Welcome HTGOC Parishioners & Guests!

 

Obituary for The Very Reverend Archpriest Peter Telencio, Chaplain Colonel, US Army (Ret.)

The Very Reverend Archpriest Peter Telencio, Chaplain Colonel, US Army (Ret.), 74, died on Tuesday, October 14, 2024, in Columbia, South Carolina.

Born April 3, 1950, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, he was the son of the late Metro and Mary Deroski Telencio. He was married to the former Martha Swirdovich on October 13, 1973. In addition to his wife, Fr. Peter is survived by his sons, Damian Valdimir and Stephen Daniel Telencio, who both reside in Columbia, South Carolina. He also leaves behind his two precious grandchildren, Hayden Anna and Luca Alexander Telencio as well as two sisters. Fr. Telencio is preceded in death by his parents, four brothers, and two sisters.

Fr. Peter was a native of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, a retired Chaplain (Colonel) in the US Army, and priest in the Orthodox Church in America. He earned degrees from the following institutions, St. Tikhon’s Theological Seminary, South Canaan, Pennsylvania (B. Th) 1972, West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania (BA in Philosophy) 1975, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee (D. Min) 1982, and Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (MA. Ed) 1988. Fr. Peter was ordained to the Orthodox priesthood by His Grace, Bishop Herman ( now Metropolitan, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America) on January 26, 1974, at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Monastery Church, South Caanan, Pennsylvania.

Fr. Peter was the first Orthodox Priest to be promoted to the rank of Colonel in the history of the US Army Chaplaincy. During his 24-year US Army career, Fr. Peter served as a Russian interpreter for the state Department while deployed in Grenada during Operation Urgent Fury. While stationed in Berlin, Germany, he was the liaison officer for the US Berlin Community with the Soviet Forces. Also in Berlin, Germany, Fr. Peter was a school board member, advisor for curriculum development for academic studies, family advocacy board member, and assistant high school soccer coach at Berlin American High School. Throughout his military career, he was always involved in youth soccer and basketball as a coach. Later in his career, Fr. Peter was appointed Director of Combat Development at the US Army Chaplain Center and School in Columbia, South Carolina. He was responsible for the doctrine, training, leadership, organization, material and soldier requirement, force development along with force structure for wartime military equipment needed for all units of the US Army Chaplain Corps. Fr. Peter’s awards and badges included: Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Superior Unit Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Air Assault Badge, and Senior Parachutist Badge.

Following his military retirement, Fr. Peter served his community as Administrator for Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Columbia, South Carolina. He was also the past Pastor of Holy Resurrection Greek Church in Bluffton, South Carolina, Director of Religious Education, OCA Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Diocese, and Marriage and Individual Family Director, Diocese of Greek Orthodox Church, Atlanta, Georgia.

The family will receive guests beginning at 4 o’clock on Saturday, October 19th at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 1900 Main St, Columbia, SC 29201. A Trisagion service will follow visitation and begin at 6 o’clock with Rev. Fr. Michael A. Platanis will be officiating.

The funeral service for Fr. Peter will be held at St. Tikhon’s Monastery, 175 St Tikhons Rd, Waymart, PA 18472, directed by Charles A. Battenburg Funeral Home, 363 Washington Ave., Jermyn, PA 18433.

Burial with full military honors will follow in the churchyard.

 

Homily One for the Eighth Sunday of Matthew (St. John of Kronstadt)

 
Homily for the Eighth Sunday of Matthew
(8th Sunday of Pentecost)

By St. John of Kronstadt 

"When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, 'This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.' But Jesus said to them, 'They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat'" (Matthew 14:15–16).

One day the Lord sailed on a ship alone to a deserted place to pray: the people, hearing about this, followed Him from the cities on foot. Coming out of the boat, Jesus saw a multitude of people and had compassion on them and healed their sick. When evening came, His disciples came to Him and said: "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food." How? What are you saying, apostles of Christ? For the people to leave their Lord for the sake of food and drink and deprive themselves of His conversation, sweeter than honey? Wasn’t it He who said: “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink... Is not life more than food... But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:25, 33). Oh, no, the people will not leave the Lord: what do they care about food and drink? Food and drink are always with them; but the Lord in the flesh is not always, but He Himself is food and drink for them; look how they greedily listen to His every word, how they gaze into His divine face: oh, this is true pleasure for them - to see and hear the Lord Himself - and they forgot about food and drink. Yes, He Himself will arrange a wonderful meal for them.

This Gospel teaches us that hearing the word of God and, in general, caring for the enlightenment, sanctification, and strengthening of the immortal soul is most precious to man, and that food and drink are secondary things and will be added to a person who seeks the kingdom of God and His righteousness: "for he who labors is worthy of sustenance" (Matt. 10:10). In the same way, in the wilderness, the Lord nourished everyone with the gift of a miraculously prepared meal for the labor of hearing His word. Further, the Gospel also teaches that we should share our last good with our neighbors who have need of it, and not have the least greed and avarice, and that a person needs very little in order to satisfy hunger and thirst – only daily bread and something more rich; that various delicacies and drinks do not constitute our daily sustenance and can be consumed only occasionally; otherwise, they will weaken our body and soul.

Our soul, brothers and sisters, is immeasurably more precious and noble than the body: it is the image of God, that is, to put it simply, like a portrait of God, and is immortal; endowed with reason and free will, with the ability to be sanctified by the grace of God, to ascend higher and higher on the steps of virtue, to become more and more like God - to become deified and achieve the greatest blessedness in God. The body is earth and decay and must certainly die and turn to dust from which it was taken; at the resurrection of the dead it will rise again as a spiritual body. Meanwhile, our soul is in a state of the most miserable fall, in a state of darkening, removal from God and slavery to the devil, sin and passions. She perishes in sins and can perish forever, tormented in unquenchable fire. What do we all need to be more concerned about during this temporary wandering on earth? About the enlightenment of the soul, about its salvation, about approaching God, from Whom we have departed through sin, about the truth that we have trampled upon, to which we have become strangers, about holiness in all life and the rejection of evil life: this is what it is about; and then about food and drink and clothing, but to take care of it moderately, impartially, as if they were secondary and temporary objects. Let us not, brothers and sisters, pervert God's order; let us be more concerned about spiritual enlightenment, nourishment, consolation, salvation, and only then about earthly, so-called blessings – food, clothing, housing. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Fr. Michael
 

 

Protopresbyter Michael A. Platanis, Dean
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral
1900 Main Street - Columbia, SC 29201
 
Mailing Address:
 1931 Sumter Street
 803-252-6758 Church Office
 803-403-7557 Cell
 803-254-6197 Facsimile
 NewSmyrna@gmail.com

 


 
 
CLICK HERE for Live Streaming of Holy Trinity Cathedral Services   CLICK HERE for Metropolis of Atlanta Live Stream Services

 

Click HERE to Light a Candle

(Submit names and cathedral clergy will light candles)

In the event you are unable to access our live stream, you can find a church in our metropolis here:

  https://atlmetropolis.org/liturgies-and-sermons


If you need help creating an online giving account, or if you are not receiving communications from the church, please contact the office so we can update your information in our systems.  (803) 252-6758 or htgocc@gmail.com 

 


Online Chapel

Luke the Evangelist

Saints and Feasts Commemorated

Luke the Evangelist; Marinos the Martyr

Visit the Online Chapel for more daily readings, hymns, a monthly calendar of saints and feasts, and more.

Click above for Holy Trinity Livestreaming Services


Click above for the Atlanta Livestreaming Services



   A Guide to the Iconography


The Adornment Of Our Beautiful Sanctuary