When Fr. Thomas Hopko reposed, his wife Mat. Anne gave Ancient Faith an amazing gift. The boxes in this picture are full of cassette recordings of Fr. Thomas speaking at church events and conferences all over the country over many years. He would be speaking somewhere, and a parishioner would record the talk, scribble a handwritten sticker label, and give Fr. Tom the tape before he went home.
When AFR first received this gift, the cost of digitizing cassette tapes was prohibitive, so our staff packed the tapes away, hoping they'd someday be able to get them on the air. Time and technology rolled along, and that "someday" has arrived. We've begun working our way through the boxes, one tape at a time. They're a little fragile, and the sound quality isn't always great, but you can hear Fr. Tom!
Fr. Thomas was (and is!) a beloved friend of Ancient Faith. He remains a presence at the ministry. God willing, he's a member of our cloud of witnesses.
While we're waiting for the whole batch of tapes to be processed, we hope he would approve of our first use of this gift, to say thank you to a group of people who don't get much limelight but are incredibly important to us.
Did you know our ministry is blessed with people who support us financially EVERY MONTH? Our goal this year is to show those Keystone supporters how important they are to Ancient Faith. They keep the lights on, the equipment working, the bills paid. They keep us alive. We could say thank you every day, and it wouldn't be enough. So we are sharing the first digitized recording from this collection, a Lenten lecture in which Fr. Tom talks about "Obedience and Freedom," with our Keystone Givers.
If you already are one - THANK YOU! If you want to become one, it's easy! Start HERE, and you'll be on your way to hearing our first "new" Fr. Thomas episode in many years! Glory to God for all things!