Bishop Paul issues letter to parish clergy concerning OCF’s “First Forty Days Initiative”
CHICAGO, IL [MW Diocese Communications] — In a letter to all parish rectors and priests-in-charge dated June 7, 2016, His Grace, Bishop Paul requested active participation in the “First 
Forty Days Initiative,” conducted annually by the national Orthodox Christian Fellowship.
“Seeking to reverse the trend of loss of faith so prevalent among our young people, OCF has just launched its fifth year of the ‘First Forty Days Initiative’ — a program designed to help your parish’s high school graduates seamlessly join the OCF network by integrating them into the life of an OCF chapter during the first forty days of their college experience,” writes Bishop Paul. “It is critical to personally contact every first-year Orthodox college student so that they know that an Orthodox family awaits them on campus. Research has shown that most college students build the habits and peer groups they will maintain for their entire college career in the first six weeks of their freshman year. The Church must be here for them during this critical time.”
The text of Bishop Paul’s letter may be accessed and downloaded here.
The continuation of the Orthodox Campus Commission, established by the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas in the 1960s, OCF today is the official campus ministry organization of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA. Visit the OCF web site here.
