In response to a nation-wide call by the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., religious and civic leaders gathered at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma, Alabama, on March 15, 1965, to memorialize two recently fallen heroes of the civil rights movement. The first was twenty-six-year-old African American Jimmie Lee Jackson, an ordained deacon of St. James Baptist Church in Marion, Alabama. He was shot twice in the stomach in late February and died shortly thereafter from those wounds. The second was thirty-eight-year-old James Reeb, a white Unitarian minister, who was severely beaten outside a suspected Ku Klux Klan gathering place in the beginning of March. He died two days later from the wounds he sustained from that brutal beating. The tragic deaths of these two clergymen within such a short span of time and in such close proximity spurred a national outcry. Distinguished leaders from various faiths and civil rights supporters poured into Selma’s overcrowded Brown Chapel for the memorial service awaiting its featured eulogist, the Reverend Martin Luther King. Among the dignitaries who spoke was a solitary and impressive figure: a white-bearded man in flowing black robes, with a stovepipe headdress, over which a black veil gracefully draped down his shoulders and back. Around his neck, he bore the traditional emblem of his episcopal office; and in his hand he held the pastoral staff, which symbolized the authority he possessed as a shepherd to his flock. He approached the lectern to offer his tribute to the fallen heroes as the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of North and South America. He said, “I came to this memorial service because I believe this is an appropriate occasion not only to dedicate myself as well as our Greek Orthodox co... ... middle of paper ... ...dox Press, 1983. Limber, T. Peter. “The Iakovian Era.” In Stephanopoulos, Iakovos: The Making of an Archbishop, 72-87. Moskos, Charles C. Greek Americans: Struggle and Success. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2009. Orfanos, Spyros, ed. Reading Greek America: Studies in the Experience of Greeks in the United States. New York: Pella Publishing Company, 2002. Poulos, George. A Breath of God, Portrait of a Prelate: A Biography of Archbishop Iakovos. Brookline, MA: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1984. Saloutos, Theodore. The Greeks in the United States. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1964. –––––. “The Greek Orthodox Church in the United States and Assimilation.” International Migration Review 7, no. 4 (Winter 1973): 395-407. Stephanopoulos, Nikki, ed. Iakovos: The Making of an Archbishop. New York: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America, 1996.
I had the great privilege of visiting the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. I visited this Church to witness the Salutation to the Theotokos, an annual service held to honor the annunciation of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. In this paper, I will discuss the history of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church along with a detailed description of the architecture and interior of the church. I will also explain the service I attended, Salutations to the Theotokos, and my perspective of the service. But in order to fully understand all that I must first explain, leadership within the Church and iconography.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader during the middle part of the twentieth century. He gave many speeches and led peace marches to gain equal rights for African Americans. I chose to research the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. I guess I knew that he was assassinated but I didn’t know the details. I wanted to know who killed him, when, where, and how King died. The Purpose of this paper is not to determine if James Earl Ray did in fact kill Martin Luther King. Rather, it is a dissection of characters and events utilizing the ideas of the illustrious James Baldwin. In the early part of 1968 he was interested in producing another civil rights march for the poor. Before that could happen, the sanitation workers of the city of Memphis, Tennessee, summoned him. He arrived in March in ord...
Chapter one, ‘Beginnings at Assisi,’ offers a vivid description of the social, political, economic, cultural, demographic description of Assisi and its inhabitants. Here, the author describes the life of Francis and the situations and circumstances prompting his journey to spread the ideal gospel life to the world. This chapter is relevant in determining the circumstances that instigated a need for reforms in the Catholic Church. This chapter is applicable in my life because it offers insight on the fundamental Christian I can rely on in my daily life.
Dr. Jennifer DeSilva is a professor at Ball State University, as well as a contributor and editor of the book “Episcopal Reform and Politics in Early Modern Europe. ” Dr. DeSilva’s historical lens gravitates towards a Eurocentric view, including a focus on Italy between 1300-1700, Italy and the Papal Court, and the political, cultural, and social history of the Renaissance and Reformation. Dr. DeSilva’s also investigates the issues of identity-building, authority, and behavioral reform in early modern Europe. Her chapter, “The Absentee Bishop in Residence,” highlights larger interests and current research projects of DeSilva’s: The de’ Grassi family and the Holy Roman Church, in regards to the College of Cardinals. Due to my unfamiliarity with the topic of Absentee Bishops in Rome, it was initially difficult to decipher DeSilva’s argument. However, after thorough readings of the chapter, it is evident that Dr. DeSilva “seeks to uncover the connections that a single bishop, Paris de’ Grassi, established with his diocese in an effort to fulfill the contemporary call to reform the local church while managing his own absenteeism.”
Grant, Michael. “Constantine the Great.” The Man and His Times. New York, New York: 866 Third Avenue. 1993. Print.
It was a glorious April 4th evening as Martin Luther King and hundreds of followers were gathering for a civil rights march. Many cheered on as the civil rights leader graciously out step on the second floor balcony of the Motel Lorraine. Roaring cheers rose from the crowd rose up as Martin Luther King stand there waving his arm with his heart warming smile waiting for the uprising taper off so he can continue with his speech. When suddenly a piercing blast broke the noise and the crowd’s cheerful spirit died. A cold chill went through all who were present fore in the back of their minds there was no doubt that their King had just been shot.
Catholic Encyclopedia. Online. October 24, 2000. http://www.newadvent.org Harvard University. Online. October 24, 2000. http://www.icg.fas.Harvard Luminarium Organization. Online. October 22, 2000.
The church external appearance was quite different than other churches that I have seen. It was basically a big white stucco block with a gold dome on top and four decorated spikes on each corner of the building that surrounded the dome. The people of course were all Greek and were very well dressed. Most of the men and boys all wore suits, and If not they had some kind of vest on. I don’t know if this was some kind of rule or tradition, but it mostly seemed as a respect to God. The women all wore the basic dresses, and all the skirts fell down below the knee. Everybody was proper and ordered. As I walked in the church I entered a lobby of some kind. What I saw hear was something like social hour. Everybody was in there. They were all speaking Greek, and I felt as if I was in a family reunion party. The children were all together; the adults talked together and the young adults all were together. The way they all socialize is when someone comes up to say hello, they give each other a kiss on the cheek and a hug. These people are all very close to each other. It seems as if the church is the center of their lives. I admire that trait as well. To enter the auditorium you must enter this little room, which has a piece of garment from St. Constantine and St. Helen. Also there were candles lit. As they walked through this little room they lit a candle and knelt down for a moment to pray, and then touched each garment and made a cross over their chest.
Robin Sowerby, The Greeks: An Introduction To Their Culture. Published in 1995 by Routledge Publishers.
The priest explained what his garments meant to the church and why he has to wear these special clothes. After he was done explaining what his clothes meant, it was time for the children to come up and receive their first communion. This is a very traditional service for the Greek community, however, most of the time I saw the congregation making the sign of the cross three times in a row. Most of the time the priest spent his time behind the doors with his back towards the congregation, nor did he really engage with the congregation until he spoke with the
...p with God became one of prayer and patient suffering. To me, this speaks volumes. It shows that you don’t have to proclaim your love for God to the world; your faith is just as meaningful when it is one of prayer and personal reflection. The prayer he wrote for the congregation to elect his successor read: ‘More than ever I find myself in the hands of God. This is what I have wanted all my life from my youth. But now there is a difference; the initiative is entirely with God. It is indeed a profound spiritual experience to know and feel myself so totally in God's hands.’ I wonder how Father Arrupe found the strength to surrender his will and actions to God so as to be one with him; it must have required an immense trust in the Lord.
The reason for this essay is not to persuade the minds of its readers. However, what I do intend to do is introduce to the readers the philosophical words and powerful confidence of Archbishop Romero. First I will give a brief but detailed introduction of Archbishop Oscar before explaining why I feel Oscar Romero in regards to previous course lectures, group discussions and the book “The Violence of Love” by James Brockman; is an ethical prophet in the tradition of Hebrew prophecy in the eighth century B.C.E. I will also discuss and summarize three elements of prophecy that I feel applied to Romero’s courageous role in life during his time. Lastly I will include a subjective response around a select few of quotations by Archbishop Romero and discuss how his challenging and demanding words altered the way I see ministry today.
Pollen, John Hungerford. "St. Ignatius Loyola." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company,1910. 23 Mar. 2014 .
Ullmann, Walter. A Short History of the Papacy in the Middle Ages. 2nd ed. New York City, NY: Routledge, 2003.