My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Soon we will celebrate the feast day of our parish. By God’s Grace, we have worked diligently to be a witness of Orthodox Christianity in the area. We have labored together to care for each other and our beloved parish. We have confronted struggles with our faith at the forefront striving for what is most beneficial to the parish. In the end, as we remember the past accomplishments and struggles or look to the future, the unified voice of the Holy Fathers must be our guide.

With the Transfiguration, we witness human nature meeting God with Christ connecting heaven with earth. Peter, James and John hear the words of God the Father, “this is my beloved son, listen to him” identifying Christ as His messenger and mouthpiece. They witness Christ, His face shining as the sun and his garments becoming white as light, something never seen by them before. They found themselves in the presence of the Divine Light of God falling to the ground in fear. At the Dormition, the one who accepted God’s plan for her without reservation is perfected in peace.

Unity dispels confusion whereas division breeds confusion. In celebrating our parish feast we are reminded that if we unite in faith and cause, we can accomplish great things. Most importantly, the great things we accomplish we do so not for our glory but for His Glory continuing His salvific message.

May the upcoming fast period be spiritually rewarding, peaceful and prayerful. I pray that as we approach our parish feast day, we do so with the unifying voice of the Fathers in mind.

In His Service,

+Fr. Mario