Growing up in the Ukrainian Catholic Church was a good beginning. Add to that a parochial school education, which only reinforced my beliefs. All of my youth and most of my young adult life revolved around the Catholic Church.
"As we all find in life, circumstances often pull us away from spiritual pursuits..."
As we all find in life, circumstances often pull us away from spiritual pursuits and we begin to believe that God and the Church are not as important as we thought. After being a monastic for eight years, I left to strike out on my own, living without the constraints of the Church. During that time God watched as I fumbled around trying to make sense of my life.
Not until my future husband took me to an Orthodox church service one Sunday did my spirit recognize that I had finally come home. I was chrismated on Holy Saturday and my husband and I were married the week after Pascha.
"The pastoral guidance that oversees God’s work in our parish has been a blessing as we continue to grow."
Today, being part of St. Mary Magdalene parish, which offers a full cycle of services along with adult learning programs that gave me opportunities for questions and discussions, continues to enhance my Orthodox experience. The pastoral guidance that oversees God’s work in our parish has been a blessing as we continue to grow.