We extend our prayers and love to His Eminence, Archbishop Joseph of the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West, and locum tenens of the Diocese of Eagle River and the Northwest, on the occasion of his Name's Day on May 4, 2014 (St. Joseph of Arimathea, Second Sunday after Pascha). May God grant him many years!

Learn more about Joseph of Arimathea (Come and See Icons)

Read about Archbishop Joseph

Visit the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West

Visit the Diocese of Eagle River and the Northwest

Planting the doctrines of Orthodoxy, uprooting the thistles of wicked opinion, O blessed one, and growing well the plant of faith with the rain of thy sayings, thou didst offer to God, like a good farmer, ears a hundred fold.

+ Orthros of the Feast, Tone 1

On the second Sunday of Lent, we celebrate the teachings of St. Gregory Palamas, who upheld the Orthodox doctrine that humans can know God not only through the intellect but through experience of His uncreated energies. 

... every day we should stand in awe of Him, as He is with us, and do what is pleasing before Him. If we are unable now to perceive Him with our physical eyes, we can, if we are watchful, see Him continuously with the eyes of our understanding, and not just see Him, but reap great benefits from Him. This vision destroys all sin, demolishes all evil, and drives away everything bad. It gives birth to purity and dispassion, and bestows eternal life.   + St. Gregory Palamas

Read and Listen:

•  A Man Fully Alive by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, author, and pastor of St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church
• The life of St. Gregory Palamas by Fr. Bassam A. Nassif, University of Balamand
• Fr. Tom Hopko's homily on St. Gregory

Visit our full section on Great Lent.

 

On Sunday, March 29, 2015 the IOCC Pittsburgh Metropolitan Committee plans to hold a prayer service and fund raising dinner that will benefit our Syrian brothers and sisters in Christ. This Syrian Relief gathering will be held at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Pittsburgh, PA. We would like to cordially invite your parish to attend, and support IOCC's aid efforts in Syria.

The recent conflict has been devastating. It has resulted in the displacement of numerous Orthodox Christians that are now hungry, homeless, and lacking essential items.

Last year Archbishop Melchisedek, Metropolitan Silouan, Metropolitan Savas, Bishop Thomas, and (former) Archbishop Theodosius led our Syrian Relief gathering. This year we are hoping to more fully engage all of the Orthodox jurisdictions and faithful in this Orthodox offering of love, prayer, and mercy. Please join us!

 During the past two years, we have held two similar Syrian Relief gatherings that have grossed $27,000 and $37,000, respectively. We are able to be extremely efficient with these gathering, because the community made/donated almost all of the food and supplies for the events. We were able to send $25,000 and $36,000, respectively, to IOCC from these events. Glory to God! (As a reminder IOCC is typically able to obtain $7 worth of grant/other money for each $1 we raise. So this is equivalent to approximately $427K of total aid in Syria from our community's efforts).

We need your help in the following ways:

Attend the Event: Assign a liaison from your parish that can help sell tickets (call Zelfa for details 412-417-4706). Reserve tables for your parishioners and attend as a group. Encourage the philanthropic organizations within your Church to participate and help as a group. See Flyer for reservation details.

Make a Donation: Consider making a group Church donation (perhaps pass a tray). Bring the donation to the gathering; send it directly to IOCC (110 West Road, Suite 360, Baltimore, Maryland 21204); or mail it to Nick Terezis (c/o IOCC, 306 Marberry Dr. Pittsburgh, PA 15215). Please make the check payable to IOCC and write "Syrian Relief - Pit" in the memo. Donations from individuals are also welcome.

Volunteer to Help at the Dinner: Please volunteer to help during theday of the event (March 29), AND encourage your Church Youth Group to volunteer. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Zelfa at 412-417-4706.

Build Awareness:  Please place this flyer in your church bulletin, post it on your bulletin board, and verbally encourage friends to attend.

Pray: Pray for our Syrian brothers and sisters in Christ, and for all people risking their safety to deliver aid.

We are hoping that this gathering will help to foster more frequent collaborations in our Pittsburgh region - where all of the Orthodox faithful come together, in Christ, to aid one another when tragedies occur in our ethnic homelands. Thank you for your love and help in the ministry of IOCC.

In Christ,

Nicholas E. Terezis, Chairman

IOCC Pittsburgh Metropolitan Committee—go here for updates on IOCC efforts in Syria

 

Hosting this event will be the following Hierarchs:

• Greek Archdiocese - His Eminence Metropolitan Savas
• Antiochian Archdiocese - His Grace Bishop Thomas
• Orthodox Church in America - His Grace Bishop Melchisedek
• Serbian Archdiocese - His Grace Bishop Mitrophan
• Ukrianian Orthodox Church - His Grace Bishop Daniel
• Carpatho-Russian - His Grace Bishop Gregory

Sponsoring organizations: Philoptochos of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, IOCC Pittsburgh Metropolitan Committee, and Antiochian Orthodox Community

Reservations Online: (preferred method): www.iocc.org/pittsburgh

Contacts: Sophie at 412-341-6869, farahs32@gmail.com, or Mari at 412-915-7380, Rula at 412-417-0012, Zelfa at 412-417-4706; Joanne at IOCC 877-803-4622, or

Mail: IOCC, 110 West Road, Suite 360, Baltimore, Maryland 21204, or ask if tickets are available in your home parish.

Tickets: $50.00 per person (age 18 and under $20, age 6 and under free). Additional donations would be appreciated. Net Proceeds will Benefit Syrian Relief. Make checks payable to "IOCC" write "Syrian Relief Dinner" and number of tickets in memo. Pre-Purchased tickets will be held at the door and will not be mailed. We will reserve tables of 10 or 8 only. Ticket sales & reservations must be made by March 27.

Call Zelfa: at 412-417-4706 or 412-417-4706, for information or if you would like to volunteer.

Download the flyer

On March 1, 2015, His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph presided over the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy for the Sunday of Orthodoxy at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Brooklyn, NY, with host The Very Reverend Thomas Zain. Other hierarchs present were The Right Reverend Michael, bishop of New York and New Jersey (Orthodox Church in America); The Right Reverend Bishop Nicholas, auxiliary of Brooklyn and resident assistant to the Metropolitan; and His Grace John, bishop of Naro-Fominsk and administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA.

For the evening's Vespers, Metropolitan Joseph joined Bishop Michael, Bishop Nicholas, area clergy, Antiochian seminarians, and the faithful who braved the snowy weather, at St. John the Baptist (OCA) in Passaic, NJ. He offered the following reflections on the significance of the day. (View the photo gallery on Facebook.)

As the Prophets beheld, as the Apostles have taught , as the Church has received, as the Teachers have dogmatized, as the universe has agreed, as Grace has shown forth, as Truth has revealed, as falsehood has been dissolved, as Wisdom has presented, as Christ has awarded: thus we declare, thus we assert, thus we preach Christ our true God, and honor His Saints in words, in writings, in thoughts, in sacrifices, in churches, in Holy Icons; on the one hand worshiping and reverencing Christ as God and Lord; and on the other hand honoring as true servants of the same Lord of all, and accordingly offering them veneration. This is the Faith of the Apostles; this is the Faith of the Fathers; this is the Faith of the Orthodox; this is the Faith which has established the universe! 

(The Synodicon : The Affirmation of the Orthodox Faith) 

I greet you with joy on this glorious Sunday of Orthodoxy which commemorates the victory of truth and wisdom over the forces of falsehood.

The Affirmation of the Orthodox Faith quoted above was first proclaimed in the year 843 by the Holy Fathers of the Synod of Constantinople.  After almost one hundred years of persecution against the veneration of icons, these Holy Fathers proclaim that the Church possesses the truth.  That truth tells us that not only are the icons acceptable for veneration, but they are necessary.  For we cannot believe that God became fully human unless we also embrace the holy icon of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We cannot believe that His saints are well pleasing to Him unless we venerate their holy icons with a kiss of love and respect. 

In his three treatises called Against Those Who Attack The Divine Images, St. John of Damascus explains how God can be portrayed now because He took upon Himself flesh and became man.  He writes "If we attempted to make an image of the invisible God, this would be sinful indeed and if we made images of men and believed them to be gods we would be truly impious. We do neither of these things. But we are not mistaken if we make the image of God incarnate, Who was seen on earth in the flesh, associated with men, and in His unspeakable goodness assumed the nature, feeling, form, and color of our flesh."

So, in one sense, we remember the events which occurred over eleven hundred years ago.  But it is never true for the Orthodox that we only remember these events.  We do not treat these events as only historical and sentimental, with some nice ceremony to commemorate them.  Rather, we actually participate today in the victory of the Orthodox Faith over falsehood.  If our actions were only consigned to the past, we would truly have a dead faith, content to simply remember those things that occurred long ago, but having no current vibrancy or life.  But you might ask, exactly what is this victory?

First and foremost, our victory comes from our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ who was nailed to the Cross, and who rose from the dead on the third day.  It is the victory of the empty tomb that is the source of all of our hope and consolation.  We must always remember that although we still engage in warfare against the Prince of this world, the final victory has already been won by our Lord Jesus Christ, and we are the inheritors of that victory.

Second, we celebrate the victory of gathering together tonight as one Orthodox community, as brothers and sisters in the Faith, not as separate jurisdictions.  As the psalmist writes in Psalm 133 verse 1, “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity”.  I must emphasize that in coming together as one Orthodox community we in no way minimize the treasured things that have been given to us by our ancestors who came to this land with courage and established the churches according to the cultures of their homelands.  Rather we rejoice in this diversity of cultures and ethnic traditions and we strive to weave together a beautiful unified Orthodox tapestry which embraces our ancestral heritage.

Third, we celebrate the presence of the Holy Orthodox Church in North America and Her perseverance in the face of a culture which embraces values which are so foreign to our Faith.  A culture which emphasizes material wealth, the elevation of self over the other, and the worship of many things which are not the True God.

Now allow me to give a warning that we not rest on the laurels of these victories.  The future will be upon us as soon as tomorrow, and we have much work to do.

We have inherited a Faith which has been upheld by the blood of many martyrs, and now it is our responsibility to carry the torch of our faith.  We do this with the remembrance of the promise of our Lord that “upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18)

Today, we have made our procession of victory with the Holy Icons which bring to life for us the blessed lives of the Saints.  But this is not sufficient.  Each of us must become a living icon which shines forth with the bright reflection of God.  In this way, the brilliance of the reflection of God will overshadow any of our differences; we will see only the holiness of the icon.  We must not distract ourselves with any discussion of our differences but rather focus on each of us as the reflection of God.

We live in a world where there is much suffering.  One only needs to call to mind the current tragedy which is occurring in Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, Ukraine and parts of Africa.  Trying to help these suffering people without first becoming the reflection of God would be as impossible as the Apostles themselves trying to multiply the five loaves and two fish to feed the five thousand.  It will only be when we empty ourselves, and bring the suffering of these people to our Lord that He will cause the healing.

One of our main challenges is to reengage the people of the Church, especially our young people.  We must work very hard to rekindle a burning passion for the Church in the heart of every faithful Orthodox Christian.  A passion which will compel us to place the Church first and foremost among all of our priorities.  Why must it be true that our people can become passionate about seeing a Broadway show, or going on vacation, but they cannot have the same passion for the Church.  This goal is well within our reach, but it will take strong and courageous leadership, and most importantly, love.  If I was going to sum up the main problem that we have today it would be that we do not have the love of Jesus Christ burning within each and every heart.  Our young people especially are yearning to be loved, yearning to belong to something larger than themselves, and they are yearning for heroes.  The Orthodox Faith has everything that they need, but they do not know it yet.  We must speak to our young people in contemporary terms while retaining the timeless truths of our faith.  The Orthodox faith does not exist as a museum where people can come and dust off old exhibits and comment on how beautiful they used to be.  The Orthodox faith is vibrant, alive, and relevant here and now.  Our challenge is to show, by our example, this vibrancy and life. 

We now find ourselves having completed the first week of this Great Fast as we prepare ourselves to participate in the glorious resurrection of our Lord.  It is clear that there is only one appropriate path to follow on our journey to the empty tomb, and that is the path of a loving child who returns to their loving Father.  A path which offers up to God the only thing that we can offer, and the only thing that He asks of us.  That is the offering of ourselves, which requires a change in heart, a radical departure from all of the things of this world which separate us from God.  A departure from all of the things which prevent us from fulfilling our ultimate destiny, that is to strive to “be perfect just as your Father in Heaven is perfect”. (Matthew 5:48)

Our gathering this evening is a strong message to all of our clergy and our faithful, young and old alike, that we are one Orthodox community.  But we cannot fully realize the beauty of our Faith until we immerse ourselves in the prayer, fasting, and almsgiving of this Holy Season of Great Lent.

Therefore my beloved in Christ, I ask you to join me in this Lenten journey which will culminate in the glorious resurrection of our Lord.  I ask you to join me in resisting the ways of our secular culture and to utilize this season to cleanse, renew and restore our souls and our hearts.  I ask you to join me in waiting patiently for the time of this season when we will indeed leap for joy as we witness the light of the Empty Tomb.  I ask you to simply open your hearts to God so that He may fill them with the peace, love, and joy that can never be taken away.

Recently, OCMC Executive Director Fr. Martin Ritsi was invited by His Eminence Amphilochios, Metropolitan of New Zealand, to visit the newly-consecrated Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Fiji. The...

From Julia Shaheen, president of the Midwest Fellowship:

It is time once again for the Fellowship's Spring Gathering, scheduled for March 27-29 in Cicero. Bishop Anthony is scheduled to attend as well. We would like to see a delegates from every parish for the teens, fellowship/young adults, and ladies. The flyer and schedule are attached to this email. I've posted the registration information for the hotel and the meetings on this website: https://dotamregistration.wordpress.com/

Also, we are going to do a sock drive (something easy and fun!). Everyone who attends is asked to bring one pair of socks (or more) with his/her registration. We are hoping that organizations within each parish might do a sock drive...they are going to the nuns at the Fraternite Notre Dame. So please help get the word out on this.

Thank you!

AttachmentSize 2015 Midwest Fellowship Gathering Flyer (PDF)7.74 MB 2015 Midwest Fellowship Gathering Schedule (PDF)308.9 KB

Ancient Faith Radio extends our sympathies to the family of Fr. Matthew Baker tragically killed in a car accident on Sunday evening, March 1. Help support his family in this time of need.

Have you discovered the new podcast The Life of the Church Today? Fr. Steven Ritter provides a helpful and balanced analysis of the world of Orthodox Church administration and leadership. Two episodes have been posted and the first one can be heard here.

After a 1 month break, Fr. Evan Armatas returns with some interesting questions and calls including a wonderful conversation with a former Muslim who will be baptized and chrismated during Holy Week this year!

March is Antiochian Women's Month across our Archdiocese. In the article that follows, you will find an important prepatory letter from Dianne O'Regan, Vice President/Project Coordinator for the North American Board of the Antiochian Women, who has outlined this year's observance, and the focus of the 2014-2015 Project.

In his letter attached below, His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph writes:

"The Antiochian Women never tire of doing good works. And so for 2015, I have given them two new Projects—two new visions for the Antiochian Archdiocese: Monastic Communities and Regional Camping and Learning Centers."

 

Letter from Diane O'Regan:

February 8, 2015

Beloved Hierarchs, Reverend Clergy and Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

We are quickly approaching our Lenten journey which will lead us to the ultimate feast - the Resurrection of Our Lord; During this period, may all the faithful of your parish be blessed with the love and grace of our Holy Orthodox Faith.

Last fall, each Antiochian Women’s chapter received the poster for the 2014-2015 Project, “Nurturing the Seeds of Orthodoxy Across North America: Regional Camps & Learning Centers and Monastic Communities.”
If you would like to have additional copies of these posters, please contact me, or go to the Archdiocesan website at www.antiochian.org/women.

His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph has a new and exciting vision for the Antiochian Archdiocese, and our Project is two-fold:

Through the building of Regional Camps & Learning Centers, we will help young and old alike to learn more about our Orthodox faith.

These sites will be where the faithful of each diocese can gather for meetings, prayer and fellowship. The Antiochian Village is the “crown jewel” of our Archdiocese, but many of the other camps across North America have very meager facilities - lack of bathrooms, electricity, or beds (campers are asked to bring sleeping bags). Also, these camps are not owned by the Archdiocese, but are rented and available for use by us only one to two weeks per year.

The second portion of this Project is the establishment of Monastic Communities across North America. There are Antiochian monasteries located throughout the world, but on this continent we are sorely lacking. The goal is to ultimately have monasteries in each diocese — places where monastics will pray for us, and where we can visit to experience a community of love and prayer.

As you are already well aware, March is Antiochian Women’s Month in the Archdiocese, and we have therefore enclosed the following materials for use in your parish:

• His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph’s letter dated March 1, 2015, which should be published in your church bulletin, as well as read from the pulpit.
• An “Antiochian Women’s Month Sermonette” to be presented by one of the ladies in your church on the first Sunday in March; and
• A tri-fold brochure which discusses our Project - “Nurturing the Seeds of Orthodoxy Across North America” - plus information about past projects that the Antiochian Women have sponsored, and the Application Form and Qualifications for the Antiochian Women’s Grant (formerly the Antiochian Women’s Scholarship).

For the last two years, it has been the custom to present each woman before entering the church with a sticker imprinted with the words, “I Am An Antiochian Woman!” This year, our gift to each woman on Sunday morning will be a window cling of the Theotokos to be placed in the home or in a vehicle. Through this gift, we offer the strength and protection of the Theotokos, while fostering the sisterhood of the Antiochian Women.

All of the enclosed materials have been compiled by the North American Board of the Antiochian Women for use in your church throughout the month of March. We urge you to duplicate the tri-fold brochure and provide it to every woman in your church community.

Please encourage the women in reading the Epistle, ushering, taking the collection, and reading the Antiochian Women’s Month Sermonette that highlights the works of the women, as well as inviting them to be involved in their local chapter, and helping to raise funds for our Project, “Nurturing the Seeds of Orthodoxy in North America.” Project monies that are collected at your church should be sent to your Diocesan treasurer no later than May 1, 2015 in order for her to forward all funds to the NAB Treasurer by May 15, 2015.

In addition, please urge the women in your parish to go to the Antiochian Women’s website at www.antiochian.org/women. The site contains links to our DIAKONIA newsletter, Membership Handbook, the Antiochian Women's Grant, our DVD, “Yes, We Do!” and other important information.

May God Bless you for all of your hard work and dedication to this most worthy Project, and all that you do within your chapters, parishes, Diocese and Archdiocese. On behalf of the North American Board, we wish you and your families a peaceful journey through Great Lent and a most Blessed Pascha.

Your sister in Christ,

Dianne O'Regan, Vice President/Project Coordinator
North American Board of the Antiochian Women

 

AttachmentSize 2015 NAB Project Letter from Metropolitan Joseph (PDF)36.43 KB 2015 Antiochian Women's Month Cover Letter (PDF)39.96 KB 2015 NAB Project Tri-Fold Brochure (PDF)226.27 KB 2015 NAB Project Sermonette (PDF)18.26 KB

On a new "Ex Libris," the podcast of Ancient Faith Publishing, Bobby Maddex interviews Dr. Albert Rossi, the residential clinical psychologist at St. Vladimir’s Seminary and the author of the new AFP book Becoming a Healing Presence.

Today hath appeared, a day full of joy, because the splendor of true doctrine shineth forth brilliantly, and the Church of Christ now sparkleth, adorned by the elevation of the Icons of the saints and their illustrating pictures, and believers attain there a unity rewarded of God.

+ Orthros of the Feast, Tone 4

On the first Sunday in Lent, we commemorate the decision of the Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787 A.D. upholding the use of holy icons in Orthodox worship. We also commemorate today the unity of Orthodox belief and the oneness of our Faith throughout our various jurisdictions, nations and languages and across the continents and the centuries.

Read more about the Orthodox theology of icons.

Click here to listen to Fr. Thomas Hopko on the Triumph of Orthodoxy.

Read an interview with John Skinas, author of Pictures of God: A Child's Guide to Understanding Icons

As the prophets beheld, as the Apostles have taught,...as the Church has received... as the teachers have dogmatized,...as the Universe has agreed,... as Grace has shown forth,...as Truth has revealed,...as falsehood has been dissolved,...as Wisdom has presented,...as Christ Awarded,...thus we declare,...thus we assert,...thus we preach Christ our true God, and honor as Saints in words, in writings, in thoughts, in sacrifices, in churches, in Holy Icons; on the one hand worshipping and reverencing Christ as God and Lord; and on the other hand honoring as true servants of the same Lord of all and accordingly offering them veneration.

This is the Faith of the Apostles, this is the Faith of the Fathers, this is the Faith of the Orthodox, this is the Faith which has established the Universe.

-- Confession of faith of the Day of Orthodoxy

If you are unable to attend tonight, Ancient Faith Radio will broadcast live from Chicago the Pre-Sanctified Liturgy at Christ the Savior Orthodox Church. You will be able to listen on our Talk station beginning around 6:30 pm Central Standard Time. This is not a substitute for attendance but provided as a service for those unable to go.

In her latest episode of A Lamp For Today, Dr. Edith M. Humphrey takes us to the letter to the Hebrews for the Christian Hall of Fame as we approach the Sunday of Orthodoxy.

Exhausted and traumatized Christians from villages in northeastern Syria gather at an Orthodox Christian Church in Hasakah, seeking refuge after their small communities were terrorized this week. photo: IOCC/GOPAFebruary 25, 2015

Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — Fleeing for their lives, more than 2,400 exhausted and traumatized Christians from northeastern Syria sought refuge in the towns of Hasakah and Qamishli after their small communities were terrorized this week. The attackers targeted a stretch of villages along the southern bank of the Khabour River, where they burned homes and churches, murdered a fleeing 16-year-old boy, and abducted 150 Assyrian Christian men, women and children from their homes.

For those who managed to escape the attack and seek shelter in Hasakah, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), with its church partner, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East (GOPA), is providing food, medical attention, and emergency aid. IOCC/GOPA, which has offices in both Hasakah and Qamishli, is responding to the immediate needs of more than 1,000 displaced Syrian families seeking shelter at the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Assyrian Church in the Al Nasreh neighborhood of Hasakah with the distribution of food parcels, bedding, infant clothing and shoes. More than 600 of the survivors who fled the onslaught are children.

IOCC, an ACT Alliance member, is one of the few humanitarian organizations inside Syria providing immediate assistance to displaced families and elderly who have endured four years of a brutal war. Working in 28 offices across Syria, IOCC has provided relief to 2.5 million vulnerable people inside Syria since 2012.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help the victims of poverty and conflicts around the world by making a financial gift to the International Emergency Response Fund which will provide immediate relief, as well as long-term support through the provision of emergency aid, recovery assistance and other support to help those in need. To make a gift, please visit iocc.org or call toll free at 1-877-803-IOCC (4622), or mail a check or money order payable to IOCC, P.O. Box 17398, Baltimore, MD 21297.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHARITIES
IOCC is the official humanitarian aid agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. Since its inception in 1992, IOCC has delivered $538 million in relief and development programs to families and communities in more than 50 countries. IOCC is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of more than 140 churches and agencies engaged in development, humanitarian assistance and advocacy, and a member of InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S.–based secular and faith-based organizations working to improve the lives of the world's most poor and vulnerable populations. To learn more about IOCC, visit iocc.org.

His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph has begun publishing a public schedule on the Archdiocese website. The schedule is linked in the Resources and Links section of the sidebar on the official Metropolitan Joseph page. Check back regularly for future improvements and updates.

Metropolitan Joseph's Schedule

 

On this special edition of Ancient Faith Presents, Fr. Evan Armatas, Priest at St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church in Loveland, Colorado, and the host of the live call-in program Orthodoxy Live, speaks at a Clean Monday Retreat at St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church in Greenwood Village. The title of his talk is “God’s Call and Our Response.”

Mission Team Chicago was blessed to welcome His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Kenya, for their annual event to raise awareness and support for Orthodox missions....

The Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies was proud to host a talk by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk on the topic of "Christian Ecumenism: Does It Have A Future?" The event was presented together with the Divinity Faculty of The University of Cambridge and the Cambridge Theological Federation on Friday, February 16, 2015.

Listen live this week, Monday through Thursday, to the Canon of St. Andrew from Christ the Savior Orthodox Church (OCA) in Chicago, Illinois. The service will begin each evening at 6:30 Central on Ancient Faith Talk. Please note that these broadcasts are intended for those who simply cannot make it to church. Listen here for a recording of the Wednesday night service.