The Lord's Vineyard, 2000-Present

Father Samer Youssef was assigned to the Church of the Redeemer by His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP in January 2000. This occurred upon the retirement of Father Tom. Father Samer is originally from a suburb of Damascus, Sehnaia, in Syria. Sehnaia is not far from the place where St. Paul, on his way to Damascus to persecute the Christians, was blinded and the voice of Jesus said to him “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:3-6). Father Samer graduated in 1997 from Holy Cross School of Theology with a Masters of Divinity Degree. He was assigned to St. Nicholas Cathedral in Los Angeles, where he directed the youth program. He was ordained to the Diaconate by the Laying on of Hands of His Grace Bishop JOSEPH in 1998, and to the priesthood by His Beatitude Patriarch IGNATIUS IV on 25th of July, 1999 at the Archdiocese Convention in Chicago (St. George, The Shrine of the Weeping Icon).

The world changed on September 11, 2001. Like all Americans, our parish grieved over the destruction and loss of life. On the Sunday after 9/11 we observed the Elevation of the Cross. As we sang the hymn, “O Lord Save Thy People and Bless Thine Inheritance,” we knew we were praying for all of our fellow citizens and indeed for the world. We did not know, however, that the coming year would test our faith and resolve in an unprecedented way.

In the early morning hours of April 7, 2002 our beautiful sanctuary, iconography and furnishings were destroyed by arson. The impact of this event was devastating. How could we ever find the resources to rebuild? The church had insurance, but it was not sufficient to replace all that was lost. Yet in the midst of our tragedy, a message of hope and compassion was revealed in the unburnt remnants of the Gospel. Our Lord said:

"You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” Matthew 5:38-39

The message from the Gospel gave us a sense of direction and inspired all of us, clergy, parishioners, neighbors, friends and many throughout the country. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo invited Reverend Father Samer to deliver the invocation at the House of Representatives in Washington, DC, on July 24, 2002, where he shared the message of the Gospel with members of Congress. (Documented: Congressional Record – Proceedings and Debate of 107th Congress 2nd Session.) From April 2002 until our church was rebuilt in 2005, we returned to the original chapel courtyard built by the church founders to celebrate Divine Services under a tent. Under the leadership of Reverend Father Samer, the work in our Lord’s Vineyard continued uninterrupted. Our Choir, Men’s Fellowship, Women’s Auxiliary, SOYO, Order of St. Ignatius, St. John the Divine and the Sunday school each continued with their ministries. We learned that although the structure of the church had been destroyed, the body of the Church, our worshipping community, remained intact and strong.

Our community learned that though we were struck by tragedy, we were not alone in our struggle. Parishioners, neighbors, friends and the community in general helped us in the rebuilding of the Church. The Parish Council, with the entire parish, took the torch lighted with spirituality and the teaching of Christ and began the work to build an even more beautiful Church -- to the greater glory of God. We selected four members of the parish as an Executive Building Committee, faithful and knowledgeable men: Nicolas Azar, Reyad Katwan, John Mogannam and Abdullah Saah. In November 2004 we broke ground, and on Feast of the Transfiguration, August 6, 2005, Bishop JOSEPH blessed our new sanctuary with Holy Water and presided over the first Divine Liturgy. Since then the church has gradually been furnished by parishioners and friends, and the magnificent iconography has been and continues to be written by Dimitry Shkolnik.

As we celebrate the consecration of our beloved sanctuary, it is fitting to look back to honor the memory of those who sacrificed in the early years, as well as those who had the vision to plan for the future. Through the devotion and hard work of many, our community has built a Sanctuary which, God willing, will continue to serve the Orthodox faithful for many years to come.