Page 56 - Western Diocese Annual 2023

DIOCESE OF WESTERN AMERICA
Bishop Maxim Visits
Seattle Parishes
On December 10–11, 2022, on 26th Sunday after Pentecost, when our Church celebrates Holy Martyr and Confessor Stephen the New and
Holy Martyr Christo, His Grace Bishop Maxim vis- ited both Parishes in Seattle: The Holy Protection of the Theotokos in South Park and St. Sava Parish in Issaquah.
On Saturday evening, Bishop Maxim officiated the Great Vespers Service at the Church of Holy Pro- tection together with local priest Fr. Serafim Gas- coigne and Fr. Zoran Aleksic from St. Sava Church. After the Vespers, parishioners prepared diner and a warm welcome for their Bishop. There was a short presentation of the new book by Bishop Maxim on the Portraits of Heroes and Heroines of Dostoyevsky.
On Sunday morning, the clergy and the faithful greeted Bishop Maxim at St. Sava Church in Is-
saquah. Bishop Maxim presided over the Holy Lit- urgy concelebrated by guest priests, Very Rev. Ayoub Owais from Amman, Jordan, and Rev. Zoran Alek- sic. The Church was overflowing with faithful from both Parishes, and many children and people par- took of the Holy Communion.
During the sermon, Bishop Maxim pointed out the importance of the message of the Gospel reading (Lk. 12:16-21), and how the moment we think that everything is guaranteed regarding our earthly life, suddenly we hear these words: this night your soul will be taken from you. This means that when we are with God, we have all the time, and that time be- comes an event of relationship which cannot be measured by seconds or hours. It is a continued rela- tionship. And once this relationship is cut off, sud- denly the time shrinks and we lose everything. So,
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