Thursday, May 23, 2013

ORTHODOX-ANGLICAN REUNION

Dear friends in Christ,

Fr. Anthony, Pastoral Vicar for the Western Rite of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) will be addressing the Spring Conference of the Fellowship of Concerned Churchmen (FCC)  in Fredericksburg, Virginia this week. He will be accompanied by Metropolitan Jonah. The FCC is the organization that organized the great St. Louis Church Congress in 1977, that launched the continuing Anglican movement.

Early this year I was contacted by Col. Wallace Spaulding, President of the Fellowship of Concerned Churchmen. He told me that the FCC Board wanted a representative of the Orthodox Church who could speak with authority to address their Spring Conference. I recommended Fr. Anthony, Pastoral Vicar for the Western Rite, and Col. Spaulding asked me to arrange it. Fr. Anthony graciously agreed and will be addressing the Spring Conference with the blessing of Archbishop Hilarion, Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. Yesterday I learned that Metropolitan Jonah will be accompanying Fr. Anthony to the Conference.

The FCC Spring Conference is being held Friday, May 24th and Saturday, May 25th, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and will begin at 6:00 PM Friday evening and conclude at noon on Saturday. The Conference will be  held at the Fredericksburg Comfort Suites (541 Warrenton Rd.) through breakfast on Saturday, and at St. Luke's Anglican Church (65 Warrenton Rd.) thereafter. The cost for the meeting and the Friday night dinner is only $25.00. You will be responsible for your own lodging arrangements. 

Fr. Anthony will be speaking on Saturday, May 25th, at 10:00 AM, at St. Luke's Anglican Church. You will want to hear Fr. Anthony speak and to meet both Fr. Anthony and Metropolitan Jonah. Fr. Anthony was an Episcopal priest for many years before he entered the Orthodox Church. He now serves as rector of a Western Rite congregation and as Pastoral Vicar of the Western Rite parishes. Metropolitan Jonah is a former Episcopalian as is Bishop Jerome, Vicar-bishop for the Western Rite in ROCOR.

The goal of the great St. Louis Church Congress was to preserve the historic Faith and Order of the Anglican Church after the Episcopal Church had abandoned that Faith and Order, and to bring orthodox Anglicans into unity with the wider Church. For a generation continuing Anglicans have prayed and worked for Church unity. Full sacramental communion and visible unity with the 300 million-member Orthodox Church, while preserving in perpetuity our Anglican liturgical, spiritual and cultural patrimony, is possible right now. The wait is over.

I know that this may be short notice, but if you are interested in Orthodox-Anglican reunion and are within driving distance of Fredericksburg, this is a Conference that you will not want to miss.  All you need to do is to be at St. Luke's Anglican Church by 10:00 AM on Saturday to hear Fr. Anthony and meet Metropolitan Jonah. I hope that you will share this invitation to the FCC Spring Conference with everyone who you think may be interested in it. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Wishing you every grace and blessing,

Fr. Victor Novak+

Rev. Victor E. Novak
Rector
HOLY CROSS PARISH
7545 Main Street
Ralston, Nebraska 68127
www.holycrossomaha.net
Rectory: (402) 687-9458
Church:  (402) 573-6558