Archbishop Daniel Zelinsky. center, with Fr. Theophan Mackey and his wife Kristie during the Archbishop’s September 2021 visit to St. Job of Pochaiv Orthodox Church. Photo by Maire O’Neill/losalamosreporter.com

BY FATHER THEOPHAN
St. Job of Pochaiv Orthodox Church
Los Alamos

On Friday Dec. 2, His Eminence Archbishop DANIEL of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the United States of America will arrive in New Mexico for his annual visit to Saint Job of Pochaiv Orthodox Church here in Los Alamos. While here, he will preside over Great Vespers on Saturday evening and serve the Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning, where he will tonsure Timothy Tvulim as a Subdeacon.  There will be a luncheon served Sunday after the liturgy and all are welcome to attend.

We are blessed this year that Archbishop Daniel’s visit coincides with one of our twelve great feasts, the Presentation of the Theotokos in the Temple.

He will speak with the faithful and inquirers and review the activities of the church, and on Saturday evening he will ride our mobile chapel in the Holiday Lights Parade.

In a hierarchical church such as the Orthodox, the bishop links each local church, like Saint Job, to the national and universal church. He provides guidance and support as well as grounding and stability. It is also through the bishop that we trace our religious heritage to the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople, His All-holiness Bartholomew, and through him to the original Apostles who planted the church.

“Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the catholic Church.” – Saint Ignatius of Antioch