Okay, not being one that’s wants to heap praise on oneself, if you might be of the mind to do something like this you could nominate this blog at the following site. It would seem that the best fit for this blog would be under the “topical” category. Thanks for reading.

In my last post there was frost on the ground now today, at not yet 9am, it is 60 degrees out and the temp will be going up. What do we call this Indian Winter? Very strange weather we have been having this year.

All over the news today have been reports of the pending execution of Saddam. I have very mixed feels about his execution. What good will it serve to execute him? How will his execution make the life of Iraqi’s better? Will it make things worse for our troops there? Will it make things worse for us here at home? Is there a way that we could just keep him in prison for the rest of his life and not execute him? As Christians should we not look to forgive him and preserve his life. Do we not believe in the sanctity of life from conception to it’s natural end?

In the Romanian principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia there have been as many as 17 rulers with this name, the most famous of whom is Stephen the Great.

BUCHAREST – The first major celebration dedicated to a religious personality after the Nativity is, in Christian Orthodox calendars, Saint Stephen’s Day. The information we have on him originates in the New Testament, the book titled the Acts of the Apostles. St. Stephen is known as one of the first seven deacons, probably a Hellenistic Jew. The mission he had received from the Twelve Apostles consisted in social activities, such as taking care of the old, the poor, or widows, and preaching the acts and teachings of Jesus. He was seen as more educated than most fellow citizens and with very strong faith, which triggered the envy of Jewish religious leaders.Because of a famous sermon in which he defended Christianity and accused the Jews of having murdered Jesus, Saint Stephen is seized by Jewish authorities and stoned to death, to thus become the first Christian Martyr. One of the most important witnesses of this murder was none other than Saint Apostle Paul, who was one of St. Stephen’s accusers, as the event took place before Paul’s conversion to Christianity.The cult of Saint Stephen developed spectacularly only in the 5th Century, when his grave was found by priest Lucian in Caphar Gamala, in 415. His remains were taken to Constantinople and then to Rome, along with the stones by which he had reportedly been killed. In UK alone, 46 very old churches are dedicated to St. Stephen, and are seen as historic monuments of inestimable value. In art, Saint Stephen has been a favourite subject, with perhaps the most important representation by Jean Fouquet, dating since the early Renaissance, currently kept in Berlin. The Vatican can also boast an extraordinary collection of religious paintings by Fra Angelico.In the West, Saint Stephen is celebrated one day earlier, on December 26, while in UK the feast of Stephen is held on August 3, when the holy remains were found.Over the centuries, numerous sovereigns and personalities were given this name. The Serbs have had as many as four kings named Stephen, the first of them, Stefan Dusan, seen as the founder of the Serbian feudal state. The most important historic personality of Hungary is King Stephen (975-1038), celebrated as a national hero. He is one of the series of five Hungarian kings with this name. In the Romanian principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia there have been as many as 17 rulers with this name, the most famous of whom is Stephen the Great, venerated and acknowledged as a saint by the Romanian Orthodox Church.

by George Grigoriu

Word has reached us here in the village of the passing of former President Gerald Ford at the age of 93. Much will be written in the coming days of him and his presidency I would like to share some thoughts of this great man.

I was in grade school when Ford ran against Carter in the 1976 presidential election. I remember us having a mock election in the class room and I was the only one that voted for Ford in that election. There was just something about this man, who kept falling down, that I liked even at that tender age. Okay, so he pardoned Nixon. Is there anyone alive today that thinks that was a mistake? I also was reminded today that he was the only president that was never elected. He became Vice President with the resignation of Spiro Agnew and then president with Nixon’s resignation.

So Memory Eternal for Gerald Ford, and it will be interesting to see how history will treat him.

Yesterday after Divine Liturgy we did a quick change of the church from Advent to the Nativity season. All of the red was replaced with white and candles were placed around in different places of the church. Then a quick lunch, a little nap, and Great Vespers was served in the church. Although the group of faithful was small it was a very prayerful way to welcome the Christ Child into our midst. This year I kept the baby from the crib out of the way until last night. Funny thing is only one person noticed that he was not there. Hmmmm.

Today we have one liturgy and then I am off to spend time with family. This has been a very quiet season for us here in the village. I am going to try and take some pictures of the church and post them latter in the week.

Cracun Fericite, Merry Christmas to all who honor me by reading my words on this blog. I look forward to blogging this coming year.