Category: Pastoral Letters

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christ is Born!
Glorify Him!

I fervently pray that the joy and warmth of the Nativity filled your homes and your hearts with Christ’s love. He has entered into our world and our human condition in order that we may enter into His Kingdom and eternal life. God and man are indiscernibly intertwined from above and mutually existent from below. We are one, as He is Three. The lines are now blurred between the Creator and the created in that the Creator, Himself has taken on flesh and dwells among us. God is great and human kind is redeemed. Christmas stories of sugar plumbs and elves and blizzards are mere ornaments on the Tree of Truth: Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, crucified for our salvation, resurrected from the tomb, coming again to judge the living and the dead. Merry Christmas!

Now, but a few days past the celebration of the Nativity, we fast-forward our doctrinal attention, some thirty years after His mysterious Birth. Next week, we celebrate His Baptism. His Epiphany. Our Theophany; when the Trinitarian God is experienced and witnessed in all glory. When Christ, now a grown man, steps into the waters of the Jordan, all material reality is transformed and enlightened. In His birth, He became One with man. In His Baptism, He becomes One with creation. Even the Waters recognized Him, as the flow of the Jordan River reversed its flow in the presense of Jesus.

God, in His mercy, and the Church, in Her wisdom, grants us the sustaining opportunity to participate in the miraculous powers of Theophany. The Blessing of the Waters services in the Orthodox Church are the continuing reality of God’s revelation of physical transformation through enlightenment, sacredness and holiness. As we participate in these services, and have our homes blessed with the Waters of Sanctification; the Waters of Christ’s holy Baptism, we participate in the perpetual regeneration of transfigured life.

Through the Baptism of Christ, the Trinity is reveled to us.
Through the Baptism of Christ, darkness is replaced by luminous guides.
Through the Baptism of Christ, the environment becomes sacred and connected to our very salvation.
Through the Baptism of Christ, He reveals the way in which we become cleansed, purified and born of the Spirit.
Through the Baptism of Christ, water sustains the eternal soul, not only the temporal flesh.
Through the Baptism of Christ, we receive countless blessings of healing, wellness and sanctification.

Christmas has passed. The anticipation of the New Year is upon us, as we celebrate the Circumcision of our Lord on January 1st. Next Saturday, January 6th is Holy Theophany and the Great Blessing of the Waters. There are no prayers, authored from the collective heart of Orthodox Christianity, more powerfully written than those of Holy Theophany. Please review the schedule of services that anticipate and celebrated this sacred Feast. Holy Theophany is a gift. A gift from above. A gift to be treasured. A gift that illumines. A gift that sustains.

With Much Love in Christ,
Fr. Anthony

I look forward to seeing everyone for our Family Night Pre New Year’s Eve Party, this evening, Friday, December 29th at 7:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Fun for everyone! The Ball will drop at 10:00 pm (midnight in New York) to symbolically usher in the New Year! Happy New Year’s Eve-Eve-Eve!

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As you will no doubt notice, this week’s Sunday Bulletin is actually a two-week Bulletin. Those who produce and edit our Sunday Bulletin, namely Michael Petrogeorge and Goldie Karpakis spend a great deal of time in the creation of our parish’s primary means of communication. In an effort to alleviate this responsibility during the week before Christmas, we offer this extended version so that they can place their attention in other areas. Let us take this opportunity to bless and thank them for the continued and significant responsibility of doing the Sunday Bulletin.

As we pour into the contents of a two-week Bulletin, especially at this time of year, you’ll see that there is allot in there. Tons of activities, meetings, services, social gatherings and youth activities. In other words, there is much to anticipate when we contemplate a two-week span of December activities.

There are immediate joys, such as our annual Pet Blessing that will take place this Saturday, December 16th at 3:00 pm in the church parking lot (lightheartedly by the fire hydrant). Our Children’s Christmas Program is this Sunday, followed by a GOYA Ice Skating Outing and Christmas Party. Our Women’s Ministry Team will distribute gift baskets to our shut-ins, including blankets that were crafted by our parish youth. The schedule of services for the Nativity, and Theophany have been repeatedly published so that you can anticipate, and prayerfully plan ahead, how many services you can attend in preparation for, and in celebration of, our Lord’s Birth and Baptism. Anticipation is the definitive element during this time of year.

As adults, we anticipate and work towards the dizzying amount of responsibilities which come with the Holiday Season. Your days are shorter and your “to-do” list is longer. There is no escaping this present-day circumstance.

And children, our precious little ones are engrossed completely in anticipating the joys, the sights, the smells, the sounds, the traditions, the gifts and the magic that comes with Christmas morning. To be sure, much of this anticipation is filled with the Season’s secular contributions. Nevertheless, their excitement fuels our own childlike wonderment and nostalgic recollections, as we harken back to our own impatience and…anticipation. Don’t lose that innocence and youthful perspective. Don’t outgrow the feelings of anticipation for Christmas.

However, I invite you to look back even further than your own childhood, as you contemplate the eagerness of anticipated gifts. I call you back past the experiences of even your parents, grand parents and all your ancestry.

Anticipate Christmas. Anticipate Christ. Anticipate Christ like Isaiah the Prophet.

For centuries, the anticipation of the Messiah was filled with the same, arguably much more suspense, and expectation as what Santa will leave under the tree and place in our stockings. We once looked to the future, with great excitement, looking for comfort, council and salvation. We looked past the horizon for a King. We awaited God’s interaction.

In the event of the Nativity, we received the fulfilment to our anticipation.

And in the days before St. Nicholas took on new responsibilities, a new red suit, a new mode of transportation, a new North-Pole address, a new work force, new magical powers, added pounds, imposters in malls and the executive responsibility of the toy manufacturing industry, the Christian heart contemplated the anticipation of what His birth means to the world.

With the Incarnation of the Word, we now anticipate eternal life, salvation in the Lord, a re-admittance into Paradise and a place in His Kingdom.

The Prophet Isaiah, in the above-referenced passage speaks of anticipation in the ultimate sense. Let us use a Sunday Bulletin that is twice as big, and covers twice the normal time-span to be reminded that we are a people who are active in God’s presence, and anticipate the fullness of His Resurrection and the Light which illumines all of creation.

In the spirit of anticipation, I use this forum to wish you a Merry Christmas and a joyful Nativity. I invite you to experience the fullness of the season by participating in as many services as possible. Yes, this is a busy time of year. But I absolutely guarantee, that if your focus your anticipation in the right direction, your experience of spiritual fulfillment will be exponentially rewarded and increased.

Recapture the magic. Christ is to be Born! Glorify Him!

The zeal of the Lord of hosts HAS performed this!

With Much Love in Christ,
Fr. Anthony

This Week, we warmly and enthusiastically welcome His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver and Dn. Paul Zaharas, Metropolis Chancellor. This weekend, please join us in worship for:

The Conception of the Theotokos by St. Anna (A Parish Feast)
Saturday, December 9th
Orthros, 9:30 am
Divine Liturgy, 10:30 am

Resurrectional Great Vespers
Saturday, December 9th
5:00 pm
His Eminence Presiding

Hierarchical Divine Liturgy
Sunday, December 10th
Orthros, 9:15 am
Divine Liturgy, 10:15 am
His Eminence Celebrating

This is a blessed and important weekend in the spiritual life of the community. Come, let us greet and receive the blessing from our beloved Hierarch, Shepherd and Father.

St. Basil the Great: On Giving Thanks to the Creator

As you take your seat at table, pray. As you lift the loaf, offer thanks to the Giver. When you sustain your bodily weakness with wine, remember Him Who supplies you with this gift, to make your heart glad and to comfort your infirmity. Has your need for taking food passed away? Let not the thought of your Benefactor pass away too. As you are putting on your tunic, thank the Giver of it. As you wrap your cloak about yourself feel yet greater love to God, Who alike in summer and in winter has given us coverings convenient for us, at once to preserve our life, and to cover what is unseemly. Is the day done? Give thanks to Him Who has given us the sun for our daily work, and has provided for us a fire to light up the night, and to serve the rest of the needs of life. Let night give the other occasion of prayer. When thou look up to heaven and gaze at the beauty of the stars, pray to the Lord of the visible world; pray to God the Arch-artificer of the universe, Who in wisdom hath made them all. When you see all nature sunk in sleep, then again worship Him Who gives us even against our wills release from the continuous strain of toil, and by a short refreshment restores us once again to the vigor of our strength. Let not night herself be all, as it were, the special and peculiar property of sleep. Let not half thy life be useless through the senselessness of slumber. Divide the time of night between sleep and prayer. Nay, let your slumbers be themselves experiences in piety; for it is only natural that our sleeping dreams should be for the most part echoes of the anxieties of the day. As have been our conduct and pursuits, so will inevitably be our dreams. Thus pray without ceasing; so your life be made one ceaseless and uninterrupted prayer.”
+ St. Basil the Great, from Homily V. In Martyrem Julittam, quoted in the Prolegomena in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers Series II Volume 8

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful , unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid such people!” – 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Did you read the above quote? Did any, one thing on that long list of unpleasant attributes strike a chord within you? Can we identify any of those traits within ourselves? How frightening it is, if we can, since St. Timothy explicitly demands that we “avoid such people.” How can I avoid myself? I follow me around everywhere! What to do?!?

For me, I suppose the answer can be found, walking the sprawling, dirt-covered pathways of the Plimoth Plantation (spelled correctly) in Plymouth, MA (also spelled correctly). This picturesque, living history museum allows people to experience a Pilgrim village from the 1,600’s and an actual Wampanoag Tribe homesite. In other words, this place brings the ideals, visions and concepts of Thanksgiving Day to a blessed reality. Only a few miles away from Plymouth Rock, the Plantation literally sends you back in time.

The people who interact with visitors in the Pilgrim Village are character actors; dressing, speaking and “living” as people did upon reaching the blesses shores of our budding nation. The people in the Wampanoag Homesite are actual men and women of the Tribe. They are dressed in traditional clothing of the period, but they are not actors. Its and amazing place and I’ve been there, too many times to count.

As Americans, we have Thanksgiving Day as a National Holiday, dedicated to the recognition of gratitude. We may all have thoughts in our minds of what the first Thanksgiving Day may have looked like, there in the Massachusetts woods. Norman Rockwell paintings and elementary school programs put certain thoughts in our minds. These images give way to fall colors, basted turkeys, blustery days, football games and over indulgences. This is the modern and secular dynamic of celebrating Thanksgiving.

As Orthodox Christians, we have the opportunity, with every reception of the holy Mystery of Communion to be bathed in the concept of giving thanks unto God. We do not require a National Day of Recognition to understand the necessity of a thankful heart. We realize that God is worthy of our thanks. He is deserving of our praise. He is justified as the Giver of every gift, the Sustainer of every life and the Benefactor of every blessing. We have all we need to understand, submit, glorify and rest assuredly in His glory.

But then, there is St. Timothy’s pesky list of qualities that are less than desirable before God. And I believe, the chief among them is he who is unthankful.

The wicked is unthankful.
The godless is unthankful.
The rebel before Christ is unthankful.
The arrogant and unrepentant sinner is unthankful.
The blasphemer of the Holy Spirit is unthankful.

As we approach the day that was given to our Nation as an opportunity to reflect, pray, entreat and appeal, I invite all of us to be reminded of all that has, and will be given to us. Thanksgiving is not a day, it is a quality. It is a definitive trait of the Christian heart and it is the translator of God’s grace.

Go ahead, live in the fanciful and romanticized depiction of Pilgrims and Native Americans sharing a meal, shaking hands and living as one. This is the Thanksgiving of our youth. There is no need to abandon this image completely – especially since most lessons we learned as kids are fading away quickly – Christopher Columbus was a bad guy who did nothing like what we learned or sung about, and Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb. We’ll leave the Pilgrims alone.

But by all means, and in everyway, make Thanksgiving a daily, prayerful exercise. Practice gratitude. Humble ourselves before God. Partake of the Mysteries and in all things, give thanks.

Enjoy the blessings of Thanksgiving Day. They will sustain, inspire and guide us. In gratitude, I remain,

In Christ’s Love,

Fr. Anthony

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Thank you for your recent participation in our Parish Assembly, this past Sunday. It is critically important that we come together as a community and pray, discuss, deliberate and move on the administrative issues which help to organize and govern our parish. I thank you for your patience in what turned out to be a long meeting, filled with many important topics.

Please keep in mind, today and always, that every parish assembly, every parish council meeting, every ministry organization, every social gathering, every outreach project, every outing, every opportunity we take, to assemble as a St. Anna family, will always be connected to the Altar. We are a people of faith, connected by the fruits of the Holy Spirit and the ministering grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This week’s Bulletin is filled with a myriad of activities and services. As we continue to “come down to earth,” with the closing of one real estate chapter, and the anticipation of all that the good Lord has in mind for us, let us be filled with our love for one another, and grounded in the spiritual principles which led to the creation of our parish.

Notably, we have on our schedule, our Gala, to be held on December 9th. This is intended to be a family celebration of all that has been accomplished by our work with the Capital Campaign. It is not intended as a fund raiser, but rather an opportunity to give thanks to our parish for all that’s been done in 2017. In the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver, and in commemoration of one of the Feasts of St. Anna, the Conception of the Theotokos, we have much to celebrate. Please join us!

Thank you for your continued love and prayers towards our parish and let us look to 2018 for all that is to come, unto the glory of God and for the benefit of His faithful.

Much Love in Christ,
Fr. Anthony

PLEASE REMEMBER:

ORTHODOX MARRIED LIFE MEETS THIS EVENING AT 7:00 PM.

PLEASE SUPPORT THE WOMEN’S MINISTRY TEAM HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE, TOMORROW IN THE STM GYM

GOYA MEETS NEXT TUESDAY AT THE HOME OF STAR DANNER. THE ADDRESS IS IN THE BULLETIN.

PRAY FOR OUR VETERANS. GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Please read the following statement from our St. Anna Capital Campaign Chairmen (SACC) concerning the future goals of our parish. Much has been written, stated and even preached about their group’s activities during the past several months. As we return our focus to the initial goals that our Parish Assembly has established, the words of our SACC leaders resonate with wisdom, love, faith, commitment and steadfastness. I offer my prayers unto their success; for their achievements are our collective steps forward. God bless their work, your hearts and our entire community. Enjoy…

St. Anna Capital Campaign
3015 Creek Road
Cottonwood Heights, Utah
November 1, 2017

Dear Fellow Parishioners,
Much has transpired in the month since our last letter to the parish on September 28, 2017. It appears the Atrium opportunity is no longer a viable option, in spite of the brilliant and diligent efforts of our Real Estate Ministry Team, led by Chuck Karpakis, Joe Sasich and Fr. Anthony and the support and leadership of our Parish Council. In his weekly letter last week, Fr. Anthony addressed the circumstances that led us to the conclusion that an acceptable deal could not be reached on the Atrium. This will be discussed in more detail at the Parish Assembly this Sunday.

Notwithstanding our collective disappointment that the Atrium appears to be off the table, we learned a great deal and saw positive results, such as a surge in donations, pledges, anticipation, and excitement. We also came to some practical realizations. As people do when their best efforts produce a disappointing result, we’ve asked ourselves questions about what we could have done better. In our excitement, did we put too much stock in the verbal assurances of the property’s owner? Could we have been more prepared? Have we presented our St. Anna Capitl Campaign (SACC) vision adequately and correctly to our parishioners and prospective donors? Are our parish goals realistic and attainable at this time? Is it truly the will of our parish to pursue a new home?
Can we really raise the necessary funds?

We’ve worked very hard to give every parishioner an opportunity to learn about our SACC goals, either at the 8 intimate dining events this past summer, by phone campaigns, weekly bulletin notes, at in-home meetings, or simply by word of mouth. When talking to those who haven’t made a commitment yet, we’ve heard that many have simply forgotten to make a pledge, some are still thinking about it, some would like to but don’t think they can afford it, and a very, very, very few never intend to make a pledge.

Our latest reports show that we have $1,186,693 in Total Commitments. $800,813 is Cash on Hand and $359,384 is Total Pledges Receivable in the next few years. This is about 40% of our $3,000,000 target. Only 91 steward units out of almost 200 have made pledges. These 91 donors to date represent about 45% of our entire parish, meaning 55% have not yet pledged. These results are impressive and represent prayerful and generous sacrifice by those who have made a pledge. As we are extremely grateful for their efforts. Nonetheless, we hoped and anticipated that we would be much farther ahead in reaching our two primary goals as we near the end of this year. First and most importantly, having 100% participation by our parishioners, and secondly, reaching our $3,000,000 pledge goal.

The only way to know if we are truly committed to these goals as a parish is to receive pledge cards or donations from every single parishioner. Without that information, we can’t establish a realistic path forward. We must be able to know when and what resources are available, both currently and in the coming years.
When another opportunity comes up, and it will, it will probably require bank financing. Any lender will want to be assured that virtually 100% of parishioners are committed, regardless of the amount pledged. We will most likely need to service some debt so we welcome pledges that will be due in coming years to assist in making those payments.

The questions posed in the second paragraph of this note need to be answered by each of us individually, and collectively as a parish. Receiving pledge cards from everyone is the only way we will be truly prepared for the next opportunity. If you’ve forgotten to send in your pledge, do so right now. If you are still thinking about it, please make a prayerful decision sooner rather than later. If you don’t think you can afford it, make a commitment that works for you and extend it into the future to assist in future debt service. There are very, very few people who can’t change one or two little things in their normal routine and save enough to make a small commitment. The gesture is equally important as the amount.

Our intent is not to lecture or chastise anyone. Please forgive us if this letter sounds that way. We simply want to make sure our efforts are in harmony with the will and capabilities of our beloved parish. In the middle of December, about six weeks hence, we will make an evaluation based on all pledge cards received, and those results will determine how we proceed in 2018. Our firm belief is that those results will drive us forward as God continues to guide us to our ultimate home. But please help us by making sure we have the most complete information available in making these important decisions.

Thank you and God Bless St. Anna’s and all of us.

Bill Souvall & RaJean Higginson
St. Anna Capital Campaign Co-Chairpersons

PLEASE REMEMBER:

THIS SUNDAY IS OUR OBSERVANCE OF VETERANS DAY. PLEASE COME TO HONOR THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED OUR NATION. WITH SACRIFICE AND HONOR.

THIS SUNDAY IS OUR FALL PARISH ASSEMBLY. PLEASE COME AND LEND YOUR VOICE TO THE GOVERNANCE OF OUR BLESSED PARISH. YOUR PARISH!

THIS SUNDAY, 2018 STEWARDSHIP PACKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE. PLEASE FULFILL YOUR 2017 STEWARDSHIP AND PRAYERFULLY CONTINUE YOUR SUPPORT.

THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU, ALWAYS!

The Fourth Friday of Every Month are our St. Anna Parish Family Nights.

Tonight is our Family Night!

Friday, October 27th, 2017 at 7:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall

Call it a Halloween Party if you can. A Costume Party if you must. A Fall Harvest Festival if you really must…

But no matter what you call it…

Join us for an enjoyable evening of Halloween/Costume/Harvest Fellowship.

Pizza!
Root Beer!
Pop Corn!
Fun!

Please bring some candy for the kids.
Please, don’t bring inappropriate, gory, evil or scary costumes.

Remember, St. Anna Family Nights are for our Parish Family – come with six kids, come with no kids. No wife, no husband, no problem!

Please join us!

Thank you to Barbara Hillas for chairing St. Anna Family Nights.

God Bless!

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13

Dearly Beloved in the Lord,

Praying you are well on this beautiful evening, I share with you some news that many of you will find regretful, but for all of us, we trust in God’s ways and His wisdom. As you know, for several months now, our parish has been embarking on a journey that would allow us to purchase an existing property to establish a permanent home for our St. Anna parish. The building in Sandy, Utah that we have referred to as the “Atrium Property” was identified in late July as a viable solution to our real estate needs. As we had already begun a Capital Campaign in search of property upon which to build, the knowledge of this available land and structure seemed to be a near perfect fit. And indeed it was.

Was.

As of today, after weeks of negotiations and discussions with the owner of the Atrium, we were unable to come to a viable solution for both seller and buyer. I, together with our parish council and appropriate committees would not have spoken so highly and enthusiastically of this opportunity, were we not assured that it was the right move for us, and that the sellers were actually engaged in the processes with us. In the end, our parish leadership simply could not comply with the sellers’ ultimate conditions, by which a transaction could be completed.

Your St. Anna leadership always came to the table of these negotiations with the best interest of each parishioner in mind, and with the desire to serve God in every word, action or intention. Negotiations for this property halted hastily and at the very end of the process. Our final offer was not accepted and no counter was offered.

In the blink of an eye, it was over. Hours upon hours of time, energy and prayer ended with a short email message, indicating what I’ve just told you.

Scripture tells us, in instances such as these, to learn from the process, identify the blessings and press on. We press on towards the prize which is a life in Christ. We press on with faith, enthusiasm, convictions, character and the knowledge that we did our best to serve the needs of our parish and we did it in an open, honest and honorable fashion.

We began the efforts of working towards a home for our parish, well before the Atrium came to our attention. We will allow the happenings of these days to resonate within the hearts of the people involved in this transaction, and within the prayers of our entire community. We came together beautifully during this process. Many, many people caught a vision, responded with generosity and support. This building will not be the only opportunity that will be presented before us.

God has a plan. We have a purpose. The blessings, we pray, will continue.

We’re going to chill for a little bit. There are some who believe that the time to identify another property is now, and that we must press on with immediacy and with the same levels of dynamic enthusiasm. There are others who feel that we should now take pause, allow for a breather, and let the process come to us, at this point. For myself, I feel that both of these approaches are equally valuable, and are mutually agreeable.

Our real estate ministry team and our capital campaign committee will re-group immediately. There is no “break” to be had for the leaders of our blessed community. But we will not come to the parish with any one, specific property or possibility for a little while, at least.

To be sure, we thought we had a workable deal. We did not. We are sort of exhausted and a little disappointed. We aren’t going to rush into anything. God provided our last engagement as a learning opportunity to gain experience, discernment, patience and wisdom, as He watches us grow, mature and develop. I have to believe that our motivations and actions were well-pleasing to Him. We entered into this experience in prayer and were continually sustained by the same. There are lessons to be learned and blessings to be gratefully received.

The need for proper and larger space has not changed. Our desire to fulfill the spiritual and sacramental needs of God’s faithful has not diminished. Our focus on Christ Jesus has not wavered.

We, as a parish, will now re-direct our energies and efforts elsewhere; while keeping our eyes set on Him. St. Anna will continue to guide and protect us. The Theotokos and all the Saints will continue to intercede for us. The abundant and life-pouring energies of the Eucharist will continue to sustain us.

The reasons that this did not happen will one day, be revealed to us. When something comes our way that is infinitely better and abundantly, more suitable, we will be in a stronger position to react and further down the road of financial preparation. That said, I share a few, final thoughts:

I am grateful for the generosity and involvement of all who contributed in any way and in any amount to our Capital Campaign. Your vanguard participation will forever be appreciated.

I am grateful for the prayers, good will and enthusiasm of all who shared in our vision of fortifying our efforts to minister to the faithful and to glorify God through this process.

I am grateful for the leaders of our parish council, real estate committee and capital campaign committee who steered this effort with the best of our collective ability and who demonstrated integrity and character throughout the process. To the sellers of this building, we were an open book and an open heart.

I am grateful for the many volunteers who chaired events and who worked in the trenches of every gathering; both large and small. Your efforts are not wasted. We still have work to do and a future to fortify.

I am grateful for our Women’s Ministry Team, in particularly, who lead by example, sacrifice and the love of Christ in their collective and individual souls.

I am grateful for many people, and many leaders, but specifically, Chuck Karpakis, Joe Sasich and Dr. Charles Beck. As the leaders of the real estate committee and as our parish council president. these men, these Brothers in Christ, served our interests well and with firm conviction, grounded in God’s precious commandments. These are truly, beautiful men.

I am grateful for the process itself. It was a good thing to pray about and prepare for the future generations of our young and Spirit-filled parish. It was a good thing to set goals and to work towards them. It was a good thing to stretch, grow and learn. And we’ll do it again. Perhaps we’ll have other disappointments. Perhaps even setbacks. But we’ll apply what we learn and press on.

I am grateful for our loving Lord who continues to nurture us and to sustain us. For our Matron Saint Anna and for her precious daughter, I am most thankful.

I am grateful for you all.

No doubt, there will be many people with many questions in the coming days. I’ve answered most of them, if not all of them with this writing. We will re-focus and re-group. We will not re-purpose or re-direct. Our goals haven’t changed. Our purpose has not altered.

The only thing that’s changed is our future address.

With Much Love in Christ,
Fr. Anthony

Dearly Beloved in the Lord,

Please find attached this week’s Bulletin. I pray that you receive it with the richest of blessings upon your household. Your Parish Council, Capital Campaign Committee, and Real Estate Committee have one simple message for you:

St. Anna’s is close, and we mean very close, to having the funds that will enable us to acquire a permanent church home. Given what we have already collected (thank you and bless you), and what we will have the ability to finance (Given Parish Assembly Approval at our November Meeting), we are in need of only $160,000 by year’s end.

Our parish has responded with immediacy, vision, love and a desire to fortify our future. We will provide our children with a house of worship that will not burden them financially. We will give them, and all future generations a church home, having done so with fiscal responsibility and providing them with a myriad of options to grow and enrich their church. We will have seen God’s promise to them fulfilled. We will fulfilled our sacred obligations to Him, the Theotokos, and to her mother, our precious St. Anna.

Only $160,000 and we are on our way.

If you have yet to participate, I prayerfully implore you to be part of the group that will put us over the top.

If you have pledged your support, I prayerfully ask you to consider moving up the date of fulfilling your pledge, and perhaps increasing if possible.

I ask you to continue praying about our task at hand, the vital importance of its cause and the sacred responsibility we have been blessed to receive.

And finally, I humbly remind us all, me included, that as we approach the conclusion of the year, that our Stewardship commitment be fulfilled, and that our support of our church into next year will be as vibrant and Spirit-filled as we have illustrated in the past. Rest assured, we are not asking for more, just the same level of enthusiastic participation.

We have been blessed beyond measure. We have worked diligently and honorably for the sake of the Kingdom and to spread the message of Salvation through the abundant traditions of Orthodox Christianity. We have answered the call. We are so incredibly close to achieving more than was ever thought possible in a remarkably short period of time. Let us continue that course.

We know what needs to be done. Let’s do this.

With Much Love in Christ,
Fr. Anthony