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Saturday
Apr152006

April 2006 Newsletter

Christ is risen! Xristos anesti! Hristos a Inviat!

I pray that you have enjoyed a blessed and glorious Pascha of our Lord and that this newsletter update finds you well this Bright Week!

Thanks to your support for this full-time ministry I was able to offer the students more opportunities to partake in Holy Week and Pascha worship this year. I led a Bridegroom Matins service on Holy Tuesday and Agape Vespers on Pascha Sunday evening following the Naval Academy and St. John’s College annual croquet match.

A number of students came to church for the Lamentations service on Holy Friday and for Pascha on Saturday evening. For some of them, it was there first Pascha. The Green family—all four of them, who are supporters of this ministry (Jonathon is himself a graduate student at St. John’s College) were brought into Christ’s holy Church at the Holy Saturday liturgy through the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Chrismation. Praise God! We pray God will grant them “Many Years!”

Three catechumens through this ministry —Midshipman Harrison Smith and St. John’s alumnus and graduating student, Cooper and Erica Gallimore— will also soon be baptized and chrismated. Stay tuned as we have yet to set a firm date. They have been meeting with me regularly for catecheses for the past year and more.

In other news, the National OCF office hosted me for meetings in Boston this past month with the Office of Vocations and Ministry at Hellenic College/Holy Cross seminary. It was an edifying time to discuss the importance of full-time college ministry and the progress we’ve been able to make—thanks to your financial and prayer support—in bringing Christ and His holy Church to the students of Annapolis. They stressed the uniqueness of this ministry and their hope that it would serve as a prototype for other ministries within OCF.

Please continue to share the vision of Annapolis College Ministry and OCF with your friends who care about the formation in Christ of our next generation. We count on your generosity to keep this ministry going and serving to help form Christ in tomorrow’s leaders at the USNA and St. John’s College.