GreekChef
Prez
Sr. Member
 Offline
Faith: Greek Orthodox
Jurisdiction: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America: Metropolis of Atlanta
Posts: 880
|
 |
« on: September 03, 2009, 01:16:56 AM » |
|
Tonight I write from a hotel room in Pensacola, Florida, to ask for your prayers for the handmaiden of the Lord, Stephanie. I will be attending her funeral tomorrow. Stephanie was a precious teenage girl (a senior in high school this year) and was one of my campers at St. Stephen's summer camp just three weeks ago. Tragically, this past Saturday, Stephanie fell asleep in the Lord when she put a gun to her head and committed suicide. A special dispensation has been made by our loving Metropolitan +ALEXIOS so that there may be a funeral. Please pray for Stephanie's soul, for her family, and for her friends and loved ones, as this tragedy has been as close to unbearable as one can imagine. But we know that God never gives us more struggle than we can bear, so it is by His grace and with much prayer that we will get through this. Stephanie was a bright, beautiful child, and we will miss her sweet presence. May her memory be eternal! Zoe se mas!
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
Matthew 18:5
|
|
|
|
scamandrius
|
|
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2009, 01:21:03 AM » |
|
Lord, have mercy on her soul!
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
I seek the truth by which no man was ever harmed--Marcus Aurelius Those who do not read history are doomed to get their facts from Hollywood--Anonymous What earthly joy remains untouched by grief?--St. John Damascene http://myorthodoxjourney.blogspot.com/ |
|
|
|
Entscheidungsproblem
|
|
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2009, 01:39:30 AM » |
|
Lord, have mercy! Memory eternal!
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
As a result of a thousand million years of evolution, the universe is becoming conscious of itself, able to understand something of its past history and its possible future.
-- Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS |
|
|
PeterTheAleut
The Right Blowhard Peter the Furtive of Yetts O'Muckhart
Section Moderator
Exarchos
Offline
Faith: Orthodox Christian
Jurisdiction: OCA
Posts: 26,042
EXTERMINATE!
|
|
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2009, 01:40:24 AM » |
|
Lord, have mercy!
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
HandmaidenofGod
|
|
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2009, 01:46:32 AM » |
|
Lord have mercy! Memory Eternal!
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jer 29:11
|
|
|
Andrea
Member
Offline
Posts: 181
|
|
« Reply #5 on: September 03, 2009, 02:07:01 AM » |
|
Lord, have mercy.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
Michał Kalina
proud Podlachian Belarusian parajournalistic engineer in spe
Section Moderator
Hypatos
Offline
Faith: Christian
Jurisdiction: Diocese of Białystok and Gdańsk / Diocese of Warsaw and Bielsk Podlaski
Posts: 15,424
OC.net's trickster
|
|
« Reply #6 on: September 03, 2009, 03:32:15 AM » |
|
Lord, have mercy! Christ is risen!
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
formerly known as mikeDespite being a Polish citizen I am not a Pole.  Long live Belarus! "It's my constitutional right!" |
|
|
|
Gebre Menfes Kidus
|
|
« Reply #7 on: September 03, 2009, 03:56:24 AM » |
|
May we learn from such tragic news to be more sensitive and attuned to the suffering of those around us. Let us try harder to use our words for kindness and encouragement rather than negativity and personal criticism. Perhaps there are some among us on this discussion board who are contemplating such a self-destructive act themselves. Perhaps tomorrow we we too may find ourselves devoid of hope and despairing of life. We are Christians, and our words and gestures must manifest the loving and merciful arms of Our Lord Jesus Christ. So many are hurting in this world; and too many succumb to despair in our very midst. Tragic news such as this always reminds me of my dear friend and Christian brother "Al," who was my roommate at Bible College many years ago. He took his own life with a bullet to his heart. Obviously, I failed to be the true friend and authentic Christian brother that he really needed.
"Lord have mercy." "Memory eternal."
Selam
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
"Salvation is free, but not easy. It is completely dependent upon the grace of God, and yet we must work it out with fear and trembling. It is given to all, but only a few find it. We are saved only by His Cross, and yet not without taking up our own." +GMK+
|
|
|
|
Riddikulus
|
|
« Reply #8 on: September 03, 2009, 05:35:38 AM » |
|
Lord, have mercy on this poor girl. May her memory be eternal.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
I believe in One God, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.
Theodosius Dobzhansky, Russian Orthodox Christian (1900-1975)
|
|
|
Heorhij
Hoplitarches
Offline
Faith: Orthodox
Jurisdiction: GOA, for now, but my heart belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Posts: 8,576
|
|
« Reply #9 on: September 03, 2009, 07:54:28 AM » |
|
Memory Eternal! Lord, have mercy! What a tragedy, indeed.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Love never fails.
|
|
|
Carl Kraeff (Second Chance)
Section Moderator
Taxiarches
Offline
Faith: Orthodox Christian
Jurisdiction: OCA
Posts: 5,429
|
|
« Reply #10 on: September 03, 2009, 08:01:52 AM » |
|
May the Lord have mercy on her soul. My heart aches as "Stephans" and "Stephanies" run in my family. Let us not forget that adolescence (onset to puberty to mid to late twenties) is a unique time that is rife with danger. As the part of the brain that makes sound decisions is largely inactivated for organic reasons, the part that processes emotions runs full tilt. Thus, an adolescent is not the same person he was before puberty and the person he will become after. Therefore allowances should be made for adolescents and their parents.
May the Lord be also with Stephanie's family and friends. Memory eternal.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
recent convert
Orthodox Chrisitan
High Elder
Offline
Faith: Christian
Jurisdiction: Antiochian (N.A.)
Posts: 1,645
|
|
« Reply #11 on: September 03, 2009, 08:23:37 AM » |
|
Lord, have mercy. Memory eternal.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Antiochian OC N.A.
|
|
|
FrChris
The Rodney Dangerfield of OC.net
Site Supporter
Toumarches
Offline
Faith: Orthodox Christian
Posts: 7,252
Holy Father Patrick, thank you for your help!
|
|
« Reply #12 on: September 03, 2009, 08:51:57 AM » |
|
May the Lord have mercy with Stephanie, with her family and caregivers, and with all of us!
|
|
|
|
« Last Edit: September 03, 2009, 08:52:29 AM by FrChris »
|
Logged
|
"As the sparrow flees from a hawk, so the man seeking humility flees from an argument". St John Climacus
|
|
|
|
GabrieltheCelt
|
|
« Reply #13 on: September 03, 2009, 08:54:29 AM » |
|
Memory Eternal! O Lord, grant the handmaiden Stephanie eternal rest with Your saints. Amen.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
ozgeorge
|
|
« Reply #14 on: September 03, 2009, 08:54:29 AM » |
|
+Eternal be her memory.
Lord have mercy on those who are bereaved.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
If you're living a happy life as a Christian, you're doing something wrong.
|
|
|
SDMPNS
Sr. Member
Offline
Faith: Orthodox Christian
Jurisdiction: raised in Metropolia which became the OCA now I belong to a GOA parish..
Posts: 540
Praise God for the beauty of Creation
|
|
« Reply #15 on: September 03, 2009, 09:06:05 AM » |
|
I belong to the parish in Pensacola,Florida. We are all just bereft. Stephanie was a precious young lady..She and I always joked that we shared the same Name Day.
I saw her at a funeral just last week and thought about how beautiful she had become.
I wish the sad details of her passing hadn't been published for all to see but I guess openess is important.
May her memory be eternal !
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Rosehip
|
|
« Reply #16 on: September 03, 2009, 09:26:44 AM » |
|
Memory Eternal! Lord have mercy upon Stephanie! May God comfort her grieving family and friends!
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
+ Our dear sister Martha (Rosehip) passed away on Dec 20, 2010. May her memory be eternal! +
|
|
|
|
EofK
|
|
« Reply #17 on: September 03, 2009, 09:52:17 AM » |
|
Lord, have mercy. Memory eternal!
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. -- Douglas Adams
|
|
|
LizaSymonenko
Христос Воскрес!!! Christ is Risen!!!
Global Moderator
Toumarches
 Online
Faith: God's Holy Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Church
Jurisdiction: Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A.
Posts: 7,573
|
|
« Reply #18 on: September 03, 2009, 10:03:28 AM » |
|
Lord, have mercy. Memory Eternal.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Conquer evil men by your gentle kindness, and make zealous men wonder at your goodness. Put the lover of legality to shame by your compassion. With the afflicted be afflicted in mind. Love all men, but keep distant from all men.
—St. Isaac of Syria
|
|
|
Bono Vox
The Orthodox Bagpiper
High Elder
Offline
Faith: Orthodox Christian
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America
Posts: 1,620
|
|
« Reply #19 on: September 03, 2009, 12:34:51 PM » |
|
How utterly tragic. My heart sank reading this news.
Lord have mercy on the soul of Your servant Stephanie; May her memory be eternal.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Troparion - Tone 1:
O Sebastian, spurning the assemblies of the wicked,You gathered the wise martyrs Who with you cast down the enemy; And standing worthily before the throne of God, You gladden those who cry to you:Glory to him who has strengthened you! Glory to him who has granted you a crown!
|
|
|
|
SolEX01
|
|
« Reply #20 on: September 03, 2009, 01:38:38 PM » |
|
May Stephanie's Memory be Eternal.
May the Lord strengthen and comfort Stephanie's parents, relatives and friends as they endure the sudden and tragic loss in the difficult days ahead.
Amen.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Papist
|
|
« Reply #21 on: September 03, 2009, 01:53:42 PM » |
|
Lord have mercy upon the soul of this young lady.
|
|
|
|
« Last Edit: September 03, 2009, 01:53:59 PM by Papist »
|
Logged
|
"The only-begotten Son of God, wanting us to be partakers of his divinity, assumed our human nature so that, having become man, he might make men gods." - St. Thomas Aquinas
|
|
|
PeterTheAleut
The Right Blowhard Peter the Furtive of Yetts O'Muckhart
Section Moderator
Exarchos
Offline
Faith: Orthodox Christian
Jurisdiction: OCA
Posts: 26,042
EXTERMINATE!
|
|
« Reply #22 on: September 03, 2009, 03:22:10 PM » |
|
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
Please remember to limit your posts to merely offering up prayers for this young woman and not use this Prayer Forum thread as a platform for offering up your personal commentary on suicide. Commentary on suicide certainly has its place, but not here on the Prayer Forum.
Thank you.
- PeterTheAleut
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
ytterbiumanalyst
|
|
« Reply #23 on: September 03, 2009, 05:05:06 PM » |
|
Lord have mercy.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
"It is remarkable that what we call the world...in what professes to be true...will allow in one man no blemishes, and in another no virtue."--Charles Dickens
|
|
|
|
Quinault
|
|
« Reply #24 on: September 03, 2009, 06:50:30 PM » |
|
May here memory be eternal and may all those who love her be comforted.
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Catherine
|
|
« Reply #25 on: September 04, 2009, 04:32:28 PM » |
|
May here memory be eternal and may all those who love her be comforted.
Amen. |
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
GreekChef
Prez
Sr. Member
Offline
Faith: Greek Orthodox
Jurisdiction: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America: Metropolis of Atlanta
Posts: 880
|
|
« Reply #26 on: September 04, 2009, 04:57:16 PM » |
|
Thank you all for your kind words and your prayers. The funeral was beautiful, with seven priests officiating. I was honored with the opportunity to chant, and felt it a privilege to chant the funeral of such a beautiful, sweet, wonderful girl. At the end of the funeral, after everyone venerated her relic, all of us from the St. Stephen's Summer Camp family gathered around her casket and chanted the apolytikion to St. Stephen, who is not only the patron saint of our wonderful camp, but her patron saint as well. She always said that camp was the best time she had in her life, and not a few days before her tragic falling asleep, she told several people that very thing, and that she couldn't wait to return as a counselor.
I am going to post the eulogies from her trisagion and funeral in another thread, with the permission and blessings of the priests that gave them (our two camp directors), who feel the same way I do, that everyone in the world should know Stephanie's story.
Please, don't stop praying for Stephanie, her family, and all of us who loved her. Recovering from this devastating tragedy is going to take a very long time, if we are ever able to recover. We need all the prayers we can get.
May her memory be eternal!
Zoe se mas!!!!
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
Matthew 18:5
|
|
|
|
SolEX01
|
|
« Reply #27 on: September 04, 2009, 05:04:27 PM » |
|
Zoe se mas! (Life to us!)
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Alveus Lacuna
|
|
« Reply #28 on: September 07, 2009, 03:22:42 PM » |
|
Lord, have mercy!
|
|
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|
