V. Rev. Josiah Trenham, Pastor Church Phone (951) 369-0309 ● Fax (951) 369-6609

For information and schedule of services, go to www.Saintandrew.net

To submit articles contact Lucy Hanna, editor, at lucy.hanna@sbcglobal.net

Volume 23 Issue 11 November 2014

A Publication of St. Andrew Orthodox Church 4700 Canyon Crest Drive, Riverside, California 92507

Dear Parishioners

The Lord’s blessing be with you and your families.

In just a few short weeks we will be celebrating our Patronal Feast in honor of St. Andrew, the patron saint and

protector of our parish.

St. Andrew, our patron, was the first-called disciple of our Savior. He was the younger brother of St. Peter and

was born in Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. The brothers were fishermen by trade. St. Andrew was originally a

disciple of St. John the Baptist. When the Forerunner pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

Andrew understood that Jesus was greater and immediately left John to follow Jesus. He later brought his brother

Simon Peter to see and hear Jesus. Jesus called both St. Andrew and St. Peter to be his disciples by saying that he

would make them “fishers of men.” When Jesus called, these two great apostles immediately left everything

behind to follow him.

After Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, St. Andrew the Apostle preached the gospel in Asia Minor and in

Scythia as far as Kiev. St. Andrew was martyred in the city of Patras (Greece). The Proconsul Aegeates' family

believed in the miracles and preaching of St. Andrew. For this the enraged Proconsul tortured and then crucified

St. Andrew, who deeming himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross on which Christ had been

crucified, asked to be tied to an X shaped cross. The Apostle Andrew did not die right away, but instead he

suffered for two days while he continued to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. The believers in Christ wanted to

remove him from his cross, but the saint would not allow them. Instead, he comforted them from the cross as he

prayed and preached. For about a half hour before he died an extraordinary light encompassed him. When it left,

he gave up his soul. It was the year 62 AD. Saint Andrew is commemorated

worldwide on November 30th.

Throughout the year, we at Saint Andrew parish remember our patron through

hymnody in our worship services and in our private prayer. We also venerate

him through his icons displayed in our temple. Two hymns commonly sung in

our services are:

Apolytikion to St. Andrew

“O Andrew first-called of the Apostles, brother of Peter the first-enthroned,

intercede with the Master of all to grant peace to the world and great mercy

to our souls.”

Megalynarion for St. Andrew

“Since thou was the first to approach the Lord, thou O Andrew was revealed

as the First-Called Apostle. Divine visionary of Christ God's resurrection, do

thou now quell the ragings of the passions.”

Page 2 Volume 23 Issue 11

This year we are blessed to have a special guest for our patronal celebrations: Hieromonk Innocent, Superior of

the Monastery of St John of San Francisco in Manton, California. Fr Innocent was a parishioner of St. Andrew

parish for many years while he was a graduate student at UCR, and later working locally before he embraced his

monastic vocation. It is a delight to have an esteemed son of our parish return to be with us and edify us.

Fr. Innocent will serve the Divine Liturgy Saturday morning, November 29th at 8am in the St. John Chrysostom

Chapel. He will concelebrate Great Vespers for the Feast of St. Andrew on Saturday evening and deliver the

Keynote Address at the St. Andrew Banquet on that Saturday evening.

The title of the keynote address will be:

"Our Story: the Apostolic Witness of St. Andrew and Our Personal Witness of the Experience of God and the

Truth of Our Faith"

Fr. Innocent will also preach at the Patronal Liturgy on Sunday morning.

The schedule for our

weekend of celebration in

honor of our patron, St.

Andrew, is as follows:

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29TH:

8am: Divine Liturgy in the

St. John Chrysostom

Chapel

5pm: Great Vespers with

Liti and Artoklasia for St.

Andrew

6pm: Cocktails and Social

Hour

7pm: Patronal Banquet

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH:

9am: Orthros

10am: Divine Liturgy for

Patronal Feast of St.

Andrew.

Mark your calendars dear

ones! As usual several

generous parishioners have

provided scholarships for

parishioners to attend the

Patronal Banquet. If you

would like to come but need

some assistance please

contact Martha in the Church

Office.

In Christ,

Father Josiah

Page 3 Volume 23 Issue 11

ST. ANDREW COMMUNITY NEWS...

Congratulations and many years to the newly-weds! Three St. Andrew

couples were united in Holy Matrimony on three Sundays in a row.

Michael Osachuk & Erin Bernard,

November 2, 2014. Sponsors are

Sbdn. Tomas and Leanne Hernandez.

Hannah Stoltenberg and Teddy Laurman,

October 26, 2014. Sponsors are Maximus Diaz

and Elizabeth Beck.

Kristi Guerrero & Douglas Shumway,

October 19, 2014. Sponsors are Pete

and Linda Giannakakos.

Blessing for St. Nicholas Shrine at the World Trade Center

Page 4 Volume 23 Issue 11

As many of us on the West Coast are not able to travel to New York to attend the

Enthronement of His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH in December, a special Gala

celebration is planned by St. Nicholas Cathedral in Los Angeles to give us an

opportunity to participate in this very special event in the life of our Archdiocese.

The following announcement from the Cathedral outlines the details:

SAVE THE DATE:

By the grace of the Holy Spirit, we are prayerfully anticipating the upcoming Enthronement of His Eminence

Metropolitan Joseph. Since many will not be able to attend the event in New York, we are blessed to

announce an official West Coast Diocese event celebrating the Enthronement on Saturday, January 31, 2015

in Los Angeles, California, with the proceeds to benefit Camp St. Nicholas and Youth Education Programs.

We are praying for enthusiastic participation by all churches in the Diocese to honor our beloved

Metropolitan Joseph. This is the only celebration taking place on the West Coast - do not miss this historic

celebration in the life of our Archdiocese. Please note that there will be a Commemorative Program Book that

will include memorable images from the actual enthronement. Ticket and program book information will be

available shortly. For further information, contact co-chairs: Rose Samore: rosesamore@gmail.com or

Jasminka Gabrie: jgabrie@earthlink.net

His Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH’s

West Coast Enthronement Gala

Saturday, January 31, 2015

A Ground Blessing ceremony for the Saint Nicholas National Shrine at the

World Trade Center took place on Saturday October 18, 2014. The ceremony

included a combined prayer service of blessing of the site and a doxology (a

service of thanksgiving).

Established in 1916, the small Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas was

the only house of worship destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001 when the South Tower

fell and completely obliterated the old church edifice. The new Saint Nicholas

National Shrine will be rebuilt only a short distance away from its original

location and will be overlooking the 9/11 Memorial.

Archbishop Demetrios of America, primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in

America presided at the historic event with the participation of the hierarchs of

the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox

Archdiocese of America and officials from the City

of New York, officials of the States of New York and New Jersey, chaplains and

interfaith representatives, family members of victims of 9/11, representatives of

Archdiocesan institutions and organizations as well as many Hierarchs, Clergy

and faithful Orthodox Christians from around the country.

His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH attended the event and signed his name on

the wall at ground zero (see photo to the left).

Volume 23 Issue 11 Page 5

To all our beloved and faithful friends at St. Andrew in Riverside,

Greetings in Christ from Walla Walla, Washington! We hope this short note finds all

of you in good health and the grace of God. It’s hard to believe that almost 7 months

have already passed since our big move to the Northwest. Since leaving Riverside, we

Hartungs have been very busy. Upon our initial arrival, our new parish family at St.

Silouan Orthodox Church was very zealous in helping us unload the moving vans, however it was then up to

us to unpack and we spent the next several weeks working hard to settle into our new home.

As soon as things were somewhat arranged, we began adventuring. Our first trip was out to the Oregon Coast

where we spent 7 days exploring some of our favorite spots and found a couple of new favorites as well.

Next was a trip to Eastern Oregon where we hiked through the Wallowa Mountains, forded a rushing river,

picked enough wild blueberries and raspberries to last for days, and enjoyed pristine views atop many a

mountain peak! The final days of summer were spent here in Walla Walla where we swam at the local swim-

ming hole, caught snakes, frogs and salamanders, and foraged for wild edible mushrooms in the Blue Moun-

tains, right here in our own backyard.

Since the beginning of September, the 3 oldest children, Theophano, Yanni and Mariam, have been at Saint

Basil Orthodox Academy 5 days a week. Saint Basil’s is the K-8th Academy which is attached to and run by

our new parish. The children like their new school very much although it would be a lie to say that they love

it. After all, who really “loves” school? Sava, in the meantime, is happily enjoying Betty’s Preschool which

he attends 2 days a week and has made many new friends. He has learned to spell his name now and even

read a bit! He is very excited to start at Saint Basil’s next year though so he can be with the ‘big kids’.

Finally, a quick update on the icon business. By the grace of God, Uncut Mountain Supply is finally up and

running again. We’ve been taking orders for a little over a month now and are really loving our new work-

shop. Although we are sorry St. Andrew lost the newlyweds, Vincent and Megan Stoyas, we are thrilled to

have them here as is the entire parish of St. Silouan. Incidentally, if you plan to give icon gifts for Christmas

this year, you’d better get your order in sooner than later. We are already buried in orders and wouldn’t want

your Christmas gifts arriving late!

Please know and never forget how much we truly love and miss all of you. Each and every one of you made

such a profound impact on our lives. There will always be a place in our hearts for all of you. Especially in

Presbytera Katherine’s final months, so many of you labored tirelessly to feed our family, visit Presbytera at

the hospital, babysit the children, support us in every way possible and, most importantly, to offer up unceas-

ing prayers on our behalf. We could have never made it through that very difficult time without you. Thank

you all and thanks especially to Fr. Josiah who teaches us not only by his golden words, but his Christlike

example. You all have such a blessing in him!

Forgive us for taking so long to write and send this formal thank you as well as the brief update. You are all

welcome to come visit the Great Northwest any time. We have plenty of room for pilgrims from St. Andrew.

Remember us in your prayers as we always remember you.

With much love in Christ our Saviour,

The Hartungs

Update from the Hartungs ...

Page 6 Volume 23 Issue 11

Marriage: The Great Sacrament

A Sermon delivered in the Church of St. Nicholas, Trikala, Greece, 17 January, 1971

By Archimandrite Aimilianos of Simonopetra, Mount Athos

Continued from the October Bugle:

The wife expresses love for her husband through obe-

dience. She is obedient to him exactly as the Church is

to Christ (Eph 5.22-24). It is her happiness to do the

will of her husband. Attitude, obstinacy, and com-

plaining are the axes which chop down the tree of con-

jugal happiness. The woman is the heart. The man is

the head. The woman is the heart that loves. In her

husband's moments of difficulty, she stands at his

side, as the empress Theodora stood by the emperor

Justinian. In his moments of joy, she

tries to raise him up to even higher

heights and ideals. In times of sorrow,

she stands by him like a sublime and

peaceful world offering him tranquility.

The husband should remember that his

wife has been entrusted to him by God.

His wife is a soul which God has given

to him, and one day he must return it.

He loves his wife as Christ loves the

Church (Eph 5.25). He protects her,

takes care of her, gives her security,

particularly when she is distressed, or

when she is ill. We know how sensitive

a woman's soul can be, which is why

the Apostle Peter urges husbands to

honor their wives (cf. 1 Pet 3.7). A

woman's soul gets wounded, is often

petty, changeable, and can suddenly fall

into despair. Thus the husband should

be full of love and tenderness, and

make himself her greatest treasure.

Marriage, my dear friends, is a little

boat which sails through waves and among rocks. If

you lose your attention even for a moment, it will be

wrecked.

As we have seen, marriage is first of all a journey of

pain; second a journey of love; and, third, a journey to

heaven, a call from God. It is, as Holy Scripture says,

a "great mystery" (Eph 5.32). We often speak of seven

"mysteries", or sacraments. In this regard, a "mystery"

is the sign of the mystical presence of some true per-

son or event. An icon, for instance, is a mystery.

When we venerate it, we are not venerating wood or

paint, but Christ, or the Theotokos, or the saint who is

mystically depicted. The Holy Cross is a symbol of

Christ, containing his mystical presence. Marriage,

too, is a mystery, a mystical presence, not unlike

these. Christ says, "wherever two or three are gathered

together in my name, there I am among them" (Mt

18.20). And whenever two people are married in the

name of Christ, they become the sign which contains

and expresses Christ himself. When you see a couple

who are conscious of this, it is as if you

are seeing Christ. Together they are a

theophany.

This is also why crowns are placed on

their heads during the wedding ceremo-

ny, because the bride and groom are an

image of Christ and the Church. And

not just this, but everything in marriage

is symbolic. The lit candles symbolize

the wise virgins. When the priest places

these candles into the hands of the new-

ly-weds, it is as if he is saying to them:

Wait for Christ like the wise virgins (Mt

25.1-11). Or they symbolize the tongues

of fire which descended at Pentecost,

and which were in essence the presence

of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2.1-4). The

wedding rings are kept on the altar, until

they are taken from there by the priest,

which shows that marriage has its be-

ginning in Christ, and will end in Christ.

The priest also joins their hands, in or-

der to show that it is Christ himself who

unites them. It is Christ who is at the heart of the mys-

tery and at the center of their lives [6].

All the elements of the marriage ceremony are shad-

ows and symbols which indicate the presence of

Christ. When you're sitting somewhere and suddenly

you see a shadow, you know that someone's coming.

You don't see him, but you know he's there. You get

up early in the morning, and you see the red horizon in

the east. You know that, in a little while, the sun will

come up. And indeed, there behind the mountain, the

sun starts to appear.

Page 7 Volume 23 Issue 11

When you see your marriage, your husband, your

wife, your partner's body, when you see your troubles,

everything in your home, know that they are all signs

of Christ's presence. It is as if you're hearing Christ's

footsteps, as if he was coming, as if you are now about

to hear his voice. All these things are the shadows of

Christ, revealing that he is together with us. It is true,

though, that, because of our cares and worries, we feel

that he is absent. But we can see him in the shadows,

and we are sure that he is with us. This is why there

was no separate marriage service in the early Church.

The man and woman simply went to church and re-

ceived Communion together. What does this mean?

That henceforth their life is one life in Christ.

The wreaths, or wedding crowns, are also symbols of

Christ's presence. More specifically, they are symbols

of martyrdom. Husband and wife wear crowns to

show that they are ready to become martyrs for Christ.

To say that "I am married" means that I live and die

for Christ. "I am married" means that I desire and

thirst for Christ. Crowns are also signs of royalty, and

thus husband and wife are king and queen, and their

home is a kingdom, a kingdom of the Church, an ex-

tension of the Church.

When did marriage begin? When man sinned. Before

that, there was no marriage, not in the present-day

sense. It was only after the Fall, after Adam and Eve

had been expelled from paradise, that Adam "knew"

Eve (Gen 4.1) and thus marriage began. Why then? So

that they might remember their fall and expulsion

from paradise, and seek to return there. Marriage is

thus a return to the spiritual paradise, the Church of

Christ. "I am married" means, then, that I am a king, a

true and faithful member of the Church.

The wreaths also symbolize the final victory which

will be attained in the kingdom of heaven. When the

priest takes the wreaths, he says to Christ: "take their

crowns to your kingdom", take them to your kingdom,

and keep them there, until the final victory. And so

marriage is a road: its starts out from the earth and

ends in heaven. It is a joining together, a bond with

Christ, who assures us that he will lead us to heaven,

to be with him always. Marriage is a bridge leading us

from earth to heaven. It is as if the sacrament is say-

ing: Above and beyond love, above and beyond your

husband, your wife, above the everyday events, re-

member that you are destined for heaven, that you

have set out on a road which will take you there with-

out fail. The bride and the bridegroom give their hands

to one another, and the priest takes hold of them both,

and leads them round the table dancing and singing.

Marriage is a movement, a progression, a journey

which will end in heaven, in eternity.

In marriage, it seems that two people come together.

However it's not two but three. The man marries the

woman, and the woman marries the man, but the two

together also marry Christ. So three take part in the

mystery, and three remain together in life.

In the dance around the table, the couple are led by the

priest, who is a type of Christ. This means that Christ

has seized us, rescued us, redeemed us, and made us

his. And this is the "great mystery" of marriage (cf.

Gal 3.13).

In Latin, the word "mystery" was rendered by the

word sacramentum", which means an oath. And mar-

riage is an oath, a pact, a joining together, a bond, as

we have said. It is a permanent bond with Christ.

"I am married", then, means that I enslave my heart to

Christ. If you wish, you can get married. If you wish,

don't get married. But if you marry, this is the mean-

ing that marriage has in the Orthodox Church, which

brought you into being. "I am married" means I am

the slave of Christ. End

“...There was a marriage at Cana in

Galilee and the mother of Jesus was

there; Jesus also was invited to the

marriage with His disciples”.

John 2:1,2.

St. Andrew Orthodox Church

4700 Canyon Crest Drive

Riverside, CA 92507

St. Andrew Orthodox Church of Riverside is a parish of the Self-ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America,

Diocese of Los Angeles and the West, the See of the Most Reverend Metropolitan JOSEPH