St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church - Excerpts from Parish Publications

Raven
Fall 2006

Prosphora (Holy Bread)

You can do this! You, too, can enjoy the blessing of preparing Holy Bread for our parish. Here’s what you need in order to participate:

Cake Pans
Eucharistic Seal*
Water (2 cups)
Salt (2 teaspoons)
Flour (6 – 7 cups unbleached)
Yeast (1 package)

Please note: These are the only acceptable ingredients for prosphora. There should be no oil, sugar, or spices in holy bread!

Step 1: Pray — While mixing, kneading, and waiting for the bread to rise or bake, family members can pray for the intentions they wish to commemorate during the Liturgy. Since the priest sings these names aloud during the Great Entrance, include a list of the intentions you wish commemorated when you bring the Bread to the church.

Step 2: Mix - Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Add salt and half of flour and stir. Add remaining flour until dough is firm. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with a towel and set in a warm place for approximately 2 hours to rise, or until double in size. Knead dough a second time. Divide dough and place in 8-10” cake pans that have been floured only: do not grease pan. Smooth the dough to cover the bottom half of the depth of the pan.

Step 3: Seal — Take the Eucharistic seal and dip it into flour. Shake off excess and press firmly and evenly in the center of the dough. Remove the seal and let dough rise, covered, until almost doubled in size. Take a toothpick and make 5-6 pricks around the outer edge of the seal before baking.

Step 4: Bake — Bake @ 325 for 30 minutes or until done (Bread should be golden in color). Remove the bread and wipe with a clean, damp cloth. Cover the bread with a dry cloth and allow to cool.

Step 5: Deliver — Place bread in a plastic bag when cool. Deliver it, preferably at Great Vespers on Saturday evening.

Please include a list of those you want commemorated. If you give those names to the Church secretary by Wednesday, they will be included in the Church Bulletin.

*Eucharistic Seals are available in the Bookstore — or contact the church office for a list of names of parishioners who have a seal you may borrow.

Epistle to the Elians (discontinued)
November 2004

Meet our Pastor: V. Rev. Fr. David G. Barr

Father David Barr and his family arrived in Austin on September 6 (2004) to become the pastor of St. Elias. This is a happy move for the Barr family, especially since Father is a native Texan (born and raised in the Houston area).

Father David received his Bachelor of Arts at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, double majoring in Old and New Testament Biblical Literature where he studied Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Syriac as biblical languages. He then received his Master of Divinity from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, New York, where he studied under Fathers Alexander Schmemann, John Meyendorff and Thomas Hopko.

Father David married Luanne Dunaway, daughter of Fr. Harold and Barbara Dunaway, on January 23, 1988, in Santa Barbara, California. He was ordained a priest on July 3, 1988, and was assigned to Holy Resurrection Church, Tucson, Arizona, the following January. The Barrs' son and daughter, Sam and Christi, were born in Tucson. In June, 1998, Fr. David was assigned to Ss. Peter and Paul in Ben Lomond, California, where he was pastor until coming to Austin.

In addition to his pastoral responsibilities here, Father David serves on the Byzantine Committee of the Sacred Music Department of the Archdiocese and directs the St. Romanos Chanters Training Program. He also serves on the alumni board of St. Vladimir’s Seminary.

Who Controls the National Elections?

By the time you are reading this, the national elections will be over and (hopefully) the outcomes will be settled. Many of you will have stayed up on November 2 to watch the polls close across the country and see who is declared the winner. Some within our community will be happy with the results, others will not. As a result of the elections, some may feel as though things are out of control and will only get worse. Others may see the election as a sign of good things to come. With the growing polarization within our country, we are sure to have a wide variety of response.

Remember, though, regardless of who wins and who loses, God the Holy Trinity is still the One in control and we can take great consolation in this. The psalmist said: “God is the king of all the earth, sing praises with a Psalm!” (Ps. 47:7). In the Church, we pray for our civil authorities regardless of their political affiliation for we are confident that God is ultimately in control—and not us.

So..., whether your particular candidate wins or loses, rejoice that “God is king of all the earth..."