Saint Katherine College
Established	2010
Type	Private / Independent
Emphases	Liberal Arts & Sciences
Affiliation	Orthodox Christian
President	Frank Papatheofanis, MD, PhD
Location	San Diego, California, USA
Website	http://www.stkath.org

The College will focus its integrative teaching in the core subjects of Composition, English Language and Literature, Foreign Language, U.S. Government and History, Economics, Mathematics, and the Sciences in addition to instruction in degree major-specific requirements. Applications will be accepted beginning July 2010, for the semester beginning August 2011.

The College emphasizes teaching and research—with relevance to the practical world and Christian witness as guiding principles: Inquiry Seeking Wisdom. College programs will encompass several academic disciplines and degree-granting programs, as well as interdisciplinary collaborations, laboratories, and programs whose work cuts across traditional departmental boundaries. These aims are realized in a singularly collegial, interdisciplinary atmosphere, while educating outstanding students to become creative members of society. Saint Katherine College is independent, coeducational, and privately endowed and admits students of all religious and faith backgrounds.

Saint Katherine College offers degree programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees in Art, Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Economics, English Language and Literature, History, Interdisciplinary Studies, Music, Philosophy, Public Policy, and Theology.

Father Gregory Jensen writes:

For the last several months, I have been in conversation with the founder and president of SKC, Frank Papatheofanis, MD, PhD. Reflecting on his reasons for founding St Katherine College, an Orthodox Christian, a physician-scientist and educator with over 30 years of experience in academic medicine and science, Dr Papatheofanis turns first to Scripture. “St Paul writes in 2 Peter 1:5-10,” says, that “we increase in our faithfulness to the Lord.” He points out that the Apostle

…first mentions goodness as an important quality for us to seek before identifying knowledge as another desirable quality. St Paul tells us we should increase in knowledge about the Lord. Some come to know, increasing their knowledge of, Christ from a spiritual direction whereas some come to understand Him more from knowledge of His Creation or other routes. As a physician-scientist I have been supported in my faith through glimpses of the Divine in the created world. The notion of “inquiry seeking wisdom” emerged from these experiences. Rigorous inquiry is the bulwark of scholarship and research. But why? Why does inquiry matter? I think it matters because Wisdom, Jesus Christ, is revealed to us as we learn more about what He has created. I think such an approach to scholarship probably reigned when the world’s great centers of learning were organized. I also think that an institution founded around such a principle is again needed in the world today.

Thinking about my undergraduate education as a Roman Catholic at the University of Dallas (itself a Roman Catholic institution) I remember how important it was for me, and for the majority of the students, to see our professors not only in the classroom but to stand with them at Mass and receive Holy Communion together. I also remember how formative it was to have priests as professors. These men not only taught in the classroom, they celebrated Mass in the chapel, heard our confessions, and celebrated our marriages. Especially through their example, many of us became priests or, in the case of the women, entered became religious sisters and nuns.

Speaking as a psychologist for a moment, the four years that are typically spent at college are incredibly important to a person’s religious faith. If the empirical evidence tells me anything it is the local parish and the campus Orthodox Christian Fellowship simply can’t be expected to meet the spiritual and developmental needs of 18-21 year old Orthodox Christians. And, to be fair, an institution like St Katherine College isn’t going to meet the needs of anything but a small fraction of Orthodox Christian undergraduates. But this shouldn’t stop us from wholeheartedly supporting SKC.

AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito: A cameraman films a painting discovered with the earliest known icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul in a catacomb located under a modern office building in a residential neighborhood of Rome, Tuesday, June, 22, 2010. Restorers said Tuesday they had unearthed the 4th-century images using a new laser technique that allowed them to burn off centuries of white calcium deposits without damaging the dark colors of the original paintings underneath. The paintings adorn what is believed to be the tomb of a Roman noblewoman and represent some of the earliest evidence of devotion to the apostles in early Christianity.

ROME (Fox News) — The earliest known icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul have been discovered in a catacomb under an eight-story modern office building in a working-class neighborhood of Rome, Vatican officials said Tuesday.

The images, which date from the second half of the 4th century, were discovered on the ceiling of a tomb that also includes the earliest known images of the apostles John and Andrew. They were uncovered using a new laser technique that allowed restorers to burn off centuries of thick white calcium carbonate deposits without damaging the dark colors of the original paintings underneath.

The paintings adorn what is believed to be the tomb of a Roman noblewoman in the Santa Tecla catacomb and represent some of the earliest evidence of devotion to the apostles in early Christianity, Vatican officials said in opening up the tomb to the media for the first time.

Last June, the Vatican announced the discovery of the icon of Paul — timed to coincide with the end of the Vatican’s Pauline year. At the time, Pope Benedict XVI also announced that tests on bone fragments long attributed to Paul “seemed to confirm” that they did indeed belong to the saint.

On Tuesday, Vatican archaeologists announced that the image of Paul discovered last year was not found in isolation, but was rather part of a square ceiling painting that also included icons of three other apostles – Peter, John and Andrew – surrounding an image of Christ as the Good Shepherd.

“These are the first images of the apostles,” said Fabrizio Bisconti, the superintendent of archaeology for the catacombs, which are maintained by the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology.

The Vatican office oversaw and paid for the two-year, euro60,000 restoration effort, which for the first time used lasers to restore frescoes and paintings in catacombs. The damp, musty air of underground catacombs makes preservation of paintings particularly difficult and restoration problematic.

In this case, the small burial chamber at the end of the catacomb was completely encased in centimeters (inches) of white calcium carbonate, which under previous restoration techniques would have just been scraped away by hand. That technique, though would have left a filmy layer on top so as to not damage the paintings underneath.

Using the laser, restorers were able to sear off all the layers of calcium that had been bound onto the painting because the laser beam stopped burning at the white of the calcium deposits, which when chipped off left the brilliant darker colors underneath it unscathed, said Barbara Mazzei, the chief restorer.

“We decided to facilitate the process of convening the holy and great Council of all Orthodox Churches,” Patriarch Bartholomew said in an interview to Vesti 24 TV which was recorded Sunday in the Constantinovsky Palace in Strelna near St. Petersburg.

He referred to the Council as one of the major objectives for the Constantinople Church and stated that the Council and its outcomes would “have the greatest impact on the entire Orthodox world.”

According to him, the event’s agenda “has been already set up and is well-known to the Orthodox community,” it covers ten major points, including the principles of autocephaly and autonomy of the Orthodox Churches, challenges of fasting, and a set of issues related to diptych (the order of mentioning Churches during service – IF.)

“Our Orthodox Church continuously seeks to keep up with the times avoiding to give up anything of its teaching, but at the same time, respond to the spirit of the time helping believers to stand up to the current real world,” Patriarch Bartholomew said.

The preliminary work to convene the Council was started as far back as 1960s. The All-Orthodox Council is preceded with the meetings of All-Orthodox Pre-Council Conference and Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission. The Council shall decide the problems which have been accumulating within several centuries, from the time of the last 7th Ecumenical Council, which should be addressed by the entire Church.

In the small temple, under the arches for the first time in many years were heard church hymns, gathered dozens of Orthodox believers from the CIS and abroad, living in the metropolis. Many of them came on a holiday with children.

Following the Divine Liturgy, Fr Alex Kiselevich, spiritual father and spiritual leader of Orthodox flock in Shanghai, conducted a thanksgiving service (moleben) to mark Victory Day, and then a funeral service for deceased soldiers.

The resumption of worship in the temple, closed during the “Cultural Revolution” was made possible thanks to the zeal of many people – members of the Orthodox community, the staff of the Consulate General of Russia and members of the Russian Club in Shanghai who for many years were trying to first evict from the church places of entertainment, and then were working hard to have the services resumed. Support for these efforts during many years was provided by the Department for External Church Relations of Moscow Patriarchate, chaired by the then Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad Kirill, now – Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

The question of restoration of worship in one of the historic temples of Shanghai during the World Exhibition EXPO-2010 was raised during a visit to the city by the delegation of the Department for External Church Relations and the Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation headed by the Archbishop (now – Metropolitan) of Volokolamsk Hilarion on November 20, 2009. Then, the delegation conducted a brief prayer in St. Nicholas Church and sang hymns in honor of Mother of God and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

St. Nicholas Temple-Monument to the Tsar-martyr Nicholas II and his imperial family (dedicated in honor of Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra, a miracle worker), a masterpiece of architecture and one of the major attractions of Shanghai, was built by the Russian emigrants in 1934. The beginning of construction of St. Nicholas church, the first émigré church in Shanghai took place in 1932. Its construction was done in record time — 15 months.

The construction of the temple, situated on the territory of the French Concession, is connected with the name of Lieutenant General F.L. Glebov, who initiated the construction and raised funds for the building. Funding it through donations from both Russian immigrants, and foreigners, among whom was even the commander of the British royal expeditionary forces in China, General Fleming. The project of the church was executed and donated by architect A. Yaron, who not only directed the work, but paid from his own funds for the work of all technical staff. In 1965, after the death of the last Orthodox bishop of the Chinese Autonomous Orthodox Church, Bishop Simeon (Du) of Shanghai, all Orthodox churches in Shanghai have been closed by Chinese authorities, the church buildings were nationalized and declared architectural monuments and taken under protection. They were subsequently transferred for commercial use.

The Cathedral of Shanghai in honor of Mother of God “Surety of sinners” for over 20 years was used as a warehouse. In the vestibule of the cathedral a restaurant was opened, while in the Cathedral itself a stock exchange was established and later also a restaurant and nightclub.

St. Nicholas Church for a long time has been used as a warehouse; during the “Cultural Revolution” in China it housed a laundry. The survival of the church during the excesses of the hongweibing was helped by a portrait of Mao Zedong placed anonymously on the front of the bell tower. Since the late 1990’s an Italian restaurant was located inside the temple.

In 2002, the Russian Club in Shanghai with the support of the Consulate General of Russia organized the collection of signatures requesting the eviction of entertainment establishments from the premises of the two Russian churches in Shanghai. The request of compatriots, supported by the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian state, was partially satisfied: the nightclub was removed from the cathedral, the cathedral itself after the restoration was transformed into an exhibition space. In 2005, in Shanghai, an Orthodox community was established; the Consulate General of Russia began to hold regular services, which were headed by Archpriest Alexis Kiselevich who had come from Moscow.

Following the November 2009 visit to China, of the chairman of Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the Orthodox of Shanghai collected hundreds of signatures requesting that the church be provided for the commission of Orthodox services. In the collection of signatures were taking part not only Russians, but also citizens of Ukraine, Belarus, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and other countries.

“Previously, Orthodox services in mainland China were only on the territory of the Russian Embassy in Beijing and the Consulate General in Shanghai — reported Archpriest Alexis Kiselevich. – This year, for the first time it was possible to reach an agreement with the Shanghai Administration for Religious Affairs on the resumption of services in St. Nicholas church during the time of the Shanghai World Expo for collective worship for foreigners. At this time we will hold services every Sunday and on main Orthodox holidays.”

As the vice consul-general of the Russian Federation in Shanghai S.Y. Paltov noted, “talks about the resumption of church activity in the remaining two Orthodox churches in Shanghai made serious progress after the adoption in 2007 in China of a special law authorizing the collective worship of foreigners in China.”

St. Nicholas Church transferred to Shanghai’s community of Russian Orthodox Church for lease. Funds to pay for it come in the form of donations from parishioners. The temple will be open on Sundays and public holidays for all Orthodox guests of the World Expo in Shanghai in the period from May to November 2010.

A spokesman for the local investigation committee said the body of a hieromonk of St. Michael the Archangel church with multiple knife wounds was discovered at his home in the city of Cheboksary.

The spokesman added that an investigation team was working at the scene of crime, while prosecutors opened a criminal case on murder charges.

On April 24, Father Anatoly, 46, was discovered dead with a gunshot wound at his church in Chuvashia’s village of Yantikovo. Police later detained a 47-year-old man with a history of mental illness in connection with the murder.

In late 2009, two priests were shot dead in Moscow in matter of weeks.

The most notorious murder came in late November of 2009 when Priest Daniil Sysoyev was shot dead by a masked gunman in St. Thomas’s Church in southern Moscow.

Sysoyev was known for his active missionary work in converting Muslims and people seeking to quit religious sects into Christianity. His assistant, Vladimir Strelbitsky, was badly wounded in the attack.

The murder stirred a wave of condemnation from religious groups in Russia, and demands for better security for the clergy.

In Turkey, the homeland of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, there are very few Greek parishioners left. The Orthodox community has been supplemented to some degree by Russians who have taken up permanent residence there. However, there are also some Turks who have become Orthodox in the Patriarchate. Lately their numbers have grown. Orthodox literature is being printed for them in Turkish, and articles about the newly-converted are being published. Achmet and Nejla are two of the thousand or so Turks who have changed their faith; and unlike others, they do not hide this at all. To the Bulgarian website, Dveri na Pravoslavieto they related their stories: their spiritual searches which led them to Orthodoxy, and what it means to be a Christian in Turkey.

—The Turkish press explains the current numbers of Baptisms in their country as a “return to their own roots” by Turkish citizens of Greek or Armenian extraction. Did your own nationalities play a decisive role in your conversion to Christianity?

Achmet: Ethnic origin has played a role in some cases, but not in ours. I myself was born in Cappadocia, and I have relatives who came from the Caucasus. As far as I know, I have no Christians in my family background. Joining the Orthodox Church was the result of my own personal choice.

Nejla: My mother is from Kavala, and my father is a Pontian. Some people in my family speak Romeian (the local Greek dialect spoken among the islamacized population. –Y. Maximov). But the decision to leave Islam and become Orthodox was my own personal choice, regardless of my origins.

—Historically, Turkish identity was so tightly bound with Islam that many Turks are completely unable to accept the idea that it is possible to be a Turk without being a Moslem. How do you view this?

N.: It’s true, many people do not consider you a “Turk” if you confess a different religion; especially if you are a Christian or a Jew. They think that you not only belong to another religion, but to another nationality.

A.: This can be explained by historical causes. The Ottoman order divided ethnic groups into millets along religious lines. For example, all the Orthodox comprised an “Orthodox ethnos,” and the administration did not assign any meaning to their nationality, be it Bulgarian, Serbian, or Greek. In Cappadocia, where I come from, religion was what divided inhabitants between Romeians and Turks. The Orthodox people in the state of Talas, my native land, spoke Turkish as their native language, and even served the Liturgy in Turkish. But their membership in the Orthodox Church is what categorized them as the “Romeian people.”

Just the same, Turkish history knows other, excellent examples. In the past, in various parts of the Turkish diaspora, Turkish communities accepted Christianity. There are Christian Turks in Central Asia, there are the Orthodox Gagauzians¹, and there are thousands of Turks who have become Christian in Turkey. That they are Christian does not mean that they are not Turks. I am also a Christian now, but I am also one hundred percent Turkish, and Turkish is my native language. So, this division of people according to religious orientation is becoming more and more outdated. People are still surprised when they hear that one or another Turk is a Christian, but little-by-little, this is becoming more normal.

—What is your occupation?

N.: I am a dietician, and I do volunteer work.

A.: I was a manager in a large government company, and lived for a while in the United States. Later, I had a business in Belgium.

—Achmet, probably your desire to become a Christian arose while you were living and working in a Christian country?

A.: No, the ground had been cultivated much earlier. Unfortunately, Christianity in Turkey is viewed as something that comes from the “outside.” This is a mistake, because Orthodoxy is a part of our land’s history. This can be seen from the privileges that Mehmet the Conqueror gave to the Constantinople Patriarchate.

I had some idea of Christianity from childhood, although it was through the prism of Islam. Many Moslems have great respect for Christians, which is bound up with the fact that the Koran accepts Jesus as a prophet. In general, Moslems also respect the most holy Mother of God. I think that you have seen the crowds of faithful Moslems who gather in the Romeian churches of Istanbul in order to venerate the holy shrines, and ask for help. In Turkey, we are prepared to accept the message of Christianity.

If there are problems, they are bound up with the education that both sides receive, and with ignorance. For example, many Moslems do not understand the meaning of the teaching on the Holy Trinity and think that we worship three gods, and that Christianity is a political religion. I do not say this as a criticism of Islam, but only present the fact as an example to show how uninformed they are.

—Nejla, did your search also begin in Turkey?

N.: Yes, when I was studying in the university. My family was on the whole religious, but without following all the precepts of Islam to the letter. I considered myself a Moslem until I began to distance myself from Islam during my studies in Ankara. My parents allowed me the freedom to decide my relationship to religion. While I was in Islam, I felt an emptiness that demanded fulfillment. I read, and searched. I entered upon a path that led me to Orthodoxy.

—It would follow that your path to Orthodoxy was the result of “local” experience, without any influence from outside of Turkey?

A.: Any influence from American or European Christianity can only do harm. I never felt comfortable with the Christians there. They repelled me from Christianity by turning it into psychotherapy. They go to church on Sundays to talk. However, religion has an aim of filling a certain other emptiness. In Europe, Christianity has been relegated to holidays without any connection to religion. Take the Nativity of Christ, for example. Many people greet each other with the words, “Happy holidays,” instead of “Happy Nativity.” In Europe, people have a superficial connection to Christianity, without an understanding of its spiritual meaning.

—How do the Christians in your country differ from Europeans?

N.: In that they are much closer to the essence and traditions of Christianity.

A.: And in that they are more religious.

N.: We go to church every Sunday, read the Holy Scriptures every evening, pray together, and strive to fulfill all the demands of our religion.

—Are you in contact with the local Orthodox community?

A.: We are in close contact, because we are in church every Sunday. There are many nice people in the Romeian community, and we have found friends. Every person has something to share with us. Liturgy is served in various churches. We often visit the church in Nihori. Lakas Vingas, the president of the community, lets us say the “Our Father” in Turkish.

N.: Yes, I read for the Turkish-speaking people (she laughs).

—Is it hard for you to follow the services when they are in Greek?

A.: We prepare for each service at home. We also have a dual-language New Testament, so that we can follow the service using the Turkish text. It is important to understand in order to participate.

—The tragic schism of Fr. Euphemios from the Constantinople Patriarchate in the 1920’s and the founding of the schismatic “Turkish Orthodox Church”² made it much more difficult to introduce the Turkish language into the parishes of Constantinople, although this has been done long ago by other Christian denominations.

A.: Yes, that is so. We hope that with time there will be services in the Orthodox Church in the Turkish language. Today, only the Symbol of Faith is read in Turkish. It is also necessary that the problem with Fr. Efthimiou’s successors be resolved—there can’t be enmity between the Churches. All the Orthodox in Turkey should be under the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

—Have you encountered any negative reactions from people in your society after you were baptized? Does anyone harass you?

A.: I have not experienced anything negative and I can’t say that I have been harassed.

N.: I have not met with any negative reactions. My family was surprised, but they respect my choice.

—Do you consider that there are many others who would follow your example and convert to Christianity?

A. and N.: Yes, many

—Nevertheless, so far very few have been baptized.

N.: The fact is that there are many more who have been baptized than those who “show” that they have been baptized. They are afraid of the reaction of those around them. These are secret Christians.

A.: Yes, there is fear. But this should change, just as the attitudes in society toward those who change their religion should change. In any case, the Orthodox Church does not proselytize. To the contrary, there are strict requirements demanded of those who want to come in from another faith. These people have to go through a long catechism, and their sincerity is tested.

—Does that mean that it is not easy to enter the Orthodox Church?

N.: Yes, in past years, but we really pressed for it.

—Do the attacks against Christians, like for example the murder of the Catholic priest, Fr. Santoro, in Trabzond, and the killing of Christians in Malatya make you fearful? Who do you think is behind these attacks?

A.: I do not think that something like that could happen in the capital. The country is visibly changing as the talks concerning the acceptance of Turkey into the European Union continue. Turks are becoming more open and tolerant. Naturally, however, certain radical groups are reacting to these changes. These are dark forces who have nothing in common with the government, and are on the periphery of society.

(via Православие.Ru / Интернет-журнал)

Notes

1 The Gagauz people descend from Turks who converted from Islam to Orthodox Christianity after settling in what is now Bulgaria. A large group of the Gagauz later left Bulgaria and settled in southern Bessarabia, along with a group of ethnic Bulgarians.

2 The so-called “Turkish Orthodox Church” was begun during the war between Greece and Turkey, by a supporter of the Turkish nationalists named Pavlos Karahisarithis (he later changed his name to Zeki Erenerol). He formed a schismatic church (calling himself Pope Eftim (Efthimiou) with the backing of Kemal Ataturk, who used the group as a tool against the Greek population. The church has very few followers at present, and its spokeswoman, the granddaughter of Pope Eftim, was arrested in 2008 for alleged links with a Turkish nationalist underground organization. It was also suspected that the Turkish church served as headquarters for the organization.

A Russian Orthodox priest was shot in Chuvashia before the evening service in Chuvashia, Russia, on Saturday, April 24.

Archpriest Anatoly Sorokin from Chuvashia was shot before the evening service, says Bishop Savvaty of Buratia in his blog.

The Rector of the St. Nicholas Church in Yantikovo and father of five children, he came from a very religious family and was always very cheerful, says Bishop Savvaty.

His wife said to Bishop Savvaty that Fr. Anatoly was shot in the back and that the bullet went directly in to the heart. The murderer shot from a short distance.

A criminal case has been initiated. A 47-old villager suspected of the murder has been taken in custody.

Since the 1970s, whole families of the village have committed suicides. People killed themselves almost every month. This trend was turned around only after the former agriculturist Galina Neuman took monastic vows and established a parish, reports Wednesday a Far Eastern issue of Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Galina Neuman, now Mother Domnikia, came to live in the village about 40 years ago. After her elder son hanged himself, she began regularly attending church, and decided to establish a parish in place of the dilapidated state farm office. She spent the whole amount of her retirement pension to renovate the building. However, her initiative found no support with her home-folks who used to insult her and even spit in her face.

After the parish was opened, people brought their whole families to receive baptism. Those who used to spit in the nun’s face were the first to ask for baptism. The residents of the village ceased to kill themselves of their own free will. Only one man committed suicide during the last three years, because he could not stand the agony of cancer.

“It wasn’t easy for us, but now and in future we will further study and follow the Lord on the millennia-old Orthodox path. But the most important thing is that now we enjoy fullness. It is as if I was searching for 18 years and couldn’t find, was drinking but couldn’t quench my thirst, was eating but couldn’t satisfy hunger,” Zyryanov writes in his article “The Lord Brought Me Home!” published at the Irkutsk Diocese website.

According to him, members of his community until this moment “were floating on the river of Protestantism and suddenly our horizon broadened and infinite ocean of Orthodoxy has opened for us.”

After finishing school, Zyryanov practiced as extrasensory expert and opened his own office. Beginning in the 1990s he started visiting meetings of the Blagaya Vest Protestant Church as thus he first thought to attract new clients. The future Orthodox believer considered Christ “a great extrasensory expert.”

Zyryanov was going around villages as a missionary and delivered about four thousand sermons. However, he soon was disappointed with Protestantism: he considered Protestant communities “pieces, fragments of the Church as if it was a church, but damaged, without fullness,” and he could not find “a Church with capital “C.”

Several years of reading Holy Fathers and talking to Orthodox priests, who “dramatically differed with their humility and kindness from Protestant pastors filled with pride” led Zyryanov to a decision to convert to Orthodoxy. Thus he, his family and the Bayanday village community have become Orthodox believers. Today Zyryanov is a member of the village parochial council of St. Michael.

In February 2010, Archimandrite Andrew returned to Guatemala and met with clerics and others who assist in the Church’s pastoral work and outreach. He discussed mission and ministry priorities, and economic development with Msgr. Andrés Girón and Msgr. Mihail Castellanos. He met and encouraged the faithful who collaborate in the diverse ministries in Guatemala, visited schools and institutions, and spoke at length with seminarians regarding matters related to the Orthodox faith, especially the importance of the development of an Orthodox phronema, praxis, and liturgical life. His Right Reverence inspected places of worship, liturgical vessels, vestments, etc. in order to assess the needs of the Church in Guatemala. Twelve full sets of vestments for Priests were given to Msgr. Mihail Castellanos. Catechisms were distributed to the lay ministers and catechists.

In his talks with the clergy and faithful of the ICOG, Archimandrite Andrew reiterated the message of St. Paul: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your nous (mind), that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12: 1-3). He stressed the importance of formulating an Orthodox worldview through prayer, fasting, repentance, struggle against sin and overcoming the passions, participation in the Holy Mysteries, and the reading the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Holy Fathers. His Right Reverence conducted impromptu question and answer sessions everywhere he visited. Interest and excitement permeated the discussions.

Archimandrite Andrew also visited Holy Trinity Monastery (Antiochian Orthodox Church), where he held lengthy discussions with Abbess Inés and Mother María, and later prayed at the magnificent monastery Church, where he blessed the Russian iconographers of the Prosopon School of Iconology. He traveled to Guatemala City and visited the orphanage, Hogar Rafael Ayau, meeting, embracing, and blessing the children, and later having lunch with them. He held meetings with ‘Orthodox seekers’, who represent another 800,000 souls, regarding the straight and narrow path of reception into Orthodoxy. His Right Reverence will return to Guatemala after the Holy and Great Pascha of the Lord for follow-up meetings and discussions.