People of religious faith often find their lives taking
unexpected turns when God intervenes.
People of religious faith often find their lives taking unexpected turns when God intervenes. A case in point is Melissa Lynch, a young lady who graduated from Live Oak High School with my older son in 1993. She came from a Roman Catholic family, but wasn’t involved in the Church during her teen years.
She went on to study at the University of California, Santa Cruz, receiving a degree in art and literature. As an undergraduate she developed an interest in religions and took some courses in the field.
After graduating and moving to San Francisco to become a professional photographer, she found herself increasingly drawn to the study of religion, especially the Eastern Orthodox faith, an ancient Christian tradition which separated from Roman Catholicism during the Great Schism of 1054 caused by the increasing claims of authority by the Bishop of Rome (the Pope).
A year after converting to Orthodoxy, Lynch decided to attend Santa Clara University to study for a Master’s degree in theology.
After graduating this summer, she journeyed to Albania with three other women to serve as a missionary for the Orthodox Christian Mission Center.
Albania is a mystery to most Westerners. This mountainous country on the Balkan Peninsula was a thriving center of Christianity until conquered by the Ottoman Turks 500 years ago. During the centuries of occupation most of the population converted to Islam to avoid persecution by the Turks.
By the time Albania got independence from Turkey in 1912, Communism was beginning to sweep the region; when the Party took power it persecuted all religions, and Orthodox churches were shuttered, Bibles burned, and openly practicing Christians imprisoned.
In 1990 Communism fell, and democracy was established in Albania. The following year the remarkable Archbishop Anastasios was sent from Greece to investigate the plight of Albania’s Christian population. A recent article in “Parade Magazine” chronicles the marvelous feats of this 73-year-old spiritual leader and former university professor.
Albania’s culture is traditionally male-dominated, and the focus of Lynch’s missionary group was to work with Albanian women to provide them “education and spiritual nourishment.” During their two-week stay, they held four retreats for women, including one especially for the wives of Orthodox priests (the “presbyteras) which “provided encouraging support to the women, and worked to instill the necessary spiritual strength to follow the Church’s teaching.” In addition, it gave them the opportunity to bond with one another.
Lynch’s special project was to create a photo documentary to be used by OCMC for presentations in the United States, “serving the American community through outreach and education.” People who see these photographs will learn more about the lives of a people cut off from Western societies for many centuries.
Lynch found her experience very moving, especially the appreciation of the Albanians they worked with who expressed profound gratitude for attention from the West. “I was so humbled by their gratitude because you could see how any love extended toward them made a very deep impact. It is impossible to really imagine how isolated they must have felt during the Communist era.” And, Lynch also expresses reverence for the love of the missionaries who came to serve them.
“They have taken on enormous responsibilities. Under Archbishop Anastasios they have created health clinics, children’s homes, schools, soup kitchens, churches, kids’ camps, and more–and there are only 16 Orthodox missionaries. Their lives are truly guided by their love and strength in Christ, and their accomplishments are tremendously positive.”
The Orthodox Christian Missionary Center supports long-term missionary priests and short-term lay teams in several African, Asian, and South American countries.For more information about this group check the internet at http://www.ocmc.org/. For information about the Church in Albania see http://www.orthodoxalbania.org/English/mainmenu.html. To see Melissa Lynch’s work or to contact her go to http://www.melissalynch.com.
Chuck Flagg teaches English at Mt. Madonna High School. Write him c/o The Dispatch, P.O. Box 22365, Gilroy, CA 95021.
