The Howdens

• Karen

  To my Orthodox Family,

  My name is Karen Howden
  and I am privileged to be part of this family.

  In one's Christian walk you always know there is more. It seems one is always at the tip of the iceberg. Now remember how big an iceberg is under the water—we will never know or understand it all—we are always skirting around the tip. Oh, but what is amazing up there.

  Walking into Saint George's on that first Sunday, almost two years ago, was an overwhelming experience. I was like a deer in headlights. Nothing was familiar to me. The quiet, the smell of the incense, the candles burning was all so foreign. Then when I walked into the sanctuary and saw the splash of colour and gold reflecting off the front of the church not to mention the blazing light of the chandelier, I was awe-struck. A little side note here—at the time my vision was so bad with cataracts that I couldn't see any detail on anything but now that I have had the surgery, the imagery is amazing, seeing what I couldn't see but now seeing all the detail and every time I am in church I see something new!

  It was comforting to see the familiar faces of Brendan and Bryann in the narthex on our first Sunday. We had had opportunity to talk with Brendan the week or so before and we asked him about Saint George's. It was on his recommendation that we decided to attend a service. That Sunday I was so overwhelmed I don't think I heard a word. All I did was look around and watch. It was also reassuring to see the familiar faces of Jamie and Gerlie and enjoy the Agape meal with the four of them and get their perspective of Saint George's. Everyone else was so sincere and welcoming to us.

  I have always believed in God for as long as I can remember. Didn't learn much at Sunday school except all the typical Bible stories. Christianity, in my view, was very dull. But out there was another side which seemed to have excitement and that was the occult. So l dabbled. I never lost my belief in God but what I was reading and learning was tantalizing and not dull. So why was Christianity so dull? I started to attend a Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, not because I wanted something, but because I wanted my daughter to go to Sunday school. It was there, in the protestant tradition, that I accepted Christ. It was over 40 years ago. The night I accepted Christ, God became very real. After that night it was never a doubt that there was something more, much more than the occult. It was real excitement, well I got excitement. I have read and studied and learned so much over the years yet I knew there had to be more.

  Having come from a strictly protestant background I had many reservations. I had been brought up in "anti-Catholic" family which didn't help me be very open to Orthodoxy. I had many issues-icons, the sign of the cross, the saints and the veneration of Mary. These were all stumbling blocks to me. It took time and lots of questions at the catechumen classes to change my Christian views thanks to Father Cristian's teaching. These classes have given me a different perspective on many things I had been taught in the protestant tradition. There were many teachings that seemed off kilter but not having much foundation in the "ancient faith" I had no answers to many questions. I had read some "forbidden books", like Enoch, and according to Protestantism I was told to be careful about reading them because they were not in the canon. But now having read the extra books in the Orthodox Bible and others I can see where so much knowledge and wisdom has been

  obfuscated from Protestants. As I said earlier, “yet I knew there was more". Well that is what I have found - more, with much "more" to come. I have overcome the obstacles I first faced when coming into Saint George’s - the icons, veneration of Mary and the Saints and crossing myself. I have since been baptized Orthodox and can now partake in the Body and Blood of Christ. It is no longer just a symbol but it is real and the greatest mystery. I truly appreciate and look forward to the classes that Father so unselfishly takes the time to feed his flock on Sunday afternoons. There is so much more to learn…so much more. And so I continue my journey….

  - Karen Howden

• Dough

  My Church Family

  My name is Doug Howden and I am privileged to have been part of St. George for two years now.

  I was raised on a farm in the Swift Current area. My parents were dedicated Catholic church people, and very devout church goers. We went to church regularly and were very much part of the church community. I was in the Catholic school system until I moved into junior high which was public school. I grew up with an understanding and belief in God, saints and angels.

  As I got older and moved away from home I stopped going to church altogether. I never felt good about not going, I just could never see that God had much to do with me, God always seemed far away to me and as far as I could see it did not make to much difference whether I was going to church or not.

  In my later twenties I was encouraged by a friend to attend a non-denominational, evangelical church. These churches look very appealing to people who are feeling lost spiritually. They are modern, upbeat and happy. In fact if things suddenly are not happy, everyone thinks God must have left for some reason. Everyone was talking about the great things God was doing in their lives and how God was speaking to them personally. What is not to like?

  In my mid-thirties I was married to Karen whom I had met at church. We continued to attend on a regular basis. We were involved in every aspect of the church over the years. My wife was involved in music ministry and were both served at all levels, usher, greeter, book store, outreach, whatever there was. I ran a men’s ministry for a number of years and served as a member of the church board for a number of years.

  All this time I was basically happy in my church life, but I always had questions about many of the things they taught. Any non-denominational I was ever involved with was strongly anti-Catholic. They considered Mary, the saints and angels to be fringing on the occult beliefs. I came to disagree with many of their teachings and the things I thought were compelling, the modern, relevant, upbeat services, became to me their weaknesses. I am not saying the Protestant evangelical movement does not work for many people or even help many people. That is obviously not true. I just came to the point where it was definitely not working for me.

  I began feeling that what I needed was a more traditional church that could trace a lineage back to the original church Fathers. The only thing I knew of that could make this claim was the Catholic Church.

  Then one day I ran into Brendan Olenick in a coffee shop. He told me about a church he was going to that worshiped in a way that could be traced back to the Apostles and church Fathers. I decided I had to see this for myself.

  The first time I walked into St. George I was fascinated by the sight of the priest wearing vestments, the smell of candles and incense and the chanting. It was all like coming home again. The Liturgical service and prayers make so much sense.

  We never really left again. For several month we came to St. George about every other week as we were finishing up a few jobs in our old church. By Christmas of that year we were attending full time. In December 2025 my wife was baptized and I was Chrismated. We enjoy the services and the Catechelical class with Father Cristian are true learning experiences. We appreciate the support and friendship of the people of the St. George.

  Thank you,

  Doug Howden