Bishop Paul visits St. Stephen Church, Crawfordsville, IN
CRAWFORDSVILLE, IN [MW Diocese Communications] — His Grace, Bishop Paul, was warmly welcomed by Priest Joel Weir and the faithful of Saint Stephen the First Martyr Church here as he made his first archpastoral visit to the parish on the weekend of October 9-11, 2015.
“In addition to spending time getting to know the faithful of Saint Stephen’s and serving Divine Liturgy, His Grace participated in a number of events that highlighted our parish life, youth activities, and the ongoing work of outreach and ministry among our parish’s members,” said Father Joel.
On Saturday, Bishop Paul visited Achaius Ranch, a ministry founded and run by members of Saint Stephen’s.
“Achaius Ranch offers regular free sessions for children and families to interact and work with neglected, abused, and unwanted horses, for which the ranch provides refuge,” said Father Joel. “His Grace toured the ranch and participated in its annual blessing. Afterwards, the children of the community enjoyed ‘lunch with the bishop’ at the ranch and had an opportunity to ask him questions.”
On Saturday evening, Bishop Paul attended Vespers at Saint Stephen’s. The clergy and faithful of Holy Transfiguration Church [American Carpatho-Russian Diocese] also participated. Pizza and an informal question and answer session followed.
Bishop Paul celebrated the Sunday Divine Liturgy, during which Father Joel was awarded the kamilavka. He also presided at the inaugural blessing of the recently finished Saint Maria House, a space dedicated as a hub for youth meetings and community outreach activities.
“Bishop Paul also prayed for soldiers who will receive care packages from Blue Star Mothers,” Father Joel added.
A pot luck dinner, which provided a wonderful time of fellowship and informal discussion with Bishop Paul, rounded out the weekend.
A photo gallery of the event can be viewed here.
