Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Thursday 13 September 2007 was my last Hierarchial Divine Liturgy as Reader Michael and as a subdeacon. Ten days later I will be ordained a deacon.

During the service Bishop Thomas tonsured three altar servers. One was Ivan Plis. Ivan and I go back a long way. He was one of my altar servers and church school student at my former parish. The Russian style cassock which I occasionally wear was brought back from Moscow for me by his mother. I intend to wear it at the ordination.

After the service, Fr. Gregory introduced the visiting clergy, including Sudeacon Jerome from St. John Chrysostom Church in Pennsylvania. Subdeacon Jerome will be ordained a deacon next month. When it appeared that Fr. Gregory was not going to introduce me, a regular at Holy Cross, Bishop Thomas said something and after Fr. Gregory's introduction, Bishop Thomas told me that if I am not ordained to call him.

In his sermon, Bishop Thomas talked about the Apostles James and John, among other things, and said that when they did not receive the hospitality that they expected, they wanted to call down an air strike. He also warned us to be careful about what we say about somebody because we might not know to whom we are talking. He told us about the time when he was a priest and somebody in the choir said something about him and his mother was there and she told the man that not only is he talking about their priest but also about her son. Of course I can never write this as powerful as Bishop Thomas told it.

After the service, we had a rally nice crab cake dinner. But then, all the meals at Holy Cross are really nice. At the table Bishop Thomas told us a joke about a certain priest and bishop. Fr. John Vass, my pastor, told a similar joke a month or so earlier.

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