Autumn on the East Coast

Dear friends,

Growing up in California, I never experienced a true Autumn. Now that I'm living in Boston, I get to experience what I've always sung and read about this wonderful season. To experience the beauty of the season, a few of us went on a wonderful hike yesterday to Mount Monadnock. Besides the wonderful view, the highlight for me was hiking in the snow! There wasn't much, but white powder definitely fell from the sky! 

On another note, school has been going very well. It's been such a wonderful and fulfilling experience; every day I'm presented with interesting classes and wonderful opportunities to interact with incredible people. 

Please pray for me to finish the semester well (I can't believe the semester's half over!), and I will pray for you!

Love in Christ,

Gabriel

St. Silouan Symposium

Last Thursday, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a lecture about St. Silouan the Athonite by Dr. Tim Patitsas, professor of ethics at Hellenic College Holy Cross.  Here is a video of the lecture for your enjoyment:

Exaltation of the Cross

Yesterday, September 14th, Holy Cross celebrated it annual feast day. It was an incredible experience to join the community here in this special day. I was able to capture a small portion of the celebration for you to taste. Enjoy!

Beginning of School

Greetings!
What a wonderful beginning to the school year these past 10 days have been. Orientation started last Wednesday and was filled with joy and enthusiasm as myself and 34 other new students were introduced to life at HCHC. Besides the usual orientation material, we visited a Museum of Russian Iconography, heard an inspiring talk by Fr. Maximos Constas, and participated in the first annual HCHC Waterpark Extravaganza. In the middle of orientation was the feast of the Domition of the Mother of God which I was able to celebrate with the Holy Resurrection Community. Below are some highlights from this past week. You can find lots of pictures from orientation at the HCHC Facebook page.

This past week was the first week of classes, and from the first few days, it looks like it will be a busy semester! These are the classes I'm taking:
Intro to the Old Testament
Church History
Biblical Greek
Byzantine Music
Religious Education and
Patristics

It is a full course load, but the topics are very interesting to me!
I am very happy and blessed to be here!
Love in Christ,
Gabe


Entrance at Vespers on the first day of orientation (I'm loving the chanting):

Blessing of the water to ask God's blessing on the school year:

The beautiful chapel on campus:

Dormition at Holy Resurrection:

Across the States (part 5)

Dear friends,

Hello from Boston! After over 4,000 miles of driving, we arrived at our destination on Thusday. We had a wonderful trip, and I hope you have enjoyed following us as we traveled. I am now settling in to my new home, and will start school at the end of the month, God willing. 

Thank you for your prayers!

~Gabe

Across the States (part 4)

Dear friends!

I am writing to you from Chesterson, IN after a very long day of driving. This morning, we woke up in our campsite at the foot of Mount Rushmore and drove 17 hours acros the Midwest and through Chicago arriving just now in the town of Chesterson. Yesterday we were able to see Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills National Forrest that surrounds the memorial. Tomorrow we head to Syracuse. 

Good night!

View from our campground:

Across the States (part 3)

Dear friends!
Today was a whirlwind of adventures! We (my all-star uncle and I), drove through two national parks, Yellowstone and Grand Teton. We spent most of the day seeing the sites in Yellowstone: the hot springs, Grand Canyon, and of course Old Faithful Geyser. We then continued the drive south through the Grand Tetons. Such beauty!
Please enjoy the pictures and continue to pray for my journey!

Across the States (part 2)

Hello from Montana! 

After many long hours of driving, I have arrived in Butte, Montana! Last night was spent camping in the Little Town of Hungry Horse, just outside Glacier National Park. Had a spectacular drive and wonderful hike in the park this morning, then drove South to Butte. Tomorrow the plan is to drive though Yellowstone!

Across the States (part 1)

Dear Friends!

Greetings from Seattle! I have completed the first leg of my cross-country journey. Yesterday after a long drive through California, I arrived at Crator Lake National Park in Oregon. What a beautiful place! I found a lovely campsite along the  Rogue River where I spent the first night of my adventure. Today I drove from Crator Lake through Eugene and Portland to Seattle. Tomorrow the journey will continue as I venture East! Please continue to pray for my safe travels. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy:

A Taste of Alaska

In just 4 days, I will be embarking on an adventure of a lifetime. Next Wednesday, I will be departing Santa Rosa and driving across country to Boston to start grad school at Holy Cross. Along the way, I hope to camp in the Grand Tetons and visit Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Chicago, Syracuse, and countless other places in a 10 day journey to Boston.

As I continue to prepare for my journey, I'd like to share something special with you. Last week I was blessed to participate in the wedding of two dear friends, Herman Hall and Antonia Delucia. The wedding was held in Anchorage, AK, and was a very grace-filled and special event. One of the highlights for me was being able to see many of my dear friends from Kodiak who came up to Anchorage for the wedding. Here are some photos from the weekend for you to enjoy:

Welcome!

Dear friends!
Welcome to my blog! This blog is intended to be a place for me to tell about my adventures and for you to follow along and see what I've been up to. At the time of writing this, I am preparing to make a big leap into a new chapter of my life. God willing, in a few short weeks I will be leaving my hometown and moving to Boston in order to attend Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.

I will be enrolled in a three year graduate program that will culminate in receiving a Masters of Divinity degree. This will be a time of exciting new opertunities, intense study, and spiritual growth (God willing). I will be learning about God and His Holy Church in a preparation to follow and serve Him in whatever way He wishes.

If you feel inspired to help in my education, please consider making a donation to my Seminary Fund using the button on the right.

I hope you enjoy and are edified by my posts. Please pray for me!

Love in Christ,
Gabriel