will unfortunately lose jobs or go on reduced hours so the donations are entirely discretionary.

Furthermore, most people pay their annual membership fees at the time of the AGM in September. Can we request that members who haven not yet renewed for 2020 do so as early as possible ($150 full, $50 concession).

At this stage, please make payments directly to:
Account Name:         ROCAM
BSB: 063010
Account Number:      10055119
Description:               Donation or Membership (include your name)

Can you please notify the secretary at the same time in order to ensure the correct recording and issuing of receipts.

Kulichi
While Kulichi are still available for sale, the pick-up arrangements are unclear due to movement restrictions. Please contact the Head Sister (Luba Cowal for details, 0411090550, cowall@ozemail.com.au)

Confession and communion
(clergy to advise)

No church clean-up on Saturday 4th April

No blessing of Easter baskets

The above information is subject to rapid change pending further restrictions from the Government. Any changes will be communicated via these means. Please forward this information email to others in our community, particularly any elderly people who do not have access to email.