What do we want from St. Sophia? What do we want from the Church? What do we want from the Archdiocese. What do we want from the Parish Council and/or the Priest? The questions are numerous. The answers, however, are diverse depending upon who you ask. But, the ultimate answers to all our questions are determined by our actions.

We as a community must stand together and support whatever endeavors and pursuits are before us. There is nothing wrong with constructive (emphasis on constructive) criticism because it gives us an opportunity to improve and, if necessary, change and/or correct any misgivings.

One question you might ask is: Why Stewardship? The answer is simple. Stewardship gives us the obligatory responsibility of overseeing and supporting St. Sophia in order to continue and pass on to future generations what was started in 1921. Failure is not in our vocabulary. Success is what we all strive for, which can only be achieved through our stewardship.

Yes, our forefathers of St. Sophia back in 1921 had a vision and a dream to establish a church in Albany. They fulfilled that dream with the limited resources available to them in 1922 by purchasing the property at 8 Lancaster Street. Those visionaries were newly-arrived immigrants who lacked the language, a formal education, and worked at menial jobs. They stepped up to the plate and disregarded all excuses that we seem to have today (like cost of living expense, etc. etc. etc.).

It is now our turn and our responsibility to make sure St. Sophia continues and progresses. We cannot survive today and in the future if we continue to pledge the same amount year after year after year. St. Sophia also faces cost-of-living expenses. To repeat my previous comments, if St. Sophia didn’t exist tomorrow, where would we go for our spiritual needs, our cultural needs, or a place to see many of our friends. Did you ever wonder about this possibility!?! Take a moment to think about it. St. Sophia relies on our Stewardship, as it should, to meet its growing expenses.