God be with you, Bishop Milan

Helping with the fire at Girls Camp

On Sunday, the Eparchy of Parma bids farewell to Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, who has been serving our eparchy for the past 5.5 years. He will begin his new ministry in the Eparchy of Bratislava, Slovakia.

We are so grateful for these years of care, zeal, sacrifice and love for our monastery and the flock of the Eparchy of Parma. Bishop Milan completed for us the process of canonically establishing our monastery, which Bishop John Kudrick had begun. He tonsured several of us as rasophore and stavrophore nuns. He visited the monastery regularly to give us conferences and to pray with us. He delighted in attending youth activities, especially ones that involved a campfire! At the Eparchy's Family Camp and sometimes for the Mariapoch Pilgrimage, he would camp out on the grounds of the shrine along with the families. He told us that when he first came to our eparchy he was shocked by the small turnout at the Mariapoch Pilgrimage and other events, but the Lord told Him, "This is My Church," and after that he realized that numbers don't matter. He was content to be with his flock and to zealously serve them. 

Please keep Bishop Milan in your prayers as he begins his new ministry and faces the challenges of the Church and culture in Slovakia. Please also pray for our new Apostolic Administrator Bishop Kurt Burnette, who is laden with the care of four eparchies: three in the U.S. and one in Canada. May God provide for our Byzantine Ruthenian Church here in North America as well as in Europe, healing our spiritual ills and helping us to be witnesses of the love of God to a broken world.

Our monastery's canonical establishment

Mother Iliana's life profession

The life profession of Mother Natalia & Mother Petra

The blessing of our new poustinias

The tonsure of Sr. Onuphria