The Good Shepherd Newsletter

Saint Mary Romanian Orthodox Cathedral

3256 Warren Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44111

Phone: (216) 941-5550, Fax: (216) 941-3068

E-mail: st.mary.cathedral@sbcglobal.net - www.smroc.org

V. Rev. Dr. Remus Grama, Parish Priest

Rev. Deacon Nick Neagoe

VOLUME XXV JUNE 2019

I Believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic

Church

From the first ecumenical council, the Fathers of

the Church established the attributes of the Church to be:

“one, holy, catholic and apostolic.” These are

fundamental teachings of the Church because the Church,

as the very presence of the eucharistic Christ must be

consistent with her Master’s oneness, holiness and

teachings. Every member is also called to believe and

profess these teachings or else he loses his own

orthodoxy and the truth is not in him any longer.

The Church is one, because her Head, Christ

Himself, is one. This confers unity to the Church and

invites to oneness and harmony in everything. The

Church is holy because she is sanctified by the Blood of

Christ. The sanctity of the Church does not exclude those

who are sinners, because Christ came into the world to

save sinners and heal and seek those who are lost. Christ

sanctified Himself that we may be sanctified (Jn. 17,19).

Holiness is the result of God’s transformative Grace and

it perpetually generates holiness to those who pray and

receive the sacraments. Then, the Church is catholic

because it embraces the entire humanity, but also because

in it we participate in the entire wholesomeness of God’s

creation. She stands on the foundation of the teachings of

the ecumenical councils. Finally, the Church is apostolic,

because it proclaims the same faith as that of the Holy

Apostles.

As we are getting ready for the Feast of Pentecost,

when the Church was sanctified by the outpouring of the

Spirit, let us come together in faith and receive Christ’s

blessings by “keeping the traditions” and rejoicing in the

true faith!

- Fr. Remus Grama

Cred întru una, sfântă, sobornicească și

apostească Biserică

Încă de la întâiul sinod ecumenic, Părinții Bisericii

au dedus că Biserica are următoarele însușiri și este: una,

sfântă, sobornicească și apostolică. Acestea sunt învățături

fundamentale ale Bisericii, întrucât ea este prezența

euharistică, vie a lui Hristos. Se cuvine deci ca ea să fie

consecventă cu: unitatea, sfințenia și învățătura Stăpânului

ei. Fiecare fiu al bisericii se cade să creadă și să profeseze

aceste învățături, ca să nu se depărteze de ortodoxia

credinței, deci, de adevăr.

Așadar, Biserica este una, așa cum și Capul său,

Hristos Însuși, unul este. Acest crez dăruiește unitate

Bisericii și invită la unitate și armonie în toate. Biserica

este sfântă deoarece ea este sfințită cu Însuși Sângele lui

Hristos. Sfințenia ei nu îi exclude pe păcătoși, pentru că

Hristos a venit în lume să mântuiască pe păcătoși, să

vindece și să caute pe cei pierduți. Hristos S-a sfințit pe

Sine ca prin El să fim și noi sfințiți (In. 17,19). Sfințenia

este rezultatul lucrării transformatoare a Harului și ea

izvorăște sfințenie celor ce se roagă în ea și primesc

Sfintele Taine. Apoi, Biserica este sobornicească pentru că

ea cuprinde toată umanitatea, dar și pentru că în ea omul

participă la întreaga plinătate a creației. Biserica deci stă pe

temelia învățăturii sinoadelor ecumenice. În sfârșit,

Biserica este apostolică, deoarece ea proclamă aceeași

credință ca și Sfinții Apostoli.

Acum, când ne pregătim să serbăm Coborârea

Duhului Sfânt, prin care Biserica a fost sfințită de acesta, să

venim cu credință și să primim binecuvântările Domnului,

“ținând predaniile” și bucurându-ne în credința cea

adevărată. - Fr. Remus Grama

STEWARDSHIP PAGE

Wednesday,

JUNE 12, 2019

12:00 PM

Social Hall

MEETING WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12

7 pm - AROY Room

UPCOMING SPIRITUAL

June 6 - Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ /

Înălțarea Domnului nostru Iisus Hristos

(Ziua Eroilor) - 9 am Divine Liturgy

June 16 - Descent of the Holy Spirit /

Pogorârea Duhului Sfânt (Rusalii)

June 17 - Holy Trinity / Sfânta Treime 9 am Divine Liturgy

June 22 - Beginning of Fast of H.A. Peter & Paul /

Începutul Postului Sf. A. Petru & Pavel

June 24 - Nativity of St. John the Baptism /

Nașterea Sf. Ioan Botezătorul 9 am Divine Liturgy

June 29 - Holy Apostles Peter & Paul /

Sfinții Apostoli Petru & Pavel 9 am Divine Liturgy

June 30 - Synaxis of the 12 Apostles /

Soborul Sfinților 12 Apostoli.

ROMANIAN FESTIVAL COMMITTEE MEETING

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019 @ 6:30 pm, AROY Room ANNIVERSARY DINNER COMMITTEE MEETING

MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2019 @ 7 pm, AROY Room

LADIES AUXILIARY

MEETING

June 2nd, 2019

After the Divine Liturgy

In the AROY Room

The President of the Ladies Auxiliary, Ms. Aura Petre

and Father Remus Grama invites ALL members of

the Ladies Auxiliary to a brief meeting.

The Festival and the 115th Anniversary Events are the

two important topics of this meeting.

Attention, Supporters of the

Episcopate

Let’s Uphold our Romanian Orthodox

Episcopate of America!

On August 30 - September 1st, our Episcopate will

hold its annual Congress at St. George Cathedral, in

Detroit, Michigan. On this occasion we will observe

the 90th Anniversary of the Episcopate. His Eminence

Archbishop NATHANIEL invited parishes and

faithful to support the publication of an Anniversary

Album. All sponsors will be listed in this album.

Please, don’t miss it. Let us be generous and support

our diocese by sending a donation prior to June 1st.

Checks should be written to: ROEA and

Mailed to: PO 309, GRASS LAKE, MI. 49240-0309.

Please, specify: “90th Anniversary”.

Save the date!!!

28 – 29 September, 2019

On the above weekend we will celebrate the 115th Anniversary of saint Mary Cathedral. Our Archbishop NATHANIEL will be with us to bless an unforgettable milestone.

Rezervați Această Dată!

28 – 29 Septembrie, 2019

În weekend-ul de mai sus vom sărbători cea de a 115-a aniversare a Catedralei Sf. Maria. Arhiepiscopul nostru NATHANIEL va fi cu noi pentru un moment de neuitat.

Worry - that feeling of unsettled preoccupation, the most commonly experienced human emotion! Not one of us

has escaped it! We worry about practically everything: money, approval, success; our children, our relationships;

work, having it or losing it; job performance; failure; things we said or things we should have said; our health and

the health of family and friends; what we own and what we don't own, but our neighbor does; our appearance and

what others think of us; getting old, failing health; the future and all the infinite “what ifs.” I could go on and on

and each one of us could make an entirely new list.

And I am not even talking about diagnosable anxiety disorders — just about the garden-variety type of worry. Yet,

even at that level, worry has dramatic and severe consequences for health. It causes chronic elevations in cortisol

levels, a stress hormone that leads to impaired immune function, decreased brain mass, increased risk for heart dis-

ease, digestive problems, sleep disturbances, concentration problems, loss of productivity, and overall decreased

quality of life.

Yet, it turns out that the vast majority of our worries — over 97%, in fact — never come true. The 16th century

French philosopher Michel de Montaigne commented on that very fact when he said, “my life has been full of ter-

rible misfortunes, most of which never happened.” It would seem that worry and anxiety are forever wired into

our very essence. Descartes, another French philosopher, proclaimed “I think, therefore I am.” We could proclaim

just as confidently, “I am, therefore I worry.”

But through the fog of anxious preoccupation, Christ speaks to us, “Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about

your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than

food and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25 Material possessions come and go; the exciting new gadget

of today is quickly forgotten or broken or lost tomorrow. “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stat-

ure?”, asks Christ. Matthew 6:27 We expect fulfillment and happiness from our possessions and our worldly

achievements, but as satisfying as they may be, we forget that they are but momentary. And so we keep on worry-

ing about the next thing and the next. “Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we

drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For your Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom

of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do no worry about tomorrow,

for tomorrow will worry about its own things.” Matthew 6: 34

The future is shrouded in darkness. We do not know what tomorrow will bring; we do not know what today will

bring. We only have this moment, the moment when we can choose between worry and peace, “for God has not

given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 Though we are often

adrift in the sea of life, with waves crashing all about us, we must choose to remember: “The Lord is my light and

my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

Dr. Dana Watts

Clinical Psychologist

POFTĂ BUNĂ COOKBOOK

Are you looking for a good present for anyone in your life?

The 2016 edition of the “Poftă Bună” Cookbook can make a wonderful present.

Sale price is $15.00 each ($18, if it needs to be shipped).

For more information or to place an order, please call: Marie Sandru at: 440-734-5469.

MIORITZA

DANCE GROUP

REHEARSAL SCHEDULE:

BOTH GROUPS:

JUNE 14, 2019 @ 6:30 pm

Please confirm with Ovidiu Ghioda at

(216) 832-4886

COME & CELEBRATE

WITH US!

Our Church School RECOGNITION DAY is

scheduled for SUNDAY, June 9th, when we are

also going to take the Sunday Church School

Annual Photo.

The end of Church School does not mean vacation

from God. From this date on parents should come

to church and enjoy participation in the Divine

Liturgy as a family, together with their children.

All parents and relatives are asked to attend and

give our children all needed praise for their hard

work. We will say good bye to our graduates and

this is also the time to recognize and honor our

outstanding teachers who made this program

possible.

After the recognition ceremony, a group picture of

the graduates and their teachers will be taken.

Then, everyone is invited to stay for the Family

Picnic in the Social Hall. Free refershments for

students will be served.

Please, don’t miss this day!

Congratulations!

To the following students of our Sunday School

who will graduate High School this year:

Anastasia I. Ciobanu

Antoniu Iliaș

May our Lord Jesus Christ bright

their path in the adult life!

THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERING

TEACHERS

We wish for our dedicated Sunday school teachers and

students to have a safe and happy vacation and remind them,

that even though we have vacation from school, the church

doors are open every day of the week, not only on Sundays.

Here is the list of the teachers that helped this year:

Mihaela Todos, Pam Hook, Mia Spanu, Nicole Mortus,

Mihaela Hetruc, Iliada Lasko, Lidia Ciobanu, Mirela Rudary,

Natalia Durlesteanu, Florina Toma, Rodica Iancu, Anca

Sandu, and everybody else who helped the teachers during

classes and activities.

We hope to see a new-generation of teachers next year!

OF GREATER CLEVELAND ~ Unity Through Participation

Saturday, June 8, 2019

10:00 A.M.

Sts. Constantine & Helen

Greek Orthodox Church

3352 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland Hts., OH

Program: BOOK REVIEW

“Orthodoxy vs. Catholicism”

Speaker: Sub-Deacon Leon Felon

Our guest speaker Sub-Deacon Leon Felon will

lead our groupwith a discussion on the major

differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism

as presented in this short introduction.

Join us for educationa discussions to grow and

understand our faith at a deeper level.

71st. A.R.F.O.R.A. Congress

June 7 - 9, 2019

Hosted by: Presentation of Our Lord Orthodox Church

3365 Ridgewood Rd., Fairlawn, OH 44333

MORE ABOUT A.R.F.O.R.A.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE,

FAIRLAWN

What is A.R.F.O.R.A.? A.R.F.O.R.A. is an acronym

for “Asociatia Reuniunilor Femeilor Romane din

America” or “The Association of Romanian Orthodox

Ladies Auxiliaries of North America”.

Every year, ARFORA holds its national conference in a

different parish. This year’s meeting will take place at

The Presentation of Our Lord Romanian Orthodox

Church, Fairlawn, Ohio, on the days of 7-9 of June.

The organization is presided by a Board. Among its

members are: Spiritual Adviser: V. Rev. Fr George

Treff (Hermitage, Pa.); President: Mrs. Adelina Balog

(Chicago); Vice President and Publications: Angela

Voiculescu (Cleveland) and Saint Elizabeth Project:

Dorina D. Riscutta (Cleveland).

Our members are invited to attend the public services

and events related to this annual meeting!

The Ladies Auxiliary of our church has two nominated

representants who will attend the congress: Ms.

Carmen Albu and Dorina Riscutta. Even though we

have delegates to officially represent our church, any

member of the Ladies Auxiliary or our church can join

them. Ladies, see the schedule on the left and make

your reservations. This organization needs

representants from the younger generation with new

ideas and energy.

We wish ARFORA a succesful Congress and may God

protect all our ladies, the support beam of our faith!

We are glad to notice a good number of young people of our

parish registered for Camp Vatra!

Here is the list:

Junior Camp: Anthony Catrone, Alex Ciuta, Christopher

Lateș, Matthew Muntean & Kevin Oancea.

Senior Camp: Nicoleta Durleșteanu, Christopher Oancea,

& Nicholas Spânu.

We are wishing them a nice sejour and to make us proud!

ŞI DVS. PUTEŢI AJUTA!

Cum sponzorizăm Festivalul Românesc?

Trimite o donaţie de sprijin!

Cumpără o reclamă în broşura festivalului!

Ajută-ne să găsim un sponsor!

Obţine o sponsorizare de la o firmă!

EVERYONE CAN HELP! How can we help the Romanian Festival?

Be a sponsor by sending a donation

Purchase an AD in the Festival Program Book

Get a business owner to sponsor the festival

Talk to your employer and ask to become a sponsor or to

place an AD in our Festival Program Book.

VEŢI CĂLĂTORI ÎN ROMÂNIA?

AVEM NEVOIE DE AJUTORUL DVS.!

Facem un apel la fiecare mem-

bru sau prieten care va călători

în România, în acest an, până la

data festivalului. Deoarece, de

obicei, la întoarcere avem spaţiu

în bagaj, vă rugăm să aduceţi

câteva amintiri, pe care să le

donaţi spre a fi vândute la festi-

val. Iată despre ce este vorba.

Avem nevoie de orice obiect de artizanat care vă

atrage atenţia, pe care vă puteţi permite să-l donaţi

(oricât de mic!). Între obiectele la care noi ne

gândim, ar fi următoarele: vase ceramică, bluze (ii),

steaguri Româneşti (mari sau mici), păpuși în costu-

me populare, panglică tricolor (diferite lăţimi), sculp-

turi în lemn (cruci, cruculiţe, troiţe, bisericuţe cu, ca-

racter ortodox), icoane mici dar de bună calitate, ouă

încondeiate, afişe cu obiective turistice din România

(mari sau mici), tricouri cu motive Româneşti (orice

mărime), cărţi de rugăciune Ortodoxe, etichete cu

România pentru maşini, etc. Să ne gândim că orice

lucru donat va crea un colorit aparte şi va face festi-

valul mai atrăgător şi mai profitabil. Pentru întrebări

vorbiţi cu Părintele. La sosirea din România, veţi pu-

tea aduce obiectele la biroul parohiei

Vă mulțumim în avans!

Feast of Ascension

June 6, 2019

9:00 Am Divine Liturgy

Troparion — Tone 4

O Christ God, You have ascended in Glory, / Granting joy

to Your disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit. /

Through the blessing they were assured / That You are the

Son of God, / The Redeemer of the world!

Kontakion — Tone 6

When You had fulfilled the dispensation for our sake, / and

united earth to heaven: / You ascended in glory, O Christ

our God, / not being parted from those who love You, / but

remaining with them and crying: / “I am with you and no

one will be against you!”

SPRING PROJECT Cleaning God’s House!

We need help to clean Pomutz

& Centennial Gardens: Cut some stumps

Pulling weeds

Plant flowers

Spreading mulch

Trimming shrubs, etc.

Would you like to give a hand?

Call the Parish Council President, Mr. Gheorghe

Lateș @ (216) 973-8812, for details. Thank you!

Saint Mary Romanian Orthodox Church

3256 Warren Road

Cleveland, OH 44111

CURRENT OCCUPANT OR:

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

Cleveland, Ohio Permit No. 1077

Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ

June 6

ÎNĂLȚAREA DOMNULUI NOSTRU IISUS HRISTOS