Seminary Updates

   Glory to Jesus Christ!

February was freakishly warm. We had some cold days but I found myself outdoors quite a bit this month. I found an old park walking distance from our house. It has trails and very old equipment - a metal slide and those rusty swing sets that look like the chains could break while you're swinging in midair. I love running up there. 

Mark found a neat Greek place we walked to a couple times as well. They had some awesome falafels and gyros and fast friendly options. 

Mark has midterms this week and my job has been unusually busy. We're both definitely craving a good night's sleep at this stage of the semester. 

I am slowly learning how to make a Chotki. I learned that on the bracelets you make 33 knots. One for each year of Christ's life. I thought that was pretty neat. 

We miss you guys!

Sincerely, 

Mark & Rebecca

   Glory to Jesus Christ!

January has come and passed in a blink. We've had a nice blanket of snow set in. 

We've adapted to the change in weather. Then again, the worst part of the winter is supposed to be in February.

Mark's second semester seems to be going much smoother than his first (Except Greek. Greek is pretty hard. He practices a lot.) I managed to get COVID earlier this month, just as Mark went to a retreat at an Antochian village, but I was blessed to have a healthy and speedy recovery.

As we have settled into a routine, the Great Fast is just around the corner. I am excited to try new recipes. The self-discipline that it takes to do it can be a challenge. I once heard somewhere that If you can master food, it will help you to master many other deeper temptations. It's not the great fast without prayer - otherwise it’s just a diet. The Great Fast is more than just a dietary change. Without the goal of getting closer to God and cleansing oneself- there is no point to the fast. I think there is quite a bit of truth to that. I hope I can remember that next time I fight a temptation. Please remember to pray. Not having time is not an excuse. If you have time to eat, to sleep, to live; then you have time to pray. 

I just read The Way of the Pilgrim for a second time. It’s written like the journal of a pilgrim with the goal of learning how to pray unceasingly. Seriously. READ IT. Consider it your homework; I will give you a big red F and say I’m disappointed in you if you don’t.

We are praying for our home mission and miss y'all dearly. 

Until next time,

-Mark & Rebecca

  Greetings to our Fort Mill Mission family & Glory to Jesus Christ,

Things have been going well at the Seminary and at home. It has been incredibly busy the last couple of weeks with midterms, as well as our trip to the canonization liturgy of St. Petro Oros in New Jersey. We had the opportunity to celebrate a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy with both Metropolitan William and Bishop Kurt. One of the concelebrating priests was the former altar server to St. Petro Oros himself. He gave a presentation afterwards at the reception banquet about his experiences growing up with him and under Soviet persecution. He shared the stories of his secret ministry and eventual capture, martyrdom, and secret burial at the hands of the communists.

It was very inspiring to see both Ukrainian and Ruthenian jurisdictions come together to honor a common martyr, who is an inspiration to us all as we face a new soft-persecution of increasing consumerism, secularization, and marginalization. 

Rebecca and I will be coming back to Fort Mill for my Thanksgiving break and we are both very excited to see you all. We will have plenty of stories to share, and we want to thank everyone for your continued support and prayers. 

As of writing this we are preparing for our annual Come and See weekend where we host men who are discerning a call to priesthood. We will be hosting 22 visitors this coming weekend in addition to the 10 seminarians who are already here. We have the potential to double our population by next year, and the numbers we may have will be unprecedented in the recent history of the school. 

Again, thank you all for the continued support and we will hopefully see you very soon.

P.S. The Ruthenian Church just published its first ever English edition of the Hours which is available on the Eastern Catholic Publications website which is based out of Virginia. I know that due to many constraints inherent to a mission church, we are unable to celebrate the Hours, so this is a great opportunity to enhance private, individual devotion. I felt the need to share the news about such a great resource that is integral to our eastern spirituality.

Pax,

Mark & Rebecca