(Venice, FL) On Saturday, December 12th over 60 parishioners and friends from Holy Spirit Orthodox Church in Venice gathered to participate in the inaugural Kathy Lazor Memorial Retreat led by Fr Thomas Soroka of Pittsburgh, PA on the topic, “The God Who Loves.” Kathy Lazor recently lost her long and courageous battle with cancer. She was the wife of Dr. James Lazor former Board Member of St. Tikhon’s Seminary and member of St. John the Baptist Church in Campbell, OH. Kathy and Dr. Jim were frequent visitors to Holy Spirit Church and the west coast of Florida. Dr Lazor was present for all the weekend’s events.
The day began with a coffee fellowship followed by the opening of the retreat with a prayer service. Fr Thomas delivered the first presentation enumerating the various ways in which God demonstrates His love for us. Citing various scriptural passages from the Gospel of St John and St John’s first Epistle, he recounted the love of God shown in the incarnation of Christ, in adopting us as His Children, in dying on the cross, in uniting to us as His Bride, and in pouring out His forgiveness and restoration. Numerous questions were asked both on the topic and on various other scriptural and doctrinal questions. A short presentation was also given by Fr Thomas about Ancient Faith Radio where he is heard on “The Path” and “Sermons at St Nicholas.”
After a delicious lunch prepared by the Ladies Guild and lively fellowship among the participants, the group gathered again to hear the final presentation given by Fr Thomas on the implications of loving God and our neighbor. Practical insights from the scriptures in various epistles of St Paul and St John were shared regarding the obedience to God’s command as a sign of our Love for God, as well as specific actions of love toward those in the Church and our larger community of neighbors. Following the talk, questions about loving our neighbor, the relationship between the soul and the body, the Allah of Islam, as well as Eucharistic participation, were asked. The enthusiastic participants were engaged and enriched to continue their growth in loving God and neighbor.
The retreat was followed by Great Vespers served by Fr Thomas, and the choir was led by Dr Nicola Nicoloff of Campbell, OH. Following Vespers, numerous individuals remained to participate in the sacrament of Confession.
On Sunday morning, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Fr Thomas, Fr Stephen Plumlee and Fr Dean Mendrinos. Fr Thomas gave the homily. The choir was led by Dr. Nicoloff and the epistle was read by John Mindala, who is also the webmaster of the parish’s website. Following the Divine Liturgy, a Ninth-day Memorial was served for Kathy Lazor.
We are grateful to all those who made this spiritually uplifting gathering about “The God Who Loves” possible and look forward to making the Kathy Lazor Memorial Retreat an annual event for our spiritual growth and another opportunity for loving fellowship in our parish.