On December 15, 2024, the San Andres Seminary celebrated its first ordination to the priesthood of one of its graduates- Antonio Pata (now Father Elias). Bishop Osios of Sasima, himself ordained to be an auxiliary hierarch of the Metropolis of Mexico on October 13, 2025, officiated at this his first ordination. Father Elias grew up in the small agricultural village of Javali, on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala. From harvesting sugarcane in the fertile volcanic soil that favors this crop, he was called to serve the Guatemalan Orthodox Church whose fields are also ripe for harvest. His inspiration came from his two uncles, the late Father Antonio Pata and His Grace Osios, both of whom grew up under the tutelage of the late Father Andres Giron, who led a mass movement of thousands into the embrace of the Orthodox Church.

With this ordination, the Guatemalan Church, in a sense, has come full circle in the realization of its potential. An indigenous bishop now raising up one of his own from among the people for Holy Orders completes the icon of what a church should look like, making it into a true Eucharistic community. In the words of St. Ignatios of Antioch (December 20), “Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is [administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”

Now begins the awesome challenge for Fr. Elias, not only to protect the deposit of grace received from the hands of his bishop, but also to disseminate it into the fertile mission fields of Guatemala. Let us pray that he will be worthy of this calling. 

On October 13th, 3,500 Orthodox faithful joyfully shouted “Digno”and “Axios” (worthy) upon receiving the former Archimandrite Evangelios Patá, now His Grace Osios of Sasima, from the hands of His Eminence Santiago, Metropolitan of Mexico. His Grace Osios’ consecration took place at the Saints Peter and Paul Formation Center, on a scenic mountaintop overlooking the city of Huehuetenango. This lofty site, which also houses the San Andres Seminary/Mission Center, will soon be receiving students from among the many countries of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Mexico. Their graces Timoteo, vicar of Columbia, and Atenagoras, Vicar of Cuba and the Caribbean Islands, also laid hands upon the newly ordained Osios, whose vicariate includes Guatemala, Chiapas, Mexico and Central America. It should be noted that the elevation of a humble Mayan priest to the rank of bishop gives the long-suffering faithful Orthodox Christians a servant who embodies in his person, not only the cultural particularities of his devout fellow villagers, but also their indomitable spirit of self-sacrifice and love for Christ. As one of their own, His Grace Osios will be a faithful and authentic intercessor before the throne of God, while at the same time imaging the High Priesthood of Christ in such a way that his people can glorify God in the sacred uniqueness of their own culture. And so, together with the Guatemalan faithful and the many supporters who made this historic day possible, let us exclaim, AXIOS! DIGNO!

A message for Mission Walk Sunday at Holy Cross- 10/13/24, sponsored by the Orthodox Clergy Brotherhood of Greater Pittsburgh.

I would like to begin with a marvelous story about a four-year-old child who awoke one night in fright. She was convinced that in her dark room there were all kinds of spooks and monsters. Alone, she ran to her parents’ bedroom. Her mother calmed her down, and taking her by the hand, led her back to her own room. Once there, she put on a light and reassured her daughter with these words: You needn’t be afraid, you are not alone here. God is in the room with you. The little girl replied:  I know that God is here, but I need someone in this room who has skin!”

     The human need for touch is undeniable. And this is doubly so when it comes to our faith. Believing in a God who is somewhere out there but not among us gives little comfort. In today’s Gospel we see the importance of touch in a most dramatic way. Jesus encounters a grief-stricken widow in a large crowd on its way to bury her only son. Moved by compassion, Jesus says to her: “Weep not.” And then touching the casket, He commands the boy to rise, then gives him back to his mother. It was flesh touching flesh, thereby turning the mother’s sorrow into joy. This miracle, along with many others that Jesus performed, gives us a template for Christian missions. We are called to put flesh on our faith, and in this way showing God’s love for the world with a human face- our face. Today, let us see how this works in the fields of missions.

     Let’s begin with an example of how missions does not work. Some years ago a Christian journal carried the lament of a bitter woman. She explained why she did not believe in God. Never in her explanation did she mention dogma, morals, or church authority. For her, the credibility of God and Christ depended on something else. Here is what she said: “Don’t come talk to me of God, or come to my door with religious pamphlets, or ask me whether I’m saved. Hell holds no threat more agonizing than the harsh reality of my life. I swear to you that the fires of hell seem more inviting than the bone-deep cold of my own life.  And don’t talk to me of church. What does the church know of my despair- barricaded behind its stained glass windows against the likes of me? I once sought repentance and community within your walls, but I saw your God reflected in your faces as you turned away from the likes of me. Forgiveness was never given me. The healing love that I sought was carefully hoarded, reserved for your own kind. So be gone from me and speak no more of God. The God I see in you has no compassion. So long as your God withholds the warmth of human touch from me, I shall remain an unbeliever.”

     Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus told us to go to all nations and tell of His love.  He intended this to be done by putting flesh on our faith, that is, through human contact and not high theology. The challenge is not, as the woman makes clear, to pass out religious tracts, establish religious TV networks or pressure people to convert to our particular brand of Christianity. Instead we must radiant the compassion and love of God, so much so, that people will see Jesus in our faces and actions.   

     When Jeremiah the prophet received God’s call, he was commanded to “eat what is before you, eat the scroll, then go and speak to the people of Israel. So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth” (Jeremiah 3:3). The powerful idea is that in digesting God’s word he would turn it into his own flesh. In this way, the people will be able to see the word of God  in a living body rather than on a dead parchment. Our task in taking God to others is not of handing somebody a bible or some religious tract. Instead, we are to convert God physically into the flesh of our own bodies. It becomes part of what we look like. If we do this with the Word of God and Holy Communion, others wouldn’t have to read the Bible to see what God is like, they would only need to look at our faces and our lives to see God.  

     As members of the Church we gather together every Sunday to affirm our humanity in Christ. We come to say I love you to others and hope to hear the same in return. In the end, we go to Church to ready each other for physical death, but always in the hope of the Resurrection.. Jesus gave hope to a woman by raising her son from the dead. God gave us hope by raising His Son from the dead. For us to experience this hope in a tangible way, we cannot approach God as individuals. We are not saved in a self-centered vacuum, sealed off from the rest of the world. There is no such thing as a solitary Christian. Walls don’t work in the Church. We need each other to be saved. I have to see your face and you have to see mine, and together we will see God in each other. The hope of the Resurrection lives in each one of us for the world to see.

     Let me conclude with the story of a fallen woman who never knew Christ or the Scriptures. Hers was a heart filled with regret and sorrow over her wasted life. At odd times she would come to the public museum to stare at one painting, a still-life of bread and grapes. A guard noticed her fascination with the painting. He asked why she came so frequently to fix her gaze on such a simple painting. She explained that the painting symbolized all that was lacking in her life- a home, a husband, children, food, warmth, security, pure love.

     Jesus no doubt had her in mind, as well as all of us who feel abandoned or lost and alone in the world. On the very night of His betrayal, He lifted His eyes up to heaven, blessing that same bread and wine, saying: “Take, eat, this is my body…drink of this all of you this is my blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin” (Mathew 26:28). 

In Guatemala, this is what we offer to the long-suffering Mayan people, the very humanity of Christ, His flesh and blood. They, too, like all of us, have a holy longing for Christ. They, too, need to know that they are loved and valued as children of God. The world often forgets the poor and marginalized of the world, but Jesus never did. Today, we can reach out and touch the humanity of the Mayan faithful who struggle every day to survive. They are about to see the elevation of one of their own to the episcopacy on October 13, the same day as our Mission Walk. I will be there to represent all of you. Together, we can show them the face of Christ; we can put flesh on our faith. We can say to them, as we should to each other, “I love you and God loves you.”  

If you would like to walk or sponsor us for this walk, please use the donate button on this blog.

MINISTERING TO THE WHOLE PERSON, BODY AND SOUL.

Ten years as translator for numerous medical teams to Guatemala has opened my eyes to the need of ministering to the whole person, body and soul. Reaching out to the humble Mayan people in our village clinic of Aguacate, as they arrive in all their destitution and need, fully cognizant that such services are not otherwise available to them, makes me realize that as a Church it’s in places like this that we need to be. Caught up as we are in our own world of comforts, convenience and petty concerns, we often forget that there is a world outside of our parish bubble crying to share with us the love of the living Christ. Casting our gaze well beyond our self-imposed horizon, that small world in which we confine ourselves, is to see new vistas of service through the eyes of Christ, Who calls us to expand love’s circle in the embrace of others; for in union with them do we ourselves become whole.

Heeding the call of Christ from afar to be a healing presence to suffering humanity, a dedicated team of 13 Pan Orthodox Christians, comprised of three doctors, a dentist, an EMT, two nurses, three translators, a teacher, a videographer, and an IT specialist, arrived in the remote village of Aguacate, just across the southern border of Mexico, on March 9, 2024. During the ensuing week they lovingly offered medical care to hundreds of patients at the Father Andres Giron Medical/Dental Clinic, dispensing medicine, diagnosing and treating medical conditions, extracting and/or restoring teeth, but above all offering solace to those who suffer. Even though the team members came to help others, they received as much, if not more in return. Here are some reflections:

. I was gratified to be able to help organize and lead this year’s mission, and lead this year, and (slightly)
improve my Spanish and local contacts. I believe I will be able to witness more strongly to my Orthodox
DC area community on the wonderful path and progress of the medical ministry in Guatemala due to
this trip, with experience in another station (dentistry). I am inspired to work towards a longer mission
next March, to include language instruction and seminary visit in Huehuetenango.
• I don’t really have words to describe what changed in me; something changed, maybe my perspective ofthe world and how God works in it ; seeing a glowing light in this remote village• It was a true blessing. I was humbled and reminded how much of our world is sticky in need of basic
living standards.
• Becoming more grateful for what I have. Understanding what true humility looked like. Having a better
understanding of other countries politics and how religion impacts them.
• I was moved by the strong sense of community around the village, and the care and love they were
willing to share with us visitors. My knowledge of missions beforehand was based around proselytizing,
which I was worried we would be doing, but I was very moved by the faith in the community and how
integrated the church is into the lives of people all ages. I was very pleased to be able to get to know girls
from the village and spend time with members of the community, and I hope that can continue with
future missions.
• This was a life changing experience for me. God’s presence was clearly palpable through the whole
experience.

. I feel so blessed and privileged to be a part of it. The people of Aquacate are beautiful and so
appreciative. I was particularly impressed with how well the Team worked together considering none of
knew each other.
• It was one of the most interconnected and well functioning teams. It was beautiful to see how everyone
went beyond and contributed. It was not just the clinic work, also the fun together that bonded us
• Since my trip, I have been able to more fully engage in Lenten Worship and Liturgy. Working together
with such a wonderful team and having Fr. John’s spiritual support just makes me smile. Father
Evangelos , the seminarians and Sister Isidora brought me so much joy. Sometimes, I re-listen to the
songs they sang at the Farewell dinner. Although the trip had a specific goal, there was a certain
easiness about it that felt like the Holy Spirit. I like that nothing seemed forced, but that we were able to
just show up and serve. I will never forget this experience.

Our next 10 day March 2025 team is scheduled for March 7-16. Below are some photos of the most recent trip. Fr. John Chakos, OCMC Mission Specialist

The Orthodox Church in Guatemala began a new era in its short history with the blessing of its newly completed Seminary/Mission Center in Huehuetenango, that will serve the spiritual, educational and administrative needs of the faithful. The project, which began some two years ago under the direction of Archimandrite Evangelos Patá, counted on the support of the Orthodox Mission Center, many generous donors and hundreds of volunteers from the church’s many villages throughout Guatemala. The moment was made all the more poignant with the announcement of the retirement of their beloved archpastor – His Eminence Archbishop Athenagoras, who tearfully bade farewell to the faithful. With great nostalgia, he also invoked the memory of Father Andres Giron, a fierce advocate for the rights of the indigenous people and charismatic spiritual leader to his beloved flock, shepherding it into the embrace of the Orthodox Church. The more than 3000 in attendance, together with the dedicated Guatemalan Clergy, His Grace Bishop Timoteo from Columbia, OCMC missionaries and San Andres seminarians, sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit, not only throughout the Divine Liturgy, but also during the blessing of the new facility which followed. The palpable joy that filled this day reflected the vibrant Christian faith of the long suffering Mayan people who endured much throughout their tragic history, but never lost hope. May this new beginning be for them a lasting renewal of their life in Christ and a stepping stone to a blessed and glorious future for generations to come.