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	What's New Archives For the most recent additions see the Home Page. August 28/September 10, St. Moses the Black of Scete. Obscuring the Issue: Chapter 1 from Religion of Peace?: Islam's War Against the World, by Gregory Davis. I recently met Dr. Davis at the pilgrimage for the 25th anniversary of the repose of Blessed Fr. Seraphim of Platina. It was very encouraging to meet yet another Orthodox Christian involved with raising awareness in the West about Islam. His book is well worth reading, and his superb documentary, Islam: What the West Needs to Know, is a "must see". Learn more about his book and video at WhatTheWestNeedsToKnow.com. August 25/September 7, Return of the relics of Apostle Bartholomew from Anastasiopolis to Lipari. Photos from the 25th Anniversary of the Repose of Blessed Fr. Seraphim (Rose) of Platina. These photos were taken from September 1-3, 2007 at St Herman of Alaska Monastery in Platina, CA. Approximately 200 clergy and pilgrims, including three Bishops (Metropolitan Joseph of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and Bishops Porfirije and Maxim of the Serbian Orthodox Church) and over a dozen Priests, attended this historic event. Although not yet officially glorified as a Saint, Fr. Seraphim is widely venerated as such in many countries. Clergy spoke openly of him as a Saint. It seems likely that his glorification will occur in the next decade. You may read more about this American-born Saint in Hieromonk Damascene's superb book, Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works. There are several excerpts from this book on my site. Holy Father Seraphim, pray to God for us! June 5/18, Hieromartyr Dorotheus, Bishop of Tyre. Anti-Patristic: The Stance of the Zealot Old Calendarists, by Monk Basil of the Holy Monastery of Saint Gregory (Grigoriou), Mount Athos. March 20/April 2, Holy and Great Monday. As Holy Week Approaches, by Father Rodney Torbic. A Liturgical Explanation for the Days of Holy Week, by Father Alexander Schmemann. Father Paisios the Athonite: Guidance about the Jesus Prayer. An excerpt from With Elder Porphyrios: A Spiritual Child Remembers, by Constantine Yiannitsiotis. February 7/20, Clean Tuesday, St. Parthenius, Bishop of Lampasacus on the Hellespont. "A life of fasting, properly understood as general self-limitation and abstinence, to the annual practice of which the Church always calls us with the Great Lent, is really that bearing of the cross and self-crucifixion which is required of us by our calling as Christians. And anyone who stubbornly resists this, wanting to live a carefree, happy, and free life, is concerned for sensual pleasures and avoids sorrow and suffering that person is not a Christian. Bearing one's cross is the natural way of every true Christian, without which there is no Christianity." —Archbishop Averky of Syracuse. A Homily on Fasting and Dispassion, given by St. Theodore the Studite at the beginning of the Great Fast. January 25/February 7, St. Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople. An Open Letter to the Holy Abbots and the Holy Representatives of the Sacred Twenty Monasteries in the Holy Community of the Holy Mount Athos. The So-Called "Kelliotes Letter" (December, 2006). The momentum for strong resistance builds... The Missionary Origins of Modern Ecumenism: Milestones Leading up to 1920, by Fr. Peter Heers. A talk delivered at the Academic Conference "The Mission of the Orthodox Church and The World Council of Churches", Athens, May 15, 2005. Concerning the Intercommunion that Took Place in Ravenna, 2002: An Article and Exchange of Letters. This is a bit dated, but most of this has not been posted in English, and thus will be new to many people. It is definitely relevant to 2007, especially in light of the Pope's visit to the Phanar last year. December 21/January 3, Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ. Virgin Martyr Juliana of Nicomedia, and with her 500 men and 130 women. Frequent Reception of the Holy Mysteries is Beneficial and Salvific: An Excerpt from Concerning Frequent Communion, by Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite. Explanation of the Lord's Prayer: An Excerpt from Concerning Frequent Communion, by Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite. Concerning Mortal Sins, Pardonable Sins, and Sins of Omission. Part I, Chapter 3 from the Exomologetarion: A Manual of Confession. The Da Vinci Code: Religious Relativism as Pulp Fiction, by Rassaphore-monk Serge (Nedelsky). From Orthodox Life. Podvig. From The Veil, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Summer, 2005). "All I Can Do Is Pray". From The Veil, Vol. 13, No. 1. I Never Learned that in Catechism! From The Veil (Dormition Fast, 2006). Establishing Good Habits. From an anonymous source. Volunteers still needed to type and/or scan troparia from the HTM Menaion: A composer of Byzantine music has received permission from the Holy Transfiguration Monastery to set to music all the apolytikia, idiomela and doxastica in their 12-volume Menaion. In order to finish this large project faster, he is looking for volunteer(s) who could either type or scan these troparia. There are between 50 and 100 such troparia in each of the twelve months. This work will benefit all English-language parishes that use Byzantine music in either Western or Byzantine notation. If you would like to help but do not have the HTM Menaion, arrangements can be made for loaning a copy of the volume you will use. Scanning would involve using an optical character recognition (OCR) program to convert the image resulting from the scan into text. If you are interested in helping out with this project, please contact Alexandros Andreou: aalexandros [at] fastmail [dot] fm. (Excellent free scanning software is included with later versions of Microsoft Office (it's called Microsoft Office Document Scanning, located in the Microsoft Office >> Microsoft Tools group in your PC's start menu), but you can use any OCR software.) Suggested Reading for Those Confused by the Pope's Visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate: The "False Union with Rome" page has been updated after the Pope's recent visit with the Ecumenical Patriarch, who, in his homily during the Divine Liturgy on the Feast of St. Andrew, called the Pope "His Holiness our brother and bishop of the elder Rome." Many other egregious and un-Orthodox statements were made during this infamous visit. Judge for yourself by comparing Orthodox writings on Roman Catholicism with the documents from that visit, which are available on the official Web site of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. If you think their meeting was one that follows in the steps of the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church, please, before deciding conclusively, read traditional Orthodox writings concerning Rome. Decide with intellectual and spiritual integrity. These are momentous times... Britain’s Oldest Christian Bookshops Remove Koran from Shelves. From Christian Today. Mark Brewer, the Texan lawyer and courageous Orthodox Christian mentioned in this news article, has asked for support in his stance viz-a-viz the Koran and the SPCK bookstores. Please pray for him: blogs have mentioned fatwahs being called for on him and SPCK shop managers; but in general he just needs prayers for guidance and strength in the work he has been undertaking. Also, please send him words of encouragement and, if possible, donations to the Orthodox Church Mission Fund of Houston. His email address is: Brewer [at] bplaw [dot] com. [UPDATE 1/25/07: Link no longer available.] Islamic Settlement Next to an Orthodox Convent Seeks Expansion. Please pray for Abbess Markella and the nuns at the Holy Monastery of the Theotokos, the Live-Giving Spring, in Dunlap, CA, which is one of Elder Ephraim's convents in North America. An Islamic group is seeking to expand their facilities. Their closest neighbor is the Convent. November 27/December 10, Great-Martyr James the Persian. The Christian Marriage and Family: Four Audio Lectures by Fr. Josiah Trenham. Dealing with a Secularized Christmas. From The Veil (Nativity Fast, 2005). Prayer: Our Nativity Centerpiece. Living the Monastic Life in the World, from The Veil (Summer, 2005). The Holy Art of Prosphora Baking, a tutorial by Peter Serko. September 16/29, Afterfeast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Great-Martyr Euphemia. St Vincent of Lérins: Homily 24 from Made Perfect in Faith, by Fr. James Thornton. Saint Gregory the Dialogist, Pope of Rome: Homily 27 from Made Perfect in Faith, by Fr. James Thornton. Saint Isaac the Syrian, Bishop of Nineveh: Homily 30 from Made Perfect in Faith, by Fr. James Thornton. July 15/28, St. Vladimir of Russia, Equal-to-the-Apostles. Jihad: Chapter 3 from Defeating Jihad, by Serge Trifkovic. Read this book and spread the word! London's Bombs and Sleepwalkers: Chapter 8 from Defeating Jihad, by Serge Trifkovic. Islam and Women: The Christian Science Monitor's Distortion and the Reality, by Srdja (Serge) Trifkovic. This article mentions an important Islamic practice called taqiyya. As Dr. Trifkovic notes on p. 288 in Defeating Jihad, "Islam not only allows, but mandates lying to 'infidels' in order to gain political or any other advantage (i.e. Taqiyya, the concealment of one's Islamic beliefs to non-Muslims)." In other words, you should seriously doubt anything a Muslim says about his beliefs if they run contrary to what you know is clearly taught in the Koran. This is something that the pro-Islam elites of our day do not understand or are not willing to admit. They swallow the "Islam is a peaceful religion" rhetoric, and have the resources and clout to foist this view on the masses who are still largely ignorant of the Islamic threat. Jihad's Fellow Travelers, by Serge Trifkovic. Can a Pious Muslim Become a Loyal American?, by Serge Trifkovic. June 21/July 4, Martyr Julian of Tarsus in Cilicia. On the Deadening of the Human Spirit: A Sermon on the Sunday of the Myrhh-Bearing Women, by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov. Excerpts from Elder Gervasios (Paraskevopoulos) of Patras, by Hierodeacon Cyril (Kostopoulos). The exemplary life and pastoral work of a parish Priest of our times. A Brief History of the Irish Orthodox Church, from the 2003 St. Herman Calendar. O Lord, I Have Loved The Beauty of Thy House: How We Should Conduct Ourselves in Church. Chapter One from A Tiny Step Away from Deepest Faith, by Marjorie Corbman. The author, a teenager, is a very thoughtful writer with a capability beyond her years. This profound little book describes her search for meaning, which ended with her reception into the Orthodox Church. Godparenting 101, from the parish newsletter of St. George Orthodox Church in Eugene, OR. Behind the Sourozh Phenomenon: Spiritual Freedom or Cultural Captivity?: Meletios Metaksakis, Metropolitan, Archbishop, Pope and Patriarch. By Fr. Srboliub Miletich. Translated by Fr Andrew Phillips. We Were Guests at St. Seraphim's. An account of a pilgrimage to Sarov and Diveyevo, by Dr. A. P. Timofievich. The Da Vinci Code: Resources for a Proper Understanding. You may have noticed the improved "Related Articles" panel when viewing articles. To improve site performance I now pull in the top five Google search results after the page loads. For my fellow geeks out there, this is my attempt to use some of that nifty AJAX technology that is sweeping the Web (though I didn't use the ASP.NET 2.0 "Atlas Framework"—I wanted to roll my own). March 13/26, Third Sunday of Great Lent (Adoration of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross). St. John of Damascus’s Critique of Islam, from his monumental book Fount of Knowledge (early 8th century). How Should We Conduct Ourselves in the Morning?: Chapter 1 from How to Live a Holy Life, by Metropolitan Gregory of St. Petersburg (1784-1860). How Should We Conduct Ourselves During Meals?: Chapter 6 from How to Live a Holy Life, by Metropolitan Gregory of St. Petersburg (1784-1860). Quit You Like Men: A homily on St. Paul's admonitions "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong", by Fr. James Thornton. And Believers Were the More Added: A homily on Christ's call to invite others to experience Holy Orthodoxy, by Fr. James Thornton. Reply to a Critic: Fr. Seraphim Bell replies to a reader's criticism of the homily he translated by Elder Ephraim. The Sign of the Cross and Orthodox Prayer are Capable of Killing Microbes and Change [sic] the Optical Properties of Water: A fascinating Interfax story of a study's recent conclusions. I have decided to drop the RSS feed for new postings. It requires too much work to update each time. I also decided no longer to use a database to store email addresses for site update notifications. From now on I will use a Yahoo! Group. Those of you who are currently on the OCIC e-mailing list should soon receive an invitation to join this group. February 25/March 10, St. Tarasios, Archbishop of Constantinople (806). How Everyone Should Prepare Before Confession, by St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite. An excerpt from the Exomologetarion: A Manual of Confession. Concerning Fasting on Wednesday and Friday, by St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite. An excerpt from the Exomologetarion: A Manual of Confession. Concerning Thoughts, by St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite. An excerpt from the Exomologetarion: A Manual of Confession. Preface to the Exomologetarion: A Manual of Confession, by His Grace, BASIL, Bishop of Wichita. The Way of Spiritual Transformation, by Hieromonk Damascene. From The Orthodox Word (May-Aug 2005) On Watchfulness, Prayer and Confession: A Homily by Elder Ephraim of Philotheou. Translated from the Greek by Fr. Seraphim Bell. Introduction to the Philokalic Writings of St. Gregory of Sinai. Covers a range of topics including prayer and fasting. From Elder Basil of Poiana Marului: Spiritual Father of St. Paisy Velichkovsky. Who Art Thou That Judgest?: A homily by Fr. James Thornton. Anchor of the Soul: A homily on hope in God's promises, by Fr. James Thornton. Wes Callihan Apologizes for Writing "Presumptuous Propositions". Author of Credenda/Agenda article on the Orthodox view of Icons apologizes years later. New Resources for Lutheran Inquirers: Reader Christopher Orr has gathered some helpful resources on his blog, which I have listed on the "Especially for Reformed Protestants" page. If any Lutheran converts or inquirers have materials that they think I should add to this page, please contact me. A 21st-Century Confessor: His Eminence Jovan, Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje: A Prisoner for the Faith. From The Orthodox Word (May-Aug 2005). Orthodox Houston: This is an excellent example of a pan-Orthodox, regional Web site. May many more such sites be created! November 23/December 6, Afterfeast of the Entry into the Temple. St. Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium. Counsels from Contemporary Romanian Elders: To Laypeople, Monastics, and Clergy. From The Orthodox Word (Jan-Feb, 1992). Humble-Mindedness: The Doorway to Pure Prayer: An interview with Elder Dionysius (Ignat) of the St. George Kellion, Kolitsou Skete, Mount Athos, Greece. From The Orthodox Word (Jan-Feb, 2005). On Dispositions of the Heart. An excerpt from Wounded By Love: The Life and Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios. On Illness. An excerpt from Wounded By Love: The Life and Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios. On the Intercession and Invocation of the Saints. A compilation for Protestants by Reader Christopher Orr. On faith; and to those who say that those in the world cannot attain perfection virtues. To start with, a most profitable tale. By St. Simeon the New Theologian. From Writings from the Philokalia: on Prayer of the Heart. Orthodox Patristic Wisdom, a blog by Michele Sparrow. This is an excellent response to comments publicly posted over the past few months that criticize and even slander Elder Ephraim of St. Anthony's Monastery in Florence, AZ, as well as the Abbot, Elder Paisios. It is a sad sign of our times that such a site is needed. [Posted on 12/11: Seraphim Larsen has also weighed in with a thoughtful blog defending Elder Ephraim and his monasteries.] Arxodariki: Orthodox Spiritual Lectures. This site from Greece contains many edifying services, homilies and lectures in English. New site features: The search engine and "Related Articles" panel now use Google behind the scenes instead of Microsoft SQL Server Full Text Search. You may experience slightly longer page load times, but the results are better and allow you to use your "Google expertise" in combination with Google's many search parameters. The site also now exposes an RSS Feed for the "Recent Additions" section of the home page. You could even use the new Google Reader to keep track of updates : ). September 10/23, Afterfeast of the Nativity of the Theotokos. Martyrs Menodora, Metrodora, and Nymphodora at Nicomedia. Photos from my Pilgrimage to Spruce Island, where Saint Herman of Alaska lived and died. August 19/September 1, Afterfeast of the Dormition. Martyr Andrew Stratelates and 2,593 soldiers with him in Cilicia (3rd c.). International Orthodox Christian Charities, Inc. Please make a donation to help alleviate suffering in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. August 8/21, Afterfeast of the Transfiguration. St. Emilian the Confessor. While There Is Time, by Metropolitan Augoustinos of Florina. Negligence, the Unsleeping Danger for the Orthodox Christian: from "The Plow", July 2003. Comboschini (The Prayer Rope): Meditations of a Monk of the Holy Mountain Athos. This is an excellent introduction to the practice of the Jesus Prayer. Elder Joseph the Hesychast and the Teaching of Mental Prayer Which Flowed from His Letters. A homily by Abbot Ephraim of Vatopaidi Monastery. Prayer of the Heart for the Faithful Living in the World, by Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi (Spiritual Child of Elder Joseph the Hesychast). Elder Joseph the Hesychast on Patience and Endurance, excerpts from Monastic Wisdom: The Letters of Elder Joseph the Hesychast. Modesty and Will, by Metropolitan Philaret Voznesensky (+ 1985). On Account of the Angels: Why I Cover My Head. By Elisabet. From the Spring 1997 issue of Conciliar Press. The Divine Liturgies Music Project, by St. Anthony's Monastery in Florence, AZ. Reconsidering the Meaning of Conversion: Fr. John Whiteford responds to a recent Christianity Today essay by Sam Torode. Orthodoxy In America: An online directory of the Orthodox Church in North America. This is the best parish and monastery directory I've seen. Please help them keep the database up-to-date by submitting/verifying your listing. The Antiochian Archdiocese leaves the National Council of Churches. This recent decision is a small but excellent step in the right direction. May God grant that one day they will take a firm, official stance against ecumenism and cease all involvement in the Ecumenical Movement. Read Terry Mattingly's comments about this decision. April 11/24, Palm Sunday. Hieromartyr Antipas, Bishop of Pergamus, disciple of St. John the Theologian. Orthodoxy of the Heart: Chapter 86 from Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, by Hieromonk Damascene. The Official Conclusions of the September, 2004 conference "Ecumenism: Origins, Expectations, Disenchantment", sponsored by the School of Pastoral Theology, The Aristotelian University, Thessaloniki, Greece. Among the concluding proposals of the conference participants we read: "That it be made manifest to church leaders everywhere that, in the event that they continue to participate in, and lend support to, the pan-heresy of Ecumenism - both inter-christian and inter-religious - the obligatory salvific, canonical and patristic course for the faithful, clergy and laity, is excommunication: in other words, ceasing to commemorate bishops, who are co-responsible for, and co-communicants with, heresy and delusion. This is not a recourse to schism but rather to a God-pleasing confession, just as the ancient Fathers, and bishop-confessors in our own day have done, such as the esteemed and respected former Metropolitan of Florina, Augustinos, and the Fathers of the Holy Mountain (Athos)." Excerpts from The New Saint of the Russian Church, Seraphim of Viritsa (+1949). Translated by Fr. Nicholas Palis. Pascha Polyglotta: a wonderful Web site for finding "Christ is risen! Indeed He is risen!" in approximately 250 languages. American Salvation: The Place of Christianity in Public Life, by Albert J. Raboteau. From Boston Review (April/May 2005). "I was drawn in part by a sense of profound similarity between Orthodoxy and the ethos of African-American Christianity. In both there is a quality of sad joyfulness, a sense that life in a minor key is life as it is; an emphasis on the importance of suffering as a mark of the authenticity of faith." See also Professor Raboteau's book A Sorrowful Joy. March 14/27, Second Sunday of Great Lent (St. Gregory Palamas). St. Benedict of Nursia, Abbot. Simplicity: Chapter 87 from Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, by Hieromonk Damascene. Photos from My Pilgrimage to the Holy Monastery of St. Herman of Alaska, Platina, CA, with a short trip to St. Xenia Skete in Wildwood (July, 2004). Introduction to Apostle to Zaire: The Life and Legacy of Blessed Father Cosmas of Grigoriou. February 20/March 5, St. Leo, Bishop of Catania in Sicily. St. Agatho, Pope of Rome. Two Letters from Elder Moses of Optina, to His Brother Living in the World. On the World and Family, by Elder Ephraim. Introduction to Precious Vessels of the Holy Spirit: The Lives & Counsels of Contemporary Elders of Greece. Introduction to The Synaxarion: The Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church, by Hieromonk Makarios of Simonos Petra, Mount Athos. This is an outstanding teaching on the importance of the Lives of Saints and how to honor and be inspired by them in our daily lives. From the article: "If we live with all the saints (Eph. 3:18) by attentively reading their lives each day as we walk in the spiritual garden of the Synaxarion, we shall discover little by little those whom our heart especially goes out to. They will become our close friends in whom we love to confide our joys and sorrows; whose lives we love to read time and again, as well as to chant their troparia and to venerate their icons. These close friends will be the guides of our choice and a great comfort to us along the strait and narrow way that leads to Christ (Matt. 7:14)." The Serbian Orthodox Church Vis-á-Vis Ecumenism, by Bishop Artemije. A talk delivered at the September, 2004 conference "Ecumenism: Origins, Expectations, Disenchantment", sponsored by the School of Pastoral Theology, The Aristotelian University, Thessaloniki, Greece. February 17/March 2, Great-Martyr Theodore the Tyro. Photos from My Pilgrimage to the Holy Monastery of St. Anthony the Great, Florence, AZ (February 22-28, 2005). February 5/18, Martyr Agatha of Palermo in Sicily. Martyr Theodula of Anazarbus in Cilicia, and with her Martyrs Helladius, Macarius, and Evagrius. Resentment and Forgiveness, by Hieromonk Damascene. A talk delivered at the Annual Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Western America, St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, San Diego, California, February 28, 2003. Contours of Conversion and the Ecumenical Movement: Some Personal Reflections, by Hieromonk Alexios Karakallinos. A talk delivered at the September, 2004 conference "Ecumenism: Origins, Expectations, Disenchantment", sponsored by the School of Pastoral Theology, The Aristotelian University, Thessaloniki, Greece. Pastoral Guidance - Chapter 84 from Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, by Hieromonk Damascene. Elder Barsanuphius of Optina: Part II of excerpts from the section "Talks with Spiritual Children", by Fr. Victor Afanasiev. On Compromise in the Hierarchy During the Communist Yoke: Excerpts from two books by Fr. Roman Braga. On Prayer of the Heart: Excerpts from Exploring the Inner Universe, by Fr. Roman Braga. The Explanation of the Four Gospels, by Archbishop Averky (Tauchev). Translated by Seraphim Larin. January 31/February 13, Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cyrus and John. Photos from My Pilgrimage to Greece and Mount Athos, January 2005. December 15/28, Hieromartyr Eleutherius, Bishop of Illyria, and his mother Martyr Anthia. The Non-Orthodox: The Orthodox Teaching on Christians Outside of the Church. The complete text of this book, originally published in 1999 by Regina Orthodox Press, is now available. October 25/November 7, Martyrs Marcian and Martyrius the Notaries of Constantinople. Concerning the Jesus Prayer. From the Jordanville Prayer Book (1996 ed). Towards a Fruitful Spiritual Life: Reasons Why Our Intentions to Lead a Better and Holy Life Do Not Produce Results. From the Conversations of Metropolitan Gregory of Novgorod. Elder Barsanuphius of Optina: Talks with Spiritual Children, by Fr. Victor Afanasiev. This is the first installment of various talks from this wonderful book in The Optina Elders Series. The Optina Elders are especially significant for our day as they essentially lived in modern times. They had tremendous impact on Russian society, influencing many people from all walks of life—young, old, rich, poor, lay, clergy and monastic. These talks were selected for publication on this Web site due to their special appropriateness for lay people struggling to live an Orthodox life in the world. The Orthodox Church in America and Its Future, by Saint Nikolai Velimirovich. "Super-Correctness": Chapter 63 from Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, by Hieromonk Damascene. In Defense of Fr. Dimitry Dudko, by Blessed Father Seraphim of Platina. Problems of Bioethics, i.e., Abortion, Contraceptives, Cloning, Homosexuality, Etc. An official statement of the Russian Orthodox Church. Press Release following the conclusion of the Inter-Orthodox Theological Conference on Ecumenism announced on this site on September 1/14. Out Now: Why the Orthodox Churches Should Quit the NCC, by John Couretas. Ecumenical Impact on Orthodox Witness and Mission: A Convert's Reflections, by Fr. John Reeves. September 9/22, Afterfeast of the Nativity of the Theotokos. Holy and Righteous Ancestors of God Joachim and Anna. What Christ Accomplished on the Cross, by Hieromonk Damascene. The Inward Mission of Our Church: Bringing About Orthodoxy, by the Blessed Father Justin Popovich. Discerning and Doing God's Will by Remembering Him in a World of Distraction, by Mother Dorothea. Proper Confession and Communion: a pamphlet prepared by the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Washington, DC. Hope - Chapter 99 from Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, by Hieromonk Damascene. Converts - Chapter 88 from Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works, by Hieromonk Damascene. The Islamic States of America?, by Daniel Pipes. September 1/14, Church New Year. St. Symeon Stylites (the Elder; 459) and his mother St. Martha (428). Announcing an Inter-Orthodox Theological Conference on Ecumenism, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, September 20-24, 2004. June 14/27, Prophet Elisha (10th c. B.C.). The Place of Lives of Saints in the Spiritual Life, by Hieromonk Damascene. One of the most important articles I've ever read! The Life of Our Holy Father Meletius, Archbishop of Antioch. From Orthodox Life (1981). The way St. Meletius handled the difficult situation in Antioch during the Arian controversy is highly instructive for our own troubled times. The Simple Shepherd—Papa Nicholas Planas, by Fr. Alexey Young [now Hieromonk Ambrose]. Excerpts from Paternal Counsels, Vol. I and II, by St. Philotheos Zervakos. Excerpts from Follow Me, by Metropolitan Augustinos of Florina (State Church of Greece). The Search for Orthodoxy, by Hieromonk Seraphim Rose. Personal Reminiscences of Father Seraphim Rose, by Hieromonk Ambrose (formerly Father Alexey Young). A Sermon on Reading Spiritual Works, by Archbishop Platon of Kostroma. Metropolitan Anthony as a Teacher of Pastorship, by Protopresbyter G. Grabbe. Living the Traditional Orthodox Life. A talk presented at the Southern Missions Conference of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (2003). Living in the Liturgical Cycles of the Church, by Reader Daniel Olsen. A talk presented at the Southern Missions Conference of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (2003). On Becoming and Remaining an Orthodox Christian by Fr. Andrew Phillips. A Talk given at the Orthodox Pilgrimage to Felixstowe in August 2001. The Shepherd, an outstanding Orthodox publication from England is now online. April 14 / 27, St. Martin the Confessor, Pope of Rome. Introducing the next-generation version of the Orthodox Christian Information Center! The entire Web site has been completely overhauled. Take note of the following main new features: Integrated content with the new "Related Articles" panel on every article page. Keywords on the page dynamically pull in related articles. Robust search engine with a search box on every page. No more will the search engine "sometimes work" or force you to rely on Google.com. Email an article to a friend by clicking the envelope in the upper right of any page. Reorganized site sections so that you can more easily find relevant content by topics. Several new sections of content. Saints of the Day automatically display on the home page. And there's more to come in the months ahead! For you geeks out there: the site was converted to ASP. NET 1.1 with a SQL Server backend. (Full Text Search used for search engine and "Related Articles" panel.) Also, all HTML was cleaned up, deprecated tags removed, and Cascading Styles Sheets (CSS) implemented. Note that you must resubmit your email address to be notified of any additions to the site. And for Webmasters: 99% of the URLs should still work, even if you don't change ".htm" to ".aspx". (I handle this programmatically, but you should still update the URLs on your site.) Only a small % of the pages on the old site were eliminated or were changed (e.g., ASP.NET does not allow a "&" in the filename). March 6/19, The Forty-Two Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia. Regarding Same-Gender Unions, Epistle of the Pastoral Conference of the Western American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. February 28/March 12, St. Basil the Confessor, companion of St. Procopius at Decapolis. Life of St. Nikolai Velimirovich (+1956), by Father Daniel Rogich. Commemorated March 5/18. January 14/27, The Holy Fathers Slain at Sinai and Raïthó; Saint Sava of Serbia; Saint Nina, Enlightener of Georgia. Introductory Speech at the Round Table on Ecumenism, by Deacon Nikolai Savchenko. This is an excellent summary of some key reasons why—despite some positive changes over the past few years—the Moscow Patriarchate should still be considered ecumenist. From the article: "With whom do they stand? With us, Orthodox, or with the ecumenical movement? With the overwhelming majority of people and clergymen in Russia and abroad or with Protestants who are alien to us? Can there be true peace in the Russian Church if [the choice to withdraw from the WCC] is not made? Can there be true unity in the Truth without this choice?" January 11/24, Saint Theodósios the Cœnobiarch. A Good Word: Its Healing Power. An insightful address on the spiritually restorative nature of Godly speech. March 6/19, The Forty-Two Martyrs of Ammoria in Phrygia. Regarding Same-Gender Unions, Epistle of the Pastoral Conference of the Western American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. February 28/March 12, St. Basil the Confessor, companion of St. Procopius at Decapolis. Life of St. Nikolai Velimirovich (+1956), by Father Daniel Rogich. Commemorated March 5/18. January 14/27, The Holy Fathers Slain at Sinai and Raïthó; Saint Sava of Serbia; Saint Nina, Enlightener of Georgia. Introductory Speech at the Round Table on Ecumenism, by Deacon Nikolai Savchenko. This is an excellent summary of some key reasons why—despite some positive changes over the past few years—the Moscow Patriarchate should still be considered ecumenist. From the article: "With whom do they stand? With us, Orthodox, or with the ecumenical movement? With the overwhelming majority of people and clergymen in Russia and abroad or with Protestants who are alien to us? Can there be true peace in the Russian Church if [the choice to withdraw from the WCC] is not made? Can there be true unity in the Truth without this choice?" January 11/24, Saint Theodósios the Cœnobiarch. A Good Word: Its Healing Power. An insightful address on the spiritually restorative nature of Godly speech. January 1/14, Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord. St. Basil the Great. Official Web Site of the Orthodox Church of Greece (Holy Synod in Resistance). English version now online! January 11/29, Saint David, Joseph and James; 14,000 Infants Slain by Herod, Saint Márkellos. New book from the IBMGS: Sacred Catechism of the Orthodox Church. The Sacred Catechism of Vernardakis (1833-1907), a distinguished Professor of the University of Athens, was selected in 1872 by the Oecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople as the best of all catechisms in existence. And it was highly recommended by the Patriarchate for use in the schools. A British scholar, Claude Delaval Cobham, who resided in Cyprus as Commissioner of Larnaca, prepared an abridged English-language version of the Sacred Catechism, and had it published in Nicosia, Cyprus. Professor Constantine Cavamos studied it painstakingly and found it very concise, precise, clear, analytical, extremely edifying, truly Orthodox Christian in substance and in manner of exposition. Seeing the great need for such a book, he decided to have it published. Accordingly he made various improvments in Cobham's translation and presentation of the text. For those who desire to learn something more of substance about the Orthodox Church, Cavarnos has added a Supplement that consists of three illuminating chapters on Orthodox Architecture, Iconography, and Hymnody. (from the backmatter) December 9/22, Conception of the Theotokos by Saint Anna. Letters of Elder Macarius of Optina. This appears to be the full text of Russian Letters of Spiritual Direction: 1834-1860. This is one of the most edifying books for laypeople I have ever read. It's full of Patristic gems that are highly relevant to living in the world as an Orthodox Christian. A Discourse for Those Living in the World, by Dr. Constantine Cavarnos. Obedience and the Layman, by Fr. Alexey Young (now Hieromonk Ambrose). My Work With English-Speaking Converts: An Interview with Fr. Artemy Vladimirov. This is Part I of a superb three-part interview of this wise and experienced Priest of the Russian Orthodox Church. It was originally published in the Orthodox journal, Road to Emmaus (view other articles in past issues). The issues containing Parts II and III of this edifying and informative interview can be ordered from Road to Emmaus. We all probably watch too much TV. Have you ever reflected on how bad TV is for you and your children? If not, consider this article by the former Archbishop Vitaly, this article on children and television, or the many television articles on the Orthodox America site. So, how about a New Year's resolution to watch less TV and read more great books? One idea is to read to your children a good Charles Dickens novel, such as Pickwick Papers. To that end, I highly recommend another Road to Emmaus article entitled "Russian Pickwickians: Dickens from an Orthodox Vantage" . October 20/November 2, Holy Great Martyr Artémios, Saint Matróna of Chios, Translation of the Relics of Saint Gerásimos. A Homily on the Holy Eucharist and on Not Judging Others or Remembering Wrongs by the Holy Hieromartyr, Patriarch Anastasios II of Antioch. September 8/21, Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. New book by Dr. Constantine Cavarnos: Orthodoxy and Philosophy. This book is comprised of two lectures, divided into seventeen chapters, that were delivered by Professor Cavarnos in 1998 at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania. The discussion begins with the New Testament and proceeds in chronological sequence to the recent past. It is addressed particularly to persons who are deeply interested in comprehending Orthodox Christianity in its significant relations both to ancient Greek philosophy and to Modern West ern European philosophy. The lectures dwell on the subjects "Ancient Greek Philosophy in the Under standing of the Eastern Orthodox Church Fathers," and "Modern Schools of Philosophy in the Light of Orthodox Theology." Dr. Cavarnos treats these subjects in illuminating manner that is both analytical and synthetic, based throughout on primary sources which are always carefully cited.