The 57th A.R.O.Y. Conference: "Revisiting My Roots"
by Lisa Nemes, National A.R.O.Y. Secretary

Every A.R.O.Y. Conference is unique and special.  It’s a time to gather with friends and family, some of whom you rarely see throughout the year, and participate in social and religious events planned during the course of the weekend.  If you are selected to represent your chapter as a delegate, you have the opportunity to partake in meetings, where you can participate in discussions on the activity of A.R.O.Y. on both the national and local level.  In addition, you can make suggestions to improve the operations of A.R.O.Y. in order to have an organization that can provide for the young people of our Romanian Orthodox Episcopate.

The 57th Conference, hosted by the Saints Peter & Paul A.R.O.Y. Chapter in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, was very close to my heart.  The first A.R.O.Y. Conference I had ever attended was 6 years ago in the very same city.  In a sense, I was revisiting my roots.  I looked forward to a wonderful weekend and that is exactly how it proceeded.

The weekend began with hotel check-in on Thursday evening.  On Friday morning, the National A.R.O.Y. Spiritual Advisor, Fr. Calinic (Berger), assisted in celebrating the Divine Liturgy service alongside other priests from the area and visiting cities.  Delegate registration and meetings ensued, with approximately 12 chapters in attendance.  The meetings began with the Invocation of the Holy Spirit led by His Eminence, Archbishop NATHANIEL.  Chapters from as far as Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Falls Church, Virginia, were present, as well as some of the more familiar chapters from the Great Lakes area.  After roll call was taken and the Agenda was approved, National President John E. Lazar called the conference into session.  Various appointments were made, correspondence was reviewed and then the delegation split into an “under 18” group and an “over 18” group for discussions led by board members regarding activities of the delegates’ home parishes, difficulties, questions, feedback, etc.  Following the insightful discussions, two representatives of each group were selected to present the information discussed in their respective groups to the reassembled conference body.  Members of both groups enjoyed the workshops and were surprised to see that many similarities existed between the two groups.  Despite their difference in age, the good ideas and experiences shared were found to be very useful and well received.  Following the meetings and dinner at the parish hall on Friday afternoon, delegates returned to the hotel to prepare for the evening activity.

What do you get when you combine 200 people, dance music, and a large two-story boat in international water?  A fantastic 3-hour cruise on the Detroit River!  The host chapter diligently coordinated a cruise, reminiscent of similar events at the 1987 and 1999 Conferences, filled with camaraderie, music, snacks, and beverages for everyone to take pleasure in.  As we cruised along the water, we witnessed the beautiful Detroit skyline and Canadian shoreline of Windsor.  With limited space available, the delegates, family, and friends present enjoyed the time to socialize and dance together in a discoteca-atmosphere.  Despite the weather being a bit chilly, everyone had a pleasurable and unforgettable boat trip.  Nevertheless, this was only a taste of the extraordinary weekend that lay ahead.

Saturday morning, the delegates returned to the parish hall to continue with another day of meetings.  Chapters in attendance were: Ak-R.O.Y. (Akron/Fairlawn OH), Canton A.R.O.Y. (Canton OH), Cathedral Junior A.R.O.Y. (Detroit/Southfield MI), Cathedral Senior A.R.O.Y. (Detroit/Southfield MI), Cleveland A.R.O.Y. (Cleveland OH), Holy Nativity A.R.O.Y. (Chicago IL), S.P.-A.R.O.Y. (Saint Paul MN), Saints Peter & Paul A.R.O.Y. (Dearborn Heights MI), Phila-R.O.Y. (Philadelphia PA), CAP-A.R.O.Y. (Falls Church VA), Grand-R.O.Y. (Grand Rapids MI), Kitchener A.R.O.Y. (Kitchener ON), and Youngstown A.R.O.Y. (Youngstown OH).  In all, some 64 delegates participated.  Committee Reports were presented by the National Board, followed by the discussion of Old Business.  Prior to the commencement of lunch, delegates viewed a PowerPoint presentation by Fr. Calinic (Berger), who lead a week-long Project Mexico work trip in June 2006, alongside several A.R.O.Y. members: Bogdan Maxim, Winston Miroy, Andrei Gaspar, and Alexandra Reed.  Personal experiences were shared by each of the attending members, followed by a short question/answer session.

Before lunch, the session recessed and a memorial service (parastas) was offered in the church for the deceased hierarchs of the diocese, as well as deceased National Presidents, Spiritual Advisors and members of A.R.O.Y.  A delicious home-made sausage and hot dog lunch followed, prepared by the ladies of host parish.  After enjoying lunch and the social hour to converse with fellow delegates and friends, the delegation reconvened to continue the meetings.  New Business topics such as the Calendar of Events and Proposed Budget sparked much constructive discussion among the delegation.  Furthermore, the delegates were each presented with a National A.R.O.Y. Overview Booklet written and designed by President John E. Lazar, which provides an overview of the various aspects of A.R.O.Y.: our Patron Saint, a brief history, purposes and membership, culture, charity, chapter life, publications, and several other topics.  The meetings concluded with His Eminence, Archbishop NATHANIEL presenting the slate of nominated candidates for the 2006-2007 National A.R.O.Y. Board.  A unanimous vote accepted the proposed slate. Congratulations and best wishes are offered to our re-elected President John E. Lazar (Cathedral Senior), Vice President Jennifer Roman (Sts. Peter & Paul), Secretary Lisa Nemes (Youngstown), Treasurer Maranda Tipa (Cathedral Sr.), Auditor Kristina Persichino (Cathedral Sr.), Auditor Nicholas Avramaut (Cleveland), Bogdan Maxim (Cap-AROY), Silvana Totan (Cathedral Jr.), Maria Lupu (Chapter at Large), as well as the appointed members of the new Board.

At the conclusion of the meetings, everyone present sang the Tropar to Saint Nicholas, our Patron Saint, before heading outdoors to take the delegation photo.  Immediately following the photo, everyone proceeded into the church for the celebration of Great Vespers.  It was encouraging to see that the Board’s diligence in stressing participation in the services was observed by an overwhelming majority of the delegates.  It was also good to see several talented A.R.O.Y. members, who are cantors in their local parishes, participating in leading the responses for the service.

The Saturday evening event was a Romanian-spirited dinner and dance.  With well over 300 delegates, family, friends, and visitors in attendance, everyone enjoyed the delicious Romanian-style dinner (of course including mititei) and the delightful homemade pastries that followed.  Everyone enjoyed a lovely evening of dancing and listening to Romanian and American music, which ended by midnight in order to prepare for the Divine Liturgy the next morning.

On Sunday morning, the doors of the church were opened, welcoming hundreds of visitors, delegates and parishioners for the celebration of the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy.  As is customary, the Archbishop was met by the clergy at the doors of the church at the conclusion of the matins service and entered the nave as the faithful sang the hymn to the Birthgiver of God.  The church was filled to capacity, with the responses led in Romanian and English by the parish choir, joined by several A.R.O.Y. members.  At the conclusion of Liturgy, the newly-elected National Board was administered the Oath of Office in the presence of the faithful.

More than 400 of those in attendance then proceeded into the parish hall for a fantastic meal at the Grand Banquet.  Our indebted thanks are offered to the kind ladies and gentlemen who prepared and served the food throughout the weekend!  During the dinner, various dignitaries offered remarks and guests attentively listened to the address of His Eminence, Archbishop NATHANIEL.  Other highlights included remarks by President John E. Lazar, who also presented the A.R.O.Y./Stanitz Scholarships for 2006 to Silvana Totan and Greg Maxim, both members of Saint George Cathedral in Southfield/Detroit, Michigan.  Furthermore, official Charters were presented to the following new A.R.O.Y. Chapters for their attainment of “active status”: Victor Frunza representing GRAND-R.O.Y., John Filip for Kitchener A.R.O.Y., San Jose A.R.O.Y., and Alexandru Radulescu for Cathedral Senior A.R.O.Y.  We were also honored to have as our guest throughout the weekend, Mr. Marius Opincariu, Youth Director of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America & Canada, who represented the Romanian Archdiocese and His Eminence, Archbishop NICOLAE.  Marius addressed the delegation during the conference sessions and those at the dinner, presenting an icon of Saint Nicholas to our President John E. Lazar as a symbol of increased cooperation and union between our two Romanian dioceses.

As is tradition, the weekend was concluded with the beautiful 47th Debutante Ball, themed “Now and Forever.”  Again, over 400 people gathered at Detroit Metropolitan Airport’s Crowne Plaza Hotel Grand Ballroom to delight in the presentation of twelve beautiful debutantes, as well as music provided by the well-known Romanian orchestra, “Transylvania”.  For several hours, delegates, family, friends, and visitors socialized and enjoyed the traditional Romanian and American dances, such as the “hora”, “perinita” and “electric slide.”  As with each year, tears were shed as old friends and new gathered in the center of the dance floor to sing the national anthems and customary songs that annually end the Debutante Ball and Conference weekend.

National A.R.O.Y. thanks Rev. Fr. Romey Rosco, host priest, the Conference Chairman, Tom Rosco, along with all committees, the host chapter, parishioners and contributors who worked so rigorously to provide a welcoming and memorable weekend for all of us in Dearborn Heights, Michigan.  We pray that God will guide us in another year of service as we all attempt to do our best to strengthen His Holy Church and our beloved American Romanian Orthodox Youth, and we look forward to meeting again at the 2007 Conference at Saint George Cathedral!

CLICK HERE for the photo gallery posted on the A.R.O.Y. Conference website, http://conference.aroy.org.