April 18, 2021

Sunday St. Mary of Egypt
A Response to God's Love

- Fr. Ernesto Obregon -


Today on the fifth Sunday of Lent the Orthodox Church commemorates St. Mary of Egypt. Father Ernesto shares with us insight into why the Church chooses to remember her each year during the Lenten season. If we have grown weary in The Great Fast and services of The Church, she is a reminder that it is never too late for us to feel God reaching out to us and to respond in faith and repentance. He points out that sometimes we need to simply remove ourselves from people and places that temp us to sin. We have these two lessons in St. Mary that God first reaches out to us awaiting our response and sometimes the way to deal with sin is to run. Orthodox Christians who have failed to participate in the Lenten season thus far are given hope with the story of St. Mary of Egypt.



The Rev. Fr. Ernesto M. Obregón was born in Cuba, sent to the USA as a refugee child and grew up in north-central Ohio. He was drafted during the Viet Nam era and served

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Photography Credits: Beth Hontzas - Music: Presbytera Katerina Makiej





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The Rev. Fr. Ernesto M. Obregón was born in Cuba, sent to the USA as a refugee child and grew up in north-central Ohio. He was drafted during the Viet Nam era and served in the Army as a Medical Laboratory Specialist. After discharge, he finished his Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology at Kent State University (KSU), a Master of Arts in New Testament and Theology at Ashland Theological Seminary (ATS), and a Master of Arts in Philosophy at Cleveland State University (CSU). He met his wife of over 40 years, Presvytera Denise, at KSU. They and their children served as missionaries in Bolivia and Perú for 10 years, 1990-2000, where Fr. Ernesto was ordained as an Anglican priest. Upon their return, Fr. Ernesto served as the Hispanic Missioner for the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama. In 2004, Fr. & Presvy. converted to Orthodoxy. Fr. Ernesto was ordained an Orthodox priest in 2007, and served a mission parish in Melbourne FL from 2007-2010. Fr. Ernesto returned to Birmingham in 2010, and worked at the VA hospitals in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa until his retirement. During this time period he finished a Master of Science in Management from the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). During that time he was, and continues to be, attached to this parish.