Our monastic brotherhood was grieved to learn of the repose, earlier today, Saturday 16 February 2019, of our retired Archbishop Chrysostomos of Etna.
His Eminence and we had exchanged visits in recent years, and we have come to value his articulation of the faith and his balanced pastoral counsel.
May his memory be eternal!
Archimandrite Patrick and Brotherhood
St Gregory of Sinai Monastery is currently involved, at the instance and with the blessing of our Bishop, His Eminence Auxentios of Etna and Portland, with staffing 3 diocesan Missions - SS Peter and Paul, in Tucson, Arizona; St Michael the Archangel, in Bakersfield, California, and a new mission in the San Francisco Bay Area, St George, in Piedmont, California.
Although our Monastery is small to begin with, we all see our participation in supplying a Priest to serve the Liturgy in these 3 areas as a service fully consonant with the monastic heritage, and we're grateful for the opportunity to help out at a time of acute clergy shortage - a problem hopefully about to be addressed when our new Theological School, St Photios in Etna, opens its doors to its first class of students.
Hieromonk Parthenios (Hansen) has been given charge of SS Peter and Paul in Tucson; Bishop Sergios and Hieromonk Patrick take turns serving at St Michael the Archangel in Bakersfield; and Bishop Sergios is serving at St George in Piedmont.
This new community in the Bay Area had its first liturgy on Sunday August 28 (August 15 on the Church calendar), the Feast of the Dormition. Fifteen people gathered in Piedmont for the service, much blessed by having a well-trained choir on hand. Piedmont is adjacent to Oakland, and we hope that it can serve the needs of the largest urban area in Northern California worthily.
+Bishop Sergios of Portland (emeritus)
On Sunday November 15, St Gregory of Sinai Monastery observed the first Sunday Liturgy served by the newly-ordained Hieromonk Patrick, Devteros of the Monastery and Director of its Ikon Workshop.
Father Patrick was joined for the weekend by his mother, Lorraine Doolan, of Scituate, Massachusetts and by a younger brother, William Doolan, of Norton, Massachusetts, as well as by a number of laymen with whom he has worked over the years - both those who worship regularly at the Monastery and others coming from afar.
It was a time of great joy for everyone who has known Father Patrick over the years, and the Monastery especially notes the contribution of Catherine Perkins of Sebastopol, California, who organized her Lake County house as a temporary home for the visitors.