Blessing of the Mississippi River

The mighty Mississippi River was blessed yesterday by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew along with several other clergy.  You can see pictures of yesterday's service here.


Here is a short little video on YouTube from yesterday's Blessing of the Waters.

Live Broadcast of the Green Patriarch

At 11am (Eastern) today, you will be able to watch a live broadcast of the patriarch's address to the Religion, Science, and Environment (RSE) Symposium.  Patriarch Bartholomew has been a part of  RSE symposiums in the past also.  The symposiums are held on major world rivers because of the extreme importance of water.  This symposium will be focusing on the Mississippi River.

A wonderful video has been made available (for free - it's normally a $20 video) on the web.  It does a wonderful job giving a background about Patriarch Bartholomew as well as his efforts for helping the environment.  I encourage all of you to take advantage of the opportunity to not only watch the live address above but also watch the following video - "The Green Patriarch".

At this time, it is exceedingly trendy to be “eco-friendly”.  As Orthodox Christians, we need to put into perspective why it is important to be protectors of the environment and not just follow the current fad because “it’s the thing to do”.  God created the earth and he put us here to be stewards of the earth.  As stewards of the earth, we have to be aware that sometimes our actions can contribute to the destruction and polluting of the beauty of God’s Creation all around us.  There are steps each one of us can do to change our own lifestyles and homes.  Just as the average person could not go out and run a marathon tomorrow – making your home environmentally friendly is not going to happen overnight.  There are habits we have – that we may or may not even recognize yet – which will take some time to break.  Take small steps in changing.  Begin the walk towards becoming eco-friendly and with time you’ll be running the marathon yourself.

Here are some discussion questions to think about while watching the film (link above) - "The Green Patriarch".  After the show, talk with your family and friends about your thoughts and what you’ve learned from the documentary.  Talk about the changes you want to make in your own home.

Discussion Questions:

1.    1.   Who is the “Green Patriarch”?

2.    2.    How did he earn the title of Green Patriarch?

3.    3.    Why does the patriarch say it is a sin not to care for the environment?

4.    4.    What is the goal of the patriarch by having symposiums with scientists and religious leaders together?

5.    5.    Where does the patriarch take the symposiums?

6.    6.    How can a massive movement to save the earth occur?

7.    7.    There’s a need for leadership with the environmental crisis.  Why is it important for it to come from religious leaders?

8.    8.    What was the declaration the Patriarch and Pope signed?

This is truly an important and historic visit for the patriarch to the United States!

Patriarch's Arrival in the U.S.

Here's a short little clip of Patriarch Bartholomew arriving at the New Orleans airport.

The Green Patriarch

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has been nicknamed "The Green Patriarch" for his extensive work initiating environmental awareness and response.  Some of his most well known work has been the environmental symposiums he has held around the world with both religious leaders and scientists alike.  In October of this year, Patriarch Bartholomew will be visiting the United States.  He has various meetings and appearances scheduled across the U.S. and will also be holding another Environmental Symposium on the Mississippi River.  A wonderful website has been put together to give further information to everyone about the Patriarch's visit.

Becket Films put out a phenomenal short film about "The Green Patriarch".  I purchased it about six months ago when I was developing my Vacation Church School Curriculum.  It was well worth the $20 I spent to purchase it but I just discovered you can view it on the above website for free.  If you'd like to learn more about the patriarch - here's the perfect opportunity.  Here's a direct link to the video.

(Picture used with permission)

My husband and I were blessed to go Constantinople in 2007 with a group of friends, Father Mark, and Bishop Savas.  During the trip, we visited the patriarchate, Agia Sophia, Chora Church (Museum), and many other places.  At the patriarchate, we were greeted by Ecumenical Patriarchate Bartholomew.  He is a very sweet and sincere man.

Ecclesiastical New Year

September 1st marks the beginning of the cycle of feasts and fasts for Orthodox Christians. It is also a time for school and church school to begin again. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople has asked all of us to say a prayer for the protection of the environment on September 1st as well. He asks all of us to show our respect for the environment because it was created by God. It is a time where we can reflect on the changes we can make in our own home and community to make it a healthier and cleaner place to live. There are many ways we can do this - by recycling our paper products, certain plastics, certain metals, glass, and many other items. We can also compost our fruit, vegetables, and other food scraps in a compost pile in our own backyard. This helps reduce the amount of trash making its way to the landfills. Choosing organic items whenever possible helps support farmers using non-toxic agents for growing their crops. There are so many ways we can make changes around our home and community. It is a lifestyle change - one that doesn't come all at once. We are adding one or two changes at a time. On this September 1st, our family is starting our own compost pile in the backyard. It's a small start but adding this change to our previous changes - recycling and eating organic as much as possible - starts adding up over the long run. Finally, I am hoping to chronicle our family's life as we strive to live our Orthodox Christian faith throughout this next year. I think it will help us focus and reflect on how we are teaching our children their faith as we journey day by day.

Niki took this photo on our walk talking about nature.