On Sunday April 17, 2016, Holy Virgin Cathedral sponsored the 9^th Annual Lenten Retreat. 

The title of the conference was “Redeeming Modern Life” and the themes of the lectures centered on beauty. There were approximately 100 attendees.

 Keynote speaker Khouria Krista West gave a lecture entitled “Envisioning the Kingdom: the Why and How of Beauty in the Church” and keynote speraker Priest Andrew Cuneo, Ph.D gave a lecture entitled “Can We Think About Paradise Too Much? The Beautiful Perils of Modern Life.”

On behalf of the Diocesan Council of the Western American Diocese, council secretary Archpriest Peter Perekrestov spoke briefly about the upcoming celebrations and events surrounding the 50th Anniversary of the repose of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco the Wonderworker to be held from June 30 to July 2, 2016.

Below is the official announcement about the approaching Jubilee which has been produced by the media department of the Western American Diocese.