Protocol No. 01-002/2025
Great and Holy Pascha
Sunday, April 20th, 2025

Dearly Beloved Members of our Diocesan Family:
Christ is Risen! – Indeed He is Risen!

“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Cor. 15:57).

Many of those who have seen the pop cultural phenomenon “Jesus Christ Superstar” tell of leaving with a depressed feeling – because it ends with the crucifixion. What can be more depressing than to have a play or a movie end with the crucifixion of its hero? It is not surprising, though, that “Jesus Christ Superstar” ends with the crucifixion, since those who wrote it are non-believers. They tried to express through this rock opera their depressing philosophy about life – namely, that it ends with death for everybody.

With the blessing of Archbishop MICHAEL, the Department of Youth Ministry would like to honor all high school and college graduates from our diocese by featuring their accomplishments on the Diocesan website as well as in Jacob's Well, the official magazine of our Diocese.

Please submit this form, one for each graduate, by April 30th. Bios should be 75 words or less. If uploading a photo of the graduate it must be high resolution (minimum 300 ppi).

The Diocese of New York & New Jersey’s Department of Youth Ministry hosted their annual Lenten Teen & Young Adult Retreat the weekend of April 4-6. The retreat, held at Frost Valley YMCA in Clarryville, NY, was free for all participants. 

[LANSING, NY] - Archbishop Michael’s visit to the Holy Apostles Mission in Lansing, NY, on the weekend dedicated to St. Mary of Egypt was a joyful and grace-filled moment in the heart of our Lenten journey. His Eminence was warmly welcomed by several of our children, who greeted him with daffodils, and by our Chief Steward, Paula Tarralo, who presented the traditional offering of bread and salt. Father Joel Brady then welcomed him with the cross.

St. Andrew’s Camp joyfully invites you, your family, and friends to our Annual Bright Saturday Paschal Open House on Saturday, April 26 at our beautiful lakeside location in Jewell, NY (also known as the Town of Vienna or Cleveland, NY for GPS).

"I see my work as an extension of my baptism. As an Orthodox Christian, my faith is at the core of who I am, and my work reflects that—hopefully in a meaningful way."

The above quote is from this month's installment of our "What's Your Ministry?" article series profiling Warren Farha, owner and founder of the beloved Eighth Day Books in Wichita, Kansas. It is also an excellent encapsulation of what we hope to help Orthodox young people to find in their own lives — the ways in which they might use the unique gifts and talents given to them by Our Lord to lead lives of purpose and service to Him.

Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt – April 6, 2025

On the Fifth Sunday of Great Lent, the faithful of St. Vladimir Orthodox Church in Trenton, NJ, under the pastoral leadership of Fr. Volodymyr Chaikivskyy, were deeply blessed to welcome Mother Abbess Christophora of Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Ellwood City, PA.

On the weekend of March 28–30, approximately thirty women gathered at Saint Andrew’s Camp and Retreat Center in Jewell, NY for a spiritually enriching Lenten Women’s Retreat. The retreat featured guest speaker Mother Melania, Abbess of Holy Assumption Monastery in Calistoga, CA, and a prolific author of Orthodox Christian books.

From the evening of March 29 through the morning of March 31, the faithful of St. Innocent Orthodox Mission in Oneonta, NY were deeply blessed by the presence and pastoral care of His Eminence, Archbishop Michael. Over the course of two days and two nights, His Eminence presided at four services, met with our parish council and Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) group, and offered words of encouragement and love to our growing community.

DEEPEST SYMPATHIES are expressed to Archpriest Paul Shafran, daughters Nina and Paula, and all their family, on the falling asleep in the Lord of beloved wife and mother and grandmother, + Matushka Mary, on Monday evening, March 31.