September 14, 2022



Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,


We are writing to invite you to join your brother and sister deacons at our annual Deacons’ Retreat scheduled for January 20-22, 2023, at Christ the King Center. The retreat will start on Friday with check-in at 4:00 PM at the Welcome Center, followed by Evening Prayer at 5:30 PM in Christ the King Chapel. We will end on Sunday after lunch. Our diocese completely covers the cost.


Bishop Michael Smith, Assisting Bishop in the Diocese of Albany and the Diocese of Dallas, will be our retreat leader. The retreat theme will be exploring what brings you joy in your ministry as a deacon. During a recent meeting of the Deacon’s Council, we discussed Frederick Buechner’s quote: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Bp. Smith will use this quote to help frame our retreat conversations. We look forward to gathering for worship with abundant quiet and reflection time. Fr. Darius Mojallali will be available during the retreat for private confession and reconciliation.


All vocational deacons are expected to attend, and you are hereby released from your regular liturgical duties. Please collaborate with your rector to accommodate your attendance at this retreat, and confirm your attendance by registering on our diocesan website at www.albanyepiscopaldiocese.org. Select either the full or partial weekend option no later than Wednesday, November 16, 2022.


If you have questions or concerns, please contact Fr. Tom Papazoglakis, Interim Director of Deacons at director.deacon.formation@albanydiocese.org or by calling at (518) 727-6819 or Bp. Smith at m.smith@albanydiocese.org. Regrets should be sent to Fr. Tom by letter (to the Diocesan Office, 580 Burton Rd, Greenwich, NY 12834) or email with a copy to Bp. Smith.


As special guests of the Diocese, we are blessed to have several deacons from the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas joining us for the retreat. We look forward to seeing you on the weekend of January 20, 2023.



Register Today

Note: This is the corrected invitation. There was a typo in the email address for Fr. Tom