David Menezes was received into the Orthodox Church through the Sacrament of Holy Chrismation during Divine Liturgy on Sunday, November 5, 2023, at Holy Trinity Church. David is a junior at the University of Connecticut where he is a Physics major. A native of Boston, Mr. Menezes was initially introduced to Orthodox Faith through attending a Greek Orthodox Church in Woburn, MA, yet clearly he has planted himself in the Holy Trinity Community and refers it to as his home parish.

David began regularly attending Holy Trinity in early January, 2023, and entered into the catechumenate a short time later. It was discovered that David was well read in the Orthodox Faith before ever attending Holy Trinity. He was catechized by way of discussions at Coffee Hour after Divine Liturgy, Zoom meetings during the week, and personal telephone conversations.

“With a rapidly growing church, and also with numerous converts the past two years, we were forced to get creative in terms of how instruction would be delivered. In a certain respect, David, along with recent converts Reuben & Sera Manning, became the template on how this instruction was presented,“ Holy Trinity pastor Very Reverend Marc A. Vranes noted.

“David has a keen intellect, is very perceptive, yet it was the unbridled joy with which he studied that certainly stands out.”

During his time as a Catechumen, David discovered that he had a special devotion to Saint Nektarios of Aegina, a 20th century saint, and has chosen Saint Nektarios as his Patron Saint.

Along with his intense studies on the UConn campus, David always finds the time to share conversation with others who are drawn to Orthodoxy. Given his curious nature, David is also interested in learning what religious faith his college friends are practicing. Four of those friends from the University attended David’s Chrismation, and each appeared to be uplifted by what they experienced. Mr. Menezes is also a member of the Holy Trinity Telos Project Team and he recently attended a weekend Telos Design Day Workshop in Chicago.

At the conclusion of Divine Liturgy, David was presented with a beautiful Greek style icon of the Mother of God with Child.

A very festive luncheon was held in David’s honor in the church hall after Liturgy that stretched into the early afternoon hours.