Pastor’s Points of Light –Vol. 54:9

Year of Church and Home

W Christ in our Hearts  W    cccccccccccc

               W Christ in our Homes W    

Dear faithful,

I have been asked on many occasions, “what was it that made you go into the priesthood”? Although the right answer is the urgings of the Holy Spirit, I can say without a doubt that I learned about faith, about Armenian Christianity and tradition first, in the home and then in the church.  Yes, it was my family that taught me to love, to believe, to think, to trust, to serve and to learn.  They set the tone and the example.  Their devotion and Christian stewardship and the spirit of servitude with a posture of love, respect and humility before God and before His people inspired me and produced a living understanding of the joy of being in a committed relationship with the Lord and His Church.  The value of Chrisitan parenting is eternal.  I know from experience how essential is the impact of parents on the formation of their children not only as noble citizens in society, but as citizens of God’s Kingdom.

I lost my dad at the end of August but cherish his memory not only for the love and devotion that he had for his family, but for the love and devotion he had for the Lord Jesus and for His Church.    We mourn his loss but take great comfort in knowing that he lived the good life, fought the good fight and lived his life for the Lord.  In death as in life he lived to the Lord and he left a great legacy which we can strive to follow.  For my Dad, every year was the Year of Church and Home.

My dad loved this parish and considered it part of his own and enjoyed his visits to St. Mary. On behalf of my family, I want to thank everyone who shared their love and their friendship with him.  The many kind donations in his memory have been applied to the Building Fund.

In Christ’s love, I remain prayerfully,

Der Shnork