December 5, 2011. Kyiv, Ukraine. Protopresbyter Valentyn Soroka, Pastor of the Parish of the Icon of Christ Not Made by Human Hands, has published a revised and expanded edition of his manual of instruction of the Orthodox faith. The manual is in Ukrainian and is available for downloading from the website of the parish: http://www.hramspasa.kiev.ua
November 5, 2011. Milwaukee, WI. After a fellowship at the skete of Solus Christi, several members of the monastic parish joined Abbot Sergiy Larin and Father Oleksandr Sys who served a Panakhyda at St. Adalbert Cemetery for the deceased of our jurisdiction, our deceased Bishops, clergy and monastics and for the family members of parishioners, according to Orthodox tradition on this Saturday of the Dead. May the memories of our beloved be eternal!
August 29, 2011. Kyiv, Ukraine. Congratulations to pastor, Protopresbyter Valentyn Sorokoa, the priests, deacons and parishioners of our Parish of the Icon of Christ Not Made by Human Hands who celebrated the anniversary of the consecration of this most active and dynamic parish.
July 17, 2011. Kyiv, Ukraine. The community in Kyiv joyfully celebrated the wedding of Subdeacon Volodymyr Soroka (son of Protopresbyter Valentyn Soroka) and his bride, Vera. May our Lord grant them many happy years.
May 22, 2011 - Missouri City, TX. Pani Matka Dorothy Ransom, beloved wife of Mitred Archpriest Clifford Ransom, fell asleep in the Lord earlier this morning, after a prolonged illness. Pani Matka Dorothy and Fr. Clif had been married since 1974. Funeral arrangements are still pending at this time. All Bishops and priests are asked to serve a Panakhyda for the repose of the soul of Pani Matka Dorothy today and on the ninth and fortieth days of her repose. Dorothy was a kind and loving person who, in her own words, considered life a most wonderful adventure. May the memory of Pani Matka Dorothy be eternal!
May 3, 2011 - Luts'k, Ukraine. We have just received word of the sudden death of His Excellency Archbishop Spyridon (Oleh) Babsky, retired Archbishop of Luts'k - Volyn, Ukraine. Vladyka Spyridon had been in poor health for the past several years and succombed to a stroke this past Sunday, May 1, 2011. Vladyka Spyridon was ordained a bishop on June 7, 1992 by then Metropolitan Filaret Denysenko and Bishop Jakiv Panchuk of the Kyiv Patriarchate (still under Patriarch Mstyslav). Vladyka Spyridon ordained Vladyka Ioan, Vladyka Chrysostomos and Vladyka Vsevolod as Bishops and held a most special place in their hearts. May the memory of Vladyka Spyridon be eternal!
May 2, 2011 - Missouri City, TX. The memoirs of our most beloved Mitred Archpriest Clifton Ransom, M.Th., JD, LL.M., Vicar for Judicial Affairs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America, have recently been published under the title: Uncertain Trumpet with an American Family History. This book is a must read, as it gives an insightful look into the human and priestly journey of a young Afro-American man hungry for God. These memoirs are dedicated to Father Clif's beloved Dorothy: "I would like to dedicate this work to my loving wife, Dorothy, who pulled me up when I was down and kept me going all these years." Father Clif's book can be ordered by going to the book's link:
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/uncertain-trumpet/15105721
April 24, 2011 - Milwaukee, WI. His Beatitude Metropolitan Ioan celebrated Holy Pascha at Solus Christi Skete with Fr. Archdeacon Sergiy Larin, Mitred Archpriest Oleksandr Sys and the faithful of the Monastic Parish of the Holy Resurrection.
April 24, 2011 - Kyiv, Ukraine. Christ is risen! Truely, He is risen! Heartfelt Paschal greetings from the faithful in Kyiv and Fathers Valentyn, Oleg, Sergiy, Oleksiy, Maxim, Mykolay, Fr. Deacon Oleksandr and Subdeacons Mykyta and Artemiy.
April 22, 2011 - Kyiv, Ukraine. Holy and Great Friday solemnly celebrated in Kyiv at our Parish of the Icon of Christ Not Made by Human Hands led by Father Valentyn assisted by Fathers Oleg, Sergiy, Oleksiy, Maxim, Mykolay, Fr. Deacon Oleksandr and Subdeacon Mykyta.
April 22, 2011 - Milwaukee, WI. Following Burial Vespers, Great and Holy Friday celebrations were followed by the Anointing of the Sick (Soborovanie) at Solus Christi Monastic Parish of the Holy Resurrection. Above, Father Oleksandr Sys and Father Archdeacon Sergiy Larin prepare the Plaschanitsa (Burial Shroud) for veneration by the Faithful. Pictured above, Diana is anointed by Vladyka Ioan while Natalia Lemping is shown being anointed by Father Oleksandr Sys.
April 17, 2011 - Milwaukee, WI. Parishioners of Solus Christi's Monastic Parish of The Holy Resurrection joyously celebrated Palm Sunday with Vladyka Ioan, Father Archdeacon Sergiy Larin and Father Oleksander Sys and began their journey toward Holy Week.
April 9, 2011 - Kyiv, Ukraine. Our community in Kyiv celebrated the Anointing of the Sick (Soborovanie) by the college of presbyters, Fathers Valentyn, Mykolay, Oleg, Sergiy and Oleksiy.
March 15, 2011 - Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
Our Archpriest Dr. Christopher Eriksson is a British citizen living in Toronto Canada. He grew up in a British-South African musical family in Sussex, England. His mother was an opera singer (Royal Academy of Music in London) and his father a clarinetist.
Fr. Christopher was attracted to the spiritual life as a teenager in England and Sweden, but decided first to go into science & medical research after obtaining his Ph.D from Imperial College in London. He has been a medical scientist at The Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, taught Dental Materials in South Africa and at McGill University, was a Professor of Physics at Vanier College in Montreal, and more recently a teacher of mathematics at an Orthodox Jewish school in Toronto. To get to know himself better he later studied psychology and received an M.A in Counseling Psychology from the Adler School in Chicago in 1991. He was awarded a certificate in orthodox theology and religious studies in 2002, after which he was ordained a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America. He has been interviewed several times on Canadian TV about The Eastern Orthodox Church and the practice of achieving inner stillness using the Jesus prayer, as well as on successfully adopting a healthy lifestyle to prevent modern chronic illnesses. Now, Father Christopher has published a magnificent novel, Beethoven's Tenth Symphony, and we urge all to read this outstanding work. One reviewer has captured the essence of Fr. Christopher's work:
"
Beethoven's Tenth Symphony is a skilful blending of fact and fiction, mystery and enlightenment. It has the feel of the classic "page-turner" mystery novel but is also infused with moments of illumination that will leave you thinking about the deeper questions of our existence long after the story has been told. The book straddles many genres and is more than a just a mystery novel; it is also a celebration of Beethoven's life and music, which will allow both the layman and the music enthusiast into the mind of a great master.”
February 27, 2011 - Kyiv, Ukraine. Our community in Kyiv joyfully celebrated the Baptism and Chrismation of baby Sergiy, son of Andriy and Yuliya by Father Sergiy.
February 6, 2011 - Nokomis, IL. On the feast of St. Xenia, Patroness of Holy Apostles Skete, Abbot Theophan Fox carried the holy icon of St. Xenia from the skete to the Orthodox Cemetery at Witt, IL, and served a Panakhyda for all the deceased buried at the cemetery.
February 2, 2011 - Afghanistan. Our own Brandon Fox, son of Abbot Theophan of The Skete of The Holy Apostles, Nokomis, IL, has done well and is being kept safe with all our prayers. Brandon, pictured above with one of the village elders, is seen during a lighter moment in an otherwise dangerous time for all our troops.
January 28, 2011 - Kyiv, Ukraine. Our Parish of the Icon of Christ Not Made by Human Hands, Kyiv, Ukraine, has recently published its manual of instruction in the Orthodox Faith. The manual explains the basic tenets of Orthodox belief, an explanation of the Sacraments, etc., and includes basic daily morning and evening prayers for the faithful. Anyone interested in a copy of the manual (it is published only in Ukrainian at this time), is asked to contact Fr. Archdeacon Sergiy Larin.
January 22, 2011 - Oak Creek, WI. Vladyka Ioan, assisted by Fr. Archdeacon Sergiy Larin, baptized and chrismated Matthew, son of Andriy and Eugenia Vasylenko, at their home in Oak Creek.
January 19, 2011 - Kyiv, Ukraine. The Feast of the Theophany of our Lord was celebrated solemnly by Protopresbyter Valentyn Soroka and the parishioners of the Parish of the Icon of Christ Not Made by Human Hands with the assistance of Subdeacon Mykhail and Fathers Oleg, Sergiy and Maxim.