Summer is a time, not only for vacations, but also for church conferences and pilgrimages. Our Parish Life Conference (for the dioceses of Charleston and the Mid-Atlantic and Washington and New York) has just ended and Fr. Raphael and Kh. Catherine have returned from their visit to the Philippines. Nathan and Ben Caldwell will spend a week at Antiochian Village camp this month, and the bi-annual Western Rite Conference will be held in Ft. Worth, Texas (hosted by St. Peter’s parish) August 7-10. Fr. Nicholas will attend the Clergy Symposium, also held at the Village, and will present a workshop on providing pastoral care to those with mental health issues. Fr. Nicholas and Kh. Becky will be on pilgrimage to the sites associated with early saints of the Church in Scotland and England (particularly on the isles of Iona and Lindisfarne) the last week of August. Before anyone leaves for vacation, please speak with Fr. Nicholas about attending the nearest Orthodox church.
There are two major holy days in August – the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord and the Assumption (Dormition) of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Following instructions from the archdiocese we will anticipate the Feast of the Transfiguration on Sunday, August 5th. We will celebrate the eve of the Dormition with Vespers at 7PM, Liturgy at 7:30, and a potluck supper following on Tuesday, August 14.
Read the complete July / August Newsletter here.