Discernment Retreat, Sept. 14-16

Single Catholic women, ages 18-35, who would like to take a weekend to pray about a possible vocation to the monastic life, are invited to inquire about attending our upcoming discernment retreat, Sept. 14-16. Experience the life of prayer at the monastery, listen to talks on prayer and discernment, make use of the opportunity to get to know the nuns, and receive healing through the Mystery of Holy Repentance (Confession). For the schedule and more information, please see the retreat brochure. If you are interested in this retreat, or a future discernment opportunity, fill out the online Vocation Inquiry Form. Please fill out the form by Sept. 1 for this retreat. Space is limited. Mother Theodora will call you to talk about availability. With questions, call 440-834-0290 or email christthebridegroom@gmail.com.

Click here to view photos from last year's retreat!

Save the dates for our fall events

Discernment Retreat
For single, Catholic women ages 18-35
September 14-16

Fall Work Day & Cookout
September 22

The Bridegroom's Banquet
Benefit dinner
November 10

To view our Divine Liturgy schedule, visit our Liturgy & Events tab.
To view our usual daily liturgical schedule, visit our About Us tab.  Please be aware that changes are sometimes made to the schedule; please call ahead to check on the time.

"You are to shepherd this flock in the manner of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who gave His life for His sheep..."

How grateful we are to our newly enthroned Bishop Milan for his willingness to leave his home country and come to give his life for Christ's sheep in the flock of the Eparchy of Parma! Bishop Milan, formerly the auxiliary bishop of the Archeparchy of Prešov, Slovakia, has served as the apostolic administrator of our eparchy for one year prior to being named bishop. We were so blessed to be able to witness his enthronement on Saturday, June 30, at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Parma.

The canonical enthronement took place during the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Twelve Apostles. What a joy it was to be surrounded by nearly twelve bishops--successors to the Apostles--who had traveled from all over the U.S., and from Slovakia, Ukraine and Hungary, to be present.

Immediately following the prayers of enthronement (see below), the priests of the eparchy and representatives from each parish were invited forward to greet Bishop Milan at his throne. Then, we were given the surprise gift of greeting him too!

At the close of the Liturgy, two other bishops named Milan gave some moving words of encouragement to our Bishop Milan. Bishop Milan Chautur, bishop of Košice, Slovakia, is the bishop who had ordained Bishop Milan as a deacon and priest. He encouraged him to remain who he is, explaining that the world needs his witness. Then, Bishop Milan Šašik, bishop of the Eparchy of Mukachevo, Ukraine, and successor of Blessed Theodore Romzha (Mother Theodora's patron), explained that there is a tradition that when a young man would be sent to the war-front, his mother would give him a small icon or other holy object to take to battle with him. He then presented Bishop Milan with an icon of Blessed Theodore Romzha containing Blessed Theodore's relics!

As Bishop Milan gives his life for us, his sheep, in this spiritual battle, may we all receive this great gift with love and obedience.

Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
Response: Lord, have mercy.

Metropolitan: O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, in your ineffable mercy, You sent Your Spirit, the Comforter, from Your Father upon Your disciples and apostles, and through them established and built up Your church throughout the world. O good Master, we beseech You, look down from heaven upon Your servant, Bishop Milan, the new chief shepherd of the Eparchy of Parma. Grant him the spirit of wisdom and understanding. Instill in his heart the spirit of fear of God, a spirit of piety and zeal for the glory of Your holy name. For You are a mercif ul and loving God, and we give glory to You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever.
Response: Amen.

Metropolitan: In accordance with the instructions of the Holy See of Rome and by the authority vested in me, I enthrone you as the fifth Bishop of Parma. I confer upon you legitimate authority in spiritual and temporal matters and entrust you with the care of Christ's flock. You are to shepherd this flock in the manner of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who gave His life for His sheep so that on the day of judgment you may give a worthy account of your stewardship to Christ, our God: in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Response: Amen.

Apostolic Nuncio: The God-loving Bishop Milan is enthroned as the fifth Bishop of the Eparchy of Parma. He is worthy!
Clergy, then people: Axios! Axios! Axios! [Greek for "He is worthy!"]

Please pray for our Girls Camp

We're getting ready! Our 10th annual Girls Camp will take place this Thursday through Sunday, June 21-June 24. Please pray for us and for the participants! Our theme is "Apart from Me you can do nothing."

Also, please pray for the Boys Camp that will take place at the same time across the street at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mariapoch.

Thank you!

Just for fun...

Last month, we spent an afternoon with our dear sisters from the formation house of the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. We didn't plan on it, but the video below is the result of our time of recreation together! We ended up writing a parody to the song "Hello" by the singer Adele. We enjoyed pointing out the fact that the Mercedarian Sisters are from the Western (Roman Catholic) Tradition and live on the west side of Cleveland, and we from the Eastern Tradition live to the east of Cleveland! It is a joy to have sisters from another tradition with whom we can share our experiences, joys and struggles. This sharing is always enriching. For a while now, we and the Mercedarians have been joking that the Mercedarians, who wear white, are the cream to our Oreo cookie :) Enjoy!

Thank you to our spring work day volunteers!

Enjoy these photos from our spring work day and cookout on Saturday, May 26. A huge thank you to our wonderful volunteers who worked so hard in the humidity! They tackled projects such as gardening, cleaning, removing the old garden fence and installing a new one, and more! We ate lunch across the street at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mariapoch with the volunteers there, prayed Great Vespers in our chapel for the Sunday of All Saints, and enjoyed dinner at the monastery.

Sacrifice and service by the power of the Holy Spirit

Enjoy this reflection that we wrote together as a community, at the request of Bishop Milan, for a group of Scouts--young men ages 18-25--on pilgrimage from Assisi to Rome. We were asked to write about Sts. Cyril and Methodius as an example of sacrifice and service. In light of the feast of Pentecost, we reflected on the Holy Spirit's role in providing the grace and ability to lay down our lives and preach the Gospel, each in our own unique way.

“Blessed are you, O Christ our God. You have shown the fishermen to be all wise, sending down upon them the Holy Spirit. Through them You have caught the whole world in Your net. O Lover of Mankind, glory to You” (Pentecost Troparion).

Reflecting on the Feast of Pentecost reveals Ss. Cyril and Methodius to be examples to you. These “Equals to the Apostles” responded to the gift of the Holy Spirit with an outpouring of themselves in love, manifested in sacrifice and service.

Jesus’ pursuit of love for you is relentless, but He will not trespass. He waits for your consent, like the Theotokos’ fiat, like the Apostles “yes” to His call, “Come follow Me.” He calls you beyond a superficial walk with Him into the mystery of His love unto death. Your “yes” is a yes unto death, a dying to self; here you find your fulfillment. St. John Paul II said. “Man cannot fully find himself, except through a sincere gift of himself” (Theology of the Body).

There is a particular way that God is calling you to lay down your life, and you will be given the gifts you need. On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit gave the uneducated fishermen the ability to proclaim the mighty works of God in many languages (see Acts 2:1-11). Similarly, the Holy Spirit enlightened two Greek brothers, Ss. Cyril and Methodius, with a tremendous ability to create an alphabet for a foreign language, thus enabling them to translate Scripture, Liturgy, and sacred writings for the Slavic people. Your gift may not be one of language, but you may be surprised by the gifts you are given. 

We all receive gifts from the Holy Spirit, and we are called to use them in service. We have the example of Jesus Who washes His disciples’ feet. In service—a true gift of self—you always risk rejection by those you serve. As Jesus was rejected by Judas, whose feet He had just washed, so Ss. Cyril and Methodius experienced rejection, resistance, frustration and persecution, which are all challenges that you may face when you seek to respond to the Holy Spirit. Jesus teaches us, “There is no greater love than this, to lay down one’s life…” (John 15:13). St. John also said, “By this we know love, that Jesus laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for each other” (1 John 3:14).

It can be frightening to think of laying down your life or being rejected. Scripture tells us that even if father or mother rejects you, God will not reject you (Psalm 27:10). It is through spending time with Him in prayer and partaking in the Holy Mysteries that you receive the power of the Holy Spirit and know that you are not alone. You will find joy and peace when you surrender yourself to God without reserve and conditions, desiring nothing but His will and letting Him act as He knows best. At Pentecost, the Apostles received the grace and courage to go out and proclaim the Gospel and to lay down their lives. The Holy Spirit will give you the courage to lay down your life in sacrifice and service. Be not afraid. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:16-18).