A Prayer for Healing for These Times
Again we pray that our God, the lover of humankind and physician of souls and bodies, would heal those infected with the coronavirus, protect all who are at risk of infection, especially those with weakened immune systems, and bless all government officers, doctors, scientists, and medical professionals who care for the sick, develop vaccines, and develop guidelines for stopping the spread of the disease. O Merciful Lord, hear us and have mercy!
Currently at St. Nicholas Cathedral
SOCKS!
Thanks again to all those who contributed to our socks collection for the needy in our area. We collected nearly 400 pairs of socks! That’s a wonderful response from our parish. In a few months, we plan to announce another type of collection effort for the needy, so stay tuned! Anyone who is interested in helping to organize these kinds of missions projects, please email Candice Johnson at ceinarjohnson@gmail.com or Susan Rudy at susan-rudy@msn.com.
Stewardship and Fundraising News
Stairs Repair Fundraising Campaign
The Cathedral would like to thank the generous donors who last week contributed $10,000 to the Stairs Repair Project. The donation was made “In Honor of Past and Present Clergy, Choir and Laity.” We are blessed to have this continuing generosity for a critical need at St. Nicholas!
Choir Fundraising Campaign
Dear Parishioners,
As you know, St. Nicholas Cathedral has been working hard to improve the quality of our choir and liturgical experience. Our efforts to excel have become even more intense in light of the upcoming celebration of the 90th anniversary of St. Nicholas Parish and the 50th year of Autocephaly of the OCA (Orthodox Church in America). We would like to acknowledge and thank our music conductors and all members of the English and Slavonic choirs for their dedication and commitment!
Since February 2019, Benedict Sheehan, Orthodox composer and conductor, and music director at St. Tikhon’s Monastery and Seminary (https://www.benedictsheehanmusic.com/), along with his wife, vocalist and music educator Talia Maria Sheehan, have been coming regularly to the Cathedral to conduct a series of workshops. Their expertise and hard work have made significant improvements to our liturgies.
Given the choir's importance to the parish, Jonathan Russin, Esq., a St. Nicholas parishioner for decades, has started a fundraising campaign to improve the choir and ensure its integration into a larger DC professional music community.
To support the efforts, Mr. Russin and an anonymous donor have generously donated $10,000 each ($20,000 total) and encouraged at least 9 more people to contribute/match this donation. He urges other faithful to contribute as much as they are able.
Last Sunday, February 23, the project was presented to the Cathedral community during coffee hour and was met with great support and enthusiasm both financially and organizationally. As such, Matushka Valerie and Fr. Yaroslav Sudick pledged $1,000 each, and an anonymous parishioner wrote a check for $500. Talks are under way to identify a possibility of hosting a concert in DC in the early part of December to promote the choir and supplement our fundraising efforts.
Your continued support is much needed and appreciated! The Cathedral can accept both personal checks and donations of stock in publicly traded companies. If you would like to contribute, please write "choir projects" in the notation area. Donations via credit cards/Square are also accepted. Please make sure it goes to the Choir Donation when paying at the candle counter.
In Christ,
Fr. George, Fr. Valery
Claire Nobles, President