Category: News

PLC 2023 Competitions

Our youth did an outstanding job at the diocesan competitions at this year’s PLC! The theme for 2023 has been, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26). Our youth participated in the Creative Arts Festival, the Bible Bowl, and the Oratorical Festival. Their hard work and dedication to learning and sharing the faith is inspirational. Here is a recap of the festivals and competitions:

Creative Arts Festival:

There were 50 creative festival entries (112 students) from seven of our twelve Church Schools throughout the region. The judging took place at St. John of Damascus Church and each entry was rated on four criteria: adherence to the theme, craftsmanship, composition and creativity. We had three volunteer judges – a clergy member, a marketing/communications specialist, and a project manager/choir director.

Judging categories were Gold, Silver, and Bronze. The breakdown of awards were 9 Gold,12 Silver, and 29 Bronze.

St. Michael submitted 12 entries that were created by the youth in our Saint Michael Homeschool Community. Six entries received silver awards, 5 entries received bronze, and Benji’s was not given a score because of his age.

Be sure to see these projects on display at the church and ask the children about them!

Bible Bowl:

Our teen team consisting of Erika, Mary, and Nicholas Kjendal, with Alison Irving as an alternate, once again won the regional Bible Bowl competition and will be heading to Phoenix, AZ at the end of July to compete with teams from around the country. Our pre-teen team (Sophia Chatelain, Paul Irving, Max Stewart, and Peter Kjendal) also did a phenomenal job, placing THIRD in the competition against the other teen teams and even a team of adults! Many, many thanks to their coaches, Ned and Kristin Chatelain, and their faithful manager/mascot Sam Chatelain for pouring so much love, time, and enthusiasm into our youth!

Oratorical Festival:

Anders Kjendal won the senior division of the regional Oratorical Festival and will also be traveling to Phoenix to compete with the winning orators from around the country.

Diocesan Scholarship:

Additionally, Erika Kjendal won a diocesan scholarship, awarded to outstanding high school graduates, that was presented to her at the PLC.

Saint Michael has had at least one winning orator every year we have had a competitor. Our Bible Bowl teams have been winning since our debut in 2016. Many people asked, “How do they keep winning? What are you doing?” The answer is not easy to articulate in a sentence or two, but if you come to any of the services at St. Michael throughout the week and notice that there are usually as many, if not more, youth than adults present, the answers to what sets our youth apart begin to be made clear.

Donations for A Baby Center, Hyannis, and ZOE House, OH

Throughout the months of June and July 2023, we will be collecting NEW or VERY GENTLY USED children’s books (appropriate for newborns through age 4) to donate to A Baby Center in Hyannis. Please consider donating Orthodox Christian children’s books and help plant seeds of faith in our community! Please see Kh. Alyssa with any questions.

Also, from now until July 9, 2023, we will be collecting new or gently used and clean items that will be delivered by some of our youth to ZOE House in Ohio. Please see Kh. Alyssa with any questions. Items being collected include:

  • Baby clothes (up to 2T)
  • Diapers (sizes newborn to 6)
  • Blankets
  • Maternity clothes

Easter Meals 2023

Thanks to a great effort by our amazing outreach team, led by Kh Alyssa.

An Easter ham and a $25 grocery store card are being donated to 30 families through Faith Family Kitchen in Hyannis. The need is great but God is greater!

Monetary donations are still being accepted. God bless you and keep you strong as we make our final approach to the Resurrection! Blessed upcoming Holy Week!!!

Teen SOYO Mission Month

Help us raise money for our mission trip to Mexico by partaking in our activities this month!

  • Talent Auction will be running all month! Some of the talents offered are landscaping, prepared meals, babysitting, photography / family portraits, and house cleaning.
  • We will have two raffle baskets, one for lent and one for Pascha, which you be able to buy tickets for during the whole month of March. The Lenten raffle basket ticket will be drawn on April 1. The Pascha raffle basket ticket will be drawn on Pascha night!
  • Postponed – Last but not least, we will be streaming ‘Man of God’ on March 18th after Vespers. Pasta and popcorn will be served! A suggested donation of $15 is much appreciated.

Thank you!

St. Michael Pascha Card 2023

The Pascha Card order form has been mailed out. If you would like your name on St. Michael Pascha Card, please fill out the form and return it by April 9, 2023.
A portion of the proceeds of this year’s Pascha card will be going to Archdiocese 2023 Earthquake Disaster Relief Fund. We thank you for your continued generosity. You can also download Pascha Card 2023 Order Form.

His Eminence Metropolitan Saba

Dearly beloved in Christ,

Over the last two days, our father in Christ his Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch, and all the East has met with the Holy Synod of Antioch to elect the next Metropolitan of our beloved Archdiocese. After a special convention in January, our Archdiocese sent over three names to the Holy Synod that they might consider especially in their deliberations: Metropolitan Saba, Bishop John, and Bishop Nicholas. The Holy Synod has elected Metropolitan Saba to be our next Metropolitan. May it be blessed!

Great strength to you all as we approach the beginning of the Great Fast. May we all be encouraged and strengthened by our next chief shepherd of North America.

Peace and joy in Christ.

Fr. Benjamin Kjendal

Letter of Metropolitan Saba to Antiochian Archdiocese

Christmas Meals 2022

Now that Thanksgiving meals have been delivered, it is time to start working on our Christmas meal delivery! We will be donating hams, a grocery store gift card, and a tin of (HOMEMADE!) cookies to families in need this Christmas. Please consider making a monetary donation to help cover the cost of the hams and the grocery store gift cards. Also, we need about 250 DOZEN cookies to fill the cookie tins. That might sound like a lot, but each year we have managed to fill the tins to overflowing. Please bring all cookie donations to church by Sunday, December 18. We will be packaging the cookies during coffee hour.

Thank you, in advance, for helping to bring the Light of Christ to struggling families this Christmas!

The Annunciation & Fish Feast 2022

We will be having Liturgy for the Feast of the Annunciation on Friday 3/25 at 6:00 PM (Orthros at 5:00). Following Liturgy, we will be having our annual Fish Feast to benefit ZOE House, a pan-Orthodox crisis pregnancy support center in Ohio. Please let Kh. Alyssa know you will be coming to the dinner.

St. Michael Pascha Card 2022

In the tradition of the Myrrh-bearing women who were the first to see the empty tomb and to proclaim the news of the Resurrection, the Women’s Group is recognized as the cornerstone of every parish. This is why our Archdiocese shines a spotlight on Antiochian Women Groups and all their efforts during March every year! Just as we commemorate the Theotokos during the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25 who proclaimed “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be according to your word” (Luke 1:38), so must all of us be prepared to answer His call.

Antiochian Women chapters in our parishes are vital to their churches and to the Archdiocese. Every woman of the parish is a member of Antiochian Women. Since 1975, the Women’s groups have raised over $4 million in support of charitable projects supporting the Archdiocese, not to mention the tireless efforts they put in to raise funds and to nurture their own parishes and communities.

This year’s national project is to support the Cathedral, the Monastery & Cemetery, the Episcopal Retirement Residence and an Independent/Assisted Living Facility for retired hierarchs – all at the Antiochian Village in Bolivar PA. To that end, the Women’s group of St Michael has pledged part of the proceeds from the annual Pascha card to this effort. You will soon be receiving your sign-up form. Please complete it and return to the Women’s Group by April 10 so your name can be included in the Pascha card. If you prefer, a link to the form is here: Pascha Card 2022 Order Form.

As always, we thank you for your generosity and your unwavering commitment to St Michael. May God keep you strong during the upcoming Lenten season.