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Bp. Thomas Visits St. Mary Church, Hunt Valley, MD

image003 The blessings of the Feast of Saints Peter & Paul were indeed many as the weekend was graced by the visit of Bishop THOMAS. He arrived on Friday with Subdeacon Simeon, a seminarian at St. Tikhon’s. Over dinner with the Parish Council, Sayidna spoke of serious matters with wisdom and also entertained the members with his wealth of delightful stories.

His Grace had a busy Saturday beginning with a luncheon in his honor hosted by the Ladies Society. The delicious food fed our bodies while our souls were nourished and uplifted by the Bishop’s inspirational talk before lunch and his laughter-producing tales during dessert.

At Great Vespers Sayidna spoke of the miracles that were happening at our parish. Growth has taken place in many areas since our Pastor, Fr. Theodoros Daoud, came to shepherd us less than three years ago. The Sunday School, Teen Soyo, and the Choir are all flourishing. Most importantly, the weekly services of the Paraklesis, Great Vespers, Orthros, and the Divine Liturgy are securely in place. Fr. Theodoros is a spiritual father who encourages his children to come regularly to Confession and Communion.

Saturday dinner was held at the home of the Parish Council chairman and attended by the members of the Festival and Building Committees. This year's Festival was a great success. One of the highlights was St. Mary’s own Dabke Troupe – teens and college students – who performed their beautifully-costumed dances for Sayidna before he left for dinner. The Building Committee has been busy preparing for the Groundbreaking of our new church that we hope will occur this fall.

Sunday morning the Hierarchical Liturgy was glorious and included an inspiring homily by his Grace. His presence during lunch was an added blessing. Many years, Master!

 

-Submitted by our brethren at St. Marys