Fr. Peter-Michael Preble

One Year Ago Today

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 05:03:21 PDT

Wednesday, June 1, 2011 started just like any other day in Central Massachusetts. People woke up and readied themselves for the day that was about to unfold in front of them. People went about their lives as normal not knowing that latter on that day lives would change forever. Returning to Dudley from Sturbridge a bone chilling announcement was made over the Worcester County fire radio

Our Strength is in Our Unity

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Thu, 31 May 2012 14:22:08 PDT

8 Reasons Your Church is Stuck

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Wed, 30 May 2012 04:29:39 PDT

You lack a leadership empowerment plan. We have failed as leaders in the church if we do not embrace the unique gift-mix that God designed. And we won’t fully know the power and impact of the local church until people are empowered to be the people God wired them up to be. You are unclear about your vision and mission. There are lots of churches with vision statements, but I don’t think there

Lead Like Jesus

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Tue, 29 May 2012 03:00:07 PDT

In the past, on this blog, I have written about different leadership styles and what it takes to be a leader. There is no better leadership example for one who leads a Christian community then Jesus himself. I think we often over look the leadership qualities that Jesus showed. I recently came across a blog article on this topic and there were listed the 5 Leadership Secrets of Jesus. Take a

Memorial Day

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Mon, 28 May 2012 04:43:57 PDT

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The

10 Things to do on Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Mon, 28 May 2012 04:40:09 PDT

Now that summer is almost here and we start to think about taking a little time off here are some suggestions that come to us from the Blog, Orthodoxy Around the World. 1. Make every effort to improve your health: try to get enough sleep; go for walks in the fresh air as often as you can; put your daily regime in order. Having a bad time off and not restoring your strength can lead to

The Sign of the Cross

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Sat, 26 May 2012 06:25:42 PDT

Letter of condolences for Metropolitan Constantine of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Sat, 26 May 2012 06:14:53 PDT

His Eminence Archbishop Antony, His Grace Bishop Daniel, Beloved clergy and faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA Christ is risen!It is with deep sadness that we have heard about the falling asleep in the Lord of His Eminence Metropolitan Constantine of Irinoupolis, First Hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. We were aware of his illness and

Listening to the Heartbeat of God

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Sat, 26 May 2012 06:05:22 PDT

On September 26, the Orthodox Church commemorates the repose of St. John the Apostle, Evangelist, and Theologian. St. John was the son of Salome the Myrrh-bearer and Zebedee, a fisherman. He was also the brother of the Apostle James, and together they were known as “the Sons of Thunder.” He was the youngest of the apostles and was the closest to Jesus during His earthly ministry. St.

Religion and Politics

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:37:47 PDT

I have written before about the unprecedented attack from this White House on the religious freedom in America. The Orthodox Bishops in America released a 225 word statement released on February 2, 2012, without signatures of any of the bishops, and that has been the end of it. There have been many statements on the economic situation in Greece but not one word about the potential

What Blinds You?

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Mon, 21 May 2012 08:45:18 PDT

Sermon ~ Sunday of the Man Born Blind John 9:1-38 The story we hear from today’s Gospel of St. John, the story of the man born blind, is a story of healing, healing from many things not just the obvious. In St. John’s Gospel, healing is the sixth sign of the Divinity of Christ and in this particular case it is the only one that has had the malady since birth. But this is not

Assembly of Bishops of Marriage and Morality

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:20:24 PDT

Recently, the public discussion about marriage and about the propriety of its redefinition has once again become prominent. It is a discussion that is certain to continue for a long time yet. In light of this, the Assembly reaffirms the ancient and unchanging teaching of the Church and invites the faithful to read the important statement below, issued by SCOBA in 2003 and as relevant and

Sunday Sermon ~ It's Not Complicated

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:40:39 PDT

I am not sure how many of you believe in the power of dreams. Interpretation of dreams is as old as the world itself. We read in the Hebrew Scriptures about different people who had dreams and even visions and what they meant. The Prophet Samuel is visited in a dream and in the New Testament Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus, is visited in a dream by the Angel to tell him to take the child and

5 Reasons to Visit a Monastery

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Fri, 11 May 2012 04:00:31 PDT

(Originally published on OCN’s The Sounding) Published here with Permission Introduction: Journeying by boat to visit their beloved spiritual father, Constantine Palamas – the father of St. Gregory – suddenly realized he and his family had forgotten to bring food with them for the monastery. While his wife and five children looked on, he raised his voice in prayer and put his hand

The Future of the Church

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:52:45 PDT

Yesterday a few parishioners and I went on a sort of pilgrimage to St. Tikhon’s Monastery in Pennsylvania. I have written about my experience at this monastery in the past so I will not go into a lot of history about the monastery. Follow this link to the monastery for a more complete history. I will say this however, St. Tikhon’s is the oldest Orthodox Monastery in America and part of

What paralyzes you?

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:11:59 PDT

The Sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up…” Today we are faced with a story that seems to be out of place. For the last three weeks we have focused on events that had taken place right after the Resurrection of Jesus but today we go back in time, to a time during the earthly ministry of Christ. Jesus comes to Bethsaida, to the

New Book Release

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Fri, 04 May 2012 06:16:18 PDT

Listening to the Heartbeat of God How to Enter into the Ancient Orthodox Life of Prayer By V. Rev. Hieromonk Peter-Michael Preble ISBN: 978-192865342-4 Price $9.95 Publisher: Regina Orthodox Press Inc. PO Box 5288 Salisbury, Massachusetts 01952 800-636-2470 reginaorthodoxpress.com Prayer is a conversation with God, a divine and holy experience that all Christians are called too. In

Courage in Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:21:19 PDT

One of the fundamental characteristics of a good leader, no, strike that, a great leader is courage. Of all the skills that leaders, especially leaders in the Church, need it is courage. We are faced with an unprecedented attack on religious freedom in this country, and what we need more than anything are leaders who are not afraid to say what needs to be said. We need leaders who put

The Purpose of the Church

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Tue, 01 May 2012 07:26:37 PDT

There has been much discussion around the internet these days on the purpose of the church. The Roman Catholic bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts recently told one of the Roman Catholic colleges in his diocese to disinvite a speaker who is known to be pro-abortion. His actions have come under harsh criticism from those who hate that the church would dare to speak on such issues, but dear

Orthodox Evangelism

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:03:26 PDT

I serve what I guess would be considered a small church. We have about 65 families and we are located in an old mill town in Central Massachusetts that long ago saw its last immigrant from what one would call the “traditional” Orthodox countries. Our church might be small but the people are dedicated to their faith and to the growth of the church. So how do you grow a church under these

Who Will Roll the Stone Away?

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:35:09 PDT

Sermon ~ Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women “And when he learned from the centurion that He was dead, he granted the body to Jospeh. And he bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped Him in the linen shroud, and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.” “And He rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.” That

Clergy Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 04:48:50 PDT

The Leadership of the Eastern Deanery Every so often, once or twice a year, the clergy of my diocese gather for a meeting. Our Archdiocese is broken down into smaller administrative units called deaneries and ours covers the eastern third of the United States. Not all of the clergy able to attend but yesterday 12 priests gathered with our 2 bishops for a day of meetings. These meetings

The Doubt of Thomas

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 04:49:04 PDT

The Second Sunday after Pascha in the Orthodox Church is dedicated to the Doubt of St. Thomas. I find it interesting that we would set aside a Sunday, after we just celebrated the Feast of Feats, to the doubt of one of the closest followers of Jesus. I find great consolation in the fact that the Apostles were real people with real faults and doubts. Many years ago when I was about to enter

Red Eggs at Pascha

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 06:29:44 PDT

If you have been following these pages for the last few months you know that in the fall I acquired a flock of chickens, seven to be exact. During that time I have learned a lot about chickens and their eggs I find all of the absolutely fascinating. However the tradition of the Red Eggs at Pascha (that’s the word we Orthodox use for Easter) in even more fascinating. It is a tradition in many

Great and Holy Friday ~ The Lamentations at the Tomb

noreply@blogger.com (Fr. Peter) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 04:59:03 PDT

A decorated "Tomb" for Holy and Great Friday On Friday night, the Matins of Holy and Great Saturday, a unique service known as the The Lamentation at the Tomb (Epitáphios Thrēnos) is celebrated. This service is also sometimes called Jerusalem Matins. Much of the service takes place around the tomb of Christ in the center of the nave. A unique feature of the service is the chanting of the