On Thursday the 11th and Friday the 12th of July, the feast of the Holy Preeminent Apostles Peter & Paul, His Grace Theodosius, Bishop of Seattle, paid an archpastoral visit to the Orthodox Youth Camp of the Association of Russian Explorers Outside of Russia in the Catskill Mountains, Woodbourne, NY. Over 100 youth (campers and youth leadership) and an additional 40 staffers and instructors (volunteering their time and efforts) gathered for three weeks for the summer camp. Camp NORR has been operating in New York since 1967, when the joint efforts of Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy and Vasilli Feodorovich Joukov continued the tradition of training and educating children and youth in a Russian Orthodox environment. This summer, NORR ran its 58th camp in the Catskills.
Bishop Theodosius led the All-Night Vigil and celebrated Divine Liturgy in the camp chapel, consecrated in honor of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Serving alongside the first vicar of the Western American Diocese were Archpriests Alexandre Antchoutine (dean of New York City & Long Island) and Constantine Semyanko (camp spiritual leader and rector of Holy Presentation Church in Stratford, CT), Protodeacon Serge Arlievsky (cleric of the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City), and Deacon Andrei Antchoutine (cleric of Holy Virgin Intercession Church in Glen Cove, NY).
The youth choir sang magnificently, and virtually all in attendance communed of Christ’s Holy Mysteries. In his sermon, Bishop Theodosius spoke about the lives and missionary labors of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.
After a festal breakfast, the entire camp was photographed with His Grace.
NORR Camp is very grateful to anybody who would like to contribute to the Fund and can do so by sending donations to the address:
Camp NORR
℅ Anya Scott
185 East Rambler Drive
Southampton, PA 18966
or by visiting the camp’s website here.
After three weeks of active camp life, the 58thcamp was declared closed on Saturday, July 20, at the final Flag Ceremony. "We are Russian! God is with us!" rolled through the camp fields and forest for the last time in 2024. A large group photo was organized under the flagpole and everyone said their goodbyes, until next summer, already talking about starting the prep work for camp in the summer of 2025.
