Pensate Omnia

P E N S A T E / O M N I A

25.9.09

BIT OF DESIGN: Been away from blogging -- at least on this site -- but have been very, very busy in the interwebs, including some forays into web design. Just finished up the beta version of this site, Dermatology in Fort Wayne, which turned out pretty well, I think. Looks like I may be doing a little Orthodox-related design projects soon.

posted by S.F. Danckaert @ 9/25/2009 08:18:00 AM | 0 comments

30.7.08

OCN Launches New Show Reaching Out to Gen X and Y

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (July 31, 2008) — The Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) is pleased to announce its newest weekly show, "Journeys to Orthodoxy," produced by Icon New Media Network and now available at www.myocn.net.

Journeys to Orthodoxy tells the personal stories of individuals who have searched for spiritual truth — often in remarkable ways — and ultimately found what they are looking for in the Orthodox Christian Church.

Jacob Lee, host of the new show, believes Journeys to Orthodoxy will help "members of Gen X and Y find out information about Orthodoxy, but in a non-threatening way."

"I think that through listening people will see how the Holy Spirit has moved in many lives and be inspired to share the Orthodox faith with their friends and neighbors," Lee said.

Fr. Christopher Metropulos, the Executive Director of OCN, believes this new series will be a powerful addition to OCN's current line-up of eight regular shows, all of which are available for free download on OCN's Web site and streamed in real time on its network of 27 online Orthodox radio stations.

"We are indeed honored to have Icon New Media as a partner in our sacred mission, blessed by the Bishops of America, to transmit Orthodox Christianity to the modern world," Fr. Metropulos said. "And we look forward to having many more individuals and organizations join this effort in the near future".

Lee, who started an online media group called Icon New Media Network last year, is also enthusiastic about the partnership.

"I hope that by OCN and Icon New Media working together, we will ultimately see Orthodox Christianity as the future of American spirituality," Lee said. "In the more immediate future, I look forward to reaching more people with quality Orthodox content."

Internet-based shows like Journeys to Orthodoxy — also called "podcasts" — are reaching a growing number of listeners.

According to the 2008 edition of an annual report entitled "Infinite Dial: Radio's Digital Platforms," 23 million Americans download at least one podcast each month, which they then listen to on portable media players like iPods or on their computers.

Podcasts are an especially effective means to reach younger listeners. This trend has led the Orthodox Christian Network and Icon New Media to start producing Orthodox podcasts that are accessible to young adults.

"There's a lot of theological content out there. I wanted to show people that Orthodoxy was more than knowing about the faith — that it transforms your whole life," Lee said.

With that in mind, Lee decided to focus his new podcast for OCN on personal stories of conversion and transformation.

"This show is for anyone interested in converting to Orthodoxy or anyone who wants to hear how people have come to the Holy Church."

To listen to Journeys to Orthodoxy, or any of OCN's other podcasts, visit www.myocn.net.

-----------------------------------------------

The Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) is the media agency of SCOBA, the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas. OCN produces Come Receive the Light, the only nationally syndicated Orthodox radio program, and many Internet-based programs, podcasts, Internet radio stations and Web TV broadcasts. OCN also helps Orthodox parishes and institutions with their own multi-media projects, advertising, DVDs & Internet media. Visit www.MyOCN.net for more information.

Media: Contact Fr. Christopher Metropulos at 954-522-5567 or frchris@receive.org.

posted by S.F. Danckaert @ 7/30/2008 10:43:00 PM | 1 comments

28.7.08

NEW SERIES FROM OCN: Our NEW podcast series, produced by Icon New Media Network, is now available at www.myocn.net. This new show will feature in-depth interviews with converts to Orthodoxy, who will share their spiritual journey and reasons for entering the Orthodox Church. (More on that below).

In addition to that great piece of news, I'd also like to point out that our site is now fully re-designed and is now much easier to navigate and use. Be sure to check it out, especially if you'd like to watch some of our video content or read the devotional material we have (e.g. a daily devotional, sermons, Orthodox news and more).

And, now, here are some handy links to some of this week's new stuff:

Come Receive the Light: Why Orthodoxy?

Fr. Chris discusses questions on the minds of young people today with the priests and laypeople who oversee youth ministry in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. Also, Fr. John McGuckin speaks about the relationship between forgiveness and prayer.

NEW SERIES: Journeys to Orthodoxy
From Calvary Chapel Pastor to Orthodox Christian

This is the inaugural episode of Journeys to Orthodoxy, a new show contributed by Icon New Media Network, which features the stories of converts to Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

On the first episode, host Jacob Lee shares his own unique spiritual journey. Jacob became an Eastern Orthodox Christian on Cheesefair Sunday 2007. Before that, he was an ordained Calvary Chapel minister who co-pastored a 1000-member-plus, emergent Church called Sanctuary under Calvary Chapel Capo Beach. Listen in to find out why Jacob became an Eastern Orthodox Christian.

Come Receive the Light Study Guide: What Attracts Converts to Orthodoxy?

Fr. John Parker discusses several things that attract different types of people to Orthodoxy. Be sure to read this week's Study Guide if you're involved in parish outreach or evangelism.

Turning to the Fathers: Prayer

Fr. John McGuckin discusses ancient Christian spirituality in today's world. This week, St. Gregory the Theologian on prayer.

Icons in Sound: The Divine Liturgy Like You've Never Heard It Before!

We are delighted to bring you a preview of Cappella Romana's newest CD, which was launched at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese's Clergy-Laity Congress. This is truly a history-making recording, on which the complete Divine Liturgy, in the English translation of the Thyateira Diocese, is chanted in authentic Byzantine style by expert, professional-caliber chanters, whose native language is English.

Theologically Thinking: The WRATH of God?

Fr. Christopher Stamas answers the question: What does Scripture say about the "Wrath" of God?

Get Wisdom: The Orthodox Bible Study Program

In this "minisode" we cover Mark 14:1-11, looking at St. Mary's anointing Jesus' head and feet with perfume.

Get Wisdom Study Guide: Great for Youth Groups

posted by S.F. Danckaert @ 7/28/2008 09:37:00 PM | 1 comments

23.1.08

NEW PROGRAMS: This week on Come Receive the Light, the national Orthodox Christian radio program, Fr. Chris talks with Dr. Demetrios Katos, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Hellenic College, about what his students & inquirers find most intriguing about Orthodox theology and the spiritual life. Also, Rod Dreher, a columnist with the Dallas Morning News, talks with Fr. Chris about Martin Luther King and the contribution of believers to the civil rights movement.

Static page: Listen Now >>

Direct Link to mp3: Listen Now >>

NEW! Orthodox Teen Talk Online (OTTO): Join Fr. Chris, Emmy and a group of Orthodox teens as they discuss real-life issues. This week: "Drugs & Drinking." This, and more, at www.MyOCN.net.

posted by S.F. Danckaert @ 1/23/2008 12:36:00 PM | 0 comments

15.1.08

Orthodox Bishops Speak on the Importance of United Media Outreach

"I would like to see Share the Light Sunday reach out, and, in the future, [for Come Receive the Light] to be heard throughout the United States," His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston said during Sunday's live Web TV program hosted by the Orthodox Christian Network. "I know that a tremendous effort has been made these last few years to reach the greater American public in many of the major cities of the country. I'd like to see it reach every corner of the United States — not only once a week, but why not every day? There are other denominations that have radio and television programming on a daily basis. Why not Orthodoxy?"

You can watch the rest of this interview, and hear from three other Orthodox Hierarchs, on www.MyOCN.net.

For example, His Grace Bishop Joseph, Hierarch of the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West of the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, spoke about the spiritual need for media-based Orthodox evangelism.

"We are not immigrants to this country, but we are missionaries," His Grace Bishop Joseph said. "We must bring the ancient Faith to the New World. To do this, we must use any media resources at our disposal, and OCN is a vital tool for this Christian-commanded work of the Church. Our spiritual work begins with prayer, and blossoms forth into preaching. We must preach where the people are, where they can find our Gospel message. This is the good work of OCN, which we should all support. I encourage all the Orthodox parishes throughout the nation, every home, every thirsty individual for the Truth of the Gospel, to support and listen to the OCN."

Other special guests on the program included Archbishop Demetrios, Metropolitan Herman, Fr. Demetrios Tonias and Dr. George Mekras.

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to hear from these guests and others about the growth of Orthodox media outreach in this country, and to find out how your parish can be a part of this missionary effort during "Share the Light" Sunday on or near to January 20, 2008.

Visit www.MyOCN.net to watch the show - and be sure to invite others!

-----

Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) is a pan-Orthodox media ministry and one of the official agencies of SCOBA, the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas. OCN uses modern media to raise awareness of the Orthodox Christian faith in the minds of the general population and produces media tools for local parishes designed to increase the effectiveness of their own media outreach. OCN also produces Come Receive The Light, a nationally syndicated Orthodox radio program, as well as two Internet-based, 24-hour Orthodox radio stations, The Ark and The Rudder.

posted by S.F. Danckaert @ 1/15/2008 03:58:00 PM | 0 comments

14.1.08

OCN WEB TV: Did you miss Sunday's live show? Just visit www.MyOCN.net to watch everything on demand.

This one-hour broadcast featured short interviews with FOUR Orthodox hierarchs: Archbishop Demetrios, Metropolitan Herman, Metropolitan Methodios, and Bishop Joseph.

Here's what His Grace Bishop Joseph had to say during the program:

"We are not immigrants to this country, but we are missionaries. We must bring the ancient Faith to the new world. To do this, we must use any media resources at our disposal, and OCN is a vital tool for this Christian-commanded work of the Church. We must use media to our advantage, just as the heretics have been doing for a long time. Our spiritual work begins with prayer, and blossoms forth into preaching. We must preach where the people are, where they can find our Gospel message. This is the good work of OCN, which we should all support. I encourage all the Orthodox parishes throughout the nation, every home, every thirsty individual for the Truth of the Gospel, to support and listen to the OCN. "

DON'T MISS OUT on this unique opportunity to hear from these guests and others about the growth of Orthodox media outreach in this country. Visit www.MyOCN.net to watch - and be sure to invite others!

posted by S.F. Danckaert @ 1/14/2008 11:18:00 AM | 0 comments

11.1.08

The Unfolding Crisis in Kenya: Fr. Martin Ritsi, Executive Director of the OCMC, discusses the humanitarian crisis in the Orthodox community in Kenya, and how we in the West can help. Also, Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou and Dr. Aristotle Papanikolaou talk about their upcoming book "Thinking through Faith."

Visit www.MyOCN.net to listen to the program & learn more about the situation.

posted by S.F. Danckaert @ 1/11/2008 05:33:00 PM | 1 comments

YOU'RE INVITED: OCN's live broadcast on Sunday will feature four Orthodox bishops.

Join Fr. Chris & the staff of OCN for a live Web TV program on Sunday, January 13 , from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST.

This broadcast will feature interviews with FOUR Orthodox hierarchs:

Archbishop Demetrios (Primate of GOA & Chairman of SCOBA)
Metropolitan Herman (Primate of the OCA)
Metropolitan Methodios (GOA Metropolitan of Boston)
Bishop Joseph (Antiochian Bishop of Los Angeles)

DON'T MISS OUT on this unique opportunity to hear from these guests and others about the growth of Orthodox media outreach in this country. Visit www.MyOCN.net for more information - and be sure to invite others to watch!

posted by S.F. Danckaert @ 1/11/2008 04:22:00 PM | 0 comments

9.1.08

WEB TV BROADCAST: Hierarchal Divine Liturgy, Ordination to Holy Diaconate & Interviews with Four Orthodox Bishops this Sunday on MyOCN.net.

His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta will be making an Archpastoral visit to South Florida this weekend. A live broadcast of Sunday's services with His Eminence, which will include an ordination to the holy diaconate, will be available on the Web site of the Orthodox Christian Network. Later that same Sunday, Jan. 13, OCN will be broadcasting another live Web TV program, which will feature interviews with four other Orthodox hierarchs.

On Sunday, His Eminence will be celebrating the Divine Liturgy at St. Demetrios Church in Ft. Lauderdale and ordaining Gustavo Alfonso to the permanent Diaconate.

Gustavo is a native of Havana, Cuba and a convert to Orthodoxy.

Sunday's Divine Liturgy and Gustavo's ordination will be broadcast live on the Internet at www.MyOCN.net, and will be available for viewing in the OCN TV archive for one week. If you have never witnessed a Hierarchal Divine Liturgy, or an ordination to the Holy Diaconate, be sure to check out the broadcast.

The hierarchal theme will continue through Sunday evening, as the Orthodox Christian Network, a pan-Orthodox media ministry headquartered in Ft Lauderdale, will be broadcasting a live Web TV program at 5 p.m. EST.

This broadcast will feature special guests, including Archbishop Demetrios (Primate of the GOA and Chairman of SCOBA), Metropolitan Herman (Primate of the OCA), Metropolitan Methodios (GOA Metropolitan of Boston), and Bishop Joseph (Antiochian Bishop of Los Angeles).

Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to hear from these guests and others about the growth of Orthodox media outreach in this country.

For more on all of this, including a biography of the ordinand, Gustavo Alfonso, and this weekend's schedule of services, visit www.MyOCN.net.

-----

Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) is a pan-Orthodox media ministry and one of the official agencies of SCOBA, the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas. OCN uses modern media to raise awareness of the Orthodox Christian faith in the minds of the general population and produces media tools for local parishes designed to increase the effectiveness of their own media outreach. OCN also produces Come Receive The Light, a nationally syndicated Orthodox radio program, as well as two Internet-based, 24-hour Orthodox radio stations, The Ark and The Rudder.

posted by S.F. Danckaert @ 1/09/2008 07:10:00 PM | 0 comments

Share the Light Sunday SCOBA Encyclical, 20 January 2008

Thursday, January 03, 2008

SCOBA
The Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas
8 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10021

Christ shall give you light.
(Ephesians 5:14)

To the Most Reverend Clergy, Venerable Monastics and
The Devout Faithful of the Holy Orthodox Churches in the Americas

Dearly Beloved in the Lord,

We, the Hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, greet you in this new calendar year with the love and hope that is in our Lord Jesus Christ. As Orthodox Christians, we have been richly blessed with the sacred repository of the fullness of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. With such a blessing, there come both the responsibility to offer our Orthodox Faith to the world around us and the challenge to find means that are consistent with the our Divine Message of love and forgiveness and suited for contemporary society.

Therefore, on this "Share the Light" Sunday, we ask that you take time to learn about and support the Orthodox Christian Network (OCN), a ministry of SCOBA. OCN was formed to assist our parishes to meet the challenges and responsibilities of sharing the Everlasting Gospel of our Lord. OCN offers to our parishes both means and ways to enhance the outreach of the local Church. The great benefit of such outreach is that as we shine the light of Christ brighter and brighter for our non-Orthodox and un-churched neighbors, we also find that we are bringing the light of Christ to many of our own baptized Faithful who, for many reasons, have wandered away from the Church into spiritual obscurity and even darkness. But we know that "the Light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it" (St. John 1:5). The Lord Jesus Christ is the Light, "the true Light Who enlightens every person who comes into the world" (St. John 1:9).

We can use the OCN to keep that light shining throughout the year. We commend to you the Orthodox Christian Network and its programs that are available on the radio and on its Web site, myocn.net. May we all be blessed to share the light of Christ in a world which is in desperate need of His illumination.

With paternal blessings and love in Christ,

+Archbishop DEMETRIOS, Chairman
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

+Metropolitan PHILIP, Vice Chairman
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

+Metropolitan CHRISTOPHER, Secretary
Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada

+Metropolitan NICHOLAS of Amissos, Treasurer
Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese in the USA

+Metropolitan HERMAN
Orthodox Church in America

+Archbishop NICOLAE
Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America & Canada

+Metropolitan JOSEPH
Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church

+Metropolitan CONSTANTINE
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA

+Bishop ILIA of Philomelion
Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America

posted by S.F. Danckaert @ 1/09/2008 01:44:00 PM | 0 comments

7.1.08

The Continuing Plight of the Patriarchate of Constantinople: That's this week's edition of Come Receive the Light. Tune in to find out the latest news about the Patriarchate's status and the many challenges it faces.

Be sure to tune in to find out more about this ancient institution of the Christian faith.

posted by S.F. Danckaert @ 1/07/2008 11:55:00 AM | 0 comments

3.1.08

STL Update: Celebration of "Share the Light Sunday" to begin with live Web TV program.

The Orthodox Christian Network, an agency of SCOBA, will begin its annual celebration of "Share the Light Sunday" with something new this year: A live Web TV Special broadcast on Sunday, Jan. 13.

This live program, which will stream on www.MyOCN.net from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST, will feature special guests discussing some of OCN's exciting new projects and how local parishes can make the most of Share the Light Sunday on Jan. 20, 2008.

Share the Light Sunday is an annual event designated by the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) to spread the word about OCN's programs and mission, and to raise financial support for the growth of its national outreach programs.

Parishes throughout North America traditionally observe Share the Light Sunday by taking a special offering, mentioning OCN in the homily, or reading the Share the Light Sunday encyclical letter by the SCOBA hierarchs.

"As Orthodox Christians, we have been richly blessed with the sacred repository of the fullness of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ," the Bishops of SCOBA wrote in their encyclical. "With such a blessing, there comes both the responsibility to offer our Orthodox Faith to the world around us and the challenge to find means that are consistent with the our Divine Message of love and forgiveness and suited for contemporary society. Therefore, on this 'Share the Light' Sunday, we ask that you take time to learn about and support the Orthodox Christian Network (OCN), a ministry of SCOBA."

More information on the Web TV Special, and Share the Light Sunday, is available at www.MyOCN.net.

Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) is a pan-Orthodox media ministry and one of the official agencies of SCOBA, the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas. OCN uses modern media to raise awareness of the Orthodox Christian faith in the minds of the general population and produces media tools for local parishes designed to increase the effectiveness of their own media outreach. OCN also produces Come Receive The Light, a nationally syndicated Orthodox radio program, as well as two Internet-based, 24-hour Orthodox radio stations, The Ark and The Rudder. Visit www.MyOCN.net for more information.

posted by S.F. Danckaert @ 1/03/2008 06:07:00 PM | 0 comments