“Christ is risen, my joy!” St. Seraphim’s characteristic greeting is well known. Also well known is his love for animals and his friendship even with bears. However, we should not allow St. Seraphim…
Prior to his conversion, St. Vladimir was an infamous polygamist, fornicator, and worshipper of idols. And indeed, we know from the story of Solomon that these behaviors—sexual incontinence…
St. Sergius of Radonezh is considered among the greatest of the Russian saints and, as the patron of the chapel at the old chancery in Syosset, he also has a special relationship to the Orthodox Church in….
The twelve apostles shine as precious stones in the breastplate of the Great High Priest Jesus Christ; their ministry and martyrdom are the foundations of the Church forever, as the…
In the persons and lives of the holy chief apostles whom we celebrate today, we can discern any number of similarities, any number of parallels. Both took new names that signified their…
The two chief apostles of the Church are, to paraphrase one of the hymns of the day, the two wings upon which the Gospel of Christ is carried throughout the world. The complementarity of…
We are accustomed to speaking of twelve “great feasts” of the Church; at least one earlier traditional list contains only ten feasts and includes certain celebrations that we now consider…
Today marks the feast of all saints of North America, and our churches joyfully ring out with hymns in honor of this land’s saints: Herman, Innocent, Tikhon, Alexis, Nikolai, Alexander, John, Yakov, Sebastian, Mardarius, Barnabas, Seraphim. ...
Most of the Church year is made up of time “after Pentecost,” and this time is filled with the feasts of the saints. Today, we begin this time after Pentecost by celebrating all….
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. According to the Gospel we have just heard, today is “the last day, that great day of the feast.” The work…