Thursday, October 21, 2010
On Thursday afternoon, October 21, the clergy of the New York State Deanery assembled with His Grace, Bishop +Michael, for a deanery meeting at Saint Nicholas Church in Cohoes NY. Later that evening, a special "Open Forum" to discuss the Orthodox Church in America [OCA] Draft Strategic Plan welcomed laity from the deanery parishes to participate.
The entire day of activities, which began at 12:00 Noon, was hosted by the parish rector (Father Terenti Wasielewski) and graciously prepared by members of the parish to include both a sumptuous lunch and delightful dinner for the clergy. Father John Vitko (Chairman of the OCA Strategic Planning Committee and rector of Saint Luke Church, McLean VA) was in attendance the entire day to offer an overview of the strategic planning process, its present status, and to both answer questions and listen to comments/concerns about the draft document which is "a work in progress."
The assembled clergy represented 10 parishes of the deanery which has churches stretching east-west from Buffalo to Albany and south to the Pennsylvania border. A very impressive gathering of laity (nearly 30) attended the "Open Forum" which began at 7:00 pm and concluded with fellowship at 9:00 pm. Given the distance of travel for many, several priests represented their parishioners -- who were unable to personally attend the "Open Forum" -- by bringing forth their comments.