The Spiral Shape of Archbishop Michael's Episcopal Ministry

Celebrating the First Five Years

by Fr. John Shimchick

The 5th Anniversary of Archbishop Michael’s consecration as our Diocesan hierarch took place on Saturday, May 9, 2015. It began with a Divine Liturgy served at St. John the Baptist Church, Passaic, New Jersey and included a reception at The Brownstone in Paterson. While recalling an event that took place at Jersey City in 2010, it is fair to say his ministry could be described both as moving in a linear direction and yet as following the reoccurring path of a spiral, which moves outward, returns in, and then moves even farther out, repeating elements while encompassing and adding photo by John Savastinuk more and more.

This was clear at the reception as he described how the assembled guests represented important phases of his life. At a family table were his mother, Ann Dahulich, his sister, Barbara Dahulich Knighton, and his childhood friend and fellow seminary student, Fr. James Dutko, with his wife, Pani Kathy. Fr. James is now the pastor of Vladika’s home parish, St. Michael’sCarpatho-Russian Church, Binghamton, New York. He is also the son of Vladika’s initial mentor, Fr. Stephen Dutko, who had been St. Michael’s pastor as Vladikawas growing up. Other guests at this table included: Theresa Slovesko Koast, of St. Michael’s Church and Protodeacon Peter Skoog and daughter, Marija, of Holy Trinity OCA Church in Pottstown, Pennsylvania (his former deacon). Present also were administrators and students from St. Tikhon’s Seminary, where he has served as dean, professor, and now rector. Some of these students now serve as clergy in our Diocese.

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.

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.