Church Events
June 7, 2006 - In the last week of May in the year of our Lord 2006 and in the 101st year of SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, parishioners again set out as missionaries to the Hogar Rafael Ayau Orphanage in Guatemala (please see previous reports archived on the Church Photos page of this Website for additional background information). Returning for a repeat visit were Susan Witkowski and her daughters Suzanne, Kelly, and Kristy. First-time visitors this year included Matushka Shari Garretson, Alexis Danilo, and John Witkowski. In addition to their presence and the work that they performed while at the orphanage, the missionaries also brought with them donations of cash and supplies. The photoreport which follows is comprised of photos provided by missionary Kelly Witkowski. Text to explain the photos was also provided by Kelly. Her help in the preparation of this report is much appreciated.
Church is the center of life at the orphanage. Although not required to go, most of the children attend Matins in the morning and Vespers at night. Wednesdays and Sundays are reserved for Divine Liturgy at such times as a priest is present. There is currently no priest living in Guatemala, so the Orthodox community there depends upon the priests brought by the mission teams who visit. Father Michael (Rev. Michael D. Medis of St. Gregory Palamas Church in Glen Gardner, N.J.), shown at Divine Liturgy in the photo above right, worked hard all week, serving a full schedule of divine services and annointing everyone with Holy Oil. He also churched a baby! He was assisted by many excellent, knowledgeable altar boys.
You may click on the photo above right to view an enlargement.
There are currently several babies and toddlers in the nursery. Above left, Alexis Danilo (right) and Suzanne Witkowski help out with the babies. Above right, we see a large gathering of people photographed after the final Vesper service. It was at this time that the icons and crosses - so generously donated by the Romanofsky and Rogozenski families - were distributed to the children (below), who absolutely loved them.
In the block of photos below, we see some of the work that the missionaries had come to perform. While the children were in school during the day, we were hard at work doing maintenance projects. Below left, Matushka Shari Garretson attacks the dirt as Suzanne applies putty to the holes in the wall. The photo below right shows some of the results of our hard labor. The kids loved the new shower curtains!
Above left, the group from South River (Sue, Alexis, Suzanne, and Kelly) takes time from their labors to pose for a photo. At extreme right in the photo is Ms. Carol Sekeris, a missionary from California whom the Witkowskis had met on previous visits to the orphanange. Above right, John Witkowski, making his first missionary visit to the orphanage, works on the roof of the Church to fix some leaks.
Above left, shiny new faucets were installed in the bathrooms for the children. Above right, we decorated the bathroom stalls with flowers and pink stripes. Below left, Kristy scrubs the floor while below right, Alexis and other missionaries do some work outdoors in the garden.
Above left and right - the girls asked for us to paint two clouds, a rainbow, and an image of Jesus on their closet door....we did the best that we could! Below - the girls loved the end result - they were delighted with the pink.
The two photos above and the nine which follow show various scenes in which Alexis Danilo and members of the Witlowski family interact with the children of the orphanage. The facial expressions of the children show obvious appreciation of all the love and attention from the missionaries.
Most nights between 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., the children have evening activities which can be anything from gym time to a swim in the pool to arts and crafts or reading. Many of the children are skilled soccer players. Matushka Shari organized several excellent arts and crafts for the children. The children especially loved making copper icons and friendship bracelets.
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The photo above shows a view on the way to the Auto Safari Chapin (look carefully and you will see a rainbow in the distance). Below left - Sue Witkowski is shown with the children in the pool at the Safari. Below right - Fr. Michael Medis also enjoys swimming with the children.
Above and below - the kids had a great time on the outing that we took to Auto Safari Chapin. In addition to swimming, the children enjoyed visiting the Safari animals. After we swam, we had hamburgers, fries, soda, and dessert. Below right - everyone really enjoyed their ice cream!
Below left and right - exhausted from having fun, the children and Fr. Medis catch a catnap on the ride home from the Safari.
Above and below - on Saturday - our day off - Jorge took us to Monastario Lavra Mambre. Mother Ines, the Abbess, gave us a tour of the new dormitory for the children, the Church, and the guesthouse. The Church - which will be the first Orthodox Church built in Guatemala, will eventually have 10 domes. Below left, Alexis Danilo and the Witkowski family pose in front of the lake. The photo below right shows Kelly climbing to the top of the Church with her father John following. The ponds where the nuns raise tilapia to feed themselves and the children are visible in the background.
Above left - Matushka Shari and Sue Witkowski share a view from the top of the Church. Above right - the visitors look into the walk-in baptismal font. In the photo below, Mother Ines explains the progress being made inside the Church.
After the visit to the Lavra, we went out for a nice lunch at an Italian restaurant in Antigua (above) and then did some shopping in the local markets (below left and right).
Editor's note: the photo above right is just one of many in this report that conveys the message of goodwill international relations and, more importantly, the message of the Orthodox Faith in action. The missionaries will not boast of the time, effort, and personal funds that they expended on behalf of those in need, but there is nothing to prevent your reporter from noting their accomplishments and their sacrifice. Many Years! Mnogaya Lyeta! to all of our missionaries who visited the Hogar Rafael Ayau Orphanage this year. Their ability to see the face of God in each of the individuals that they met should serve as inspiration to parishioners of SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church who might be in the future contemplating such work worthy of a blessing.
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