On Video!

We are thrilled to announce that our first video has been completed and is now online! The video is a beautiful summary of the purpose of a monastery and our hopes for this one, and features a few of the volunteers who have been helping us. It was quite a bit of work to put together, but it was a great learning experience and we had a blast!

A BIG “thank you” goes out to Bob Kasarda and the people of Eastern Christian Media and Gemini Productions for sponsoring, filming and editing the video, and for posting it on their home page! Please visit http://www.easternchristianmedia.com/bridegroom.html to check it out! Running time is 9 minutes.

We would also like to share a couple of photos from our first Christmas Eve at the monastery. It was a gloriously joyful day packed with prayer, cooking, laughs and time with friends. In addition to praying Matins, Royal Hours and Great Compline, Bishop John joined us in the afternoon to celebrate Vespers and the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil. We also held the traditional Christmas Eve Velija Supper, complete with twelve dishes representing the twelve apostles, straw under and on the table reminding us of Christ’s birth in the manger, and other meaningful traditions. As the Mother of God treasured in her heart the birth of her Son and the visit of the shepherds, we also will always treasure the memory of this Christmas Eve.