SoCal Youth Retreat

On Saturday, May 18th, the Pacific Southwest Deanery held a Youth Retreat hosted by St. Innocent Orthodox Church in Tarzana, CA. Archimandrite Gerasim (Eliel), sacristan at Holy Virgin Mary Cathedral served as retreat master. The retreat began with a Moleben in Church served by Fr. Gerasim.

The retreat was attended by youth and others from around the deanery, Archpriest Lawrence Russell, the Dean, and Priest Yousuf Rassam, the host pastor. SOSI – the sisterhood of St. Innocent Church, led by Grace Roberts, provided a delicious lunch and warm hospitality.

Fr. Gerasim spoke on the importance of Holy Scripture in our lives, our need to be reading the Scriptures as part of our spiritual lives, and then focused on the Gospel of John, which the Church is reading in the Paschal period. He discussed the structure and meaning of the Gospel, the “signs” with which the Evangelist shows us Jesus Christ, that we may believe in Him. After lunch he arranged for the participants to perform the the Gospel reading of the Blind Man in the court yard. Fr. Gerasm ably led the participants in such a way that all present, not just the youth, but those serving food, and his brother clergy were able to go away with edification and food for further thought, reflection, and action.

-Priest Yousuf Rassam