Upcoming Schedule:

Commemoration of the Holy Apostle
Andrew the First-Called

Saturday, November 29
Vespers 5:00 PM


Sunday, November 30

Adult Catechism 9:00 AM

Hours 9:45 AM

Typika 10:00 AM

What it Means to Lead
Rod Dreher, Dallas Morning News

(This commentary on the recent election of our new Metropolitan comes from a DMN editorial columnist who is a member of the congregation at Saint Seraphim Orthodox Cathedral in Dallas)

Three months ago, Father Jonah Paffhausen was living quietly as the abbot of an Eastern Orthodox monastery in Northern California. Three weeks ago, he was the newly consecrated Bishop Jonah of Fort Worth. On Nov. 12, he was elected as Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church in America.

This is like a priest going from being a relatively obscure country abbot to Archbishop of Canterbury in the time it takes the leaves to change color. It just doesn't happen. But it did, and if you ask laymen and clergy who were voting at the church council, they'll tell you it was the Holy Spirit at work.

Read it all here.

Schedule for this Weekend

Saturday, November 22:

No Vespers

Sunday, November 23:

Adult Catechism 9:00 AM

Hours 9:45 AM

Typika 10:00 AM

Metropolitan JONAH's Sermon...

... given at Saint Seraphim Cathedral in Dallas, Texas on Sunday, November 16.

In two parts - well worth a listen!





Many thanks to Rod Dreher, a member of the cathedral congregation, who recorded and posted this.

A Week to Remember!

This past week,

the Orthodox Church in America elected a new Metropolitan,

our mission church in Baton Rouge celebrated her third patronal feastday,

and a child was Baptized!

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever!

On Wednesday, November 12, 2008, His Grace, Bishop Jonah of Fort Worth was elected Archbishop of Washington and New York and Metropolitan of All America and Canada at the 15th All American Council meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For the past decade, our new Metropolitan served as igumen (abbot) of the monastery in Manton, California under the patronage of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco. He was consecrated as Bishop of Fort Worth and auxiliary in the Diocese of the South on November 1, the Commemoration of Saint Raphael, and then elected as Metropolitan eleven days later. The Council received significant media coverage both by the Pittsburgh Gazette and by Ancient Faith Radio.

For a glimpse at the selection process of the new Metropolitan, the Pittsburgh Gazette has a well-produced video available by clicking here.

The news page on the OCA website includes links to several of Metropolitan Jonah's talks at the Council. To access those talks, go to the news story by clicking here, then scroll down to the end of the story. The links will take you to the audio files on the Ancient Faith Radio site.

Here in Baton Rouge, we were delighted to welcome Father Nikolay Miletkov as we marked our third patronal feastday, commemorating Saint Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist. Throughout the weekend, over forty people participated in the various services including a Baptism, Great Vespers, and Divine Liturgy.

On Saturday, we were honored with a visit by Father Philip Rogers, pastor of Archangel Gabriel Antiochian Orthodox Church in Lafayette, Louisiana. Father Philip was a seminary classmate of Father Nikolay and graciously concelebrated at the Saturday services. The Mystery of Holy Baptism was celebrated for the child Valentina, daughter of Evgeniya and James. This was our first Baptism! Glory to God!

Many Years to our new Metropolitan! Eis polla eti, Despota!

Many Years to the Orthodox Mission in Baton Rouge!

Many Years to the newly illumined handmaiden, Valentina!

God Grant you Many, Many Years!

Patronal Feast Day: November 16

Saint Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist

We are delighted to announce that Father Nikolay Miletkov will visit Baton Rouge this weekend as we commemorate our heavenly patron, the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew.

Saturday, November 15 -

Great Vespers 5:00 PM

Sunday, November 16 -
Adult Catechism 9:00 AM
Hours 9:45 AM
Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM

Father Nikolay will be available to hear confessions (in Russian or in English) before and after Vespers on Saturday and (if necessary) before Liturgy on Sunday.

We will share a festive coffee hour after the Liturgy on Sunday (within the parameters of the Nativity Fast, meaning no meat or dairy). Please bring something to share!

Troparion-Tone 3

With zeal, you followed Christ the Master,

who in His goodness, appeared on earth to mankind.

Summoning you from the custom house,

He revealed you as a chosen apostle:

the proclaimer of the the Gospel to the whole world!

Therefore, divinely eloquent Matthew,

we honor your precious memory!

Entreat merciful God

that He may grant our souls remission of transgressions.

100s of Photos from the Consecration...

...are showing up all over the internet.

Archbishop DMITRI of Dallas, Bishop TIKHON of Philadelphia, Bishop BENJAMIN of San Francisco, and Bishop ALEJO of Mexico City lay hands on Bishop-Elect JONAH

Our diocesan website has a gallery of about 20 photos, available here.

Father Thomas Moore, a priest in Columbia, South Carolina, has posted several collections of photos here.

Eis polla eti, Despota! Many Years, Vladika JONAH!

The Consecration of Bishop JONAH

photo from www.oca.org

Over the weekend, the Diocese of the South celebrated the consecration of His Grace JONAH, Bishop of Fort Worth and Auxiliary in the Diocese of the South. As additional pictures become available, we'll try to post them here.

Meanwhile, an address by the new bishop given at Vespers on Friday evening at the Cathedral is available on the diocesan website:

October 31, 2008

Dallas, Texas

Your Eminence, beloved Vladyka Dmitri, Vladyka Tikhon, Maestro Don Alejo, Vladyka Benjamin, beloved friends and brethren in Christ,

Bless, Masters!

I am profoundly humbled to be elected as a bishop, and by the confidence placed in me by you and the other holy hierarchs of the Orthodox Church in America. I am immensely grateful to God, and to you all, to be considered for such a ministry, and pray that I may faithfully fulfill the trust placed in me for the good of the whole Church, and that I might hope to hear the Lord’s word on the Last Day, “well done, good and faithful servant.”

It is hard to begin to express the gratitude that I have for all the people who have affected my life: first and foremost, my parents and family, who while often not understanding the path to which I have been called, showed their patience, unconditional love and support all along my spiritual pilgrimage.

My gratitude to God is also for the many spiritual guides, both living and departed, who have imparted to me their vision of Christ and the Church, of ministry and service. Among the those who have gone on before us are Protopresbyters Alexander Schmemann and John Meyendorff, of blessed memory, who shaped my intellectual formation in the Faith, and imparted their vision of the Church, albeit at a time when I was too immature to comprehend it; and the Monastic fathers, who inspired in me the desire for the “Way of Perfection,” Bishop Mark of Ladoga, and Archimandrite Dimitry of Santa Rosa, of blessed memory, monks of Valaam; Bishop Basil (Rodzianko) and Fr Anastassy. May their memory be eternal!

Read the entire address here.

An additional news story is available on the OCA website here.