Welcome Letter From Archpriest John Memorich
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The Cleveland Deanery is
pleased to announce that it will be hosting the upcoming 46th Diocesan
Assembly scheduled for October 1-3, 2007.
In order to make this
all-important Assembly much more representative of our Deanery as a whole, His
Eminence has decided that the following sequence is to be followed. Instead of
leaving only one parish to organize and host such an event and, given the close
proximity of our neighboring sister parishes within the area, this year’s
Assembly will be tri-hosted between St Theodosius Cathedral (Cleveland), Holy
Trinity (Parma), and Holy Archangel Michael (Broadview Heights).
Holy Trinity parish will play
host to Monday evening’s Open House on October 1st, which generally welcomes all
clergy and lay delegates to the Assembly.
Holy Archangel Michael in
Broadview Heights will host all of Tuesday’s events, including daily services,
all plenary sessions, as well as meals.
On Wednesday morning everyone
will gather at St. Theodosius Cathedral, where the Divine Liturgy will be
celebrated. The Cathedral will then provide breakfast in their Parish Center.
Afterward, we will again gather at St Michael’s for the remainder of the
plenary sessions.
By adhering to this specific
sequence, all participants – clergy, delegates, and observers – will be able to
view three unique “gems” in the necklace of parishes that help to
make up the Cleveland Deanery.
Each
of these three parishes is filled with resplendent interior iconography while
at the same time displaying their own unique architectural personality.
Visitors will enjoy contrasting the Byzantine, Russo-Byzantine, and
Russo-Western iconographic styling.
All registration materials may be found on the
Diocese of the Midwest web site or can be procured through Dn Joseph Matusiak
at the Diocesan Chancery. Additional materials regarding transportation, directions, etc., will be mailed out to
you in early September. Dn. Matusiak will be compiling the Diocesan Report
booklet and mailing it to each registered delegate directly from the Chancery
office.
Accommodations for
the Assembly have been procured at the Double Tree Hotel in
Independence, Ohio. This is very near I-77 and I-480 interchange and will provide
easy access to all three locales during the Assembly. Room costs per night have
been discounted to $99.00 plus sales and housing tax. (Note: If you bring along
your parish’s Federal Tax Identification number and pay with a certified church
check, the sales tax will not be applied to your bill.)
Reservations at
the Double Tree need to be submitted before September 10th.
After this date there are no guarantees with regards to rooms and/or the
discounted rates. Please make your reservations as soon as possible by calling
their toll free number at, 1-800-753-4351, making sure to inform them
that you are part of the Diocese of the Midwest group.
Because of the
extraordinary circumstances surrounding this year’s assembly, meetings are
scheduled to run through the afternoon of Wednesday, with the Assembly’s
official end-time designated as 5:00 p.m. Please keep this in mind while
you are making your travel plans.
I have made arrangements for
St. John’s Monastery to set up a display of their church supply wares in our
parish hall. A full assortment of vestments, icons, chalices, crosses, and
other liturgical items will be available for sale throughout the Assembly. In
addition, ecclesiastical tailor, Nikita Borisov, will be present with a full
compliment of pre-made cassocks and riasas for sale. Mr. Borisov will also
provide custom fit measuring for those who wish to place orders at that time or
in the future.
We hope that your
visit to Cleveland will be a pleasant one and that we may effectively gather
together to accomplish the work of the Church in peace, concord, and brotherly
love.
With love in Christ,
Very Rev. Fr. John Memorich
Rector
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