Fr. Thomas Hopko, Dean Emeritus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary and teacher of seminarians and priests for decades passed away in 2015. Fr. Tom was first a pastor, a man with a generous heart and burning love for Christ who directed many towards our Lord.
Archives for 2015
Go to Church!
Find out why from Fr. Barnabas Powell who says “A go-it-alone-Christianity always leads to a weak theology.”
The Orthodox Way of Knowing God
What can America learn from the Orthodox faith? The most important thing would be the seriousness of Christian faith, or even better the seriousness of life.
Dachau 1945: The Souls of All Are Aflame
Source: Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese In 1945, a Paschal Liturgy like no other was performed. Just days after their liberation by the US military on April 29, 1945, hundreds of Orthodox Christian prisoners at the Dachau concentration camp gathered to celebrate the Resurrection service and to give thanks. By Douglas Cramer The Dachau concentration camp was […]
Orthodox Pascha (Easter) in Dachau
The last transport of prisoners arrives from Buchenwald. Of the 5,000 originally destined for Dachau, I was among the 1,300 who had survived the trip. Many were shot, some starved to death, while others died of typhus…
Wisdom from St. Nectarios
St. Nectarios: Living Life as a Christian Christians, have we understood the great responsibility that we have taken on before God through baptism? Have we come to know that we must conduct ourselves as children of God, that we must align our will with the will of God, that we must remain free from sin, […]
How and Why Do We Fast?
Fasting is, according to St. John Chrysostom, the third most important element in our spiritual practices outside the worship of God in community.
Lenten Fasting Guidelines
Below are the guidelines for the Lenten Fast according to the Canons of the Orthodox Church. Several things we must consider: Fasting rules are not laws, but disciplines. They are a guide, not a commandment. We do not fast from foods to the detriment of our health. If you are sick, do not fast. If […]
A Brief History of St. Paisios
On January 13, 2015, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Synod unanimously added the blessed Paisius to the roles of the Saints of the Church. This decision was made following the application by the Committee on Canonical issues. Saint Paisius of Mt. Athos, known to the world as Arsenios Eznepidis was born in 1924 in […]
Anticipating Needs
Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ Galatians 6:2 If you watch the altar servers closely, you will see that they anticipate the needs of the priest. The priest is the primary celebrant of the Divine Liturgy, the one who pilots the ship. But in order for the priest to do […]