In my previous post, I mentioned that St. John of Rila (St. Ivan Rilski) had spent some time in the area outside of what is now Sofia, which was known before that as Serdika. I also mentioned in this post that the nice young lady who did my second cooking lesson had a relative who was an abbot at a monastery just outside Sofia.
On my way back from Rila, she contacted me and let me know that she had spoken with him, and that while he does not speak English others who attend church at the monastery did, and that I was welcome to attend. One thing I didn’t mention is that the monastery is the German Monastery of Saint John of Rila. It is in fact on the site (or very near) where Saint John had his hut before he fled to Rila. Again, this seems to be an emerging theme of this trip.
So, Sunday morning I went to attend church at the monastery. There was one misadventure getting there (my fault), but get there I did and I really enjoyed the service. Afterwards, I was invited to join the members for the post-Liturgy meal, got to meet several of them, and they also got to know me.
It was a wonderful time, with much laughter and joking. I was told that since I had stayed in Bulgaria more than a week I was not allowed to leave. One person even offered me the contact info for his real estate person. I was then offered a ride to the closest subway station, given food to take home with me, and was on my way.
This week, I’ve already gotten a couple of calls and the short version is that I will be picked up at the subway station so I can join them again. I am very much looking forward to it, and my thought is that I will make this my regular Sunday church here. Still plan to attend weekday liturgies at a couple of churches close to me, but know where I will be spending my Sundays.
Onwards.
If you would like to help me with this trip, seminary courses, and more, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. I’ve added Cash App ($CliffPow7) and Venmo (@Clifford-Powers-5). There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Getting hit by lightning is not fun! It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.