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Ruskoka e-letter
Ruskoka Orthodox Retreat, Canada
June
2005 |
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- Update on the
St. Alexis Chapel Project
- Chapel Work
Weekends
- The St.
Alexis Chapel Weekend, July 16-17
- Camping for Teens
2005 - only 10 spots left!
- Call for
volunteers
Update on the St. Alexis Chapel
Project
-
construction and fund-raising in full
swing!
Russian Orthodox history
continues to be made in
The gold domes and
crosses have now arrived in Montreal from Russia and should be
delivered to Ruskoka this week. We are on schedule to complete
the exterior shell in time for Bishop Gabriel to
celebrate the first Liturgy and dedicate the
chapel on July 17th, 2005, the feast day of St.
Alexis.
Thanks to the generosity of
our many donors, fundraising is going extremely well. So far over $50,000
of our $100,00 target has been
raised.
With
construction moving quickly, however, over the next few weeks the expenses
- mostly on materials - will exceed donations to date.
Can you help us meet the costs and in this way
contribute to the future of Russian Orthodox youth in
Canada?
Donations can be made by
cash, cheque or Visa, through one-time gifts, or by monthly or annual
pledges.
Categories of donations are: Founder - from $3000 / Builder - $2000-$2999 /
Supporter - $1000-$1999 / In
memoriam - from $1000 / Donor - $100-$999.
Contact
George Skok at 416-483-2441 or [email protected] to make a
donation. All donors will be acknowledged through plaques, announcements
and commemorative lists and will be our guests at the St. Alexis Feast Day
on July 17th,
2005.
Chapel work weekends: June 24-26, June 30-July
4
There will be two more concentrated work weekends to build the chapel under the direction of our construction manager, Alex Shishkov. We especially appeal to those with construction experience to help out, but there will also be other camp preparation work including cutting grass, trees and brush; improvement of the summer kitchen, water and plumbing systems; getting sports equipment and camping facilities ready for summer; and lots of other thrilling jobs! The dates of the work weekends
are:
Depending on the weather and the
turnout, we may sleep inside or in tents. A little advice - depending
on rain, June and early July can bring bugs so it is always wise
to bring long-sleeved shirts, hats and bug screens and repellent!
While you should be ready to roll up your sleeves and work hard, you
can also count on a lot of fun through camaraderie, campfires and great
cooking! We have to know how many people will be coming so we can plan
accordingly, so please contact [email protected] to let us know if you intend to be
there.
The St.
Alexis Chapel Weekend, July 16-17 - opening of the
Chapel by Bishop Gabriel in the presence of the Kursk-Root Icon of
the Mother of God
Everyone is invited
to help celebrate the patronal Feast of St. Alexis the Royal Martyr
and participate in the first services in the new chapel. His Grace, Bishop
Gabriel of Manhattan, will celebrate the divine services with other
visiting clergy. Bishop Gabriel will also bring the 700-year-old
Miracle-Working Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign, known as the
"Kursk-Root" Icon, to the celebration. The tentative schedule
is:
Saturday, July
16th
5:30 pm - All-night
Vigil
Sunday, July
17th
9:45 am - Greeting of the
Bishop, Divine Liturgy and blessing of the foundation
stone
1:00 pm - Festal lunch
and tours of the camp
Families, singles and children are
welcome to come for the weekend and camp in the beautiful wilds
of Ruskoka, starting 10:00 am on Saturday, July 16th, 2005 - 8:00 pm
Sunday July 17th, 2005. Pre-registration for overnight camping is
required. The cost is a modest $40/person or
$100/family, campsite and meals included. You may also choose to come
for the Liturgy and blessing on Sunday. Information is here.
Bus transportation by
air-conditioned coach is available for Sunday, July 17th, at a modest
cost of $25 per round trip, advance purchase only. The
bus leaves Holy Trinity Church on Henry St., Toronto at 7 am and
returns by 9 pm. Please call Marina Sakuta at 416-487-2993 if you would
like to ride the bus to the feast day celebrations.
Camping for teens 2005 - only 10 spots
left!
If you haven't already, hurry and register for RUSKOKA CAMPING FOR TEENS 2005! Sunday, July 31st - Saturday, August 13th, 2005 Campers: ages 12 to 16 - $450/2 week Teens are asked to
bring their own tents, sleeping bags, locks (for individual locker racks)
and, where possible, their own mountain bikes, cycling helmets
and lifejackets.
Further info and
registration forms may be found here. Call George at 416-483-2441 if
you have any questions. Call for
volunteers
Ruskoka needs dedicated volunteers for all its activities. Work includes sports leadership where people have appropriate qualifications, helping in set-up of activities, kitchen work, etc. Volunteers do not get paid, live in the same conditions as campers (food, drink and tent space is provided!) and usually make a donation towards the camp as well. If you are interested, contact our volunteer coordinator, Alexandra Easson at [email protected] See you in Ruskoka!
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