Beloved Clergy and Faithful of the Diocese of Chicago and the Midwest,
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!
Christ is Risen!
I greet you with joy as we continue our forty-day celebration of Pascha. Today marks the first anniversary of the falling-asleep of my venerable and beloved predecessor, Archbishop PAUL of blessed memory. The joyous shouts proclaiming Christ’s victory over sin and death resound a bit more directly for us today, as we recall that His Eminence reposed in the early morning hours of Holy Pascha. As his flock was celebrating the joy of Pascha, Archbishop Paul was experiencing the Resurrection in a personal and intimate way. Even as his beloved clergy and
faithful were praying for him and celebrating the victory of the Resurrection, he was being called from this life to eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven, freed from the fetters and bonds of life in the world.
Divine Liturgy was celebrated this morning at Holy Trinity Cathedral with clergy and faithful from throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. Also this morning, the Michigan Deanery clergy, led by the local Dean, Father Dusan Koprivica, offered memorial prayers at the Archbishop’s grave, located in the cemetery of Holy Dormition Monastery, Rives Junction, MI. Due to the size of our far-flung Diocese, it is not possible for everyone to be present for these memorial prayers. However, I invite to join me in prayer today, giving thanks to God for the archpastoral ministry of His Servant Archbishop PAUL and for the many ways in which he touched your lives in his years of service as Archpastor of Christ’s flock in the Diocese of the Midwest. May his memory be eternal!
With love in the Risen Lord,
+Archbishop Daniel
