"The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit." The infant Sophia was baptized and chrismated before the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, August 3. Many years to the newly illumined Sophia, her parents Godidze and Anna, her grandmother Alevtina, her sponsor Irina, and all of her family and friends!

Sisters of Mercy Natalia and Olga, from the Convent of St. Elizabeth in Minsk, Belarus, came to speak at our parish the evening of July 29. The Sisters showed a video about the work of the Convent, which especially focuses on spiritually supporting patients in hospitals, the homeless, and former drug addicts. After the video, the Sisters took a large number of questions about the work of the Sisters of Mercy, as well as the larger work of the Convent of St. Elizabeth. It was a joy to have Sisters Olga and Natalia with us, and we would recommend any parish have them come to speak on their next “tour” of the States.

Our second annual parish summer camp--St. Elias Camp--finished this past Tuesday. The children go out to the country for games, crafts, time with Fr. Matthew, and swimming in the creek. We had a wonderful time at this year's camp, and all of the kids are looking forward to next year already! More photos of camp activities can be seen here.

For the first time since the creation of the world, the Divine Liturgy was served in St. Francisville, LA. The Mission Outpost of Christ the Saviour, named for St. John the Apostle, met at Market Hall in St. Francisville on July 19 at 10am for the Divine Liturgy. About 25 people were in attendance, and enjoyed both the significance of the worship and the fellowship that followed. The next service in St. Francisville will be Tuesday, August 12 at 6pm. Additional photos can be seen here