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In Myra you proved yourself to be a priest, a servant of divine things, O Saint, for you fulfilled the Gospel of Christ, O holy one. 
You gave up your life for your people and saved the innocent from death.
You have been sanctified for you were a great guide towards the things of God.

Kontakion of St. Nicholas

 

Orthodox Churches North Carolina, Murphy North Carolina, Orthodox
731 Andrews Road
Murphy, North Carolina 28906
Phone: 828-361-1464
Rev. Fr. James Blomeley, Pastor
Email: Fr. James

Beginning on Wednesday, August 25, 2010 at 7 pm -- "Orthodoxy for the non-Orthodox", a weekly class will be held to answer the question "What is Orthodox Christianity?" If you are an inquirer, or simply a person curious about the Church, this series of classes will help you understand the ancient faith.


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Saints, Feasts, and Readings for Today  

A Pan-Orthodox Christian Mission Parish

An Orthodox Christian Mission Parish, serving the Orthodox Christian Community of Clay, Macon, Graham, and Cherokee Counties,  including the Georgia Counties of Towns, Union, Fannin and Polk County in Tennessee.

 Christ is Amongst Us!   He is and Always Shall Be!
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If you have questions about attending our services or simply want more information, call or email Fr James.

This Week's Services & Events Schedule

Tuesday, September 7 7:00 p.m. - Vesperal Liturgy for the Nativity of the Theotokos
Wednesday, September 8 6:30 p.m. Orthodoxy for the Non-orthodox- a study for the curious and for inquirers
Saturday, September 11 5:00 p.m. Vespers
Sunday, September 12 Sunday before the Exaltation of the Cross
10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy

Our new home!


Read our Latest Weekly Bulletin Online (.pdf format):

Sunday, 9/5/2010

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Check out Our Facebook Page!

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We welcome everyone to our services. If you have never been to an Orthodox Liturgy before, you may be wondering what to expect.
While this does not cover everything you will see, you might try reading
"Twelve things I wish I’d known..."
by noted Orthodox writer Frederica Matthewes-Green.
 
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Our New Mailing Address:
St. Nicholas Orthodox Mission
P.O. Box 250
 Brasstown, North Carolina 28902

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    The Procession of the Life-giving and Precious Cross


On August 1, we inaugurate the Dormition Feast by observing the Procession of the Life-giving and Precious Cross. This is one of three Feasts of the Lord in August, but it is one that does not receive the notice that one might think that it would receive. Indeed, it is not an overstatement to observe that most people have forgotten the origins of this feast and its meaning. It is worth the time to revisit it, because there is much we can learn from it.

We first find the Procession almost 1500 years ago, in Constantinople. At that time, disease was most prevalent during the hot summer months. These days we think of people getting sick more often during the winter. In ancient times, however, the general lack of sanitation, combined with the hot temperatures of summer, meant that sickness was most commonly found during that time of year. Indeed, in the 14th century, St. Gregory Palamas (then Archbishop of Thessalonica) remarked in his homily on this occasion that “August is the most unhealthy month”, and there is no indication that anyone argued with him about that.

So it is that all those years ago, during a particularly oppressive summer, it was decided that a procession with the Cross would be made through all of Constantinople, seeking God’s protection and sanctification of the city and its inhabitants. On the evening of July 31, a fragment of the True Cross was taken from the Imperial Palace and laid on the altar of Hagia Sophia, the principal church of Constantinople. Beginning the next day, priests and deacons processed with the Cross through all of the neighborhoods of the city. It took fourteen days to reach all of the City, and thus it was that the Procession ended just as the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos began.

It wasn’t long before the custom spread throughout the Orthodox world. Processions became annual events in Athens, Antioch, Jerusalem, St. Petersburg and, yes, in Thessalonica, where St, Gregory observed it every year.

We may hear this, and think that it is interesting, but that it has little application to 21st century Christians. After all, for most of us, plague and cholera are not major concerns. Yet if you think about it, there is a deeper spiritual meaning to the Feast, one which resonates with each of us. Who among us does not suffer from a spiritual malaise in the summer? Often, our church attendance suffers, and when we do not participate in the Liturgy, and receive the Body and Blood of Christ, our life suffers in every respect.

We should see this ancient feast as an opportunity, coupled with the solemnity of the Dormition Fast, to take the Cross and process through the neighborhoods and precincts of our soul. What is the state of our prayer life, of our attention to the presence of God in our life? What is the state of our marriage, of our relationship with our children and with our parents? How stands our relationship to the Church and its sacraments? Have you confessed as regularly as you should? Given a little self-examination and thought, we can all discover spiritual neighborhoods within ourselves where things are not as they should be.

So, take up your cross, and spend the next two weeks in prayer and self-examination. If you do, your arrival at the Feast of the Dormition will be more joyful and more meaningful than ever before.

In the love of Christ,

Fr. James
 

 

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American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese

Ruling Hierarch, His Eminence, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Nicholas of Amissos

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