The  Metropolis of San Francisco Sisterhood of Presvyteres has had an annual weekend retreat since 1980. Up to forty Presvyteres attend this delightful and edifying weekend held at the end of January at Saint Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center in Dunlap, CA. Below is a reflection on this year’s retreat offered by Presvytera Christie Kyriacou of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Camarillo, CA.

Since the day I became a Presvytera, I’ve been able to attend roughly half of our Metropolis Presvyteres Sisterhood retreats. If I were a baseball player, this average would earn me a place in the Hall of Fame. In life outside of America’s national pastime, however, this is not nearly enough. How do I know? Because this year was the first time in several years that I have made it a priority to attend a sisterhood retreat --- and I had no idea what I had been missing until I drove four hours, three freeways, two rest stops, and one Café Americano away from home.  In the Metropolis of San Francisco, we are blessed to have a focus on clergy family wellness. Because of the unique responsibilities that God has bestowed upon our husbands, we have found it edifying and life-giving to come together and support one another once a year for an entire weekend. This year, we were blessed with discussions facilitated by His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos, Presvytera Kerry Pappas, and Presvytera Nikki Salmas. We were challenged to consider many topics relevant to us and these are three that I will pray over throughout the upcoming year:

1.  What kind of Presvytera are you? I can’t express how much I love this question. It recognizes that we are all different. God has uniquely fashioned each of us with diverse gifts and imperfections. We are so grateful when we accept that of ourselves and when it is also celebrated within our church families.

2.  Our homes are little churches and, therefore, sanctuaries. Home is where sanctity is born and bred. Saint John Chrysostom tells us that our homes are a haven of happiness amid the storms of life. As a Presvytera, my first ministry is my husband. I was not prepared for this! But, I am blessed by it. Our sisterhood helps me finish victorious in this particular marathon in life, rather than to collapse after a well-intended sprint.

3.  Jesus made a choice not to be alone in His life on earth. He surrounded himself with His disciples and the people. We departed from our retreat renewed and ready, thanks to our interactions with one another…ready to return to our families, our homes, our parishes. We were renewed by our focus on appreciation and gratitude for all that our God has given us.

Please pray for us as we step up to the plate and try to serve our Lord, our husbands, our children, and our church families.