The Joy to Serve: Love Him back!

By Juliana Schmemann

We are already on our journey, and should be continually preparing for it. How? Is this the right question? There are as many ways to prepare for this journey as there are people living on this earth. The Church is here for those of us who are blessed with belonging to Christ. The Lord knows the ways of many who haven’t found nor encountered Him. It is not for us to decide. But we know Christ, we partake of His Body and His Blood, we stand at the foot of His Cross, we know His Love . . . Love Him back! Always and forever, this is the answer: Love Him back!
The beloved wife of the late Father Alexander Schmemann, Matushka Schmemann offers a fresh perspective concerning the role of women in the Church and, more germane, in the context of our modern world. Her words are like a flowing river that, through its passage, rejuvenates all -- the land, the people, life, the spiritual garden. As with Matushka’s first inspiring book, My Journey With Father Alexander, her words offer a simple, clear, mature affirmation and witness of a life worth living, with Him, in Him, by Him and into His service.
The book is enriched by the beautiful illustrations of the accomplished young iconographer and artist Anna Dumoulin-Tregubov.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alexander Press
• Release date: Oct 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9791220852166

Book preview

Joy_to_Serve_-_english_cover-epub.jpg

The Joy to Serve

by

Juliana Schmemann

SERIES: Orthodoxy in Dialogue with the Modern World

NUMBER VI

ILLUSTRATIONS: Anna Dumoulin - Tregubov

Juliana Schmemann

ALEXANDER PRESS

MONTREAL, 2009

In the same series

ORTHODOXY IN DIALOGUE WITH THE MODERN WORLD

NUMBER I: In Search of the Person: True and False self according to

Donald Winnicott and St. Gregory Palamas; by Fr. Vasileios Thermos

NUMBER II: Religion, Ideology and Science; by Athanasios N. Papathanasiou

NUMBER III: Future, the Background of History: Essays on church mssion

in an age of globalization; by Athanasios N. Papathanasiou

NUMBER IV: My Journey with Father Schmemann; by Juliana Schmemann

NUMBER V: Investing in the Kingdom of God; by Nikolaos, Metropolitan

of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The Joy to Serve

Copyright © 2009 by Alexander Press

Physical book ISBN: 1-896800-21-1

Alexander Press

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Montréal, Québec

H3R 2C7 CANADA

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www.alexanderpress.com

✢ Contents ✢

Publisher’s Note

My Own Story – A Prologue

The Beginning

Questions About Me, the Woman in Church Ministry

The Husband – The Priest

Children

Husband and Wife – A Couple Involved in Church Ministry

Freedom

Working Outside the Parish

Advice about a Counsellor

A Widow

The Role of a Clergy Wife and a Woman in Parish Ministry

The Parish

Motherhood

Things That Can Happen

Unity

The Missionary

The Holy Spirit

Journey to the Kingdom

✢ Publisher’s Note ✢

As the publisher of Alexander Press, it gives me great joy to present the sixth volume in our series, Orthodoxy in Dialogue with the Modern World: The Joy to Serve , by Juliana Schmemann – our second publication by her after the overwhelming reception of her first book, My Journey with Fr. Alexander .

Matushka Juliana Schmemann, the beloved wife of the late Father Alexander Schmemann, offers a fresh perspective concerning the role of women in the Church and, more germane, in the context of our modern world.

Her words are like a flowing river that, through its passage, rejuvenates all – the land, the people, life, the spiritual garden. A simple, clear, mature affirmation and witness of a life worth living, with Him, in Him, by Him and into His service.

It reinforces, once again, my conviction that the best way to contribute to Orthodoxy’s dialogue with the world is by the discrete witness of the lives of His people, in particular, by reference to that portion of their lives which, through His light and grace, become life in Christ, an endless eucharist for the life of the World.

The book has been enriched by the beautiful illustrations of Anna Dumoulin-Tregubov, an accomplished young iconographer and artist from New Hampshire. [The exceptional quality of her work is manifest on her website (www.brighticons.com/).]

This series is being published by Alexander Press to present notable works by contemporary writers that contribute to the ongoing dialogue of Orthodoxy with the modern world.

Dr John Hadjinicolaou

Dormition of the Theotokos, 2009

To my daughter

Masha Tkachuk

Whose faithful help, patience and encouragement

Enabled me to write this book

—Pascha 2009

My Own Story – A Prologue

As I reach the final steps in my journey to the Kingdom, I look back with endless gratitude for the many years that I spent as a priest’s wife. I am still a priest’s wife. My husband’s departure never meant a change in my conscience nor the certitude that I am and will always be a matushka, a khourea, a presbytera, a protonitsa still responsible for trying to maintain the duties, the obligations and the joyous burden that the Lord has so generously bestowed on me.

Beginning the journey with

Father Alexander – 1943

Women in ministry have our respect and admiration. Whether they are clergy wives, choir directors, church school teachers, council members; whether they are those who help in the kitchen or visit the house-bound and in hospital; whether they be counsellors or simply faithful participants in the life of the church, the list is endless and incomplete. Yet these women form the backbone of our parish communities with their loving dedication and generous gifts of time. I want to address all of you with my deep respect and humble gratitude.

And so I will try to share my ideas, my thoughts, and some of my experiences with all women, as well as men, who are devoting their lives to the service of the Lord.

My husband was a priest, a teacher, a theologian, a father, a head of school; involved in