Our Woman of the Week is Dorothea Love, a long-time administrator at her parish, and an intrepid and devoted volunteer for many organizations. You see her here in the scaffolding looking at the newly-painted Pantocrator. We asked her to tell you how she became a servant of Christ in the Church:
“My life in the Orthodox Church began with my infant baptism, but I remember, ‘For You possess my heart, Oh Lord; You took hold of me from my mother’s womb’ (Psalm 138:13).
“And He did possess my heart from my earliest memories. We worshiped, attended Church Sunday school (& dreaded Greek School classes) and innately knew that as we entered the narthex, we were in a holy place. I was surrounded by loving parents, a dear younger brother, grandparents and aunts, uncles and cousins. When in 1941, my father married my mother in the Orthodox Church, he was considered exiled from the Roman Catholic Church. However, he continued to pray the rosary daily, read scripture and kept the then fast. When I was a young child, I asked him why we were baptized in the Orthodox faith. He said, “your mother’s faith is stronger than mine.” There was never a disagreement about how we were raised.
“When I entered college I was very interested in learning about other faiths and wanted to experience their worship. I think it was a crisis of faith and I wanted to claim Orthodoxy as my own, not simply because I was born into it. I had a very wise priest who said that I certainly could visit other churches, synagogues and temples as long as I was in Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am on Sunday. As I studied the history of our faith, I came to understand that this is how I wanted to profess my faith and grow in the love of Christ.
“In the many years that followed I have experienced painful loss and tremendous joy. I continue on the path and know that it is a lifelong journey.
“I began as a teacher’s aide in the Church School program when I was 17 and have enjoyed every grade level. For the past 15 years I have co-taught the 11th - 12th grade students and am in awe of their maturity, their questions regarding the faith and the respect & love they show toward us. My service under outstanding, caring priests has been an enormous influence on my own journey.
“I served as a parent liaison at the Board of Education when my children were in grade school. I was also a PTA officer and it was a wonderful way to stay in touch with what our students were learning and to provide special programs for parents. I am a long time member of the League of Women Voters and am constantly amazed at the knowledge of women in their 80’s & even 90, who know far more than I will ever know about government, the environment, commerce, education, climate change, voting rights and mental health legislation. In retirement I have enjoyed volunteering at our local elementary school in the kindergarten and third grade levels. Many of the students have learned English as a second language and there is enormous happiness watching these children master reading and a love of books!
“I served as the Church School Director at my former parish and recently retired as a full time Sunday Church School teacher. Serving as a substitute has allowed me to join our choir which has been an added blessing in my life. I have served as a Philoptochos President, member of the parish council and currently on the board of our religious education program. Under the direction and with the full support of our senior pastor, I lead the Women’s Study Fellowship. We study books that lead us to a fuller life of prayer, help us navigate difficult situations, open our hearts to the working of the Holy Spirit and demonstrate our love for the “least among us”. Volunteering at the Catholic Worker House, we prepare dinners, serve, and visit with the homeless women who reside there. The pandemic has curtailed our in-person hospitality, but we donate needed items and look forward to our time, hopefully soon, when we can once again connect with these women whose very being is an icon of Christ.
“One of my favorite more recent involvements has been as the Ecumenical Liaison working with Orthodox from all jurisdictions, as well as Oriental Orthodox, particularly Coptic and Roman Catholic priests and laity.”
Axia!
Dorothea Love is our Woman of the Week, nominated for the sheer scope of her volunteer activities, and for her work as a beloved parish administrator. You see her here at her parish packing supplies for a homeless outreach program. We asked her to tell you what it was like moving from a college administrative role to one at a parish:
“I did not complete my college degree until my children were in college and it was an amazing experience. I attended Marymount college surrounded by reentry adults and young students. We older adults came from so many life experiences and were able to share those with our younger classmates. When I graduated, I was hired by the college to serve as an off-site coordinator. It was a position I relished as I guided students to achieve their dream of a college education. From the younger students wishing to advance in their careers to the older students who simply wanted to complete what they left unfinished.
“One day while joining the chanters at the chanters stand prior to Orthros I was summoned by the priest to speak with him in the vestry. I wondered what I had done wrong (childhood guilt?). Because chanting was not my gift, the priest said I had done nothing wrong, but asked if I would accept the position of office administrator for our parish. I was stunned but he said the very beloved woman in that position was critically ill and was considering retirement. She had recommended me as her successor. It took several weeks of prayer and conversation with family until I was guided to accept the position.
“Working for non-profits was where I belonged and the experience of working as an administrative assistant at my parish was much more than I could have imagined. While listening to people who had lost loved ones and helping them to arrange funerals to explaining what was necessary for the joyful sacraments of marriage and baptisms, I ran the gamut of emotions. I was blessed to work with an esteemed theologian, a devoted and caring senior pastor, a dear assistant priest, and our pastoral assistant, who had been my Sunday School student many years before. Indeed, in my 50 years of teaching, many of my students have been my teachers. What a joy!
“A favorite and penetrating quote:
“The way to God lies through love of people. At the Last Judgment I shall not be asked whether I was successful in my ascetic exercises, nor how many bows and prostrations I made. Instead I shall be asked did I feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the prisoners. That is all I shall be asked. About every poor, hungry and imprisoned person the Savior says 'I': 'I was hungry and thirsty, I was sick and in prison.' To think that he puts an equal sign between himself and anyone in need. . . . I always knew it, but now it has somehow penetrated to my sinews. It fills me with awe.’ (Mother Maria of Paris)”
As usual, we asked our Woman of the Week, Dorothea Love, about her morning routine:
“In retirement my words upon waking are “this is the day the Lord hath made, rejoice and be glad in it.” From there it is straight to the coffee which my husband has prepared. A brief conversation, morning prayer and since the beginning of the pandemic, the praying of the Psalms with a faithful group of women from our parish. We do this on Zoom, Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. We have a very dear woman who leads us. She is a convert to the Orthodox faith and is immersed in the love of Christ and His Orthodox Church. We are nearing our 50th praying of the entire book of the Psalms. It has been our anchor during these changing and sometimes difficult times and thus we are referred to as the Anchorites.
“My family life includes my husband, my two adult children and their spouses and our 4 precious grandchildren.
“Mary of Egypt should have the last word. She is remembered praying in the desert: ‘Now, therefore, lead me, where ever you please, Lord; lead me to salvation, teach me what is true, and go before me in the way of repentance.’”
Thank you, Dorothea!
