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.
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
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!
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.
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.
Thank you to everyone who donated Dunkin’ gift cards, helped package and distribute care packages and scarfs!
We will be delivering 50 Christmas meals to Faith Family Kitchen on Monday 12/20, and each meal will include a tin of (mostly) homemade cookies…which adds up to 200 dozen cookies! Please consider baking a few dozen (or more) cookies! All cookies need to be at the church by Sunday 12/19 so we can package them and have them ready for delivery the next day. Please speak to Kh. Alyssa if you plan to bake. Thank you!!!
In addition to homemade cookies, we are in need of monetary donations to cover the cost of the grocery store gift cards and the hams that are being given to each family as part of our Christmas meal donation. We are providing 50 families with meals, and your generosity is greatly appreciated! Please give your checks (made out to St. Michael with “Christmas Meals” in the memo) to Kh. Alyssa. Thank you for sharing the light of Christ this Nativity season!
