Diocesan Life St. Gregory’s - Wappingers Falls Spring/ Summer 2015
Philip Durniak, John Czukkermann, Josyf Hayda, & Mark Durniak
St. Gregory parish is a regional one – members come from several counties, numerous municipalities, and school systems. Not a “village church,” it was never connected to just one ethnic group. In fact, the founders wrote into their by-laws that the language of the services, of all other activities was the language of the land – English. This said, members come from at least two dozen ethnic and church backgrounds, so it is truly an “ecumenical” community. And, in recent years, St. Gregory’s has been committed to outreach, to helping those in need in the communities around. First and foremost, this means the neighborhoods where members live – in Dutchess, Orange, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Ulster counties. But it also has meant The Preparing Eggs Lunch Box, the free cafeteria or “soup kitchen,” linked to Dutchess Outreach, and located in a former Catholic school in downtown Poughkeepsie, NY. Funds from our Christmas Food Fair, where home made foods, including stuffed cabbage, pirogi, baked goods, soups, craft items are sold at the start of December, are given to local philanthropic agencies. The Lunch Box is one of these, and parish support enabled the purchase of a commercial freezer, among other items. In the photo, parish members serve a hot lunch also prepared by them, this done several times a year. Not only our young people, but all of us at St. Gregory have learned ways in which to be of service to brothers and sisters in need. v
Continued from page 14 Finally, there were the rest of us who have come to know and love him. Each of these groups represents overlapping periods of his life that remind him not only of his spiritual roots, but of continued friendships, support, the overcoming of difficulties, and the power of Christ’s love for us. He spoke of St. Michael’s parish as his “Hagia Sophia.” This is not for its physical resemblance to the great church in Constantinople, but because like the representatives of Prince Vladimir it was where he was first overwhelmed by the experience of the Church as “heaven on earth.” Vladika Michael likes to remind us to “share our story.” It was intriguing to view all of these components of his story in one place because, as he shares the details and encounters of his own life to an ever-growing audience, he is himself renewed in the retelling.
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One final aspect of the day took place during the Divine Liturgy where in his sermon Archbishop Michael presented the areas where, based on all that this day represented to him and to us, he feels our Diocese should direct its attention and energy.
Here are the areas that he would like us to move forward with him: 1. Church Attendance: We must teach our faithful to love the divine services and grow the active membership of our parishes. 2. Our Youth: We need to teach our youth the importance and relevance of the Orthodox Faith in their lives. 3. Vocations: We must encourage vocations, as the number of priests and deacons to shepherd and serve the flock is never enough. 4. Stewardship: We must encourage a greater giving of time, talent and treasure to strengthen the health of our parishes. 5. Parish Growth: We must reach out and minister to those outside our Church, who are being led to Orthodoxy by the Holy Spirit. This day of reflection and celebration offers us both the historical review of Archbishop Michael’s life and work and the opportunity to surge forward with him in a cooperative effort of what still is necessary and possible to be done. v
