Thursday, December 23, 2010
Merry Christmas!
May all the blessings and magic of the Christmas season rest upon you all and bring you peace.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Man, Myth & the Occult: A Complete Introduction to Gnosticism Part 5: Valentinianism
Today, Father Bryan Ouellette speaks about the Valentinian School of Gnosticism. Who were the Valentinians and what was their relationship to orthodox Christianity? Find out why history remembers the Christian Gnostics to be the followers of Valentinus and his theology.
Original Air Date: December 17, 2010
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Original Air Date: December 17, 2010
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
For Nathaniel
Dear Friends,
Please hold in your prayers the health, healing and resilience of little two and a half year old Nathaniel who will be undergoing surgery this month for an abdominal tumor. His grandmother contacted our community and asked for our prayers. We have given them in abundance and will continue to offer them.
Please go to this website http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/nathanieljohnson for more information and if God has blessed you with extra material resources, please donate to CaringBridge for the good work they do for our children on Nathaniel's behalf.
All my blessings go out to Nathaniel at this time. Please pray for him and his family.
Fr. Bryan
Please hold in your prayers the health, healing and resilience of little two and a half year old Nathaniel who will be undergoing surgery this month for an abdominal tumor. His grandmother contacted our community and asked for our prayers. We have given them in abundance and will continue to offer them.
Please go to this website http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/nathanieljohnson for more information and if God has blessed you with extra material resources, please donate to CaringBridge for the good work they do for our children on Nathaniel's behalf.
All my blessings go out to Nathaniel at this time. Please pray for him and his family.
Fr. Bryan
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Advent Sunday
Dear Friends,
Today marks the first day of the Western Liturgical year and also the season of Advent. The prayers and scriptural readings of the Church on this day remind us to keep vigilant for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But what exactly are we waiting for? Is it the Parousia? Is it the return of the Historical Jesus? Is it the Eucharistic Christ? Or could it be the mythic Christos?
I contend that any and all of these options apply.
Advent is a time to listen. It's a time to put our noisy prayers aside and just sit in the presence of God, waiting for his voice to speak to us. While Lent is the season for emptying oneself of the unnecessary, Advent is a careful measure of many deliberate moments when we allow God to fill us with perfect Grace. This is achieved by waiting. We look for God in every moment. We embrace silence so as to listen. We allow our reason to accommodate our faith and trust. And most importantly we give ourselves room to accept that when God finds us, the encounter is his and his alone to direct. This may lead us to any given series of unexpected results. Our role in this is to surrender our expectations. When God finds us, the experience is almost never as one would anticipate. This is why the Gospels express the excessively humble origins of the Savior. Messiahs are supposed to be kings, military commanders, and conquerors. How easy it is to miss that which one is not expecting.
Such is the spiritual journey of our lives. Such is Advent.
Blessings to you all in this Holy Season,
Fr. Bryan
Today marks the first day of the Western Liturgical year and also the season of Advent. The prayers and scriptural readings of the Church on this day remind us to keep vigilant for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. But what exactly are we waiting for? Is it the Parousia? Is it the return of the Historical Jesus? Is it the Eucharistic Christ? Or could it be the mythic Christos?
I contend that any and all of these options apply.
Advent is a time to listen. It's a time to put our noisy prayers aside and just sit in the presence of God, waiting for his voice to speak to us. While Lent is the season for emptying oneself of the unnecessary, Advent is a careful measure of many deliberate moments when we allow God to fill us with perfect Grace. This is achieved by waiting. We look for God in every moment. We embrace silence so as to listen. We allow our reason to accommodate our faith and trust. And most importantly we give ourselves room to accept that when God finds us, the encounter is his and his alone to direct. This may lead us to any given series of unexpected results. Our role in this is to surrender our expectations. When God finds us, the experience is almost never as one would anticipate. This is why the Gospels express the excessively humble origins of the Savior. Messiahs are supposed to be kings, military commanders, and conquerors. How easy it is to miss that which one is not expecting.
Such is the spiritual journey of our lives. Such is Advent.
Blessings to you all in this Holy Season,
Fr. Bryan
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
A New Blog
Dear Friends,
It was announced this past week that the Valentinian School of the Universal Church of Autogenes was dissolved into a series of Universalist paths maintained by the new Universalist Gnostic Communion led by Bishop Mansell C. Gilmore. This new structure, along with the Consecration of Father Abbot Bryan D. Ouellette, Ph.D. to the Episcopacy, allows for the Holy Monastic Order En Deus to become a fully independent sacramental ministry. This independence will make it possible for the the Order to better serve its members according to the sacred and venerable traditions of high liturgical Christianity.
Additionally, this blog which once served as the central hub for the Valentinian School will now serve exclusively as the private blog for the Holy Monastic Order En Deus. Its new title: "Vestiges of Christianity" reflects the spirit of the Order in its effort to preserve the lost traditions of ancient Christianity while simultaneously moving to reconcile these traditions with the larger orthodox churches.
Another aspect of this change is mirrored in the new structure of the Holy Monastic Order En Deus. It will no longer maintain the two Andreasine and Valentinian paths. Rather, it will now become one unified ancient Christian monastic Order operating in the modern world under the functionality of an eastern and western rite. The eastern rite will absorb everything that was once the Andrasine path including the Russian Orthodox autocephaly, while the western rite will become a truly diversified form of independent Roman Catholicism.
It is our hope that this new independent restructuring under our future Bishop, Father Abbot Bryan D. Ouellette, Ph.D. will better connect us with our roots while also allowing for a new freedom of expression.
It was announced this past week that the Valentinian School of the Universal Church of Autogenes was dissolved into a series of Universalist paths maintained by the new Universalist Gnostic Communion led by Bishop Mansell C. Gilmore. This new structure, along with the Consecration of Father Abbot Bryan D. Ouellette, Ph.D. to the Episcopacy, allows for the Holy Monastic Order En Deus to become a fully independent sacramental ministry. This independence will make it possible for the the Order to better serve its members according to the sacred and venerable traditions of high liturgical Christianity.
Additionally, this blog which once served as the central hub for the Valentinian School will now serve exclusively as the private blog for the Holy Monastic Order En Deus. Its new title: "Vestiges of Christianity" reflects the spirit of the Order in its effort to preserve the lost traditions of ancient Christianity while simultaneously moving to reconcile these traditions with the larger orthodox churches.
Another aspect of this change is mirrored in the new structure of the Holy Monastic Order En Deus. It will no longer maintain the two Andreasine and Valentinian paths. Rather, it will now become one unified ancient Christian monastic Order operating in the modern world under the functionality of an eastern and western rite. The eastern rite will absorb everything that was once the Andrasine path including the Russian Orthodox autocephaly, while the western rite will become a truly diversified form of independent Roman Catholicism.
It is our hope that this new independent restructuring under our future Bishop, Father Abbot Bryan D. Ouellette, Ph.D. will better connect us with our roots while also allowing for a new freedom of expression.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Consecration Ceremony of Bryan D. Ouellette to Bishop
Dear Friends,
Bishop Mansell Gilmore of the Universal Church of Autogenes has announced that he will be Consecrating Father Bryan D. Ouellette, Ph.D. to the Order of Bishop, specifically under the Apostolic lineage of the Russian Orthodox tradition (please view the Succession list here if you are interested in the history of this particular lineage: holymonasticorder.webs.com/apostolicsuccession.htm . The event will take place at the Clerical Retreat Center in Atlanta, Georgia on the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple to be celebrated on Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 2PM Eastern. Additionally, Monastic Novices Brother Thomas Moreland and Reverend Peter Smith will both be Ordained to the Diaconate and elevated to Simple Vows.
Below is an itinerary of ceremonies. You are all invited to attend this wonderful event, but seating is limited. Please RSVP by calling 207-370-9077 by November 15, 2010. Father Bryan asks that any gifts for his Consecration be offered as a donation to the Holy Monastic Order En Deus to help defray the costs of the ceremony and the bulk of the financial burden which falls on the Most Ancient Church of the Rose and Cross.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you all there!
The Consecration of Father Bryan D. Ouellette, Ph.D. + to the Russian Orthodox Bishopric &
the Ordinations of Brother Thomas Moreland &
Date: Sunday, January 30, 2011
Time: 2:00 P.M.
LOCATION: Clerical Retreat Center in Atlanta, Georgia (directions will be given to RSVPs)
Schedule of Events:
A Note from Fr. Bryan:
The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is an ancient liturgy going back to the days of the early Church itself. It has always been the central religious expression of Russian Orthodoxy. For those of you who have never experienced a Church service of this kind, it is my goal to help make you all as comfortable as possible with it.
First of all, this isn't a Roman Catholic Mass (although the Confirmation of Brother Thomas, and the Ordination and Elevation of Brothers Thomas and Peter will be of the Latin Rite in order to honor their spirituality). Eastern spirituality is very much dependent upon individual practice. While it is customary for the congregation to stand throughout the entire Divine Liturgy, it is not necessary. There are places during the Liturgy where it is entirely appropriate to sit and other times where it is better to stand. Eastern Christians do not kneel at Sunday Divine Liturgies. When in doubt, follow "Matushka" Tracey who will be cantor for this event. When she sits, feel free to sit. When she stands, please stand.
You will find that Eastern Christians bless themselves with the sign of the cross frequently throughout the liturgy. If you wish to participate in this expression, but are unfamiliar with the eastern method, please ask me to show you during the Introductions segment before services begin.
It is customary in Russian Orthodoxy to bow when the priest blesses the congregation with the incense.
Nearly the entire Divine Liturgy in the east is chanted by both the priest and the congregation. Tracey will be providing everyone with handouts to follow along. While certainly not necessary, we encourage you to respond with the cantor. Don't worry if you don't know the chants, many of the responses will come easy after you hear them a few times. Some, however, are more difficult. What is important is that you do what is comfortable for you.
Finally, I would like to add a note about Holy Eucharist (Communion). Central to the Christian faith is Eucharist. In the mind and theology of the eastern Church, this is not merely blessed bread and wine offered in remembrance of Christ, but the ACTUAL body and blood of Christ Himself. The Russian Church, therefore understands this sacrament to be the very presence of God in physical form under the appearance of Bread and Wine. It is ordinarily assumed that those who choose to receive Eucharist have already been baptized into the Christian tradition. Baptism is usually the first step to initiation into the Christian mysteries and we highly respect this process. However, no one (not even a priest or a bishop) has a right to stand between a person and their God. In light of this understanding, I would like to offer you all the following recommendations when we reach this point in the Liturgy.
If you have never been baptized but wish to receive Holy Eucharist on this day, please contact me privately and I will be more than happy to baptize you through either a full ceremony or a short and simple private ceremony (according to your own preferences).
But! (And this is a huge but!)
If you find yourself unbaptized at this liturgy and something compels you to go up and receive the Eucharist, I will not turn you away from receiving this indescribable mystery of the Church. Go with your heart. It's usually right.
So with this I extend to you the blessing of God and I greatly look forward to seeing all of you who are able to attend.
With Much Peace,
Rev. Bryan D. Ouellette, Ph.D. +
P.S. I also would like to offer a sincere thank you to Dr. Michael Jon Kell for making this event possible. Much love to you, Michael,as always.
Bishop Mansell Gilmore of the Universal Church of Autogenes has announced that he will be Consecrating Father Bryan D. Ouellette, Ph.D. to the Order of Bishop, specifically under the Apostolic lineage of the Russian Orthodox tradition (please view the Succession list here if you are interested in the history of this particular lineage: holymonasticorder.webs.com/apostolicsuccession.htm . The event will take place at the Clerical Retreat Center in Atlanta, Georgia on the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple to be celebrated on Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 2PM Eastern. Additionally, Monastic Novices Brother Thomas Moreland and Reverend Peter Smith will both be Ordained to the Diaconate and elevated to Simple Vows.
Below is an itinerary of ceremonies. You are all invited to attend this wonderful event, but seating is limited. Please RSVP by calling 207-370-9077 by November 15, 2010. Father Bryan asks that any gifts for his Consecration be offered as a donation to the Holy Monastic Order En Deus to help defray the costs of the ceremony and the bulk of the financial burden which falls on the Most Ancient Church of the Rose and Cross.
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you all there!
-- MindBrainBody Project
The Consecration of Father Bryan D. Ouellette, Ph.D. + to the Russian Orthodox Bishopric &
the Ordinations of Brother Thomas Moreland &
Date: Sunday, January 30, 2011
Time: 2:00 P.M.
LOCATION: Clerical Retreat Center in Atlanta, Georgia (directions will be given to RSVPs)
Schedule of Events:
- Office of Oblation
- Introductions
- Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom for the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord: The Purification of the Holy Theotokos (Introductory rites)
- Consecration of Fr. Bryan to the Order of Bishop
- Confirmation of Brother Thomas Moreland
- Ordination of Brother Thomas Moreland & Reverend Brother Peter Smith to the Order of Deacon
- Elevation of Brother Thomas Moreland & Reverend Brother Peter Smith to Simple Vows
- Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom for the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord: The Purification of the Holy Theotokos (continued)
- Dinner
A Note from Fr. Bryan:
The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is an ancient liturgy going back to the days of the early Church itself. It has always been the central religious expression of Russian Orthodoxy. For those of you who have never experienced a Church service of this kind, it is my goal to help make you all as comfortable as possible with it.
First of all, this isn't a Roman Catholic Mass (although the Confirmation of Brother Thomas, and the Ordination and Elevation of Brothers Thomas and Peter will be of the Latin Rite in order to honor their spirituality). Eastern spirituality is very much dependent upon individual practice. While it is customary for the congregation to stand throughout the entire Divine Liturgy, it is not necessary. There are places during the Liturgy where it is entirely appropriate to sit and other times where it is better to stand. Eastern Christians do not kneel at Sunday Divine Liturgies. When in doubt, follow "Matushka" Tracey who will be cantor for this event. When she sits, feel free to sit. When she stands, please stand.
You will find that Eastern Christians bless themselves with the sign of the cross frequently throughout the liturgy. If you wish to participate in this expression, but are unfamiliar with the eastern method, please ask me to show you during the Introductions segment before services begin.
It is customary in Russian Orthodoxy to bow when the priest blesses the congregation with the incense.
Nearly the entire Divine Liturgy in the east is chanted by both the priest and the congregation. Tracey will be providing everyone with handouts to follow along. While certainly not necessary, we encourage you to respond with the cantor. Don't worry if you don't know the chants, many of the responses will come easy after you hear them a few times. Some, however, are more difficult. What is important is that you do what is comfortable for you.
Finally, I would like to add a note about Holy Eucharist (Communion). Central to the Christian faith is Eucharist. In the mind and theology of the eastern Church, this is not merely blessed bread and wine offered in remembrance of Christ, but the ACTUAL body and blood of Christ Himself. The Russian Church, therefore understands this sacrament to be the very presence of God in physical form under the appearance of Bread and Wine. It is ordinarily assumed that those who choose to receive Eucharist have already been baptized into the Christian tradition. Baptism is usually the first step to initiation into the Christian mysteries and we highly respect this process. However, no one (not even a priest or a bishop) has a right to stand between a person and their God. In light of this understanding, I would like to offer you all the following recommendations when we reach this point in the Liturgy.
If you have never been baptized but wish to receive Holy Eucharist on this day, please contact me privately and I will be more than happy to baptize you through either a full ceremony or a short and simple private ceremony (according to your own preferences).
But! (And this is a huge but!)
If you find yourself unbaptized at this liturgy and something compels you to go up and receive the Eucharist, I will not turn you away from receiving this indescribable mystery of the Church. Go with your heart. It's usually right.
So with this I extend to you the blessing of God and I greatly look forward to seeing all of you who are able to attend.
With Much Peace,
Rev. Bryan D. Ouellette, Ph.D. +
P.S. I also would like to offer a sincere thank you to Dr. Michael Jon Kell for making this event possible. Much love to you, Michael,as always.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Consecration to Bishop
Dear Friends,
Bishop Mani Gilmore formally announced this weekend to the Universal Church of Autogenes that I am to be Consecrated to the Order of Bishop. I am deeply humbled by this announcement. To be chosen to become a successor to the Apostles is both a frightening and wonderful appointment. I will do my best to serve Gnosis, those coming to Gnosis, and those whom have yet to discover Gnosis well.
The date will be announced soon, but the Consecration will most likely take place at our clerical retreat center in Atlanta, Georgia. All are invited to attend. In preparation for this most sacred of events, I will most likely not have the time to post to this blog as regularly as I am accustomed to. I, therefore, ask for your patience and your prayers during these final weeks of preparation.
All my blessings to you,
Fr. Bryan
Bishop Mani Gilmore formally announced this weekend to the Universal Church of Autogenes that I am to be Consecrated to the Order of Bishop. I am deeply humbled by this announcement. To be chosen to become a successor to the Apostles is both a frightening and wonderful appointment. I will do my best to serve Gnosis, those coming to Gnosis, and those whom have yet to discover Gnosis well.
The date will be announced soon, but the Consecration will most likely take place at our clerical retreat center in Atlanta, Georgia. All are invited to attend. In preparation for this most sacred of events, I will most likely not have the time to post to this blog as regularly as I am accustomed to. I, therefore, ask for your patience and your prayers during these final weeks of preparation.
All my blessings to you,
Fr. Bryan
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