Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Hieromartyr Zenobius & Martyr Zenobia
№. 166
ARCHPASTORAL MESSAGE
REGARDING DIOCESAN DEPARTMENTS
Very Reverend and Reverend Fathers, Brothers and Sisters,
Glory to Jesus Christ!
The recent Diocesan Assembly held at St. Nicholas Church in Mogadore, Ohio was a very uplifting and encouraging gathering for the clergy and faithful who attended and also for me personally, as I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in our worship, discussions, deliberations, and fellowship.
When we gather each year for the Assembly, we are given an opportunity to pray, reflect, and discern to what good works our Lord Jesus Christ is calling us to in our diocese—both collectively and in each parish, bearing witness to the Holy Gospel.
I am encouraged by the enthusiasm and willingness expressed during our gathering to renew our commitment to accepting the Great Commission as our life’s primary responsibility. The work before us is significant and requires a proper order and plan to grow our parishes and the diocese.
One of the highlights of our recent Assembly was the presentation of an organizational plan to strengthen our shared efforts in specific areas of parish life: evangelization, charitable service, education, music, liturgics, and the support of our clergy and clergy families. This plan, adopted by those gathered at the Assembly, will benefit your parish and your parish’s local programs in these vital areas of Christian witness.
In the coming month, my office and our Diocesan Chancellor, Archpriest Herman Kincaid, are appointing qualified individuals to lead and staff each department, so that by Friday, November 15, I will be able to provide you with our initial plan and short-term goals for working in the Lord’s vineyard locally and at the diocesan level.
Prior to November 15, the representatives from your parish who attended the Assembly should be sharing information about the organizational plan to raise awareness and lead discussions to identify the needs of your parish in each area, so we can work together to strengthen our witness to the Holy Orthodox Faith.
As part of the role of the departments, our diocesan website will serve as a central hub for the sharing of ideas and information, so we can work wisely within our resources in collaborative and efficient ways from parishes to deaneries to the diocesan level.
I have stressed to those in my office the need for consistent and clear communication, so that we can work effectively, with realistic goals and objectives to make meaningful contributions for the growth of our diocese and parishes. Your involvement in these efforts is needed and appreciated, so that our diocesan departments facilitate the good order of the work given to us by Our Lord.
As your Archbishop, I offer my prayers to God each day for you, for your parish, and for every community in our diocese. I thank God for your current service in this vineyard and your future efforts to support the well-being and growth of Holy Orthodoxy throughout the Diocese of the Midwest.
May our Lord, Jesus Christ, always bless our common work and fellowship, and may our sacrifices, labors, and worship be acceptable offerings before His Throne of Glory.
With gratitude and love in Christ,
+DANIEL
Archbishop of Chicago and the Midwest
