You are a priest forever!
10 years ago, deacon-husband became priest-husband. That day was PRETTY- the sun was shining, the reception tables were lovely (courtesy of Godmother and other cathedral ladies), and the Divine Liturgy was as beautiful as they come.
I was HAPPY that this day had come for my husband and that so many people were there to celebrate.
My husband remembers crying and laughing at the same time and thinking that was FUNNY. He is a soft-hearted person and couldn't get through his Liturgy this Sunday without tearing up again.
There is a lot that is REAL then and today. That day, he became a priest forever, something that the evil one does not abide. So, I imagine a target being on all of us from that day forward. Another thing real about that day is that so many family members could not be there for various reasons. His parents weren't there because of visa and money impossibilities, but we did get to visit the old country right away. And making his celebration video of the past years of subdiaconate, diaconate and ten years of priesthood, I saw that we have lost many loved ones- it is a little too real- but it gave me opportunities to pray for them. May George, Deacon John, Florica, Livia, John-Paul, Miriam, Bishop Louis, Fr Charles, Fr Albert, Maria, Charles, Art, and Pauline's memories be eternal!
go to Like Mother, Like Daughter for more PHFR (and wedding fun!)
Congratulations, S., and congratulations, Father! Axios! May the life-giving Trinity grant you many more years, so that you may be the Voice and Icon of Christ our God to all men for decades.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jonathan- pray for him!
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful. Congratulations and thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteVisiting from Like Mother, Like Daughter! What a lovely post and blessing!! Congratulations and here is to many, many more years in the vocation he has been called to (and you, too!)
ReplyDeleteHi PW,
ReplyDeletecongrats to your husband. I share his joy as today is also the anniversary of my priesting.
Every blessing & continued joy.
May God bless and keep you all in the palm of his hand always! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteThanks be to God for Fr. Calin's priesthood ! And happy 14th wedding anniversary !
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for the kind words- please keep father (and his family here and in the old country) in your prayers.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Fr Levi! many years!
Many happy and blessed years to Father, you, and all of your family!
ReplyDelete(I had thought he was ordained in his home country; I didn't think it was permissible for him to be ordained here.)
It's just Ruthenian Byzantine Catholics who are scared ;)
DeleteBut it was very rare even for us back then- the eparchy had depended on old-country-ordained and imported
DeleteBwahahahahahahaha!!!!! :D
DeleteHe's a trail-blazer!
Congratulations, Father Priest-Husband!
ReplyDeleteOn the first picture: I know the first two men are Knights of Columbus. The second two men--is one an Orthodox priest? And the other is?
ReplyDeletethe man wearing the kalymafki with the veil is our bishop- and the one with the plain hat is husband ....our bishop is very strong in keeping our traditions
ReplyDeleteVery interesting re: bishop. Our former bishop, now the metropolitan, looked like a regular "old" priest the one time I met him. (He'd covered at our church for the priest once, and yes, we're 3-4 hrs from the Eparchy "base.") If Chris hadn't told me WHO he was, I wouldn't have known. Different than Roman bishops who come dressed in the full get-up and with an entourage.
DeleteYou know, I thought that might have been your husband! I wasn't sure, though. The stykarion looked almost like an African weaving, I didn't think that's what was typical of your rite. I thought it might have been a priest from another rite. Very interesting to see more of the differences! :)
Rabbit- his deacon vestments have a story- when he entered seminary, it was '92- right after the revolution, so there was very very little to go around- the vestments were from France and they changed them a bit to go from Latin to Byzantine rite. Now, they are used occasionally by visiting deacons that might not have full vestments
ReplyDeleteand our bishop always 'looks like' a bishop- even though I could tell you stories about him being a very down-to-earth person (and he is a bit of a hippy)- but during the Liturgy, he is very orthodox and traditional- if you know what I mean
ReplyDelete