For Our High School Graduates and College Students

Pastor's Message
Fr. Hector Firoglanis

To all of our High School Graduates and College Students in particular — and to every Orthodox Christian who desires to grow and mature in your faith — here are Seven Guidelines to help you survive and thrive spiritually while living on a college campus:

• Find an Orthodox Church. Nobody can be a Christian alone in today's world. We need the support of the church, the guidance of a priest, and the support of a community. Find a good church and attend the services as regularly as possible.
• Read your Bible. As a parting gift every High School Graduate of our parish is given an Orthodox Study Bible for a reason. So that you take it with you to college and read it. Make www.goarch.org your home page on your computer, so that every day you are reminded to read the daily scripture and saint of the day. Set aside a time each day to pray and read your bible.
• Find good, likeminded friends. If you can't find good Orthodox Christian friends, seek out good Christian friends who share your values and standard of conduct. In college before I met my Orthodox friends during my sophomore year, my Protestant friends were a huge support in getting me through my first year of college with my values and soul intact. However, if your non-Orthodox “friends” aggressively question or challenge your Orthodox faith, be prepared to learn more about your faith and to “Speak the Truth in love”  (Eph. 4:15).
• Observe the Fast. Remembering the fast on Wednesday and Friday will help you to keep a strong connection with Christ and the Church. If you can do it without your parents or grandparents watching over you, it'll be all the more meaningful and beneficial for your soul. It's actually not very difficult to fast on a college campus, where cafeterias these days offer all kinds of options for vegetarians. Besides, it will help you to eat healthier and keep off that "Freshman 15"!
• Put icons in your room. Don't be ashamed of who you are. The icons in your room will be a consistent reminder of who you are. The university is traditionally a place of exchanging new ideas and belief systems. The icons will offer many opportunities to share your Orthodox faith with other students on your dorm floor. So while other students decorate their dorm rooms with their icons of sports cars, movie stars, athletes and supermodels whom they worship, you put your icons of the Saints and Christ on your walls to show whom you venerate and worship in your life.
• Find a mentor. Ideally find a priest you'll be able to confess to and be accountable to. If not a priest, find a good friend who is a mature Christian whom you'll be able to confide in. Or stay in touch regularly with someone back home, with me, or with any of the clergy, all of whom love you and care for you dearly. Be accountable to someone besides yourself.
• Engage in warfare head on. During my first semester at college, before we had an Orthodox Church, I went to a non-denominational service on campus. The preacher that day offered an image in his sermon which helped me through college, and which I have not forgotten until this day. He said, if you put a frog in boiling water, it will jump out and save its life. But if you put a frog in a pot of warm water and slowly turn up the heat, it will stay in the pot until it burns to death. That's how the devil attacks our souls: very slowly, subtly, and methodically so that we barely realize our gradual descent into a life of darkness and separation from God. You need to be vigilant and keep yourself away from situations that can harm your soul.

(Adapted from a sermon delivered to High School Graduates of Annunciation Church, Lancaster, PA, June 6, 2010)

Pastor’s Message
Fr. Alexander Goussetis

Many parishioners have requested a copy of the comments I offered on Sunday, September 13th, the beginning of the Sunday School year. Below are excerpts of that message.