Presanctified Liturgy in St. Louis

On Friday 26 February 2010 I served my first Presanctified Liturgy as a deacon in a ROCOR parish. Earlier in the day I toured some of the sites of St. Louis to get a better feeling for the City and to learn a little about its history.

St. Basil Eastern Orthodox Church is a relatively small parish in ROCOR. Everything is in English, although the choir does throw in some Slavonic occasionally. Like most priests, Fr. Martin is not used to serving with a deacon.

After the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, we had my presentation entitled "My Journey towards Orthodoxy." The topic was selected by Fr. Martin. The presentation was geared mainly towards a group of black Baptists who are considering returning home to their roots.

Many black Americans see me as a traitor because I belong to the Orthodox Church. They see the Church as a white man's church and they have no idea that we gave more honor and respect our the black fathers of the Church than they.

During my presentation I shared many of the wonderul experiences that I have had as an Orthodox Christian. I talked about my conversion to Orthodoxy, starting with my classmate's attendance at the Ukrainian Catholic Church on the same block where I lived.

I also shared my experience as a Byzantine Rite Catholic, starting with my first visit to St. Gregory Byzantine Catholic Church in Washington DC. After the Divine Liturgy, Carol Parker and others invited me to join them for coffee and donuts and then they invited me to come to the dinner that they were having on Tuesday and when I arrived and asked how much, I was told that I am their guests and therefore no charge. They could not get rid of me after that.

I also shared my experience as an Orthodox Christian. I pointed out that when I go to church, I am saying the same prayers that my Orthodox brothers and sisters all over the world are saying and also the same prayers that we have been saying for at least 1600 years.

After my presentation, we had questions and answers. Finally, Fr. Martin said, "One more question." The wife of the Baptist pastor tearfully said, "You touched my heart. ... I am at peace."

I sincerely hope that this pastor and his congregation will beturn home and become a part of the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church. I hope that they will become one with all their brothers and sisters who gave their lives for the Faith.