Glory to Jesus Christ!
Thank you for your help!
St. Brendan’s in Bullhead Arizona is doing very well, thanks be to God and to the devotion of her members. Since my arrival, we’ve added several Orthodox members, six catechumens and several inquirers.
As I’ve mentioned before, St Brendan’s went through its first Great Lent and Holy Week and Pascha with a priest this year. The result was a maturation and growing appreciation for our prayer life. Also as I’ve mentioned before, we hosted His Grace Auxiliary Bishop JAMES last year.
We entered into the community swap meet, meeting people and sharing about holy Orthodoxy. We intend to do that outreach again this Fall. We also opened our own bank account, chose our treasurer and vice president. We look forward to a tonsured Reader and another trained chanter taking the helm of our singers and helping our singing better glorify God.
Our Pascha picnic, after Paschal Vespers, was a huge success, and our relationships continue to grow closer. We also celebrated our Patronal Feastday on the Sunday before May 29th. Our ladies gathered on their own to beautify St Brendan’s worship space, scrubbing on their hands and knees the old tile floor and re-arranging our sanctuary and book store area.
We are planning the baptisms of the new family soon. We keep looking for land (we were given six acres but it is unusable; one parishioner attempted to buy land but that has fallen through; we looked at a church for sale that would be perfect, but they are asking way too much). We are about to start our evangelism/sharing YOUR faith program of role-playing courses.
As far as I am concerned, I am so grateful to God to be able to serve St Brendan’s, and grateful to Archbishop KYRILL for taking me in, and for Fr John Peck for vouching for me! I miss my family (Donna and our 14 children & children-in-law, sister and her family, sister-in-law, 13 grandchildren, and more, all in Lima OH!), and my family misses me a lot. I go back when I can, and when tragic needs arise (my brother’s death, my son Micah’s death, and my friend Philip’s death). The only new message from His Eminence Archbishop KYRILL is that he is happy with my service and blesses me to continue serving St Brendan’s.
Again, thank you for your help!
-Archpriest Mark Hodges
For more information about Fr. Mark Hodges and his mission at St. Brendan’s in Bullhead Arizona, please visit his mission page. To support missions like Fr. Mark’s, to the Glory of God and the transformation of America, please donate to Share the Faith.
