Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

            Greetings and blessings to all!

            Yesterday was a particularly joyful day in that we were blessed to celebrate the baptism of Alex Mccauliffe. We wish Alex all God’s blessings as he begins his new life as an Orthodox Christian!

            Today we celebrate our father among the saints, Job the abbot and wonderworker of Pochaev. St Job stands tall among the saints who shone forth in what is now the Ukrainian land. Pochaev is located in the western part of Ukraine - an area that has been subject to a turbulent history. The Pochaev Monastery has stood like a beacon of Orthodoxy amid many trials from those hostile to the faith, including the Latins, the Communists, and even now with the Ukrainian Government and those trying to eradicate the canonical Orthodox Church from Ukraine. When I was working, my job often took me to the nearby town of Lviv. As often as I could, I would make a trip to Pochaev to venerate the incorrupt relics of St Job (and also a contemporary saint of Pochaev, St Amphilochius). The monastery stands like a citadel on top of Pochaev Hill… one can see the beautiful domes of the monastery from miles away. These two great saints each suffered much at the hands of those persecuting the Church during their time… yet each of them stood strong in their faith and remain an inspiration for Pochaev today, when threats of closure continue to disturb the peace of this beautiful and holy place. May God watch over Pochaev! You can read a short article about Sts Job and Amphiochius here: The Incorrupt Relics of Sts. Job and Amphilochius / OrthoChristian.Com  And you can listen to the faithful chanting the Creed in the beautiful Cathedral Church of Pochaev here: Orthodox Ukrainians chanting the Creed (Divine Liturgy)

            Tuesday evening at 7pm we will serve a Panakhida (Memorial Service) for the 40th day following the repose of our sister in Christ, Rossie Gospodinova.

           Wednesday evening at 7pm we will have our weekly Bible Study. The Zoom link is:  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89738164102.

Catechism class will be held Thursday at 6pm. These classes are open to all and cover a variety of topics about the faith and allow time for any questions to be asked. The Zoom link is: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81421729353

As announced in Church yesterday and has been announced for the past several weeks via email… our Annual Parish Meeting will be held Sunday, November 16^th following the Liturgy. I really want to underscore how important it is for all members of the parish to attend this important meeting. It is at our Annual Meetings where we elect our parish council for the coming year, where we review the activities and the business of the parish over the past year, and where we discuss projects and goals planned for the coming year. My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this is your parish! It does not function by itself… it requires the dedication and the help of our members. As the old saying goes, ‘many hands make light work’… this is true. One of the joys of our Orthodox faith is living out our faith in the midst of community. We pray together, we support one another, and we work together for the good of our Church and our parish family. Please plan on attending and being open to seeing how you might help our parish to continue to grow and thrive.

May God be with you and grant you blessed week!

Fr Martin