DIOCESE OF ETNA AND PORTLAND
Ἱερὰ Ἐπισκοπὴ Ἔτνα καὶ Πόρτλαντ,
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
by the Choir of the Convent of St. Elizabeth
the Grand Duchess of Russia
Last evening, on December
21, 2017, a very cold night in the village of Etna, six of the fourteen
nuns at Convent of St. Elizabeth the Grand Duchess of Russia, who make
up the convent’s
choir, presented a concert of chants from the Orthodox Nativity
services, along with a few Greek carols (Κάλαντα Χριστουγέννων) and
traditional western Christmas carols, to the Etna community at a
local Protestant church. The chants, hymns, and carols were beautifully
and superbly sung in Greek, English, Ukrainian, and Russian. The choir,
as one of those attending remarked, "sounded
like a choir of thirty voices, instead of six.” There were many teary
eyes in the audience, all of whom seemed moved by the concert.
After the event, which
attracted, surprisingly, a large percentage of the small Etna community,
the convent offered Christmas cookies and refreshments, including
fasting items for the
Orthodox in attendance. The choir leader, Mother Synkletike, pointed out
that the traditional Nativity (Christmas) Feast is celebrated on
January 7, December 25 on the Julian Calendar, which is used to
determine the Festal Calendar by us “Old Calendar” Orthodox,
who keep this ancient part of the Orthodox Church’s traditions.
Not only were those
attending the concert fascinated by the Orthodox Church’s unique
traditions, but the Protestant church that so kindly offered its
facilities for the concert asked the
nuns, who also carol at various homes and a convalescent hospital in
nearby Yreka during the week following our Orthodox Nativity Feast, if
they would be willing to present a similar concert on an annual basis.
That last evening’s concert was a successful
witness to the Orthodox presence in the small village of Etna is
attested by the following gracious letter sent by the editor of the
“Scott Valley News” immediately after to the Convent:
Thank you so much for the beautiful concert
tonight. Please extend my gratitude to all involved in making this
night happen. It was a beautiful picture of God’s hope for Scott Valley —
from the wide cross section of the audience,
the love expressed by you and the nuns, the photos displayed of our
home, to the messages from around the world of God’s grace, mercy and
love. Thank you again. Merry Christmas. A pleasure meeting you. Daniel.
Wishing all of you a blessed conclusion to the Nativity Fast,
† Bishop Auxentios of Etna and Portland
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