2018 College Student Sunday Encyclical - October 7, 2018

Monday, October 01, 2018

“Who do you say that I am?”

OCFBeloved Clergy and Faithful,

We greet you with joy as we announce the date for College Student Sunday, benefiting Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF). To support the incredible efforts of our students, College Student Sunday will be the first Sunday of October, running in conjunction with OCF’s Orthodox Awareness Month. This year the date falls on OCTOBER 7.

Orthodox Christian Fellowship continues to provide students with opportunities to encounter Jesus Christ and grow in their Orthodox faith through a growing network of on campus OCF chapters led by talented students, clergy, and lay advisors as well as through programs such as Regional Retreats, College Conference, Real Break, and the Summer Leadership Institute.

OCF continues to make every effort to connect new freshmen to campus chapters and local parishes through the First Forty Days Initiative, which involves extensive effort from our student leaders and spiritual advisors who contact every incoming freshman within the first forty days on campus. We wholeheartedly pray for and strongly encourage your support of these noble efforts by ensuring that the contact information for your parish’s graduating high school seniors is sent each and every year to the OCF National Office for dissemination to our dedicated local chapters.

Additionally, with the greatest sincerity and earnestness, we encourage your committed financial support of this fundamental ministry which functions completely on the contributions of caring Orthodox faithful like yourselves.

We are asking that a special collection be taken on College Student Sunday in support of the good work of OCF, and we encourage the entire faithful family – clergy, parents, grandparents, godparents, aunts, uncles, and friends of our treasured college students – to be generous in your offering of support to this ministry on their behalf. If for some reason October 7 is not a good date for your parish, please make the collection on another Sunday in October. Donations may be sent to the OCF National Office at 50 Goddard Avenue, Brookline, MA 02445 or online at www.ocf.net/donate.

May our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ who calls all of us to contribute to the ministry of His Church guide and strengthen all of our cherished and blessed Orthodox college students.

Working in His Vineyard with much love,

+Bishop Gregory of Nyssa
Liaison to OCF for the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America

 

Encyclical in PDF Format
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