AN UPDATE FROM THE ANTIOCHIAN VILLAGE |
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A MESSAGE FROM METROPOLITAN JOSEPH |
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SAINT RAPHAEL OF BROOKLYN |
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Saint Raphael of Brooklyn is one of the patron saints of the Antiochian Village. Many of the churches that we attend were established by Saint Raphael himself. At the Village, we are blessed to have relics of Saint Raphael that we are able to venerate. As we celebrate his feast day on Saturday, November 7th, (the first Saturday in November) we have the opportunity to pray and reflect upon all of the opportunities that Saint Raphael has provided us with as Orthodox Christians in North America. |
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During each session of the summer, we celebrate a Trisagion service to Metropolitan Philip, Bishop Antoun, and Father John Namie. These three men are among some of the people who have most greatly impacted the Village and its ministry as we know it today. Father John was the first Camp Director at the Village, a position that he held from 1979-1988. November 5, 2020 marks the nineteenth memorial of Fr. John's passing into eternal life. May his memory be eternal! |
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During this time of the year, as we have the opportunity to reflect on the blessings in each of our lives, we are able to think about the Village and all of the joy that it has brought into our lives. From a deeper understanding of our Faith, to our happiest memories at camp, to the lifelong friends that the Village has put into our lives, we can reflect on all that the Village has given us. We are asking the members of our Village family to give what they can in order to sustain our ministry and provide these blessings for generations to come. Information on how to donate can be found here.
Additionally, mail from the Antiochian Village will be arriving to your homes soon! If you are not on our mailing list, please e-mail office@avcamp.org to be added.
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Support the Village while shopping on Amazon! Choose "The Antiochian Village" on Amazon Smile. This will donate a portion of each purchase to camp! We appreciate your continued support! |
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Join us on Sunday, November 15th at 6 PM EST via Zoom for our monthly Alumni Virtual Hangout! This month’s hangout will be led by Kh. Laila Ellias from St. Mary Church in Brooklyn, NY, and she will talk to us about Advent. Kh. Laila is an AV pioneer, having served on staff the very first year. In addition to being a Khouriye, Taita, and Clergy Wives leader, she is also a speech language pathologist/staff development worker in New York.
We will take a break in December for the Advent season, and start our calls again in January. Check out the December newsletter for more information!
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WINTER PROGRAMS ARE GOING VIRTUAL! |
Safety is our top priority at the Village. While we were hopeful that we would be able to gather together this winter, due to concerns for the safety and well-being of all, we have made the difficult decision to have virtual Winter Camp and Winter Family Camp. Stay tuned for more details! |
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Reunite at the Village for the 2021 Alumni Reunion from November 5-7, 2021 to celebrate the feast day of St. Raphael of Brooklyn and the 20th anniversary of Fr. John Namie's passing into eternal life. |
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With Christmas right around the corner, don't forget to visit our bookstore for gifts that the whole family will love! Gifts can be shipped nationwide and should arrive by Christmas if ordered by December 10th!
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It feels like it was just yesterday, coming off the gigantic bus, pulling into the Village parking lot. I was 10 years old, missing my parents, and could not handle the fact that I would be away from my home for two weeks. I tried to be strong and hold back the tears. I remember arriving and being told to use one of the many pay phones to call my parents to let them know I arrived. “Pay phones???” I can barely plan what I am going to wear the next day, never mind make a collect call using a pay phone.” I felt so helpless and scared, with so many worries.
Little did I know that this would be a place where I would be cared for, body and soul, by people who loved me and gave up their summer to serve me and countless other campers. Little did I know that this would be a place where I would feel safety beyond words, in the embrace of our faith, the saints, the sacraments, and the love of God so manifest and so radiant. Little did I know that this is where worries go to die. There is no worry when you live in the cycle of our salvation- in the Church services, in the witness of the saints, and the joy, unity, and selfless love molding us for the kingdom. Living at camp is like living Liturgy, where everything is directed towards the kingdom. Camp restores the meaning of life.
It is this understanding of life- as entrance into the kingdom- that drew me to go to seminary. It is this understanding of life that draws so many campers back year after year. It is this understanding of life that inspires generations of campers to call AV their home. At camp we feel alive! Orthodoxy is real, it’s life, it’s beauty, it is struggle, it’s sacrifice, and it is the deepest and most intimate unity with God and our neighbor. All this comes to the fore at camp. Life shines!
A fellow staff member once told me (while walking back from church one day), “There will be a time when you start to realize what is going on here- that this is eternal stuff we are doing and living. It changes you and changes your understanding of everything. It is all about love - selfless love, unitive love, Christ's love He revealed to the world and it hits you at the center of your being. You will realize it one day.” I will never forget that.
I now live in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with my lovely wife Amanda (Short) Mackoul (staff member from 2011-2014) and I serve at St Nicholas Orthodox Church. After 8 years as a camper and 4 years on staff I still get to go to camp every summer. I serve as the director of Camp St Thekla (Diocese of Miami and the Southeast) in South Carolina, where we have two weeks of camp every year witnessing to the beauty of life- "inflamed with the love of your creator".
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Hey AV! My name is Juliana Hanna and I am from Fairfield, NJ! I am a freshman at The College of New Jersey studying biology on the pre-medical track. I have been a camper at the Antiochian Village for eight years. I started my journey at AV when I was 10 years old and learned countless life lessons through my experiences.
I would say that my favorite part of camp is the PLN, post liturgical nap... kidding! As cliche as it may sound, the Village has truly changed my life. It has taught me many spiritual lessons including Christ’s teachings in the Bible and how to maintain my spiritual life when I go home. The most significant lesson I have learned as a camper is the true meaning of being an Orthodox Christian, to love. As a camper, the AV staff showered me with overwhelming amounts of love and guidance.There was always someone who would comfort me and allow me to share my thoughts and feelings, no matter how big or small. Having love be the central theme of both the Village and our faith, I was also able to connect to other campers. It was here that I met my best friends with whom I have shared countless memories that will last me a lifetime. I owe a lot of who I am today because of the amazing people I have surrounded myself with.
The lessons I have learned at the Village have helped me to evolve into a more selfless and empathetic person. I constantly look back at the memories I have made, some of them include singing loudly in the dining hall, having deep talks with my cabin mates, and even participating in a water fight with our hike priest. The Village will forever be my home away from home.
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Hi AV! I’m Sophia and I’m from Souderton, PA. I’m currently a freshman at Eastern University in St. David’s, PA studying Psychology. I’ve been going to camp for 10 years, and this was my first summer on staff.
I remember coming to AV my first year of camp as a very shy 9 year old and being afraid I wasn’t going to like it. But I quickly grew to love the Village and all the wonderful people that make it so special, and from there I never looked back. 10 summers later, AV is still a huge part of my life and has been pivotal in my growth and in building my foundation as an Orthodox Christian. Even though I grew up as a Priest’s daughter in a wonderful church, being a part of the Village helped me to make the shift from being Orthodox because my family was, to choosing my faith for myself. Between summer camp, winter camp, and Iconography camp, AV has given me so much love for the Church and our beautiful traditions and services, as well as so many people who have guided me and taught me. My counselors over the years have been such huge role models in my life. Even my counselors from my first few years of camp are still people that come to mind when I think about how I want to be as a young Orthodox Christian and how to live out my faith.
My hike last summer is a very special memory that will always remind me why the Village is so important. I remember sitting around the campfire with the light flickering in the dark with all of my hike group and our session priest, Fr. Joshua Mackoul, asked us a question that will always stick with me. “What is your trajectory? Are you on the path that in 20 years you will be bringing your child to camp for the first time or on the path that in 20 years you will have a distant memory of a church camp you went to as a kid?” AV has not only helped me in growing up with my faith but in putting myself on the right path to keep growing in Christ for the rest of my life.
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