The Holy Glorious Apostle James, the Brother of our Lord,  First Bishop of Jerusalem,  author of the Epistle of St James,  and compiler of the Divine Liturgy

Commemorated on  the day of his martyrdom Oct 23 / 5 Nov  (Parish Feast Day),

and the Sunday After Nativity

and on Jan 4 / 17,  Synaxis of the 70 Apostles

[saint's life]      Maps to St James

SERVICE SCHEDULE

Today's Commemorations and Readings

Sheet Music for upcoming services

10th and 25th Anniversaries

On November 24, 1982  the Orthodox Spaniard Jose Munuz-Cortez was called upon by the Lord for a special task. Actually, this task began on Mt Athos, when Jose was given a copy of the glorious image of “The Portaitissa” (Keeper of the Portal)  Iveron Mother of God.  On the night of November 23-24 the icon began to inexplicably stream myrrh. Jose's 15-year service to the Mother of God and our Church ended 10 years ago, on the night of October 31, with his martyric murder in Athens.

Five years ago, when the rapid changes leading to Union with Moscow had for some time affected the Russian Church Abroad  (not yet fully "ROCOR"),  the ROCA Synod of Bishops made this statement:

“This icon, by pouring forth its miracle-working myrrh for 15 years, consoled our Russian Church Abroad, appeared as a visible and tangible symbol of the merciful intercession of the Mother of God towards us sinners… Did we take advantage of this visit by the Mother of our Lord to benefit our souls? And is it not our common sin, having grown cold towards this holy icon and towards prayer, towards acts of piety and witness of the Orthodox faith, that caused the disappearance of this holy icon by the allowance of God?..."

And now we have seen the disappearance of the glorious Russian Church Abroad herself, a remnant of which is struggling to say alive, while the memory of this "convert" phenomenon is largely forgotten or relegated to irrelevancy.

What is the meaning of this extraordinary manifestation of God's grace in our time?

 Brother Jose told Fr Mark in 1987 that she guides him, as the guardian of her icon,  to take her miracle working image to wherever she is needed to strengthen those who will endure great difficulties.   The large number of Myrrh-soaked cotton balls Brother Jose packed up for us to take back home to Indiana are now few in number after many difficulties of the past 20 years, but they have never failed to become fragrant whenever there has been sufficient need for consolation.  Today, on the Feastday of the Iveron Icon (Oct 13/26) they are more moist than usual, and while not exuding the heavenly fragrance they once did, the odor is still holy and uplifting to the depressed soul of an unemployed priest who can, after 10 years, no longer support his Mission.  I have no doubt that in a time of real need they will again self-renew.  Such was the case when Fr Kallistos anointed himself on his deathbed many times a day with one of the  cotton balls Brother Jose had given us. For weeks that cotton never dryed out, but remained moist and ready for another anointing. 

These miracles continue to strengthen the faithful and prepare them to endure trials.

"Follow the signs"

"Joseph, the chosen one of the Mother of God, followed logic, but not of the earthly kind, but the heavenly, the higher mystical logic in the tradition of Orthodox mysticism (revelations, visions), where cognition does not occur simply rationally or emotionally, but always like something crystallizing, like an act of Godly revelation."

Brother Joseph, keeper of the myrrh-streaming icon of Montreal

Those who sought his advice about rules for praying were recommended to do several sets of 100, say 4, and in between each one read the Holy Trinity prayer: "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us." [ 3x, and then the rest of the Trisagion Prayers - through the "Our Father."]

note:  The original Iveron Icon of the Mother of God is commemorated on October 13 / 26

Saint James Orthodox Church

Saint James follows traditional liturgical practices while "making God's service" in English, according to the Russian Typikon, and following the Church Calendar.

The services, which trace their beginnings back to the Old Testament, are a treasury of Scripture readings, prayers, hymns, and canons composed by the Saints and pious Christians throughout the ages.

The hymnology is a mixture of English and Slavonic, the latter being more common in the Divine Liturgy on Sunday.  Also, many of the more memorable festal hymns are Byzantine - an inheritance from Fr Kallistos, and the past practices of St John Chrysostom parish in St Louis.   Of course there is no instrumental accompaniment to the traditional chant of God-given human voices.  

 Agape Vespers - Pascha 2008 ( 400 square feet - 42 people for Liturgy! )          

Whether you are Orthodox, or you would like to know more about the Orthodox faith, we welcome you to join us in worship, or to contact us. 

You are welcome and encouraged to join us in 'Trapeza', for a meal sponsored and prepared by the sisterhood of the community and served in our (adjacent) home after Liturgy.

In 1997 Archbishop Alypy of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad authorized Priest Mark Gilstrap to establish a parish with the name of the Holy Apostle James.   

In 2007, upon union with the Moscow Patriarchate, Vladyka Alypy agreed to release Priest Mark to the protection of Metropolitan Pavlos of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece, whose First Hierarch is His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece.  This release was granted by Bishop Peter, the administrator, after a Diocesan Council meeting a month later (as communicated by Fr Martin Swanson, Dean of the Midwest diocese.)
 

His Eminence Metropolitan Pavlos, Archbishop of North and South America, is the ruling bishop in the Holy Metropolis of America.

Bishop Christodoulos and Priest Mark at the Blessing of Land for a new Church (2007) 

Why a Russian parish in the GOC?

Firstly, some historical background:

In 1955 the head of the Greek Old Calendar Church, Archbishop Chrysostomos (I) of Florina, reposed in the Lord without consecrating successors.   In 1960 Archbishop Seraphim of the ROCA (now ROCOR,) diocese of Chicago and Detroit (now Chicago and Mid-America) co-consecrated to the episcopate Archimandrite Akakios who was selected by the Traditional Calendar clergy of Greece.  By this act, the episcopate of the GOC was restored through Archbishop Seraphim. 

ROCA Archbishop Leonty of Chile later co-consecrated  additional bishops, and in 1969 the entire Synod of Blessed  Metropolitan Philaret recognized these ordinations of GOC bishops, and also declared ROCA to be in full communion with the GOC.

In the 1970s Archbishop Seraphim blessed Greek members of his Cathedral parish in Chicago to depart and establish an ethnically Greek parish.  Cathedral clergymen also served at this parish of the Holy Unmercenaries when needed.  Today in the Chicago area there are 2 GOC parishes and an 80 acre monastery property (proposed location for the 2009 Summer Camp - similarly Archbishop Seraphim established a community called  Vladimirova and established ORPR Summer Camp on 80 acres of land he purchased near Freeport, Illinois) 

Here's Why:

Like the ROCA we joined 25 years ago, the GOC synod maintains no relations or communion with the local Churches which have accepted the calendar innovation, nor with the Churches which have any communion with the pan-heresy of Ecumenism and which belong to the World Council of Churches.  In other words, the GOC is a synod that maintains an inheritance from the "Old Style ROCA" and in a very real spiritual sense is "the Russian Church as I remember it."  

Fr Mark, in a discussion with his father in Christ, Archbishop Alypy,  agreed that other Russian bishops were problematic ecclesiologically.    Only the mutually acceptable GOC offered protection for our convert parish from the stormy winds [and agents] of change, while allowing the use of the Russian Church's Typicon.   Truly the past hospitality of Archbishop Seraphim to the GOC is being reciprocated today by Metropolitan Pavlos' reception of our parish, and that of other ex-ROCA clergy Fr Thomas Maretta (released by Metropolitan Laurus) and Fr Steven Allen (who left ROCA many years ago when the winds of change first became dominant).

St James is the westernmost community of the GOC. The next closest will eventually be St Matthew's in Jonesboro, Arkansas (see on-site photo above), a church being constructed by a man who in his youth was an Altar Boy for Archbishop Seraphim.  

Having not yet attained a critical mass sufficient to fund monthly expenses in a separate facility, services of the community are still being hosted in the priest's chapel of the Holy Transfiguration located near Owasso, 1/2 mile east of the Tulsa-Rogers County line.  It is 14 miles W of the county seat of Claremore, and about 7 miles NE of the city limits of Tulsa. Maps to St James

No, this isn't the view from our hilltop Chapel in NE Oklahoma!   This is a few hours away in SW Oklahoma.   More pictures from beautiful Oklahoma  here    

A long needed space-doubling addition to the building will, God-willing, very soon be finished.  At present the edifice presents somewhat of a rustic character,  but interior and exterior completion awaits only a few weeks of vacation time-off during good weather, or else, an affordable contractor (necessitating a big injection of funds comparable to those missions who went under Moscow - see Building Fund below)

Update (Oct 07):   Fr Mark recently lost his job in a downsizing.  Operating expenses are now pretty much a luxury.  Please consider helping St James! 

Update (Jan 08):  A week after the worst ice-storm in our lifetime (see pictures) Fr Mark again started working full-time. The demands on a "new hire" in a secular job are even  greater than veteran employees in stressful corporate positions.   No vacation for 6 months!  This position also requires far more travel which, sadly, is also going to affect the parish, sometimes, even the week-end services. During this transition period services will not be a certainty on any particular week-end, so be sure to contact us before traveling to Tulsa.

Update (Oct 08):  Fr Mark is now "on-call" every other week-end and responsible for Quality emergencies at the Cement Plant.  This year on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross,  Liturgy was preceded by a 7am trip to the plant.  Priests should not be required to hold down secular jobs!        

 Agape Vespers - Pascha 2008 ( 400 square feet - 42 people! )

Stereo view of St James chapel   quick tutorial on viewing

   Priest Mark was ordained by Archbishop Alypy in 1996 to serve Tulsa, OK.  He serves in English. 

Fr Mark was born in Tulsa 57 years ago and grew up in Tulsa and Independence, Mo.  He and  Matushka Tatiana, (married 37 years)  grew up a mile apart, on opposite sides of the Tulsa State Fairgrounds.   An immediate bond of love was ignited when their eyes met for the first time one day in 1970 across the "SCAC" (anti-war) table in the Student Union at the University of Tulsa. 

Together with their infant daughter, they discovered Orthodoxy in Indiana where they had moved to attend graduate school, and lived for 20 years. 

Upon conversion Fr Mark, Tatiana, Mary and infant Moses (and later, Peter) were baptised by Hieromonk Kallistos, (then Fr Constantine Pazalos, who founded Holy Cross Hermitage in House Springs, Mo)

Their first parishes were Christ the Saviour in Indianapolis, and St John Climacus in Bloomington, which were both served by their godfather, Fr Chad Williams, who baptised Galina.   The first Liturgy at St John's (1985) was served in their front room, on an old sewing table still used by acolytes at St James today.  

Fr Mark was tonsured a Reader (1987), and then ordained Deacon (1992) by Archbishop Alypy, to serve St John Chrysostom parish in House Springs, Mo.

In 1988 the Gilstraps were present at a 'founding' meeting at Fr John Boylan's home where they voted to support the re-establishment of the parish of St George the Great Martyr in Cincinnati (below: Theotokos icon with riza is from the older St George's parish which, after 40 years, closed in 1984 ).   

Icons which shared our path to Oklahoma.

After Fr Kallistos reposed in St Louis (Nov 11, 1992),  and Abbot Gabriel (Loynes, of St Seraphim's Skete) left both Cincinnati and the Church, Fr Paul Bassett arrived to serve St George's.   Archbishop Alypy reassigned (in 1994 link to travelogue) deacon Mark to St George's where he served with Fr Paul (his godfather's godfather) as deacon, and 2nd priest until 1997.  

After ordination, priest Mark and protopriest Paul planned to 'tag-team' serve in Cincinnati OH, Louisville and Lexington, KY and Wayne, W. Va. (and elsewhere).  But those plans were cut short by the extraordinarily rapid finding of a rare "perfect match" job as a catalyst chemist in Oklahoma, where the archbishop had blessed the establishment of the Mission for which Fr Mark had been ordained.     

Pascha 2006 family photo

e-mail:  Priest Mark Gilstrap  (Facebook ID = Priest Mark)

Life of St Mark the Anchorite