Archangel Archangel Michael Orthodox Church the Volume 17 Issue 5 July 2016 St. Panteleimon: Patron Saint of Physicians Following the example of Christ, Who Himself healed multitudes of people ailing in soul and body, the Church has always had a special concern and care for those who are ill. Thus, turning to Christ and imploring Him with prayers for healing is as old as the Church itself. The ministry of all Christians and especially the clergy in behalf of the sick has been an inspiration for centuries. St. Panteleimon (who died a martyr’s death in the year 305) was one of the early Christians involved in the work of healing. He was a physician of Nicomedia, and was attached to the official group around the Emperor Maximian. A Christian priest named Hermolous converted Panteleimon, teaching and baptizing him. Upon entering the Church, Panteleimon not only dedicated himself, but his skill in healing as well, to Christ. He freely gave of his services for the health and restoration of any who asked, never charging for his God- given talent and ministry. Because of this, his fame spread as people told of his great love, devotion, and his medical skills. After he embraced the Christian faith, Panteleimon was denounced to the pagan emperor, who ordered him executed with the sword. He was promptly arrested in a home, along with the priest Hermolous and their friends. After being subjected to unbearable torments, they were eventually martyred, with Panteleimon dying a day after the others. The good acts of this new martyr Panteleimon were not forgotten when he fell asleep in the Lord. His relics were taken to Constantinople and venerated with honor. There a church was even built and dedicated to his memory. And in the year 532, this church was rebuilt by the Emperor Justinian, testifying to the lasting re- membrance of Panteleimon by the faithful. St. Panteleimon dedicated his life and followed in the footsteps of the “Great Physician,” our Lord, Jesus Christ, “who went about all of Galilee, teaching…and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all manner of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23). St. Panteleimon is commemorated each year on July 27. “O Holy Physician, Healer, and Martyr Panteleimon, pray unto God for us!” Very Rev. Fr. John Memorich Father John's 20 Anniversary Brunch On Sunday, June 26 the parishioners of St. Michael's honored Fr. John and Matu- shka Jani and their family upon the 20th anniversary of Fr. John's pastorate at the parish. After the singing of Many Years and a few short speeches, a delicious brunch was served. Michael Herzak spoke about Fr. Prislopski's 37 year tenure and Fr. Gabora's pastorate lasting 25 years - thus showing that our parish is NOT the type to "chew-up and churn-out" its priests. Congratulations for Fr. John and his family on this momentous occasion!
Transcript
July 2016 1
Archangel Archangel Michael Orthodox Church
the
Volume 17 Issue 5 July 2016
St. Panteleimon:
Patron Saint of Physicians Following the example of Christ, Who Himself healed multitudes of people ailing in soul and body, the
Church has always had a special concern and care for those who are ill. Thus, turning to Christ and imploring
Him with prayers for healing is as old as the Church itself. The ministry of all Christians and especially the
clergy in behalf of the sick has been an inspiration for centuries.
St. Panteleimon (who died a martyr’s death in the year 305) was one of the early Christians involved in the
work of healing. He was a physician of Nicomedia, and was attached to the official group around the Emperor
Maximian. A Christian priest named Hermolous converted Panteleimon, teaching and baptizing him.
Upon entering the Church, Panteleimon not only dedicated himself, but his skill in healing as well, to Christ.
He freely gave of his services for the health and restoration of any who asked, never charging for his God-
given talent and ministry. Because of this, his fame spread as people told of his great love, devotion, and his
medical skills.
After he embraced the Christian faith, Panteleimon was denounced to the pagan emperor, who ordered him
executed with the sword. He was promptly arrested in a home, along with the priest Hermolous and their
friends. After being subjected to unbearable torments, they were eventually martyred, with Panteleimon dying
a day after the others.
The good acts of this new martyr Panteleimon were not forgotten when he fell asleep in the Lord. His relics
were taken to Constantinople and venerated with honor. There a church was even built and dedicated to his
memory. And in the year 532, this church was rebuilt by the Emperor Justinian, testifying to the lasting re-
membrance of Panteleimon by the faithful.
St. Panteleimon dedicated his life and followed in the footsteps of the “Great Physician,” our Lord, Jesus
Christ, “who went about all of Galilee, teaching…and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all
manner of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23). St. Panteleimon is commemorated each year on July
27.
“O Holy Physician, Healer, and Martyr Panteleimon, pray unto God for us!”
Very Rev. Fr. John Memorich
Father John's 20 Anniversary Brunch On Sunday, June 26 the parishioners of St. Michael's honored Fr. John and Matu-
shka Jani and their family upon the 20th anniversary of Fr. John's pastorate at the
parish. After the singing of Many Years and a few short speeches, a delicious
brunch was served. Michael Herzak spoke about Fr. Prislopski's 37 year tenure
and Fr. Gabora's pastorate lasting 25 years - thus showing that our parish is NOT
the type to "chew-up and churn-out" its priests. Congratulations for Fr. John and
Baby girl, Ainsley Reese, daughter of Tim and Liz (Fiktus) Sylvain,
born June 3, 2016. O Lord, Crown them with Glory and Honor:
Dakota Page was wed to Sarah Rigby on Saturday, June 25, 2016.
May God Grant Them Many Years!
Blessed is the Way in Which Thou Shall Walk Today, O Soul:
Lawrence Moriak, died June 17, 2016, buried June 22, 2016.
Irene Robinson, died June 28, 2016, buried July 1, 2016.
Memory Eternal!
Sarah and Dakota Page Liz and Ainsley Sylvain
SCHOLARSHIP NEWS
The Scholarship Committee of Archangel Michael Orthodox Church is pleased
to announce the scholarships winners of 2016. This year we were fortunate to
award nine scholarships in the amount of $11,000. The recipients of the Lillian
Karpey/ Matolyak Family/ Dorothy Hudak Memorial Scholarships are Michael
Gaydos, Nicole Gaydos, Nicholas Turk, Kathryn Bohurjak, Alexander Boyd,
Hannah Mehalik, Jacob Mehalik, Samantha Ramsay and Thomas Rigby.
Michael Gaydos will be a senior at Ohio Wesleyan University majoring in
Mathematics. Nicole Gaydos will be a sophomore at Otterbein University ma-
joring in Health Communications and Public Relations. Nicholas Turk will be
a sophomore at The University of Akron majoring in Electrical Engineering.
Kathryn Bohurjak will be a senior at the University of Cincinnati (College of
DAAP) majoring in Architecture. Alexander Boyd will be a junior at Shenan-
doah University majoring in Musical Theater. Hannah Mehalik will be a fresh-
man at Ohio University majoring in Business/Undecided. Jacob Mehalik will
be a senior at The Ohio State University majoring in History/Pre-medicine.
Samantha Ramsay will be a sophomore at Bowling Green State University (Go
Falcons!) majoring in Graphic Design. Thomas Rigby will be a junior at Bald-
win Wallace University majoring in Criminal Justice.
Congratulations to all the winners and their families! We as a parish family are
very proud of our young scholars.
July 2016 3
Presidential Corner I trust all of you had an enjoyable 4th of July, the 240th birthday of our great country.
The parish continues to be a busy place. Father John and Deacon Daniel have been busy at St. Vladimir's Camp, part of
the Ohio District of the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America, for the past two weeks. As you know Father John
is the "Priest-in-Charge" at the camp appointed by the diocesan bishop to oversee the spiritual needs of the camp and
campers. Having an Orthodox Christian youth camp in Ohio is very important to the spiritual growth of our kids. Father
John and Deacon Daniel are to be commended for their work there. In addition, several of our parishioners are involved
as well.
We have kicked off our renovation of the Lower Level of the Church. Thank you to all parishioners who attended the
Special Meeting of the Parish to vote unanimously in favor of this much needed renovation. The Lower Level has not
been renovated in 30 years and it has looked a bit dated. This renovation will include new classroom partitions to im-
prove the educational experience of our church school students. The current partitions are old, broken and, most defi-
nitely, insufficient for our needs. The book store/ sales counter will be remodeled and recast as a more conventional
church bookstore. A church bookstore ought to be a living ministry for the church. We are blessed today to have so
many books being written about Orthodoxy that are about interesting topics and are written for the layman and not nec-
essarily for theologians and seminarians. We need to take advantage of these works to better understand our faith. In ad-
dition the renovation will include taking down the old existing window treatments, wall covering and painting the walls,
building out an additional classroom and replacing lighting. The entire project will cost about $120,000. It needs to be
completed for the start of church school in September. The partitions have already been ordered so the funding campaign
has begun in earnest.
To fund the Lower Level renovation we are seeking donations from our parishioners. A letter just went out in the past
week to the entire parish with pledge cards. We have roughly 400 parishioners in about 180 families. If every family do-
nated $1,000 we would easily make our goal. If every parishioner donated at least $300 we would make our goal. Obvi-
ously, some can give more and should. We all need to dig down a little deeper to give the best we can to this very worth-
while and necessary project. You can pledge and take up to a year to pay the pledge. However, given that we need to
finish the project by September the sooner a parishioner can pay off their pledge the better off the church will be. One
final note about raising these funds: these donations have to be above and beyond what you normally give to the church
for operating. The church cannot afford to get less in the weekly offerings and, in fact, need more. We still need to pay
our priest, choir director and others, we still are required to send funds to the diocese and the national church, and we
still need to pay the lights, heat, grass cutting and snow removal among many other things. So, I urge you to be gener-
ous. This is your church and I know you want it to flourish. Thank you in advance for your participation in this worthy
project.
Our efforts to do scheduled maintenance, rather than waiting for something to break, around the church are paying off.
Mike Bono, as head of maintenance, has been working diligently and proactively in maintaining our campus. The latest
financial numbers show a lower maintenance cost than in recent years. You may have noticed new entrance and exit
signs, newly painted railings and the wooden parquet floor at Woodside which was cleaned, refinished and re-polished
by our own workers and the lampada above the Royal Doors. Things that you do not see are roof repairs in the large cu-
pola that houses the bell (there had been water leaks in the choir loft), repairs to the church boiler as well as other HVAC
work, new backboard guards in the gymnasium, painting touch up around the facility, clean up of storage areas and
much, much more. We have a large campus with a lot of square footage that needs continuous attention.
Congratulations to Father John on his 20th anniversary as rector of St. Michael's. We all enjoyed a nice brunch at Wood-
side on his behalf. Father John is the third priest to be with us 20 years or more with Father Vladimir Prislopsky being
the longest serving at 37 years and Father Nicholas Gobora being next at 25 years. I believe it speaks well of our parish
that we have had long tenure among our clergy. Many Years to Father John and his family.
Phil Tesar has been working as both our parish secretary and marketing specialist for Woodside for several months now.
When Jeanne Wooley left our employ as secretary she stated that, in her opinion, we needed someone in that position
who was well versed in technology and could bring a fresh approach to the job. I believe Jeanne gave us good advice! I
am pleased to report that Phil has certainly done that. Phil is "up to speed" with technology and is making headway in
recreating the position of secretary to meet the challenges of today. I look for more efficiency from that office in the
months to come.
In Christ,
Mick Herzak, President Archangel Michael Orthodox Church
4 The Archangel
QUESTION: Why do we decorate the interiors of our churches with icons? ANSWER: Iconography is part of the artistic heritage handed down by the Early Church and revealing God’s
“presence” through these paintings. Many Christian temples, chapels, and monasteries have their interiors
completely covered in iconography, not so much as a decorative device, but to assist its faithful in worship,
prayer, and meditation – especially those who were unable to read.
This teaching aspect of iconography is well described by St. Nilus of Sinai (5th Century A.D.) who wrote,
“Let the hand of the artist fill the Church on both sides with images from the Old and New Testaments, in or-
der that those who cannot read the Divine Scriptures should, by looking at the painted images, bring to mind
the valiant deeds of those who served God with all sincerity and be themselves incited to rival the glorious and
memorable exploits through which they exchanged earth for heaven.”
Fr. John
THE MORE YOU KNOW: How many times have you entered our parish library and seen
this beautiful painting of our Lord praying in the Garden of Geth-
semane? Did you know that it was painted by a famous artist?
One who was a member of St. Michael’s? And that he painted it
when he was just 18 years old?
The artist’s name is Ambrozi “Amby” Paliwoda. He was born
on December 20, 1909 and reposed in the Lord on June 9, 1999.
When he finished high school, Amby won a full scholarship to
the Cleveland Institute of Arts and graduated with honors in the
early 1930’s. He then received another scholarship allowing him
to tour Europe for an entire year so as to study the great masters
in the most famous museums.
Upon his return to the United States, Amby moved to Los Ange-
les, where he began work at Walt Disney Studios. He worked
there from 1935 to 1960, first as an assistant animator, and later,
as an animator. He worked on such famous cartoons as Fantasia,
Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and 101 Dalmations.
After leaving Disney Studios, Amby worked for Hanna-Barbera,
Filmation, Bakshi Productions, and Duck Soup Productions, di-
recting cartoon episodes of the Flintstones, Fat Albert, and Batman.
Upon his retirement in 1983, Amby Paliwoda received the Animation Guild’s coveted Golden Award in 1985.
Amby reposed in Manhattan Beach, California, just several months short of his 90th birthday.
Some of Amby’s artwork can be found on line and there is also a large mural that he painted which hangs in
the Jackson Branch of the Cleveland Public Library system.
So the next time you’re in our parish library, be sure to take a moment to appreciate this fine work of art by
one of our very own!
Fr. John
Woodside Financial Update Things are picking up at Woodside – we have a record number of 33 weddings booked in 2016 with 26 al-
ready booked in 2017! We are slowly making progress financially and have reduced marketing and mainte-
nance expense by $24,000 through May 31 by adding to new staff positions. Even with the new staff, we’re
ahead of last year’s results by $10,000 and expect continued improvement through the end of the year. The
summer months are going to be busy and additional updates will follow.
July 2016 5
Joseph Soroka, former president of St. Michael’s from 1968-69 passed away on June
19th at the age of 88. Joseph and the Soroka family were very active members of our church
when it was on Union Ave. Their hard work and dedication helped to make St. Michael’s the
center of the religious and social lives for so many. Joe also held other church offices over
the years and loved singing bass in the church choir. Like so many of St. Michael’s parish-
ioners who lived on the East Side, Joe and his brother Peter transferred to St. Andrew Church
(our sister church at the time). He continued to be an active member of St. Andrew until his
death. May his memory be eternal.
Family & Faith Unchanged for A Century July 25 of this year was going to be the 100th birthday of Anne Kormos.
I can only imagine the changes she has seen in 100 years. There were
multiple wars, economic depressions, and 17 U.S. Presidents. There
were major changes in media and entertainment, inventions and ad-
vancements in technologies that have fundamentally altered our exis-
tence, yet today are long since obsolete. Think of the changes in Cleve-
land, her residence in Solon, or even in our parish of St. Michael’s. The
list could go on forever of all the things that have changed in the last
century. For my Grandmother, however, her commitment to her church and her family
never changed in 100 years.
For her, Church and faith were front and center to who she was. You could always find
her on Sundays on the right side of the church 6th pew from the back. She always had a
smile on her face, and a warm “hello” as she passed by. She led by example, and we knew
her expectations whether expressed or implied. I can recall many Sunday mornings after I
first moved to Cleveland after college, where the only driving force that got me out of bed
into the church, was the thought of my Grandma listening for my voice in the choir and
realizing I wasn’t there.
When it came to family, it was her single greatest source of enjoyment. She definitely had
those Grandmother qualities of spoiling us when she wanted to, but never letting us stray
too far left of center. Despite living 4 hours away, she and my grandfather made many trips
to Cincinnati to spend time with us, and they always showed interest in everything we did.
As we got older she was always there for us, during good times and bad. She showed us
how love and support could be expressed in the form of a comforting hug, or financial gen-
erosity when needed.
She was truly a person that enjoyed life. She liked the simple things…Cards and phone
calls from family and friends, fresh flowers, or even just sitting on a porch swing with a good book. She never
asked for more than she had. Certainly, living to be 100 is not without its challenges. She and close friend Mil-
dred Herzak often joked that “getting old isn’t for sissies”. What I admired about her the most was how she al-
ways stayed committed to being here on earth until God decided it was time. When the doctor told her to stop
eating something unhealthy, she did. When they told her to do rehab exercises to improve her strength…she did.
I have had people comment to me that they “don’t know if they want to live for 100 years.” However, if she had-
n’t been so committed, and her life had ended just 7 years ago at age 93, she wouldn’t have been able to meet
and enjoy all 5 of her great grandchildren. So despite any ailments she had, and being ready to be with God, she
wouldn’t give up. Near the end, Father Steven from our church in Cincinnati was reading the final prayers, and
her condition suddenly improved. She told him “Father you’re praying too hard for me, and now my heart won’t
stop.”
She leaves this world with an eternal memory and an admonishment to all of us that family and faith are the only
two things that will remain unchanged no matter how long we live. Our faith provides guidance, and our family
provides purpose.
Memory Eternal Grandma! Nick Kormos
6 The Archangel
Pentecost, Father’s Day and
Honoring Graduates This year's celebration of Pentecost was something
of a "perfect storm." Not only did we celebrate this
wondrous Feast of the Church, but we also cele-
brated Father's Day and honored all those graduat-
ing from Sunday School, High School, Colleges,
and places of secondary learning. All the men of the
parish were given carnations to wear and all of the
graduates were given gifts from the parish. Follow-
ing the service, our annual Father's Day Picnic was
held in the shanty. Each father and graduate re-
ceived a free kielbasa sandwich with sau-
erkraut, potato salad, beans, chips, and
beer or soda. Cakes were also cut and dis-
tributed for dessert.
Parishioners Gather to Watch Game 7
of NBA Finals On the evening of Father's Day, there was an im-
promptu gathering of parishioners in our Shanty to
watch game 7 of the NBA finals and witness the his-
toric come-from-behind-win of the Cleveland Cava-
liers. The edge-of-our seat, nail-biting excitement of
the game was only escalated by its consistent neck and
neck score quarter after quarter. Yet in the end, the
Cavs pulled ahead and won by four points! Amidst
cheers and celebration, Champagne was uncorked as
those in attendance witnessed the impossible!
Camp Clean Up at St. Vladimir's Camp All this week, but especially today, a general camp clean-up
took place to get St. Vladimir's Church Camp ready for the upcoming camping season. Parishioners from St.
Michael's, aided by volunteers from some other parishes, dedicated a long, full day to clean cabins, scrub
down floors and mattresses, change light bulbs, vacuum, dust, scour the kitchen, paint, replace doors, win-
dows, make repairs, etc. With a great lunch and lots, and lots of water, pretty much was accomplished. Thanks
to all for volunteering and giving your time and stewardship to the camp!!!
July 2016 7
8 The Archangel
I'd like to introduce you to the St Panteleimon ministry. This is a pan-Orthodox ministry under the
spiritual protection of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The primary purpose of this ministry is to
provide group prayer services to Orthodox Christians who are unable to attend services and programs at a lo-
cal parish. We serve residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other group homes. Additionally
we visit and minister to people who are not Orthodox yet desire to worship the Holy Trinity. It is our prayer
that this ministry will be an asset to the Orthodox clergy and laity of our community.
Nursing homes and assisted living facilities spend much time providing activities for their residents such as
bingo, sing-a-longs, field trips, etc., but not too much effort is given to the residents’ spiritual needs. We offer
group prayer services, one-on-one visits, weekly and monthly devotional materials, all from an Orthodox per-
spective.
It's wonderful to watch the residents sing along if they can. Many look like they are not paying attention or are
sleeping, but when it comes time for the Lord's Prayer, you can see their lips move as they try to say the prayer
with us. This is such a needed ministry for a group of people who are oftentimes forgotten and almost always,
lonely.
If you would like to refer someone you can fill out a referral form located on our website
t www.stpanteleimon.com or call us at 440-941-4850.
If you would like to get involved:
1. Let us know if you have relatives and friends who would like us to visit them
2. Volunteer at our programs, services, or events
3. Spread the word at your home parish
4. Support our fund-raisers and/or make a tax deductible donation
If you have any questions you can call us at the above number or you can talk to Kathy Kovalak, 440-842-
6639.
This is a quote from Fr. Harmon, priest at St. Matthew's Orthodox Church. He was speaking about the movie -
The Four Feathers. In this movie a man leaves England to search for friends in Africa. He gets lost and almost
dies but is saved by a stranger, Abou. Being surprised that this stranger took so much time to rescue and nurse
him, he asked him why. Abou's response was simple--God put you in my way!. Fr Harmon goes on to say, "
As you drive around the Cleveland area it sometimes seems like there is a nursing home of some sort on about
every corner. Exaggerated, yes -- but there are lots and lots of residents. We could discuss economic, medical,
and sociological reasons for so many facilities filled with so many people, but maybe Abou's answer is best for
us Christians -- God put these people in our way. The residents are there for us to help. Some are Orthodox
Christians who may (certainly not always) have been neglected, maybe even forgotten, by their Orthodox
communities. And sometimes there are Orthodox in these facilities who have fallen!--through the cracks
somehow and actually no longer have a parish home at all. And there are plenty of other residents who could
certainly use a prayer and some loving attention from us. God has put them in your way -- right in that facility
you drive by all the time. They are right there in your way and you could make a big difference in their lives.
A simple visit to them, a prayer said for them, some little gift left with them for a holiday or special occasion -
- in their sometimes boring life this could be the highlight of a whole month. If you have contacts or can make
them yourself, make a call at one of these facilities -- in your Way! Or simply contact St. Panteleimon Ortho-
dox Christian Outreach at the email addresses or phone number given and see how you can get started helping
out with the ministry already being done. The lovely folks in these many facilities aren't there by chance --
God put them in your way. Be like Abou"
Thank you to all who golfed and to those donated towards St. Herman’s golf outing. The event on June 24 profited $36,000 to go towards the many services St. Herman’s provides.
