Under the leadership of His Grace Bishop NICHOLAS, the Diocese of Miami and the Southeast held its Winter Camp 2022 on February 18-21, 2022)

See full article in the April 2022 Edition of The Light

Under the leadership of His Grace Bishop NICHOLAS, the Diocese of Miami and the Southeast held its Fall Retreat from October 15 to October 17 2021.

BY KH. DESTINIE WINN (ALL SAINTS CHURCH, RALEIGH, NC)
PHOTOS BY KH. DESTINIE WINN & ELIZABETH BACLIG

 

When word spread about the Fall Retreat for DOMSE, I was thrilled! At first, I didn’t know what to expect, since we are relatively new to the Diocese, and this was my first time attending a retreat in person. We loaded up our car and headed out for the 8-hour drive to Franklin, Tennessee. I was told ahead of time just how beautiful the drive from North Carolina is, but seeing it in person, I was blown away! As we drove through the winding roads of the Smoky Mountains, I was in awe of how majestic the tree covered mountains are with their wispy low-hanging clouds. Then, as we neared the end of our drive, through the rolling hills of Franklin, we made a sharp turn down into a lush green valley and quickly discovered the oasis at the bottom which is St Ignatius Orthodox Church. If you’ve not visited this parish, be sure to add it to your bucket list! It’s a beautiful glimpse of heaven on earth. Walking into the temple took my breath away!

Little by little, Clergy, laity, families, and individuals trickled into the registration room to receive their name tags. Joyous reunions, hugs, smiles, and laughter filled the room. The energy was palpable. I saw kids running around making new friends, including my own. Truly the Spirit of the Lord was with us, offering us a chance at spiritual renewal. We checked our small children into the childcare and geared up for a wonderful weekend
of fellowship.

To begin the retreat, His Grace Bishop NICHOLAS spoke to us and rejoiced at the opportunity to meet together in person again after a long period of time apart. Through his guidance, the focus of the retreat was on healing, and the Scripture for the retreat was Jeremiah 30:17: “‘I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord.”

We received nourishment for both our souls and body. We were not only nourished with the most scrumptious food (yum), but also with lectures from professionals and clergy on the healing powers that the Church offers us. Important topics were discussed surrounding humility, repentance, addiction, relationships and being intentional. Each topic had both a spiritual and practical application in our lives, especially in light of the past year and a half. After each lecture, there was time set aside for Q&A which allowed us to dive even deeper into these topics. In addition to these lectures, we were given the opportunity to attend break-out sessions. These sessions were offered as a smaller group and gave a more intimate opportunity to learn more about the Theology of Icons, A Practical Introduction to Byzantine Chant, Choir, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and Sacred Arts in Sunday School, Prison Ministry, and Young Adults Fellowship. As if that wasn’t enough to nourish us, we were able to participate in regular Liturgical life as well, Vespers every evening and the Divine Liturgy on Saturday and Sunday morning.

As Saturday came to a close, we attended Vespers, ate supper together, and had one final opportunity to gather in our fellowship groups: Antiochian Men, Antiochian Women, Teen Soyo and YAF (Young Adult Fellowship). And when we drove away, I felt such a sense of peace and joy. I am thankful for all the hard-working men and women who labored to put this lovely weekend together for us and that allowed the Holy Spirit to do His work in our hearts.

  

 

 

DOMSE V-PLC 2021
Under the leadership of His Grace Bishop NICHOLAS, the Diocese of Miami and the Southeast held its Virtual Parish Life Conference from June 13 to June 20, 2021.

For the second year in a row, the DOMSE faithful gathered around their computer screens and joined in the fellowship of our 2021 Virtual Parish Life Conference. The conference was held via ZOOM from June 13, 2021 to June 20, 2021. With 437 people registered the V-PLC was kicked off with a message from His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph. He shared words of greeting and encouragement with all of the members of DOMSE. Following the Metropolitan’s greeting, 8 DOMSE Teens participated in our virtual Oratorical Festival. We were able to view videos of these amazing young people giving speeches that related to our conference topic. The judges’ choices were awarded gift cards.

Each evening of the week was dedicated to a different DOMSE Organization. From the Antiochian Men (AMEN) to the Antiochian Women, YAF, and SOYO, all were able to enjoy excellent speakers from around our Diocese and meetings that kept our organizations running effectively. It was wonderful to be able to see so many smiling faces coming together in such a difficult time.

The little ones of the diocese are never forgotten! The DOMSE Kid’s Club was once again a huge success. So much time and effort has been put into making sure our children are not forgotten during our separation and we are grateful to our DOMSE Department of Education for planning and executing wonderful Kid’s Club Events throughout the week. DOMSE Kids Club ran for three fun-filled days during PLC. Each morning, kids spent time together learning about prayer and the Saints. Bishop Nicholas attended as a surprise guest! Co-hosts Mrs. Anna-Sarah Farha, Mrs. Caitlyn Maas, and Mrs. Heather Kenney led the sessions and ensured that everyone was engaged and felt comfortable sharing what was on their hearts. Daily lessons were followed by hands-on cooking classes and art projects with a prayerful theme. Afternoon sessions kept us all laughing and entertained with group games, a music concert, and special puppet shows (many thanks to Dn. and Sh. Fernandez and their daughter Victoria for the incredible puppet shows!)

Our DOMSE Video Committee released our first “DOMSE Journey” video, featuring one member of our diocese and her amazing journey into the Orthodox Church.
The video can be viewed using this link: https://youtu.be/yfr853HbOTU

We closed out our time together with a live stream event with our Bishop NICHOLAS on Sunday afternoon.

We are so looking forward to our next event and pray that each member of DOMSE knows how special they are to the life of our wonderful diocese. May we be together very soon and may we encourage each other with our prayers always.

DOMSE Winter Retreat 2021
Under the leadership of His Grace Bishop NICHOLAS, the Diocese of Miami and the Southeast held its annual winter retreat, virtually, from January 29 to January 31, with over 550 DOMSE faithful registered. 

During this past difficult year, everyone has been counting their blessings a little more closely and eagerly. In the Diocese of Miami and the Southeast we have been able to add to those blessings through the efforts of our Diocesan Ministry Council and the many virtual events they have put on this year. We have maintained the rhythm of our diocese by coming together online at a Virtual Parish Life Conference, a Virtual Fall Retreat, and most recently, a Virtual Winter Retreat.

Our theme, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer”, came from Romans 12:12, and it perfectly applies to our pandemic mindset. We are hopeful at the distribution of the vaccines, patient in following COVID restrictions, and constant in prayer for those of us who are suffering during this time. Our Winter Retreat had four separate tracks, one for clergy, one for Teen SOYO, one for children, and one for our Women, Men, and Young Adults. In this way, we were able to use technology to its fullest extent and minister to all of the separate demographics in our diocese.

The weekend began early for our children at the Kid’s Club, led by Anna-Sarah Farha and Caitlyn Maas, who led a series of activities and discussions about our saints and their stories. There were even crafts and cooking classes, and games that children of all ages could participate in from their living room. Our clergy engaged with a series of speakers about hope, spiritual temptations, and spiritual laws. The discussions were lively and edifying. Our Antiochian Men, Antiochian Women, and Young Adults came together to hear wonderful lectures about the choice between prayer and madness, the struggles of our age, and how to speak the language of God. After the lectures, the three groups separated into breakout sessions to discuss how to apply what they heard to their own unique circumstances. Our teens also had their own speakers and topics that related specifically to them.

A highlight of the weekend was the premiere of the DOMSE film, “Bless Thine Inheritance”. Priests and laity from all over the diocese sent in clips, pictures, and interviews that chronicled our shared history. The watch party was a beautiful time to reflect on how far our diocese has come, and how much more lies ahead of us.
The film can be viewed using this link: https://youtu.be/gugS2Ng8Qq8

The retreat closed out with a fun filled workshop on how to make St. Brigid’s Crosses (It’s easier than you think!) and a final livestream with His Grace Sayidna NICHOLAS. All who attended felt blessed by the hard work of our speakers, clergy, and especially His Grace in putting aside time where we could truly come together as a Diocesan family.

By Sueanna Alter

His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph gave his blessing for the opening of the Christ the Good Shepherd Mission in Concord, North Carolina recently.

This is a great blessing for DOMSE as our outreach continues to grow. It is also a great blessing for the laborers who worked hard to establish the mission and will work even harder so that one day it grows to become a church.

We pray for the laborers in the harvest of Concord, North Carolina that our Lord would bless their work and that they would reap a large harvest.