Saturday 19 November 2005 the Protection of the Mother of God Byzantine Rite Catholic Church had its festival. It was an inside affair and the food was really good. It was well worth the long line to get to the food. They also had interesting articles for sale.

The importance of this event to me was the link between my old roots and my current status. I was with Fr. John Danilak when he made two of his visits to Baltimore to establish the parish. One time was on a Sunday morning when we first had Liturgy in Slavonic at our own parish church. Then Bill Hill and I went with him to the Knights of Columbus Hall where we had another Liturgy. I was in the sanctuary and the guide for when to stand, sit, or kneel. I still remember Fr. John's saying "Follow the young man..."

After this Liturgy we went to Baltimore. Before the Liturgy we met the cantor for the parish and he, Bill, and I were in the back of the church when it came time to read the Epistle. He passed the Epistle book to Bill who passed it to me and I walked up the aisle reading the Prokeimenon and read the Epistle from the front of the church after I turned around to face the people.

The other time was on Good Friday. I was in Baltimore on official business in the morning and I walked from Fort Holabird to the church. I had plenty of time to do this. On the way I stopped in at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church for a few minutes to say some prayers. The young people were preparing the church for services that afternoon.

I did pick up some very useful literature. One was a historical pamphlet on the Byzantine Rite and the other was an excellent piece on the prayer rope. I gave a copy of the latter to my pastor. It has a definitely Byzantine Rite Catholic slant to it, but it is still very useful for Orthodox faithful.

Governor Robert Erhlich of Maryland also attended this Festival with his parents. He made a point to tell us that this year he is sending out Christmas cards, not holiday cards.

The day was a very rewarding day for me. I hope that I made future contacts and I look forward to their next festival. I'm sorry that I do not have more names. I'm sure that I have them some place at home.

Assistant pastor
	President of the Brotherhood
Governor's parents		Governor's photographer. We photographers are rarely in the pictures.
	Governor Robert Erhlich
	Governor's security with pastor