REFLECTION ON THE FEAST OF DORMITION

It's midnight as I write this so it won't be long, but...what I write about here tonight is really, really important. Important, wondrous, and hope filled. Matthew and I have just returned from Vigil for the Feast of Dormition. Each year for the past three years we have attended this feast at Holy Dormition in Cumberland, RI.

This year was truly special. Metropolitan Theodosius, Bishop Job (our former much loved and much missed Bishop) and priests too many to count were present to celebrate. The temperature in the church soared but no one cared. What made the feast so wonderful were the voices of more than 100 children ages 6 through college who are at the annual New England Youth Rally.

Tonight adults from all over the Boston Deanery joined their Priests and the children to celebrate what to me personally is one of the most joyous and hope-filled feastdays of the church. All week the children have been fasting, participating in discussion groups and making wonderful friends.

They gather for morning prayers before breakfast, Vespers and evening prayers before bed. It is a wonderful week for those who are able to participate. The adults as usual have been supporting one another, loving each other and basically enjoying the kids in a way that it is not usually possible to enjoy them...for this week has been the kids' week.

Tonight when the men intoned "The apostles gathered...," I felt, well, I felt like we were there, back in time nearly 2,000 years. And then our turn came. It was incredible and it seemed to me that the Theotokos was there in the midst of all that love for her on her feastday.

Afterwards, as the bells chimed and chimed in celebration and as everyone headed for the fruit punch and water, I saw a group of 4 teenage girls (maybe thirteen, fourteen years old) standing under a tree. As I walked past them I overheard serious, heavy duty harmonizing of the Alleluia! Yes folks, Orthodoxy is alive and well among our teens, thanks be to God. Greetings on the Feast!

(Posted on the Internet on the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos by Alice Hawrilenko of St. Mark's Church in Kingston, MA)