Orthodoxy in the World
My First Visit to an Orthodox Christian Church
As I stood listening and reading along during the Matins service, in the back of my mind I tried to think of the one or two words I would use to describe the experience. The first word that came to mind was “Beautiful”. The richly colored mosaics set against the pure white open space of the Sanctuary, and the melodic sing-chanting of the prayers, scriptures, and hymns, was in all an absolutely beautiful experience. And as I stood there, I felt a sadness that only a handful of people were even there to appreciate it. I almost wanted to go out into the streets and tell everyone what they were missing.


Mar 18, 2010, 10:00

Orthodoxy in the World
A Visit to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
This morning I drove about 35 minutes to St. Louis’ Central West End for my first experience in a Greek Orthodox church service. Since my wife and son were out of town and I had no responsibilities at our church I thought I’d take the opportunity to do something totally out of the ordinary. Plus, this fall I’m teaching a course on worship history and theology, and it’s important that I experience worship in other traditions firsthand rather than just reading about them.


Mar 13, 2010, 10:00

Orthodoxy in the World
A Pilgrimage to Orthodox Georgia
Georgia is a country that is often overlooked or only very briefly dealt with in English-language publications about Orthodoxy, but it is a country that can teach us a great deal about our Faith. It is a country that has had to fight for its Faith almost from the time of its conversion. But during the course of its troubled history, the Church in Georgia has managed to keep its traditions, Church music and buildings of great beauty and grace.

Jan 29, 2010, 10:00

Orthodoxy in the World
Canadian Describes Experience as Missionary in Zimbabwe
When we were preparing to go, we didn’t know much about this southern African country. We only had a few weeks’ notice and no time to research. The news we heard from others painted a bleak picture. We were starting to get nervous. We were pleasantly surprised to find a very different picture when we arrived.
Jan 26, 2010, 10:00

Orthodoxy in the World
You Wish to See Many Miracles – You Should Become a Missionary or a Martyr
Fr. Daniel's Autobiography and the Interview with Him on the Occasion of the Opening of the Missionary Centre
A young missionary should certainly be prepared for his words to arouse scandal and indignation. But he should not be afraid of that. Our mission consists in saying unpleasant things. Have you noticed that when reading the Bible you feel uncomfortable? The Book begins to judge you! But that does not mean that the truth should be kept away. The Lord Himself said: Woe to you, when all men speak well of you.

Nov 25, 2009, 10:00

Orthodoxy in the World
The murder of a priest in the Church is a challenge to God's law
We all must keep firmly in our mind that the way to serve Christ and His Church is always ñonnected with the confession of faith and even martyrdom. The tragic death of Father Daniel should not place in our hearts fear and faint-heartedness, and weaken our zeal in carrying out God’s work.
Nov 23, 2009, 10:00

Orthodoxy in the World
Father Daniil Has Gone from us to God as a Confessor
He had a special gift of love for God which gave him fearlessness. Neither external authority nor power, nor money or public opinion, could shake his determination to always assert God's truth, which, as we all know now, cost him his life. He was fascinated by Christ's Truth, not merely intellectually, of course, but also the Truth of Love as a principle of life.


Nov 22, 2009, 00:13

Orthodoxy in the World
Patriarch Pavle of Serbia Reposed in the Lord
His Holiness, Patriarch Pavle, is a unique phenomenon for our times; therefore, of course, it would be pointless to make him the measure for other patriarchs, just as it would be, for example, to make St Philaret the Merciful or St Alexei the Man of God the measure for the majority of contemporary laypeople. Everyone has his own standard and his own kind of podvig. It seems to me that one should simply rejoice that in our lifetime such a person was and is in the Orthodox Church.

Nov 15, 2009, 19:08

Orthodoxy in the World
Where God Walked on Earth
Anyone who has visited St. Catherine’s Monastery on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, can attest to the remoteness of its location. From Cairo, it takes between 6-9 hours depending upon the means of transportation. Once there you realize that it is surrounded by mountains on three sides creating a box canyon, leaving you only one access in and out from the main road. However isolated this holy place may appear to the naked eye, the road leading up to St. Catherine’s is like a welcome mat, a red carpet rolled out before you by God who invites all to partake of this jewel of the desert.
Jul 24, 2009, 10:00

Orthodoxy in the World
Pilgrimage to Mount Athos
As so often happens with a pilgrimage, one must be ready for all kinds of obstacles and changes of plans. This is not just because we are sinners, which is true, and our sinfulness sometimes impedes blessings. It is also because sometimes the Adversary sends obstacles to our intention of doing what is right and pleasing to the Lord.
May 15, 2009, 10:00

Orthodoxy in the World
Metropolitan Jonah of All America and Canada: "It takes personal sacrifice to be an Orthodox Christian"
We have to churchify our lifestyle and to bring our life into conformity with Jesus Christ and the Gospel. And this is the great strength of Orthodoxy. This is not about simply believing in the Orthodox manner, it is not about the services. It is about how do we live as Christians, how do we love one another, how do we forgive one another, how do we embrace and raise those who fall, and restore them and share with them salvation, so that their lives are full and happy.

May 4, 2009, 10:00

Orthodoxy in the World
Communion is not a Reward for “Good Behavior”
Average Americans do not know much about Orthodoxy, as a rule. They treat it as a sort of exotic, ethnic version of Catholicism. There are a lot of various confessions and streams of Christianity here. This issue is a personal one; it is not accepted to discuss individual faith. Americans regard this as a subject one should not pry into.
Mar 27, 2009, 10:00

Orthodoxy in the World
He Who Conquered with Love
(In memory of Metropolitan Laurus)
Suddenly I felt “it was good for me to be there”, my heart started singing with joy, feeling peaceful. At the same time I realized that the reason and the source of this joy was this laconic old man sitting across the table. I felt this spiritual joy the whole day. I’d been at church meals lots of times, but I had never before, nor anytime after, felt anything of the kind. On this very day it became clear to me that Vladyka Laurus was not an ordinary man, but a man who carried in him the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Mar 16, 2009, 10:00

Orthodoxy in the World
Metropolitan Kirill is elected to the Moscow Patriarchal Throne

The Chairman of the Counting Committee, Metropolitan Isidor of Yekaterinodar and Kuban, announced that 702 delegates had voted by secret ballot. The number of ballot papers after voting was 700, including 677 valid and 23 invalid ballots.
Jan 30, 2009, 00:27

Orthodoxy in the World
His Holiness, Patriarch Aleksy II of Moscow and All Russia: A collection of his photos

Dec 8, 2008, 05:00

Orthodoxy in the World
Memoriam: His Holiness, Patriarch Aleksy II of Moscow and All Russia
Like the captain of a great ship, he guided the Russian Orthodox Church through troubled waters, rejecting those who would take the Church backwards to pre-revolutionary monarchist times, and at the same time rejecting those who would liberalize the Church and make it something other than it had always been.
Dec 6, 2008, 05:25

Orthodoxy in the World
On December 5, 2008, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Alexei II, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, Reposed in the Lord
On Friday morning, December 5, 2008, His Holiness, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Alexei II, departed to the Lord, after governing the Russian Orthodox Church for eighteen years. The Patriarch was eighty years old when he reposed his Patriarchal residence located in the Moscow suburb of Peredelkino.


Dec 5, 2008, 20:27

Orthodoxy in the World
Journey to the Promised Land
I have tried to find some type of meaning in my life living in war and unemployed and living as a foreigner in a country that I never really wanted to come too and can list at least fifty reasons why I do not want to live in a Palestinian village. But the one reason overshadows all the others and that is my faith in God. I make every effort to trust in the Lord's plan for me and to understand why certain things have happened to me thus helping me take my next breath in moments when I felt like dying.


Sep 18, 2008, 10:09

Orthodoxy in the World
Western Europeans in Search of Truth. The Nativity of the Mother of God Convent, Asten, the Netherlands
The sunsets and sunrises in this rural, southern part of Holland emanate mystical shades of effervescent pink, a manifestation which has drawn many an artist to these lowlands. And if one were to search all over Holland, it would be difficult to find a place more suitable for a monastery than this patch of land, an unusual expanse in a densely-populated country.
Aug 25, 2008, 10:38

Orthodoxy in the World
A Hidden Life: A Short Introduction to Chiune Sugihara
Oskar Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg are among the most commonly known people who have been recognized as taking extra-ordinary personal risks to help Jews and others targeted for extermination by Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist Worker’s Party in Germany , 1933-1945.
May 20, 2008, 10:16

Orthodoxy in the World
Athonite monasticism at the dawn of the third millennium
As it reached the end of its first millennium in 1963, the monastic republic of Mount Athos seemed to have completed its life cycle and to be breathing its last. It had been born, grown to maturity, produced a rich harvest of fruit, and grown old.
Sep 15, 2007, 09:19

Orthodoxy in the World
Gospel to all Nations
After evangelizing in thirty-nine nations, this will be my first time in Georgia . The closest I came was in Sevan , Armenia in 2003 where we hosted 7,000 people in the largest service in a city with only 10,000 people! Prostitutes were coming and repenting in the meetings, along with many nominal Christians. God did many miracles among the people as well, as various people reported physical healings in their bodies. Glory to Jesus Christ for His mercy on the people of Sevan , Armenia . May He do the same again in the Republic of Georgia .
Aug 16, 2007, 22:46

Orthodoxy in the World
Act of Canonical Communion signed in Moscow
The Act of Canonical Communion between the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia and abroad was signed at Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral on Thursday morning.
May 18, 2007, 09:30

Orthodoxy in the World
A Tiny Medieval Town With a Rich Liturgical Life
As for the parish: it began when the decision was made by the parishioners of our Lady Joy of All the Sorrowful ( Paris ) to come down and celebrate Liturgy once a month. Gradually, we increased the regularity of services. Finally, in 1998 we decided to serve daily. In order to do this, we rented a small, historical, and run-down 12th century building. The first floor became the parish hall and the second floor became the church. Our parish is extremely diverse. At this time, we have twelve nationalities and thirty families at our church.
May 13, 2007, 23:17

Orthodoxy in the World
Churches Re-unite After Seventy Years of Schism....
We are close to witnessing an immense historical event. This will, for sure, be part of the history books and it has been long-awaited (for seventy years) by people who are not witnesses to it today. The upcoming re-unification of the Russian church and its branch, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia is something that has practically no historical precedent. The overwhelming majority of schisms and splits, if we look back to history, did not lead to unity. This split, on the other hand, will be mended by unity.


May 6, 2007, 15:08

Orthodoxy in the World
Christianity is popular in Japan today
Speaking about the number of Orthodox Japanese, the priest noted that, according to the annual Council of the Japanese Church which took place in July 2006, there are some ten thousand permanent parishioners who come to church on a regular basis and give donations.
Apr 17, 2007, 08:55

Orthodoxy in the World
Thousands Flock to Celebrate Easter Sunday in Jerusalem’s Old City - The National Herald April 13, 2007
JERUSALEM 2007(AP) – Thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world sang hymns and lit candles as curious onlookers posed for photos during Easter Sunday celebrations at the church built on the reputed site of Jesus Christ's Resurrection.
Apr 16, 2007, 11:41

Orthodoxy in the World
Interview with Fr Andrew Phillips (St John the Wonderworker Orthodox Church – Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia)
Fr Andrew Phillips was born in 1956 in a non practising family that has lived for centuries in the countryside of the Essex-Suffolk border. In childhood he became interested in the history of early England, especially in the local figure of Saint Edmund but also in King Alfred the Great.
Apr 10, 2007, 15:57

Orthodoxy in the World
Interview with fr. John Behr, St. Vladimir's Seminary, NY
And so the Russian tradition has become American - we are American, the 4th-5th generation in America. So in St. Vladimir's we do everything in English. But if the people we are teaching need Slavonic to serve in their Church, we have classes in Slavonic, but our main liturgical language is English. Like Orthodoxy in any country, American Orthodoxy has come to have its own particular feeling. Orthodoxy in Bulgaria, in Romania, in Greece, in Russia - all of them have their own flavor.
Apr 9, 2007, 13:18

Orthodoxy in the World
A priest and his 3 small kids died in a fire
In Tver region (Russia, 100 miles north of Moscow) a priest, his three small kids and wife died in a fire in their house in strange circumstances. Local people and priests from neighboring towns think that this was not an accident. Several months ago, a priest Andrey Nikolaev was pleading for help through mass-media.
Dec 3, 2006, 22:47

Orthodoxy in the World
Pilgrimage to West Virginia
The Monastery of the Holy Cross has around 15 monks who support themselves by selling incense, soap, and candles. The monks also keep goats for milk and cheese. The monastery has it’s own repertoire of different chants applied to English texts, and so has a unique style of singing.
Oct 20, 2006, 01:47

Orthodoxy in the World
His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus Answers Questions from Pravoslvie.ru
I was reared in a churchly atmosphere, in which the word "Russia" always had a great deal of meaning. On one hand, "Russia" is a concrete geographical expanse which is remembered in the daily divine services of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, wherein the children of the Church Abroad call Russia their Fatherland: "For our suffering Russian land and for her Orthodox people in the Fatherland and in the diaspora…"
May 5, 2006, 01:01

Orthodoxy in the World
We are Going to Live in Paradise: Orthodoxy in Congo
An Orthodox missionary comes as a person and creates a community. He shows people that, “You and I are going to live in Paradise.” This is a real environment, a real community. He doesn’t say, “Become like us.” This is why the Orthodox are gaining souls.
Oct 21, 2005, 00:11

Orthodoxy in the World
Toward a rebirth of the Orthodox Church in China
The Cultural Revolution destroyed most of the Church buildings and many believers were persecuted. Church life was practically eliminated and the believers have to resort to reader services in private homes to continue living their faith.
Aug 30, 2005, 23:30

Orthodoxy in the World
Orthodoxy in Indonesia
An interview with Archimandrite Daniel Bambang Byantoro. "We had not been together more than a few moments before I felt that a good friend had come to visit after a long journey".
Apr 15, 2005, 21:42

Orthodoxy in the World
Optina: the holy little corner
The narrative of lay priest Fr. Basil Tigrov [published in Russian as "Svyatoi Ugolok," or Holy Little Corner, Petrograd, 1915] which follows, shows what Optina Monastery was for ordinary people in its day. It also shows how, despite the century of godlessness that lies between his visit and our times, the spiritual and emotional link to it remains unbroken. May this text, published here for the first time in English, serve to touch the new generation of Americans of the 21st century.
Mar 20, 2005, 20:14