Metropolitan Jonah Expresses Support for Orthodox Christian Fellowship Campus, National Initiatives

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 19:26:00 GMT

SYOSSET, NY [OCA] -- His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, met with Father Mark Leondis, Chair of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship Board of Directors and OCF Interim Executive Director, at the Chancery here Thursday, June 3, 2010.

Also present for the meeting was Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, who represents the Orthodox Church in America on the OCF Board.

OCF was established by the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas over four decades ago as a pan-Orthodox outreach to college and university students. Today, as an agency of the recently established North American Episcopal Assembly, it embraces over 200 local campus groups and sponsors a variety of regional and national ministries for young adults, including the popular alternative to the secular Spring break -- "Real Break."

Father Mark shared with Metropolitan Jonah recent changes in OCF's administration, based in central Indiana, with the recent resignation of the fellowship's Executive Director.

Metropolitan Jonah, who on many occasions has emphasized the importance of campus ministry for the upbuilding and growth of the Church, expressed his hope to see the development of a chaplaincy program for college students and recent graduates in the areas of leadership, counseling, and pastoral formation, calling OCF "a training ground for future Church leaders." The possibility of developing a college chaplains' network was also discussed.

The OCA has been involved in OCF since its inception; many of its clergy and lay leaders today got their "start" in the OCF, especially in the late 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s.

Related Resources:

For more information on OCF and its numerous ministries, visit www.ocf.net.
For more information on the OCA Department of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministries, visit http://yya.oca.org.
To read/subscribe to the OCA's young adult blog, "Wonder," visit www.ocawonder.com.

A Place to Call Home: Orthodox Christian Fellowship celebrates with house blessing

admin — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:03:00 GMT

Theophany is a Greek word that means God revealing himself to man.

During the Feast of the Theophany, celebrated Jan. 6, Orthodox Christians observe Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River, and God revealing himself in the form of a dove. And in the days following the feast day, a priest visits Orthodox homes for a Theophany House Blessing.

“Every January, it’s a custom to bless your home,” said Kathy Wright, faculty adviser for the Northern Illinois University chapter of Orthodox Christian Fellowship.

The signs of God’s presence were evident at the OCF House in DeKalb, where friends gathered for the house blessing Wednesday evening.

But this particular blessing was twofold: The house was recently purchased to become home to the new campus chapter of OCF. The housemates, along with a dozen other friends and family members, were celebrating the club’s first home in DeKalb.

The Rev. Chris Webb led the group in prayer in the dining room. He blessed the mismatched dining room set, the red-painted piano and went through each room one by one, blessing each with holy water.

In a nearby bedroom, he blessed the pink, fuzzy chair in the corner; the photo collage centered on the wall; the laptop computer and textbook strewn on the floor as if a night of studying was interrupted.

The NIU chapter of OCF was founded just two years ago, thanks in large part to the efforts of Wright and Webb, who is the presiding priest at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in DeKalb. It started with just a few members, and has grown to about 20, said Wright’s daughter, Elisabeth.

Elisabeth Wright lives at the OCF House on Northern Lane, just blocks from campus. The 19-year-old said it was her mom’s idea to find a house for the club.

The idea stemmed from tragedy. The Feb. 14 shooting at NIU’s Cole Hall “became a catalyst” for the outreach, Kathy Wright said.

“Oh my gosh – we have to take care of our students,” Wright recalled thinking after those events. One student who was shot and survived, Patrick Korellis, was a member of the Orthodox campus group before graduating.

Donors came forward and a committee was formed to head the house purchase. Besides a place to hold meetings, the home is to help students “heal and grow” after the tragedy, Kathy Wright said.

Most of the furnishings have been donated, and through fundraisers, the group raised enough to make a $10,000 down payment last fall. Their goal over the next two years is more lofty – it will take $375,000 more to complete the purchase, Wright said.

But they’re optimistic.

The home is “to further God’s work in the world,” and has had many more blessings besides the sprinkling of water Webb performed Thursday, Kathy Wright said.

The national organization’s executive director traveled to DeKalb in the days after Feb. 14 to support Orthodox students. The house was for sale then.

“[The Rev. Kevin Scherer] walked through it,” Elisabeth Wright said. “He pretty much said, if you can find a way to do it, you have my blessing.”

Students began moving in last August, and advertised for roommates.

Komal Patel saw the ad and inquired.

“[Kathy] was really welcoming,” said Patel, a Hindu. “I first asked, ‘Do I have to be Christian to be in the house?’ She said, ‘No, everyone is welcome here.’”

That hospitality is to keep people connected to their faith, Webb said.

“After high school and through college, a lot of [students] were missing from church worship life,” he said. “This is an attempt to keep them connected with their faith, their... heritage.”

And a diverse arrangement of foods prepared in the kitchen before Wednesday’s house blessing represents the Orthodox Christian diaspora: Greek baklava, Middle Eastern hummus, Russian dill egg salad – and American lil’ BBQ wieners were on hand.

“The food represents the worldwide character of orthodoxy,” said Liz Carney, who came to the celebration to support the OCF students. “Orthodoxy is very much a way of life.”

OCF News & Events : OCF House

Metropolitan Jonah Expresses Support for Orthodox Christian Fellowship Campus, National Initiatives

A Place to Call Home: Orthodox Christian Fellowship celebrates with house blessing