Alumnus The Rev. N. Constantine Masood of Duxbury, MA, passed away peacefully on January 16, 2015, one day after his 75th birthday.  

Father was born in Altoona, PA on January 14, 1940, the son the late Dr. Naseeb and Dorothy (Cassell) Masood. He received his Master of Divinity degree from St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in 1978, and a second Master's degree from Boston College in Counseling Psychology. Following his ordination to the Holy Priesthood in the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America, Fr. Constantine faithfully served for many years as a parish priest in Danbury, CT; Beckley, WV; New Kensington, PA; Philadelphia, PA; Beaumont, TX; S. Glens Falls, NY; and also Omaha, NE.

He leaves his wife Kh. Diana (Bistany) and their six children: Daniel (Laurie), Gregory (Olga), Christopher (Ruth), Peter (Silvana), Andrea Tougas (Roger), and Alexandra Perrigo (Jonathan). Father Constantine is also survived by 17 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren, his brothers Edward Masood of Maryland and Jonathan Masood of Texas, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

Memorial donations in his memory may be made to St. Mark of Ephesus Orthodox Church, 261 Main St., Kingston, MA, 02364.

"The Great Northwest has many SVOTS Graduates who are doing outstanding ministries, both lay and ordained," noted The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield. "My personal goal is to make a much stronger connection to our alumni and supporters in that part of the country."

The St. Vladimir's Chancellor/CEO was reflecting on a December trip he took to the greater Seattle, Washington area, visiting with alumni and participating in the ongoing dialogue between the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). During his travels, he was warmly welcomed at Holy Resurrection Church in Tacoma, pastored by alumnus The Very Rev. John Pierce.

Hosanna! 
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!  [Mark 11:9–10]

Today Jesus enters into Jerusalem, and the cheering crowds greet him like a king entering the city after a military victory—the first-century equivalent of a “ticker tape parade.” The crowds have heard about Jesus, about his powerful teaching and his miracles, specifically raising Lazarus from the dead. They cry out “Hosanna in the highest,” a shout of praise and a plea for salvation. “Save us, Lord!” For years, for generations, these people have languished under the heavy boot of Roman occupation and oppression. They are weary of high taxes, soldiers in their streets, and the constant threat of violence. The people are tired and weary and hungry, and they want freedom.

Do you ever feel this way?

Today, in some parts of the world, Christians struggle under the heavy yoke of political oppression and military occupation. In some places, Christians are in the middle of military conflict and civil war. But, even people who enjoy great political freedom can feel this sense of soul crushing oppression. We can be oppressed by strained relationships among family and friends. We can be oppressed by the anxiety and stress of economic uncertainty. We can be oppressed by the agony of addiction. We can be oppressed by the pain and grief of illness and death. And wherever there is oppression, there is a powerful desire for freedom. We may not face oppression from the Roman Empire, but standing with our palm branches today, singing “Hosanna in the highest,” we stand shoulder to shoulder with our first-century brothers and sisters, longing for freedom. But how do we get that freedom? How do we find liberation from our physical, emotional, and spiritual oppression?

The obvious answer is to go out and fight for it. This was what the crowds in Jerusalem wanted from Jesus as he traveled on that “red carpet” of palm branches and the clothes off their backs (Mark 11:8). In their eyes, Jesus was the perfect leader for a righteous rebellion. Surely God’s Anointed One could raise up an army and restore the Kingdom of Israel. After all, if Jesus had the power to raise Lazarus from the dead, he would be invincible in the face of Roman legions. If Jesus was truly God’s anointed one, then he would be invincible in battle. The crowds wanted the kind of freedom that you win with the spear, the chariot, and the sword.

But to win this kind of freedom you need wealth, strength, and power. They sound awfully good, don’t they? With money, a strong body, and political influence, freedom is yours for the taking. Or is it? Ancient Israel had great power, but fell to the Babylonians. In Jesus’ time the Roman Empire had great power, but over the centuries that empire fell to other nations. As one nation rises, other nations fight to gain supremacy. The same is true for people. Today one person might be wealthy, strong, and have all the power in the world. But one who gains worldly power quickly becomes a target for everyone who wants a place at the top of the food chain.

And so, strength, wealth, and power come with a terrible price. They come with a price of fear, isolation, and anxiety. The more you possess of this world, the more this world will try to take away. So we prepare for battle, we harden our defenses and sharpen our attacks. Whether we attack others with swords or words, with bullets or in business, we strike others where they are weakest, where we can do the greatest amount of damage and gain the greatest advantage. The crowd was hungry for power, and they hoped that Jesus would lead them to victory in an epic battle that would change their world.

On a certain level, the crowd was right. They were at the threshold of a great battle that would change everything—a battle that would grant freedom to the oppressed, and vanquish the foe. However, the army that Jesus came to fight was not flesh and blood; it was, as St. Paul says, a battle against the “spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:12) However, this battle had begun long before Jesus entered into Jerusalem.

After Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, he went out into the wilderness and fasted for forty days. After that long fast, the tempter comes and tempts Jesus.

“You are hungry? If you are the Son of God, command those stones to become loaves of bread,” says the evil one. This is not merely a temptation about food. Satan is tempting Jesus with wealth. If Jesus were to turn stones into bread, he would never go hungry. And if one were to possess an unlimited supply of bread, he could have virtually unlimited wealth. But Jesus launches a counterattack and replies, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Matt 4:4)

Then the tempter takes Jesus to the holy city, sets him on the top of the Temple, and says, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will give his angels charge of you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” (Matt 4:6) Satan tempts Jesus with strength, with physical invincibility. “If you are really the Son of God, then you can do anything you like, even jump off a cliff, and you’ll be fine.” According to this demonic logic, not only could Jesus perform superhuman feats, but he also would be physically invulnerable. He could literally live forever, doing anything he pleased in this world. The spiritual battle becomes more intense, and Christ replies, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” (Matt 4:7)

Finally, Satan takes Jesus up to the top of a high mountain, shows him all of the kingdoms of the world, points out all the glory of all those kingdoms, and he says, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” (Matt 4:9) It is the ultimate offer of power. What would it be like to rule over the entire world, over all its kingdoms and all its peoples, and have access to all its wealth and all its pleasures? At some level, Jesus must have known that all of this could be his: perfect strength, infinite wealth, and limitless power. Yet, he strikes a powerful blow against the powers of wickedness in his reply: “Begone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” (Matt 4:10)

Today, on Palm Sunday, we have fasted forty days, we are hungry, and if ever we face temptation from Satan, it is now. We face the temptation to gratify ourselves with worldly delights. We face the temptation to demand our liberty from everything and everyone that oppresses us. We face the temptation to fight for strength, and wealth, and power. This is the spiritual warfare that constantly rages on all sides, and today on Palm Sunday the battle is particularly violent.

As Jesus enters Jerusalem, he faces these temptations as never before—all of those people cheering, crying out “Hosanna!,” just begging him to be their worldly general, their commander, their emperor. Yet, Christ refuses to be the earthly king that the people demand. Instead he will be revealed as a kind of king that the world has never seen, a perfect king, a heavenly king, a humble king, crowned with thorns, robed in the purple of mockery, and enthroned on the Cross. Though Christ enters Jerusalem and is enveloped in a firestorm of temptation, he keeps his eyes on the Cross. This is the victory of Palm Sunday.

And today Jesus Christ enters into the Jerusalem of our hearts to lead us to victory. Today, Christ fills us with his power, his strength, and his resolve to overcome the temptation to worldly power. For “the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt 20:28)

Today we cry out “Hosanna in the highest!,” for Christ vanquishes the powers of evil, and through his perfect sacrifice on the Cross we are liberated from the oppressive desire for worldly power. Christ leads us to the unexpected victory in which the King lays down his own life for the salvation of all. In dying, the true majesty and power of the Lord is perfectly revealed and the powers of hell are vanquished. Following Christ, we lay down our lives as he did: for our brothers and sisters, our neighbor, and even our enemy. Today we cry out “Hosanna in the highest!” as we follow our Lord to his voluntary passion and death on the Cross.

-

Fr. J. Sergius Halvorsen (SVOTS ’96) is Associate Professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. He completed his doctoral dissertation at Drew University in 2002. From 2000 to 2011 he taught at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell Connecticut, where he also served as Director of Distance Learning. He was ordained to the priesthood in February 2004 and is attached at Christ the Savior Church in Southbury, Connecticut. He and his wife, Dina, reside in Connecticut with their children Thomas, Timothy, and Mary.

Priest Matti Veli Juhani Wallgren, graduate of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (M.Div. 2003) and currently rector of Vaasa Orthodox Church, Diocese of Oulu, Finland, has been elected as the new Metropolitan of the Diocese of Oulu. He will succeed His Eminence Archbishop Panteleimon (Sarho), now retired, as metropolitan.

Father Matti was ordained to the priesthood September 1, 2003, in Jyvaskyla, Finland.  He served as second priest for two and a half years in central Finland and eight and a half years as a Dean of the Cathedral in Vaasa, western Finland.

Archpriests John Behr and Chad Hatfield, dean and chancellor/CEO of the seminary respectively, both expressed their sincere congratulations to Fr. Matti upon his election. "Our close relationship with the Church in Finland is longstanding and we look forward to even closer ties with the Finnish Church through Metropolitan Matti," said Fr. Chad.

Father  Matti will be consecrated as bishop and assume the duties of the Metropolitan of Oulu on January 11, 2015, at Oulu's Holy Trinity Cathedral. 

The Orthodox Church in Finland is an autonomous Church belonging to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and is made up of three dioceses: Karelia, Helsinki, and Oulu. Oulu, the smallest diocese among the three, was established in 1980. It includes five parishes made up of nearly 10,000 members.

Within the entire Orthodox Church of Finland, there are 24 parishes with 140 priests and more than 58,000 members. A convent and a monastery also operate within the church.

Alumnus priest The Very Rev. Thomas Soroka recently led his community, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church of McKees Rocks, PA, in a joyful centennial anniversary celebration. An article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by reporter Mackenzie Carpenter notes that SVOTS alumnus The Most Rev. Melchisedek (Pleska), archbishop of  Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania for the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), was also present to preside at the services commemorating the parish's 100 years of ministry.

"There are dozens of Orthodox churches in and around Pittsburgh, in varying states of health," wrote Carpenter. "But St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in McKees Rocks — under the leadership of a priest with a background in corporate management training and a knack for social media — has seen its parish grow larger and younger even as the community around it declines in numbers."

Read the story in the Post-Gazette.

One hundred and three clergy and lay delegates representing parishes throughout the Orthodox Church in America's Diocese of the Midwest gathered at Archangel Michael Church in Broadview Heights, OH, on Tuesday, October 7, 2014, for a special Assembly at which SVOTS alumnus The Very Rev. Paul Gassios was nominated to fill the vacant See of Chicago and the Midwest.

Father Paul's name will be forwarded to the Holy Synod of Bishops for canonical election.
 
His Grace Bishop Alexander of Toledo, Locum Tenens, opened the Assembly immediately after the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.
 
For several months, Fr. Paul has served as Administrator of the Diocese of the Midwest.
 
Raised in a Greek Orthodox family, Fr. Paul became a member of the Orthodox Church in America in the mid-1980s.  He received a Master of Social Work degree from Wayne State University and was awarded the Master of Divinity degree from Saint Vladimir's Seminary in 1994.  After his ordination, he served in the Diocese of the Midwest as rector of Saint Thomas the Apostle Church, Kokomo, IN for 11 years and as rector of Archangel Michael Church, St. Louis, MO, for an additional seven months.  In 2007, he was transferred to the OCA's Bulgarian Diocese and assigned Dean of Saint George Cathedral, Rossford [Toledo], OH.

St. Vladimir’s alumnus Archpriest Chaplain Carl Jerome Cwiklinski, CPT CHC USN (SVOTS 1986), was honored upon his retirement from 42 years of distinguished military service. The ceremony took place at Camp Pendleton, CA on Friday, September 18, 2014. His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon and ten SVOTS alumni, including Director of Alumni Relations Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, were on hand to congratulate him and participate in the celebration of his remarkable career.

The Metropolitan also offered a Service of Thanksgiving in the Camp’s St. John the Forerunner Chapel, assisted by Fr. Jerome.  In 2012 Fr. Jerome and the faithful of the Chapel established a scholarship fund for seminarians pursuing vocations in the Navy chaplaincy. (Donate to SVOTS students and scholarships online.)

Concelebrating were Fr. David Hostetler LT, CHC, USN, Camp Pendleton [Greek Archdiocese]; Fr. Alexander Federoff; Fr. Andrew Cuneo; and Protodeacon Joseph.  Clergy from the Moscow Patriarchate, the Greek and Antiochian Archdioceses, and the Serbian Diocese also, together with Matushka Wendy Cwiklinski (SVOTS 1984), their five children, and many St. John the Forerunner Chapel faithful also were present to honor Fr. Jerome.

Metropolitan Tikhon presented Fr. Jerome and Matushka Wendy with the Order of St. Innocent, Silver Class, and a Synodal Gramota.

The US Navy’s Chief of Chaplains Admiral Kibben conducted the retirement ceremony in the presence of Metropolitan Tikhon and the clergy and faithful and numerous Generals and retired Generals.  Father Jerome was presented with a letter of thanks from President and Mrs. Barack Obama.

“I have to pay tribute to those on whose shoulders I stand, who came before me,” said Fr. Jerome, who addressed the gathering while thanking his devoted family.  “It is because of their sacrifices that I am where I am today.  Among them were the late Bishop Boris Geeza, a predecessor of mine who, after retiring from the Navy, became Bishop of Chicago—it is his chapel here whose legacy I inherited—and Metropolitan Tikhon, my endorser.

“It’s been a privilege to serve with you,” Fr. Jerome continued, thanking his fellow chaplains. “We learn from one another and carry each other’s burdens. We care for one another’s flock as we are allowed to, and if I would impart any advice to current and future chaplains, it would come from my time as an enlisted Marine having empathy with sailors and guardians. In many situations, you will see those people invested with great responsibility, and it is important that we as chaplains, often having come to the service later in life, trust them, not despise their youth, and exploit their zeal that they can output. They are the ones who do the heavy lifting. They are the ones who stand in harm’s way. You can rely on them. Please do!

“And finally, I want to share one of the many blessings I received during my time,” Fr. Jerome concluded. Often, while on my way to Iraq or Afghanistan, I stopped in Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany to visit those in higher level care. When we evacuate people from Iraq and Afghanistan, it is there that they receive treatment. A few years ago, I was there visiting soldiers from Georgia. I came into the room and declared, in Georgian, ‘Christ is Risen!’ And the one soldier being cared for there stood up and responded, ‘Indeed, He is risen’ and made the sign of the cross. The thing is, this soldier had no legs. They had been amputated at the knees, and this soldier’s right arm had been amputated at the elbow, but with his phantom hand he traced the sign of the cross over his body. These are the blessings of serving as a chaplain. And these are the blessings to which I am thankful to God.”

A native of Buffalo, NY, Fr. Jerome joined the US Marine Corps immediately after his 1972 graduation from high school. As a Marine, he served in infantry, reconnaissance, embassy security and, after commissioning, administration. He deployed to the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, and was stationed in Europe as well as the Far East. He was released from active duty in 1982 to pursue his vocation to the Orthodox Christian priesthood.

Commissioned in the US Naval Reserve Theological Student Program (Chaplain Candidate) while in seminary, he attended the Naval Chaplains School at Newport, RI, in 1984. He was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood by His Beatitude Metropolitan Theodosius in 1985, reentering active duty the following year. As a Naval Chaplain, he has served five tours with the Marines, two with the Coast Guard, and two with the Navy.

After his ordination, Fr. Jerome served the US Military Academy, West Point, NY, until his return to active duty. While assigned to the Chief of Chaplains Office, he provided weekly liturgical services at the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD. While with the Coast Guard in Alaska, he volunteered as priest-in-charge of Saint Nicholas Church, Juneau, from which he established a mission for Bosnian Serb refugees in nearby Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. He was attached to St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church, Newport, RI, during War College and, most recently, to Our Lady of Iveron Russian Orthodox Church, Honolulu, HI. He enjoyed a long tenure as pastor of St. John the Forerunner Chapel, Camp Pendleton, CA, from 1986 to 1988, and again from 1999 until 2013.

After the fall of communism, Fr. Jerome participated in early efforts to help reestablish chaplaincies in the former Eastern Bloc.  In 1992, he participated in combined exercises with the Russian Northern Fleet and celebrated Orthodox services on their base near Murmansk. He later made significant inroads with the Russian Naval Border Guard in its exchanges with the US Coast Guard in Alaska. He provided liturgical services to the forces of Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, Ukraine, and the Republic of Georgia deployed in the Global War on Terrorism. He also kept to an ambitious circuit to serve Orthodox Christian faithful among our own forces. His wartime service includes the liberation of Iraq, the battle for Fallujah, and support of several campaigns in Afghanistan.

In Alaska, Fr. Jerome's official military travel to cutters and stations throughout the state allowed him access to Orthodox villages long without priests. He helped organize humanitarian missions to these remote communities and helped bridge the gap between cultures. These efforts aided government reconciliation with native communities harmed during the Aleutian campaign of World War II and incidents that occurred in the 19th century.

Father Jerome served as Force (Corps-level) Chaplain for I Marine Expeditionary Force and, at the next higher echelon, as senior Marine component Chaplain for Central Command, Pacific Command, and Korea, as well as senior Coast Guard Chaplain for the Pacific. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology (Magna cum Laude) from the University of Maryland, University College (1983); a Master of Divinity (cum Laude) from St. Vladimir’s (1986); and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies/Foreign Affairs from the Naval War College, Newport, RI (1999).

His military awards include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (4), the Defense Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Coast Guard Commendation Medal, and several unit citations and campaign medals. He is the recipient of several ecclesiastical awards, including the rank of Archpriest, the Cross of St. Herman, and the jeweled cross.

Father Jerome and his wife, the former Wendy Michelle Pricket of Vicksburg, MS, married in 1984 and have five children—Sophia, Anastasia, George, Theodora, and Tatiana. He is third generation Navy and the first of two generations of Marines.

• For information on giving to the scholarship, visit Give to a Student.
• Read about "For God and Country: Orthodox Education Day, 2011, honoring Fr. Jerome and other military chaplains.

Alumna Dr. Tamara Grdzelidze was recently appointed as the new Georgian Ambassador to the Vatican. The following report is posted with the permission of the World Council of Churches.

Dr. Tamara Grdzelidze, an Orthodox theologian and former staff member of the World Council of Churches (WCC), has been received as the nation of Georgia's new ambassador to the Holy See, presenting her credentials to Pope Francis at the Vatican this September.

From January 2001 through December 2013, Grdzelidze served in Geneva, Switzerland, as a programme executive for the WCC Commission on Faith and Order, which coordinates dialogue among Christian leaders on matters related to theology, doctrine and the nature of the church.

Among the gifts she presented to Pope Francis was a copy of the book A Cloud of Witnesses: Opportunities for Ecumenical Commemoration, a WCC publication which she co-edited in 2009 with Brother Guido Dotti of the Roman Catholic Church.

Grdzelidze is a graduate of Tbilisi University in Georgia, St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary in the United States, and Oxford University in the United Kingdom. She describes her experience of inter-church and inter-cultural dialogue while at the WCC as "a school of international relations" in itself.

Her ambassadorial appointment was made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.

Grdzelidze explains, "The main task of the embassy is to represent the state in its fullness, especially regarding Georgia's unique Christian heritage and culture. Georgia's most ambitious task is to become a full member of the European family to which it belongs culturally and in many ways historically."

Fifty years after the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Grdzelidze continues to harbour a belief in "real possibilities for more visible unity among Christians," she says, despite evidence all around that ours has become a "less enthusiastic and hopeful world."

Pondering today's challenges to peace among nations and visible unity within the Christian church, Grdzelidze concludes that "what we know for sure is that the gospel message of Jesus Christ, teaching us to love God and our neighbour, is still with us, and we are to interpret the message to the best of our ability."

SVOTS alumnus Fr. Joshua Lollar (2006) and faithful recently took yet another step toward the establishment of a “permanent home” for St. Nicholas Mission in Lawrence, KS.

“We are in the process of remodeling a bungalow on its property for use as a chapel, while plans are made and funds are raised to build a temple,” said Fr. Joshua.  “All interior walls have been ripped out and a support beam has been installed to open up the space for liturgical use.  The community continues to clean up the surrounding property and is excited to begin the process of planting fruit trees for the establishment of a small orchard.”

The community welcomed two converts into the life of the Church in August and continues to pursue a variety of ministries, made possible in part due to funding it receives through the Orthodox Church in America’s Planting Grant program.

“Recently, the Orthodox Christian Fellowship at KU participated in a work project with the OCF chapter from Omaha, NE, at Kansas City’s Reconciliation Services,” Fr. Joshua added.  “The Omaha OCF is led by Fr. Alexander Lukashonok of All Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church in Omaha.  Students helped clean out the basement of the building used by the ministry and had time to speak with Reconciliation staff members about ministry in the inner city.”

A number of KU students remained in Lawrence during the summer, so the OCF continued to gather weekly with Fr. Joshua for prayer, fellowship, and discussion of the book, Precious Vessels of the Holy Spirit.” The group also braved the summer heat for a Kansas City Royals baseball game in July,” Fr. Joshua chuckled.

This fall, Fr. Joshua will be teaching his course on Western Religions again in KU’s Religious Studies department.  He also will be traveling to Berlin, Germany in September 2014 to participate in an international conference on the philosophy of Saint Maximus the Confessor, at which he will deliver a paper on Saint Maximus’s understanding of the consciousness of time.  His paper on the contemplation of nature in the Greek fathers has been accepted for inclusion in a volume dedicated to the 500th Anniversary of the repose of Saint Iosif Volotsky, which will be published by the Association for the Study of Eastern Christianity.

"Thanks be to God, things at our mission—the Nativity of the Lord in Shreveport—are moving along at a steady pace," reported SVOTS alumnus Fr. Jason Foster recently. "Over the last six months, we have welcomed 12 new members into the Church via baptism or chrismation, and we have another 11 catechumens and three enquirers."

The Nativity of the Lord Mission is one of several that currently receives funding through the Orthodox Church in America's Church Planting Grant Program. The mission's growth, however, has not been without its challenges, each of which can be seen as a "good thing!"

"On the first Sunday of August, we had 83 people in attendance at the Divine Liturgy," Fr. Jason said. "With so many people packed into 600 square feet of space in the credit union facility in which we meet, one young visiting couple left shortly after they had arrived, no doubt due to crowding issues! This made us revisit our short and mid-range building plans!"

Due to the time and expense involved in construction programs, Fr. Jason and his parishioners are considering other alternatives regarding "sacred space."

"The possibility of moving to a new location is appealing, but everyone is most excited about being able to experience a fuller liturgical life," he said. "Sometimes challenges are positive indeed!"

Mission members are equally thankful that their relationship with the nuns at the Nativity of the Lord Monastery, Kemp, TX continues to deepen.

"During Great Lent, at the invitation of Mother Barbara, Matushka Ashley led our ladies and others in a retreat titled 'Lent: Running the Good Race,'" Fr. Jason added. "Over the summer, our men made two work trips to help with the building of the monastery's new retreat center. And, not to be left out, our children raised $600.00 during their 'Great Physician' pan-Orthodox Vacation Bible School in June and donated the funds to the project. We also enjoyed a visit from the nuns as they joined us for the celebration of the Great Feast of Pentecost."

With the blessings of His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Denver and His Eminence Archbishop Nikon, OCA, the mission joined with St. George Greek Orthodox Church for the celebration of Holy Week and Pascha.

"It was a wonderful and beautiful time together as we observed a full week of services in their newly renovated temple," commented Fr. Jason, who presided at the services. "Maintaining strong relationships with the neighboring Greek and Antiochian parishes assists us—and them—in carrying out the Great Commission."

Father Jason insists that incorporating various events throughout the year helps strengthen fellowship and friendships."This year, we held our third annual Annunciation Celebration on March 25," he added. "After the Divine Liturgy—in true Louisiana fashion—we enjoyed a crawfish boil, fish fry, fun and games. This is one of the largest events during the year. And in June, we gathered in the woods of Arcadia for a day of prayer, fishing, food and fellowship."

Ministering to children and youth is also central to the mission's life and growth.

"Our youth enjoyed an event-filled summer complete with an overnight retreat that included Bible studies, prayer and a lot of outdoor activities," Fr. Jason said, adding that "as we prepare to end our third and final year on the OCA Church Planting Grant, our hearts are full of joy. Each month, without fail, a check from the OCA arrives, which we place in the offering plate to offer back to God with thanksgiving."

Father Jason enthusiastically anticipates the mission's immediate future.

"My pastoral prayer has always been that the money invested in us by the OCA would produce good fruit in God's vineyard here in Shreveport/Bossier," he said. "Thanks be to God, our 'storehouse' is getting full, and there is no doubt that our Lord has blessed our mission through the OCA Planting Grant. Now, as a mature and stable community, we are called to continue the work of the Gospel."