Sisterhood Activities
Welcome to the webpage of the Sisterhood Activities where we will communicate all of our activities. On this page we will post information as well as various photos and pictures related to our projects. The most important concern of our Sisterhood is to help and assist our Church Rector, Father Lubomir. Therefore, we will make every effort to keep our church clean and well kept. During the holidays, we decorate our church and icons with flowers. At Christmas time there is always a beautiful Christmas tree (a natural spruce) topped with an Angel annunciating the birth of Jesus Christ! For Easter, our church is distinctively and exceptionally beautiful, decorated with garlands of natural flowers.
In addition, we are the primary helpers of our priest in organizing and arranging the Sunday school, Library, Kiosk as well as church celebrations and meals. Under the priest’s blessing, some Sisters participate during the Liturgies and occasional during service they will sing and chant.
All members of our Sisterhood are talented and responsible. Many of them enthusiastically share their time by creating and preparing decorative candles, pouring vigil lamp oil, blessed honey and jam into hand-painted bottles and jars. They also hand-paint Christmas toys, Easter eggs and other items that are sold in our Church kiosk. The purpose is to raise money for the Sisterhood so that the funds raised can be spent for supplying projects and supporting our parishioners.
In the future, with the help of Jesus Christ our God, our Sisterhood is planning to organize working studios for icon painting, publishing as well as folk art. Therefore, our Sisterhood appeals to all of our parishioners: Please join us in our activities! Each of you will find a God-given talent and activity from your own heart! We look forward and ask for your help and participation with the charitable activities as this is a good cause for our Church.
Sisterhood Committee’s Appeal Regarding The New Icon Painting Project
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Fr. Lubomir, our Church Rector, has blessed the work on a unique and new project in our Sisterhood, “painting and decorating icons of the Mother of God”. In the next few months, we are planning to make two icons of St. Vladimir’s Mother of God. The icons should be ready for Bishop Peter’s visit and the Metropolitan Christopher of Check Republic and Slovakia, by February 2011. The Sisters responsible for working on this project are Tatiana Alexandrova, Chairman of the Hand-craft workshop Sisterhood Subcommittee and Tatiana Sheiko, Chairman of the Art and Icon Studio Sisterhood Subcommittee. Together with their close helpers, Olga LaMont, Elena Kostereva and Katerina Ivanova and many others, plan to buy all necessary materials. These materials will include: wooden boards, oil paints, paintbrushes, artistic accessories for icon painting, as well as expensive fabrics, different colors and texture, pearls, precious and semi precious stones, etc. These will be necessary for the decoration of the hand-sewed beautiful riza’s and kiots.
We humbly ask all parishioners of our St. Vladimir Church to help with the work on this special Sisterhood project. We will be very grateful for your generous donations that will enable us to purchase all the necessary materials. Your contributions can either be monetary or in the form of pearls, precious and semi precious stones different colors, sizes and shapes which are going to be used for decorating icons. Thank you very much!
May God and His Most Holy Mother protect you and keep you safe always!
Yours,
S.G. Tatiana Alexandrova
S.G. Tatiana Sheiko
Sisterhood Committee
Important Announcement about ongoing sisterhood activities and fundraising projects
With the blessing of our Fr. Lubomir and with the help of many volunteers we have recently started new craft projects in “St. Xenia” Sisterhood of St. Vladimir Church for fundraising purposes. We already have our first production ready for you to buy. The 4th Sunday of the Great Lent started Pasha Sale of hand-made craft items in the Church kiosk.
A large basket with all type of the items we make in the Sisterhood is placed in the kiosk for your convenience to explore.
For more information about the ready production please, visit Kiosk webpage here.
How do we make candles?
Candle creation activity: the idea has started before the Feast of “Nativity of Our Lord and Savior” as to make candles using the wax from leftovers candles in the Church.
For this reason the room next to the kitchen was cleaned up and assigned for this activity. We bought a candle making machine, different dyes and aroma and also different items for decoration the candles.
Candles in the shape of eggs for Pasha are one priority now.
In the room where we make candles.
Candles in a shape of Paschal eggs and crosses, as well as in large and small cylinder and square shapes are available now in the Church Kiosk. We make them from the bits and pieces of the Church candles lit up in Church at the time of service. In addition we add different colors and fragrance to the melted wax and then decorate the ready candles with real pressed flowers, non-natural stones and flowers, and ribbons. For Paschal eggs “X B” (the Cyrillic initials of “Christ is Risen”) is written additionally with golden and silver pens. We also make small red candles for private and Church prayers.
Ira is very creative when decorating candles. Masha is pouring the wax into molds.
Hand painted Paschal Eggs and other items
The second big project is still ongoing and is related to the upcoming feast of Paskha. In order for these activities to be successful we now gather together to work on these projects every Saturday in the Parish house approximately at noon or even earlier.
Numerous types of wooden, foam and real egg shells are beautifully painted and decorated by our sisters.
Many sisters are involved in decoration of wooden Paschal eggs and other items under the guidance of our talented sisters and painters – Olga LaMont, Elena Texas and Tatiana Sheiko.
Olya, Tanya and Lena working. Our artist Olya LaMont.
Olya showing Sonya and Vasya the technique of painting with acrylics on wood. Olya and Tanya discussing something and Katya using a computer to design patterns.
Many sisters and their children enjoy preparing and decorating items which look very professional.
Tanya is showing one of her painted eggs. Katya is so concentrated…
Alla is very talented. We all love her work. Working atmosphere in the parish house
Brothers also are interested to come and help with these projects.
Juan is helping with smoothing the surface of the wooden eggs with sand paper before painting. Gennadiy works on the important last step of polishing twice the painted eggs for better look.
Dean also likes to join us when is not busy at Saturdays and works very hard.
Batushka Lubomir giving some suggestions. Lena just finished painting.
The hand-painted Paschal Eggs are exclusive sisters’ work. Nice egg is good for decoration and possesses the characteristic Russian style and spirit. In the Ancient Russia these eggs were the most popular present for Pasha.
We were also inspired by Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian patterns of the Paschal art to make ”Pysanky” – traditional Paschal eggs – painted on real egg shells.
There are small number of “Faberge” style Paschal eggs, beautifully decorated with stones, beads and other items by our sisters.
To paint the eggs our sisters make use of acrylic dyes, golden and silver pens and permanent markers for decorations as well as non-natural and natural stones. All wooden eggs were additionally polished twice for better look.
There are also some plates painted by children and moms from our Church!
Olya LaMont has painted one very original and beautiful wooden egg with the icon of Mother of God. Gorgeous!!!
Sonya – just finishing her first “ruchnik”
Do you recognize it? This is our Church, painted by Tanya. And a part of our work, ready for the Kiosk!
We have also started new project – we are going to make “pelmeny” in the kitchen. Tatiana has shown to us how to make them. Our first are already in the freezer.
