BURBANK, IL [DOM Communications] –The Coronavirus has been in full force for the past several weeks, challenging our parishes during this trying time. During this season of Great Lent, when most Orthodox Christians are attending services and convening for different parish activities, communities throughout the country are now empty in order to promote safety and slow the spread of the virus.
This has created a unique challenge for communities and clergy who minister to them. Many parishes have streamed services and taken to chat rooms to engage in “virtual coffee hour.” Clergy are actively ministering to their faithful by providing prayers, readings, online counseling, and even recording sermons for their faithful to view on different platforms.
In that same spirit, Bishop Paul and the diocesan administration have also taken extra measures to care for the clergy by setting up virtual meetings for them to gather. “The meeting is to be informational from the Bishop to his clergy regarding the current situation and possible moves forward. It will also give the clergy an opportunity to voice reasonable concerns to the Bishop and/or express their feelings, anxiety” said Archpriest John Zdinak, Chancellor of the Diocese of the Midwest. Father John continued, “We have been thinking of ways to help our clergy fight the feeling of isolation, and given the size of the diocese, these virtual meetings will provide the best opportunities to do so.”
The meetings will take place on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week and be held by each deanery. Father John said the meeting will last approximately two hours. The schedule is as follows:
Wednesday – Detroit Deanery, 10:00 A.M., Chicago Deanery, 1:00 P.M.
Thursday – Cleveland Deanery, 10:00 A.M., Kansas Deanery, 1:00 P.M.
Friday – Indianapolis Deanery, 10:00 A.M., Minneapolis Deanery, 1:00 P.M.
Clergy and faithful are encouraged to continue to view the “Coronavirus Resource Page” for the latest announcements and updates.
