Father's Corner

This year marks the 25th anniversary of St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church. In spring 1997, families from Holy Trinity Cathedral in Portland meet with the Metropolis of San Francisco missions board to discuss the founding of a new parish west of Portland. Metropolitan Anthony (predecessor of Metropolitan Gerasimos) granted a priest to the newly established mission parish: Fr. Theodore Dorrance, who arrived with his family and celebrated the first service on August 1, 1997, at Barry and ... [Read more]

Saints—our extended family in Christ—are a great blessing in so many ways: their lives and examples, their intercessions, their miraculous interventions. Some saints have a particular “resonance” with people, such as St. Nektarios of Pentapolis, who was rightly called “The Saint for our Century,” because so many people have been drawn to the story of his life (even more so after the recent film) and through that to a closer relationship with him. Another saint who resonates with our modern ... [Read more]

We have now passed the midpoint of Great Lent, the Sunday of the Holy Cross, and we can feel the anticipation growing as we approach our Lord’s victorious third-day resurrection on Pascha. Starting this week, the Presanctified Liturgy has an added litany and prayer for those who are preparing to receive Holy Baptism before Pascha. Also during this time we transition from greeting each other with, “Kali Sarakosti!” (“Blessed 40 Days!”) and instead begin to say, “Kalo Páscha!” (“Blessed ... [Read more]

As many of you know, Pres. Annie and I were pretty sick with COVID last month. While we are thankful to God that we had no major respiratory issues or hospital visits, it was nonetheless a miserable ordeal. And it seems to have a lingering effect on our energy. One of the more unusual symptoms that we faced was the sudden return of latent areas of inflammation throughout our bodies. For instance, my right knee gives me pain once or twice a year for about a week. Suddenly my knee was hurting ... [Read more]

On Sunday, February 27, the Church will celebrate one of its newest saints: St. Ephraim of Katounakia. This is just the second year since his official canonization; however the faithful have called him a saint ever since his repose in 1998. St. Ephraim lived in the harsh “desert” of Mount Athos, a region called Katounakia, known for its imposing cliffs and inaccessible monastic cells. He lived under obedience to certain austere elders who were harsh and demanding. But he also became ... [Read more]

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) “Who will God send through our doors today?”—I sometimes ask myself. These days it seems that God is drawing more and more people to His Holy Church. Almost every Sunday I see a brand-new face or two: wide-eyed, curious, and awe-stricken. (Many of you can remember the experience of your own first visit.) They just keep streaming in, feeling battered by the struggles of life; abandoned or alienated by ... [Read more]

There are many rich stories in the Gospels about our call to attend to the poor. Those of us who were raised in Christian homes have grown up with an image of Lazarus at the gate of the rich man. (Luke 16:19-31) We know of Christ’s imperative to care for those in need and oftentimes this inspires us to give our money to charitable organizations, to the homeless, or to ministries in the Church. Today I would like to repaint the “poor man” at our gate. Instead of one who is lacking food and ... [Read more]

“Let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) Dear Beloved in Christ, Each liturgical year begins and ends with a feast of the Theotokos. Last month we celebrated her falling asleep (August 15). This month—as we begin the new year on September 1—we celebrate her nativity (September 8). The entire story of our salvation through Jesus Christ is told within the lifespan of the Theotokos. On the Annunciation, the Archangel Gabriel came to Mary and announced the good news of God’s ... [Read more]

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18) God is with us. He is here present in each breath of our lives, present in our interactions with others, present in the ebb and flow of the cycle of seasons, present in all of His Creation. “God is with us” – a refrain from a hymn sung during the Great Compline Service of Lent. In a world where so much darkness lurks, where tragedy and pain are interwoven within our lives, where the devil “walks about like a roaring lion, ... [Read more]

My Beloved Brothers and Sisters: CHRIST IS RISEN!!! Do you understand what has occurred? Do you know what has just taken place? Jesus Christ is risen from the dead! He has passed over from death to life (Pascha is Greek for Passover.) His resurrection is the beginning and the end of all things. Nothing else—NOTHING!—has any relevance at all, except as it relates to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Pascha is everything. God has saved us from death by dying for us and raising ... [Read more]