1,270
edits
Changes
→History
May 28, 1979, the Order of St. Ignatius granted $10,000.00 to the Administrative Council to produce a professional land use study, plus $60,000.00 for equipment purchase, chapel and building repairs. The original A-frame Presbyterian chapel was granted a $30,000.00 gift from The Order to be converted into St. Ignatius Church as a true Orthodox House of Worship.
That same year, at the 34th Archdiocese Convention in Hollywood, FL, His Eminence began looking ahead at the possibilities beyond camping and introduced the idea of an all year conference facility to be used by and for clergy retreats and conferences, programs for youth ministry, liturgical practice and sacred music, Christian education, theological research, marriage workshops, SOYO, Teen SOYO, Antiochian Women, The Order of St. Ignatius, and the Archdiocese Board of Trustees.
The first camping year was termed “disappointing results”. Word spread as campers and staff traveled back to their home parishes and spoke of their experience at The Village. Under the direction of father John Namie, the camping program made great strides, not just in the number of campers, but in the quality of the camping program. Many other Orthodox dioceses began to use The Village for their retreats, and The Village summer camping program quickly fulfilled the dreams and prayers of those directly involved, especially the hundreds of youth partaking in the awesome Village experience.
The weekend of September 29, 1979, the Antiochian Village was dedicated in front of 1,200 faithful, and the following was declared by His Eminence: “The Antiochian Village is not here to serve only the people of this great Archdiocese, but is offered as a gift to all Orthodox Christians in this country, and because “I do not dream impossible dreams, I merely interpret the dreams and aspirations of my flock. The Antiochian Village was the dream of my people, and I have only striven to translate these dreams into realities. Each achievement presents us with another beginning. There is no summit, only height in the doing the work of Jesus Christ.”
The outreach continued to grow. September, 1979 was the dedication of The St. Thekla Chapel and 1st Annual Pilgrimage. Hundreds came from all over the United States to begin this journey and offer their petitions. The St. Thekla Pilgrimage continues today, as busloads of the faithful travel from all over to participate and refresh their spiritual lives.
In 1982, The Antiochian Village received accreditation by the American Camping Association.
The Antiochian Village Camp continues to grow and offer memories that no other event or time can offer. The camping sessions are usually filled very quickly, and campers call their friends from previous years to make sure that they will see them again during the same session, in the same cabin, and relive The Village Magic that only a “Villager” will understand.
The Conference and Retreat Center was built in 1985 and doubled in size in 1990. Fr. John Namie was the first camp director from 1979 to 1988. Under his directorship, the camping program grew from a two-camper session to an ACA accredited camping program that served hundreds of Orthodox Youth each summer.
