posted Jan 22, 2012 7:59 PM by Fredrick Anzivino
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updated Feb 1, 2012 1:57 PM
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She weeps and who will come to see Her? When we encounter a man, woman, or child with streams of tears flowing along their sweet youthful cheeks or catching in their lovely laugh lines we wonder if the person is burdened by sadness or sharing tears of joy. It’s hard to ignore the call of tears—right? God has created us to have compassion for each other making it a very natural gesture to draw near to each other in hope to receive comfort from the snares of this world or to gladly share in the glories of God.
Now ask yourself what you would do if the Theotokos began to weep? How would you feel? Would you run to the Mother of God and ask her how you could comfort her? Shouldn't we? Would you let someone else take care of Her because you are too busy or perhaps you are OK with how your life is going? Maybe you are asking yourself “How can the Theotokos weep anyway? After all she fell asleep almost 2000 years ago.”
I humbly and lowly share with you She is! Two Theotokos icons are bearing holy Miro at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church here in Warren, Ohio. Yes, it’s very true and very real. In October 2011 the Theotokos icon on the iconostas started bearing holy Miro, about 15 streams were noted. I’ll never forget the sun’s rays catching what seemed to be every molecule in the Miro, making its only job to brilliantly glisten in an exceptional way to announce the Theotokos’ presence. A hello was whispered without a voice and my soul seemed to leap for joy with excitement!
In July of 2010 and in October 2011 beads of Miro clustered on a small Theotokos icon which sits directly in front of the larger weeping icon and still continues to bead holy Miro as I write. Why? Why? Why is this happening at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church?
Some say She is devastated by the state of our world and how each one of us, by our constant sinning, crucifies Her Son, our Lord, over and over as brutally as the first time which causes her to lament unceasingly! Some say She is sternly warning us to get our priorities straight, like any loving mother should, before it is too late. Is She drawing us near to say that we will certainly feel the consequence of all actions good and bad? Maybe She has bestowed a blessing on us. Could She be healing the sick, trying to bring others to Orthodoxy, or is She trying to unite our Orthodox churches for the love of Christ. These are only a few judgments chipping away at the tip of an iceberg of questions. The Very Reverend Protopresbyter Father Kenneth, the priest at St. Nicholas Church, addresses each inquiry with a very clear answer, [paraphrasing] ‘This gift will be very specific to each individual who humbles themselves to come to Her.’ This is a perfect fit answer. Each will benefit from Her in his/her own way. Is it ok to be curious about a weeping icon? Yes, of course but it is better to have faith!
Faith is the key that opens the door to eternal life; though having a tangible miracle, such as the weeping icon, happen before my eyes was literally breathe taking! The awe of Her struck me to my knees in the lowest bow possible during Divine Liturgy. Faith and this miracle should make all of us sell everything we have and follow Christ! I don’t make light of our daily miracles. We are all blessed everyday with God’s works! Every Liturgy and on Feast days we partake of the Eucharist which is a miracle too. So many wonders gifted to us and what do we do with them? Are we going to choose to see the miracles and live in a Christ like manner or simply walk away justified by our will?
Will we allow the evil one to convince us that we know enough about our Orthodox faith and there is no reason to learn more? The devil convincingly chats with us saying, ‘Why read about the saints? They are all the same anyway. Don’t go to Vespers it’s really not that important besides this is your only day to take a break! And certainly don’t bother to visit a weeping icon because it’s only a painting!’We must beware of our thoughts. We can’t allow ourselves to concentrate on any thoughts other than those of Christ, His most sweet Mother, and eternal life. Being judgmental, jealous, prideful, and especially content are all crowns of the evil one. Do not accept the devil’s whispers that there is always tomorrow!
Before you try to analyze God’s works especially with a Miro bearing icon never forget that with God all things are possible. And with this truth don’t expect to completely understand God’s wonders either. Our minds simply can’t bear all that God has to offer us—at least not as we stand today!
Come and see! Glory be to Jesus Christ! Glory be forever!
- Mrs. Sonya Anzivino - Principal & 2nd Grade Teacher |
posted Jan 22, 2012 7:00 PM by Fredrick Anzivino
December 11th, 2011 - St. Nicholas Orthodox Church honors their patron saint, Saint Nicholas!
It has become tradition at the church to have the parish children put on a small performance for everyone. Thank you to the Falibota and Choma families for putting it all together every year.
After the lunch and kid's play, and if we are lucky... St. Nicholas comes and gives all the boys and girls a bag filled with toys and goodies.
Also, there was a free-will offering taken at the lunch too. There was over $600 in the basket after the collection, which was donated to Holy Trinity Orthodox Christian Academy & Preschool. We certainly appreciates the generosity of the parishioners of St. Nicholas Church!
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posted Nov 17, 2011 10:25 AM by Fredrick Anzivino
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updated Nov 17, 2011 10:32 AM
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November 1st, 2011 - Our Holy Trinity Academy and Preschool Students went to the OHWOW Museum in Youngstown, Ohio.
Thanks to OHWOW and WFMJ for selecting us for their "Lunchbox Weather" school. WFMJ aired the staff and students having a blast at the museum. They also gave the students a pizza lunch!
A picture's worth a thousand words... Enjoy the slideshow!
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posted Nov 4, 2011 9:09 PM by Fredrick Anzivino
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updated Nov 4, 2011 9:10 PM
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November 4th, 2011 - Mark Lee Pringle from Coiling Dragon Kung-Fu/Wu-Shu Studio is a very talented Kung-Fu master AND Elvis impersonator (hence the sideburns). Last month we were fortunate to have him visit again the students of our academy and preschool to give a history and demonstration of the ancient art of Tai Chi.
You can tell by his presence and demonstrations that he has a true passion for what he does. He leaves nothing behind for even the smallest of audiences. And in this case… I mean smallest in stature. His joy and discipline with his art is clear to everyone in the room.
Our thanks go out to Mr. Pringle for coming back to our Academy and putting his talents back on display for our students to enjoy, and for spending his time teaching us a little something of the magnificent Chinese culture.
www.coilingdragonkungfu.com |
posted Nov 4, 2011 8:49 PM by Fredrick Anzivino
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updated Nov 4, 2011 8:49 PM
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November 4th, 2011 - Jim Loboy of our local TV’s ‘My Valley Weather’ came to visit the students at Holy Trinity Academy and Preschool. Mr. Loboy came to teach the students about weather and gave them all presents and memories to take home that morning.
Mr. Loboy was so fascinating; he was easily able to captivate the attention of even the preschool students for over 30 minutes! Anyone with 3 to 6 year old children understands what an undertaking that can be.
This is Jim Loboy’s second visit to our school. We would like to thank Mr. Loboy and the My Valley Weather team for coming and doing such an incredible job… as always!
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posted Oct 5, 2011 6:50 PM by Fredrick Anzivino
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updated Nov 4, 2011 8:35 PM
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October 5th, 2011 - The students of Holy Trinity Academy visited the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Elwood City, PA today to venerate the Miraculous Myrrh-Streaming Icon of the Theotokos.
This icon originally came from Hawaii. More information can be found on this web page
Students were blessed with the holy myrrh and were given a cotton ball of myrrh and a small icon of the Theotokos to take home with them. They still even had time to play at the playground.
We are indeed blessed to have been given the opportunity to be able to visit the monastery, and to witness the miracle of the icon in person. Mother Christophora and the sisters were very kind and gracious, as always.
Teachers, students, family and guests had a wonderful time. We offer our deepest gratitude for allowing us the privilege of this visit. By all accounts, this was the best field trip EVER!
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posted Sep 11, 2011 7:07 PM by Fredrick Anzivino
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updated Sep 11, 2011 7:16 PM
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September 9th, 2010 - A photo slideshow of our students in science, art and faith class. They did their egg experiment, illustrated creation and celebrated the Nativity of the Theotokos.
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posted Sep 1, 2011 7:53 AM by Fredrick Anzivino
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updated Sep 1, 2011 8:08 AM
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Welcome to our first day of school !!
A special thank you to Father Ken Bachofsky, Father Andrew Gall, and Father Jonathan Cholcher, for blessing our school to begin our school's open house on Saturday.
It's finally begun! Holy Trinity begins another thankful and blessed year. Our 9th Year!
Here are some of the pictures of our first days of this year...
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posted Aug 12, 2011 6:57 PM by Fredrick Anzivino
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updated Aug 12, 2011 7:23 PM
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August 12, 2011 - Mrs. Anzivino wrote an article about her Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Her brilliantly written story was recently published in the American Carpatho-Russian Church Diocese newspaper "The Church Messenger".
Her story, as written, is below...
"How can one describe the Holy Land? There are not enough beautiful words to describe the place where God gave His only Son the land to dwell. The Holy Land was a place for Christ to teach others about God, pray, work, eat and rest for He was human like you and I. As Orthodox Christians we believe that Christ is always with us: but in the Holy Land I felt like I was with Christ… a guest in His home, on His land getting to visit the most magnificent of holy sites; St Peter’s home, where St John the Baptist lived and baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, Mary, Martha & Lazarus’ home, Lazarus’ tomb, Christ tomb at the Holy Sepulcher Church, the Theotokos’ tomb, Joseph and Anna’s tombs and many other saints relics and tombs to name just a few. Who is blessed to dip their toes in the Sea of Galilee as Christ once did or see the sun rising and setting over the mountains like He once did? Who is so very blessed to see all of Nazareth from the peak of Mount Tabor as He did prior to Transfiguring before Peter, James and John? We, the pilgrims, were blessed the opportunity to visit the Holy Land by God and the blessing of our dear beloved Metropolitan Nicholas. If you ever get the blessing to go to the Holy Land or there is an opportunity to take your children/grandchildren consider the opportunity as a gift from God Himself and GO! What was so special about the Holy Land?
First, one must understand the Holy Land is not just a piece of land, a place to start a family, a nice place to go to church, to visit a monastery or start a business…oh no! The Holy Land holds an omnipresence of Christ unlike any other place on earth. Everything had the presence of God. The soft breeze, palm trees and desert floor, the light and gentle warmth of the sun, cool turquoise, blue and gray waters, and the star lit night sky or sometimes cloudy night skies are all wonders Christ and the pilgrims experienced in the Holy Land. Christ in those moments became very human to me. At last I could relate to Him and His everyday needs as a man. Throughout my life I have always struggled to know the spiritual side of Christ through the sacraments, prayer, and fasting but on this pilgrimage I got to know Christ as a real Man. As the Man I will be fervent in trying to emulate. There is definitely something to be said about walking on the same ground that Christ, the Theotokos and His disciples did. Simply taking off my shoes and standing in the Sea of Galilee brought me closer to God just knowing Christ spent many hours of many days near the Sea of Galilee. To help me stay true to Christ I will remember those moments I felt closet to Him on the pilgrimage.
The times when I felt closest to God happened when I freed myself of random thoughts to concentrate on the moment at hand in the same way a child might watch a butterfly breaking free from its cocoon and fluttering away into the distance. That child can’t see anything but the amazement of the butterfly. I couldn’t see anything but the amazement of God! Our senses naturally overload in the presence of God …now try to imagine this happening day after day on the pilgrimage. One can emotionally, spiritually, and physically feel God molding them into a new person and believe me it was exhausting. Imagine walking into a church where the Holy Spirit impales the soul as an awakening and a welcoming at the same time or flooding ones eyes with the divine beauty of icons written on every single inch of the church-- so much so that it sends shivers down the spine in a paralyzing way. Was God saying; “Stand still for a moment”? Imagine walking into and touching the tomb of Christ and His most sweet Mother the Theotokos’ tomb to find one gasping for breath because the human heart simply couldn’t bare the presence of Their intense love. Try to imagine yourself walking to venerate an icon of the Theotokos and having your eyes well with tears into a blur until the sweet Theotokos is no longer visible through the eyes but now is only clearly visible through the heart! For some of our pilgrims there is no need to imagine for they experienced miracles daily.
Several pilgrims were either healed or had miraculous accounts while venerating icons of the Theotokos. One pilgrim was venerating an icon of the Theotokos and knew at that very moment a lump in her breast, which the doctors had been watching very closely for a year, was no longer a worry. Calmness, for lack of a deserving word, came over her and she truly new that a miracle had just come upon her. When she returned to Ohio and went for a mammogram the results came back normal for the first time! I personally experienced a life changing miraculous event while approaching an icon of our beautiful Theotokos which sat behind Her tomb. I can only hold this memory close to my heart, not able to share because I simply cannot put into words what and certainly why the miracle happened to me. Only the poetic saints can explain the wonder that comes over a person when the Holy Spirit touches their heart with such love and compassion. “With my whole heart I cried to the all-compassionate God: and He heard me from the lowest depths of hell, and brought my life out of corruption.” (Canon of St. Andrew) We can all experience the same love and compassion when we take of the Eucharist for this is a miracle too!
May 12th 2011 Father Deacon Ed also experienced a beautiful gift from God. “Even before we left on this Holy Pilgrimage I knew that our encounters on this journey would be unforgettable. On Thursday morning May 12th, we travelled to the Jordan River and at each holy site all of us would prepare to listen to the Gospel reading according to that miraculous event. Fr. Nicholas Wyborski read the Gospel from St. Matthew 3:13-17 (The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ). We gathered together to listen to the Holy Gospel facing the Jordan River. Fr. Nicholas facing us began chanting this reading and I witnessed a dove float down on to a branch behind Father on the bank of the Jordan. At first I could not believe it was real, it was surreal, the dove looked at all of us, then to Fr. Nicholas and before Father finished, the dove flew sharply upward and disappeared just as it had arrived. A moment in time I’ll never forget and thanking the Holy Spirit for allowing all of us to experience an incomprehensible journey to the Holy Land. “O Christ God, Who appeared and enlightened the world, Glory to You”. These are just a few miracles from our journey: I’m sure throughout our lives ongoing miracles will be revealed to us at the appropriate times.
In closing, I want to thank God, our beloved Metropolitan Nicholas, Father Edward Pehanich, Father Kenneth Bachofsky, Father Myron Zuder, Father Nicholas Wyborski, Father Deacon Ed Brisbine and all my fellow pilgrims for their guidance & love! We couldn’t have had a better group of pilgrims! I also must say thank you to our tour guide Tanas Baddour. We all have Guardian Angels but he was certainly our Guiding Angel taking us through Christ life bringing the Bible to life! God brought us together in a way that will bond us for eternity! Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!
Your sister in Christ,
Sonya Anzivino" |
posted Jul 12, 2011 10:55 AM by Fredrick Anzivino
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updated Jul 12, 2011 12:18 PM
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We have place an ad in The Review Newspapers this month. The people there were very good to us. Be sure to pick one up and share with your friends and family!
Be proud of your school !!
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