Over the weekend, on October 28-29, St. Vladimir’s UOC Parish had a family fall retreat at All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Camp located in Emlenton, PA. Newly appointed Youth Minister Oksana Logvynyuk, together with fellow parishioner and parent Oleh Mahlay, planned a two-day, one-night enriching retreat on the topic “On Good Soil…”, relating to Sunday's Gospel reading about the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8: 5-15).

There were sixteen participants, coming from five families, for the entirety of the retreat. Fr. Roman Yatskiv, pastor of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Monessen, PA, was the spiritual father, leading everyone in prayer, offering wisdom during discussions, and celebrating liturgy on Sunday morning. Other clergy at the retreat included: Fr. Mykola Zomchak, pastor at Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Youngstown, OH, who also spoke with the parents; Protodeacon Ihor Mahlay, of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, who gave a lecture about St. Thomas Chapel and the iconography at camp; and our pastor Fr. John Nakonachny, who joined on Sunday morning during Divine Liturgy. Additionally, on Sunday afternoon, Natalie Kapeluck-Nixon, the Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the UOC of USA, stopped by and talked with the parents about youth ministry and our church’s camping programs which are held at All Saints Camp every summer.

Activities at the family retreat included: morning and evening prayers, religious discussions for adults, learning about the Gospel reading and parable for the children, an afternoon nature walk on the Prayer Trail, activities and crafts for the children, communal meal prep and eating, relaxing and enjoying the outdoors, especially the views of the river, and socializing during the day and night in the Millennium Cultural Center, a two-floor conference center on the grounds of the camp, which can house ~40 people.

Lesia Mahlay led several activities with the children, such as walking the prayer trail, creating artwork with the colorful fall leaves, and exploring the icons in the chapel. 

This family retreat was a program that our new Youth Minister, Oksana Logvynyuk, and other fellow parents wanted to initiate in order to bring parishioners together in a new environment (for some). Its goal was to be a relaxing and spiritual retreat, as well as an opportunity to visit our church's beautiful campgrounds. It was a great start and success, and we hope that it will be the beginning of a new tradition. Stay tuned for more programming and retreats like this!