In honor of the Holy Feast of Pentecost, Bishop Anthony encourages all churches in the Toledo Diocese to support our new missions. Missions are a sign of a living, and vibrant church, and evidence that the same Holy Spirit who descended upon the Apostles is with us today!
May 31, 2015
Great Feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost
Beloved Clergy and Laity of the Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest:
Christ is in our midst!
We give thanks to God in all things as we enjoyed the blessings of the Great Fast, the Feast of Feasts, Pascha, and now our celebration of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
As we read in the Holy Scriptures, our Lord asked the apostles and disciples to stay in the Holy City of Jerusalem until they received "power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8) The Holy Spirit gave them the power and grace to go and preach the Good News of His Resurrection. This "power" has been with the Church since that day and given to us!
This most-joyous feast represents the beginning of the Church's mission to carry the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to the four corners of the earth. From that day in Jerusalem, the Apostles followed our Lord's command to make disciples of all nations. This mission continues to this very day.
Of particular importance in the Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest is the work of our nine mission parishes and our Diocesan Mission Council. Through our mission parishes, the love of God the Father and the Communion of His All-Holy Spirit in His One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church have come to rest in the hearts and on the heads of so many in otherwise geographically and spiritually remote places throughout our Diocese.
As we hear in the Epistle, the establishment of missions is not always an easy task. Many of our mission parishes are small and without the material means to acquire what is needed to help them grow and prosper. It is vital that all of the faithful throughout the Diocese take up the task of sharing what they have received, both in spiritual and material blessings, with our mission parishes.
I strongly encourage our more-established parishes to "adopt" a mission parish and work to ensure that the mission has all that it needs to carry on the work of our Lord. In those mission parishes where many of the faithful have been "newly-illumined," share the faith and traditions as we have received them from our spiritual fathers and mothers, and learn of the path that brought the faithful home to the Orthodox Church. As our Lord instructed the Apostles, "Freely ye have received, freely give." (Mathew 10:8)
On the Great and Holy Feast of Pentecost, all parishes are asked to take a special offering to support our nine missions. You may send your checks to the "Diocese of Toledo Mission Fund", c/o Nicholas Ayoub 1251 Franklin St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506. In addition, I am renewing my request that all parishes include a line item in their annual budgets for the benefit of the mission fund.
Please continue to keep our missions in your prayers during this festal season and throughout the entire year!
Have a blessed Feast and may the Lord bless you as you remain faithful to Him.
+ Bishop Anthony
Bishop of Toledo
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
| Attachment | Size |
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| 2015 Pentecost Letter fro Bishop Anthony (PDF) | 102.62 KB |