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The group consists of 22 participants from five different Orthodox Christian jurisdictions. The college students from around the country are traveling to Constantinople to receive the blessings of His All Holiness and refurbish a church and a cemetery that has fallen into disrepair. Fr. Kevin Scherer, Executive Director of OCF commented, "OCF is honored to have the opportunity to assist the Ecumenical Patriarch in his efforts to restore and maintain the parishes of his ancient see. This Real Break trip in particular provides our students with a transformative perspective into both the past and the present struggles of our Church. The participants will work hard in a very short span of time."
The group of clergy and college students will work on a St. Kyriakos Church and the Patriarchal Cemetery of Erikapi which borders the Land Walls close to the Vlachernae Palace. Along with the Church, the Patriarchal Cemetery is a site that was desecrated many years ago. There are about 300 tombs which have broken slabs of marble, knocked down headstones and crosses. The team will be responsible to bring the Church and cemetery back to their original state. His Grace Bishop Savas stated, "Laboring to bring order to a sacred space in disrepair has spiritual as well as physical consequences. Clearing away years of accumulated filth and debris, restoring tarnished images, obscured by layers of dirt, to their original beauty, inevitably affects the inner lives of those who do such work. I know from having participated in last year's restoration effort that the men and women who will be taking part this year will experience a renewal of heart analogous to the renewal the Church of St. Kyriakos and the Cemetery of Erikapi will undergo, to the glory of God."
The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate are co-sponsoring this project with OCF, to underwrite the materials and supplies for the project. Special funding for the media coverage of this Real Break trip with OCN will be provided by the National Ladies Philoptochos Society. Fr. Christopher the Executive Director of OCN stated, "It is an honor to be partnering with OCF our sister agency of SCOBA. The trip will afford OCN the opportunity to work side by side in the Ancient City of Constantinople with the future leaders of the Church in America, while visiting the Mother Church and the venerable Patriarchate. We expect this to be the beginning of collaborative work with other agencies who travel and share the love of Christ with faithful throughout the world".
Faithful in the United States and around the world are encouraged to visit the web site of Orthodox Christian Fellowship www.ocf.net , The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese www.goarch.org and OCN at www.myocn.net to view daily progress of the trip as well as photo's and various interviews with the participants and His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW.
The* Orthodox Christian Network* is one of the official agencies of SCOBA,commissioned by our hierarchs to create a national, sustainable and effective media witness for Orthodox Christianity throughout North America.
OCN produces the only nationally syndicated Orthodox Christian radio broadcast, as well as several other outreach programs, including DVDs and Internet-based media, in direct collaboration with our sister SCOBA agencies (e.g. IOCC, OCMC, & OCF), as well as with various Orthodox Christian jurisdictions and pan-Orthodox, para-church organizations. Our goal is to engage the broader culture of North America with Orthodox Christianity's rich theological, spiritual and moral heritage, and to thereby strengthen the Orthodox Church's witness and contribution to the culture in which we live.
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Is there any similar program for non-college students?
As coincidence (or providence) would have it, this is the “Hymn of Praise” that appears in the Prologue of Ohrid (by St. Nicholai Velimirovic) for today, March 13th:
HYMN OF PRAISE
The City of Constantinople
Constantinople, wondrous city near the blue Bosphorus,
Whose glory can be measured against your glory?
You were an awesome battleground of spiritual warriors,
Blasphemous heretics and saints of God.
As through as a sieve you sifted them throughout the long centuries
Making known both apostates and servants of God.
By many sins you are soiled, and by the filth of sinners,
But you are consecrated with the abundance of the blood of martyrs.
Who could enumerate the spiritual heroes
And all the heavenly visions and all your mysteries?
The angels of God often flew down to you,
And men, like angels, were raised up to heaven.
The Mother of God appeared within you many times
To deliver those in danger, to heal the sick.
The flock of wondrous saints hovers over you,
And the prayers of your children are borne to the Most High.
Oh, how many saints were your children!
As many as there are lilies upon lilies, there are saints upon saints!
You wrote history and the calendar in red;
By your efforts even the great Symbol of Faith was written.
Thus, about you this could be said:
Among the many cities you are a red letter.
With Holy Faith you enlightened the universe.
You healed the world of paganism and heresies.
Tortured much, but not slain, you have not yet passed away.
That is why we all celebrate you, Confessor that you are!
Throughout the earth and in the heavens your glory echoes;
Everyone who is baptized owes a great debt of gratitude to you.
“Trough the prayers of our Holy Fathers, the saints of Constantinople and the great land of Turkey, O Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us, Amen.”