Author: Fr. John Chagnon

From Bishop Anthony…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ Leave a comment

Beloved Clergy of the Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest,


Christ is in our midst!


Today our hearts are left heavy by the scenes we have witnessed on the streets of Boston.  It is a stark reminder that we in America are not immune from the violence that we see in Syria, north Africa, and so many locations around the world.  Our hearts and prayers go out to all those who suffer on this day and every day.


Today I contacted His Grace Bishop JOHN of the Diocese of Worcester and New England to share with him my personal condolences and the prayers and concerns of the entire Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest.


Please remember to keep those affected by the tragedy in Boston and all the victims of violence around the world in your prayers.

May God bless your journey to His glorious Resurrection!


+Bp. ANTHONY
Bishop of Toledo and the Midwest
Auxiliary Bishop, Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

For Boston and All of Us…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ Leave a comment

A Psalm of David.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me.

Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.

Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Thoughts for Lent…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ Leave a comment

Evil is corrected by good; faults by love, kindness, meekness, humility and patience. Acknowledge yourself as the greatest of sinners. Of those who appear to you to be sinners, or are sinners in fact, consider yourself worse and lower than all. Be rid of all pride and malice against your neighbor, all impatience and bad-temper, and only then – with love and long-suffering towards them – try to cure others.

Until then, cover the sins of others with your indulgent love.

St. John of Kronstadt

Yes…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ Leave a comment

there is a battle going on for the soul of our culture and if we think we can avoid it,  it will still come and find us. So as a Christian there’s no sense in hiding. You can’t escape. Somewhere somehow it will touch your life and decisions will have to be made.

So when that moment comes how we do battle will make all the difference. The world around us may revel in violence as a form of settling disputes but we must avoid it to the greatest extent possible. The world around us may identify us as persons to be singled out for special public loathing but we must see even our enemies as people God loves and strive to know and support the good in them even if they hate us. We must never respond in anger even if we are unjustly treated. Our eyes of faith must see the image of God even in the person who is attempting to wound us. We must be ready to suffer. We must be ready to endure. We must learn the full meaning of “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” Cultures change when hearts are changed and no force or coercion has ever resulted in permanent change, especially for the better. Let the world see our faith in action and the responsibility for what they do with that is up to them.

Remember, history really is on Christ’s side even if various moments of history are precarious, even fatal, to those who choose to align themselves with Him. Knowing this do not give in to fear, anger, hate, or violence. In time the world will be as God wishes it to be and those who understand this can have cofidence, even joy, in the present and certainty about the future.

Someone Once Said…

~ Fr. John Chagnon ~ Leave a comment

“You are what you eat” and there’s a truth to that. This truth, in part, is why we should prepare ourselves and partake of the Eucharist on a regular basis.