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April 5, 2009
Columbia, SC: Bishop George of Mayfield Visits the Parish of St. Elizabeth the New Martyr

On April 4-5, Bishop George of Mayfield visited the mission parish of St. Elizabeth the New Martyr in Columbia, South Carolina. Bishop George led the Vigil and Liturgy, co-served by parish rector Fr. Mark Mancuso, the parish deacon, Fr. Columba Wilson, Hierodeacon Sergius, and two other visitors from Holy Cross Monastery in West Virginia. The services were well attended, with about 60 of the parish faithful participating in the Liturgy on Sunday morning. During the Liturgy, Fr. Mark was awarded the right to wear the gold cross and, at the end, grammatas were awarded to Mr. Adrian Polit and Mrs. Helen Shaw for their dedication and service to the parish. Bishop George preached an inspirational sermon about the life of St Mary of Egypt, calling the faithful to use her heroic life of repentance as a model in their daily struggle to repent. He also encouraged the faithful to be active participants in the life of the Church, either by teaching Sunday school, singing in the choir, reading the services or, for the men, serving in the Holy Altar.

After Sunday’s Liturgy, Bishop George and the faithful enjoyed a wonderful luncheon together at the house of Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Shaw. All partook of a delicious Lenten meal and spent a relaxing afternoon getting to know Vladika George. Upon his leaving, all of the faithful thanked Bishop George for coming to the parish and expressed their hope to see him many times in the future.

Photo-report of the services

Matushka Anne Mancuso