St. John the Theologian Antiochian Orthodox Mission Receives 30 New Members

April 29, 2008, SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA

"SEAL! SEAL! SEAL!" During the service of Chrismation, the
congregation of St. John the Theologian shouted "Seal" 270 times as
30 newly illumined faithful were received into the Holy Orthodox
Church on Holy Saturday, April 26, 2008.

St. John the Theologian Antiochian Orthodox Mission nearly doubled in
size as the Rev. Andrew Welzig officiated the joyous occasion and the
former catechumens were received into the faith. While the Holy
Saturday liturgy lasted just over four hours, the newly illumined
radiated an air of excitement that was only intensified at the Pachal
celebration that night.

Many of the new converts mentioned they were ready to give up on
Christianity before finding the Holy Orthodox Church. "After a
lifetime of bouncing from church to church, it's refreshing to know
that we're finally home." shared the newly illumined Kevin Patrick, a
former priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church.

The celebration took place after months of catechism classes and an
eight-week practical application in the form of building renovation.
With the arrival of the large number of new inquirers, St. John the
Theologian Antiochian Orthodox Mission needed to quickly acquire and
renovate a new facility. All of the catechumens assisted in the
renovations and made the new church a beautiful venue in time for
Pacha. One young man remarked, "Working on the Church not only made me
feel connected, but also taught me more about why we do certain things
during the liturgy."



St. John the Theologian Antiochian Orthodox Mission
(www.theologian.org) is a local parish of the Self-Ruled Antiochian
Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. It is the home of
the Icon New Media Network, (www.iconnewmedianetwork.com) an online
new media resource for Orthodox Christians and inquirers into the
Orthodox faith.