By Ryan LaFerney Recently, the  Orthodox Church commemorated one of my favorite saints, Saint Maria Skobtsova of Paris a twentieth century saint who devoted her life to serving the poor and the marginalized. She was one of the great saints of the last century and her life story is very inspirational for modern Christians. Not […]

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”. 1 Corinthians 3:18-19, New King James One form of the ascetic […]

In America the Fast of the Apostles is probably the least well known, but is among the oldest of Christian traditions. It is mentioned by St. Athanasius in the fourth century, and there are other testimonies to its existence very early in the history of the Church. The fast ends with the observance of the […]

Every fast we try to provide new recipes to increase the variety in your diet with healthy dishes. The following were found on the internet and each source is noted. Healthy Pasta Bake by Justine Pattison – A recipe found on the BBC “A fuss-free and healthy pasta bake that you can make in one dish. […]

Thinking Orthodox: Understanding and Acquiring the Orthodox Christian Mind by Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou  A Book Review by Catherine Kostyn I must start this review by saying that I wish this book had been in print 20 years ago when I entered the Orthodox Church, it would have likely saved me some struggle, or not, but […]

In response to our recent survey, there were mixed comments about featuring personal stories in the blog. One of our survey responders suggested that we “Highlight/feature the parishioners in our congregation [because] we are such an eclectic bunch!” Another was not as keen. Since the response was mixed, we decided to continue occasional stories about […]

“He who is able to pray correctly, even if he is the poorest of all people, is essentially the richest. And he who does not have proper prayer, is the poorest of all, even if he sits on a royal throne.” – St John Chrysostom Preface In a previous blog we presented an overview of […]

Nothing Will Separate Us: Working Through the Suffering and Death of a Loved One by Frederica de Graaf  (Mother Macaria says this one is excellent) “How do we respond to a patient or loved one facing death with all of our mind and heart, yet without trying to feel pain or emotions that are not […]