St Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church

Rodney (Dorotheos) Knott, member  and Treasurer of St. Mary of Egypt Orthodox church,  has become the Executive Director of ReEngage, Inc. a new non-profit corporation made up of concerned parents, educators, health professionals, clergy, and citizens who want to begin the process of repairing broken relationships between fathers and their families.  It has as its mission to foster the reconnection of the black male with their children through outreach and counseling, education, and preparation.

Whereas many social service agencies and public policies are focused on helping women and children, there is a huge void that exists for helping men become functioning and healthy contributors in the family system.

This a bold new endeavor for our city and a much needed service for our community.  May it be blessed and God bless you Dorotheos/Rodney for your vision for this work!

For more information or to see how you can become a part of this dynamic new work visit: http://reengageinc.org/index.html

Last Friday, August 28, 2009, on the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, many were blessed to witness an historic event at St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church in Kansas City, KS. Since 1963 a split in the Serbian Orthodox Church had kept many of our brothers and sisters from being able to commune with one another. In 1992, Patriarch Pavle instituted a new chapter in healing when there was a decision to restore both sides under his Patriarchal covering. This allowed time to begin the healing process. Then in May 2009 the Synod of Serbian Bishops in Belgrade finalized a reorganization that included the Kansas City area. All three area Serbian Orthodox Churches (St. George, St. Archangel MIchael, and St. Mary of Egypt, were brought together in the Diocese of Midwestern America – New Gracanica. Fr. Alex Bugarin, proto-priest of St. George, Fr. Mihailo Mikich, priest of St. Archangel Michael, and Fr. Paisius Altschul, priest of St. Mary of Egypt, were joined by Fr. Elias Issa, of St. Basil the Great Antiochian Orthodox Church in serving the Divine Liturgy together on Dormition. For Fr. Alex, who began serving at St. George in 1995, this was the first time to serve Liturgy at St. Michael’s Church. Members of all three parishes were able to experience the radiance of this glorious feast as a crowning sign of our mutual reconciliation in Christ.(SEE PICTURES IN THE GALLERY)

(As taken from the Press Release for this event)

“Two Hundred Years On Troost,” an exhibition chronicling the development of the 31st and Troost neighborhood from the 1800s to current day, opens Thursday, July 30, 2009 at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Center, 3700 Blue Parkway, Kansas City, MO., with a reception from 5 to 8 pm. The public is invited. “Two Hundred Years on Troost” will be on display thru October 31, 2009.

The creation of the exhibition is based on research by Fr. David Paisius Altschul, Executive Director of Reconciliation Services, a local faith-based non-profit organization. “Our mission on Troost,” Fr. David says, “is to provide individual and community healing. The exhibition celebrates a rich history with its strength in the diversity of the people whose lives were and are intertwined in the development of the neighborhood. “ He continued, “I am convinced that we can face both the good and the bad in our individual and collective past and transform it into something beautiful, then real healing emerges.” (more…)