June 2004

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Fr. Antony PortraitChrist is in our midst!

Our parishioners have been working hard to make the coming Parish Life Conference a success. The rooms are nearly all booked. Attendance will be high. The worship services, festivals, meetings and workshops planned should provide everyone with something worthwhile to do. The social events have been well-planned and should be fun for all members of the family.

We are particularly pleased as His Grace Bishop JOSEPH of the Western Region will be presiding over the conference. He is a spiritual man, a man of prayer and a wonderful bishop. If you have not met him, I hope you will avail yourself of this opportunity.

Parish Life Conferences are events meant to bring the Body of Christ in our Archdiocesan regions together to work, pray and play for the good of the Church. The center of the conferences is liturgical prayer. Since our life as Orthodox Christians revolves around the Eucharist, it is appropriate that we gather at the New England Region Parish Life Conference with the Lord Jesus Christ as our focus. If we do, then we can expect to experience His grace and presence in new and life-transforming ways.

I encourage all of our parishioners to volunteer to help at the Conference. We need you! Most of all, I hope you will attend and participate. Even if you do not have a room, you can drive down for the day or evening. Plymouth is not far! If you have questions, please do not hesitate to ask Mary Winstanley O'Connor, Diane Mabardi, and member of teh Conference Committee, the Parish Council, or me.

In Christ,

Fr. Antony Hughes