Parishioners were immediately taken by Fr. Ivan's sense of humor, but quickly came to realize there was more to Fr. Ivan than just a good laugh.  His gentleness and genuine concern for the people of St. Mary's have won him the admiration of all.  What's more, he has freely given of his own talents to the maintenance of the church, doing such things as finishing the work on our new sanctuary floor and installing new lighting fixtures by the front door.  His devotion to our Lord Jesus and Mary, our Mother, has led him to establish the practice of *molebens* (traditional Byzantine prayer services) in their honor on the second and fourth Sundays of each month from May through October.

Although he is still struggling with English, he is getting better with it all the time, and hopes to start having a Sunday Liturgy that is all in English by May of 2005.

We hope Fr. Ivan will be with us for a long time, and we wish him many years, "mnohaya lita!"