Event

It was a great day as the student body was able to gather for the first Synaxis since the Covid pandemic began. 

This Synaxis welcomed Father Peter Orfanakos from St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church in Orange, CT and Father Nicholas Anctil from Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in New Rochelle, NY. They spoke to students about what it means to prepare for a life of servitude and to provide a glimpse  into what lies ahead as they prepare for their own ministry. 

As the Father’s remarked, “You’ll enter into ministry with your strengths and your weaknesses – and both are a blessing. We have different gifts, and it’s ok and even necessary to embrace those differences. As parish Priests, you will be called to be a man of many talents and you must recognize what you can and cannot do.” 

They also emphasized the importance of the communities served – that when we enter a parish, we must be ready to help build them up and watch the beauty unfold. They reminded the seminarians that they must continue to work on their own spiritual life – to find out who each of them are in order to have a joyful ministry. They asked each of them to go into ministry with the patience and stillness for their future flocks to open up to them over time. Finally, they were reminded to be present in silence and pray for strength and understanding as these can be more powerful than having the right words in moments of sorrow and struggle for those they minister to in their vocation.

We thank Father Peter and Father Nicholas for their time and their beautiful words of wisdom for our students and we are already looking forward to the next one.