Father Artemius graduated with a degree in philology from Moscow State University, which is named after the great Russian scholar and educator Mikhail Vasiliyevich Lomonosov … An excerpt from Faith & Humor: Whenever the priest opens his mouth, silky soft grasses spread around the ground, sweet-smelling flowers bow their heads, young leaves dripping with sap cling to their branches in silent admiration, birds in heaven fold their wings and fall silent, daring not to go on with their wonderfully sweet... Read more

To those who wanted to have an abortion, the abbot would say … An excerpt from Faith & Humor: “You should give birth to the baby and then leave it in a carriage out in the cold, as if it were an accident. It will scream for a bit and then freeze to death, and all will be well. It’s a lesser sin than abortion.” “Why is it a lesser sin?” “Try it, you’ll see.” But no one tried. (p.105)... Read more

Olga Petrovna, a great admirer of Father Metrophanes, once approached him and said, smiling shyly, “Father, you are …” An excerpt from Faith & Humor: She stumbled momentarily, searching for words. “… You are like Saint Seraphim of Sarov.” The priest shook his head from side to side and stared intently at Olga Petrovna. “Wait a moment and I’ll explain why you think this,” he said and went behind the altar. He didn’t come back for a long time. Olga... Read more

There once was a priest who had a special gift from God … An excerpt from Faith & Humor: Whereas elsewhere the right nave was still being fixed, the roof was already on its second year of being patched, and they were using a temporary curtain instead of a good one for the Royal Doors, our priest’s church already boasted silver domes with golden stars painted on them, and an iconostasis with sacred sixteen century icons. He even managed to... Read more

There was once a priest who hated all people … An excerpt from Faith & Humor: He didn’t get to be that way all at once. At first he loved everyone. Then he stopped loving people and began to feel disdain for them. He who has lived and reasoned, will in his heart hold humans in disdain, to quote Pushkin. He hated them because there were so many people, more and more each year. First, those overheated faceless crowds kept... Read more

Affirming the right to life LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Bishop Basil Essey It has been brought to my attention that Planned Parenthood, a group under investigation by the U.S. Congress, is contemplating opening five new facilities in central Nebraska over the next few years, with Kearney — the city where the oldest parish in my diocese is located — is on the list of possible sites. For 2,000 years, Orthodox Christians have been consistent in their pro-life stance and so... Read more

Thanks to Archpriest Mark Mancuso of St Elizabeth the New Martyr Church: The Preparatory Sundays of Great Lent An Introduction to Great Lent Lent in Our Life The True Nature of Fasting by Metropolitan KALLISTOS The Rules of Fasting The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts Oh … then there’s the MOTHERLODE. Read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 2nd, 2012 Record of Protest Against the Infringement of Religious Liberty by the Department of Health and Human Services The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, which is comprised of the 65 canonical Orthodox bishops in the United States, Canada and Mexico, join their voices with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and all those who adamantly protest the recent decision by the United States Department of Health and Human Services,... Read more

This year, the Missions and Evangelism Department of the Antiochian Archdiocese teamed with North Texas Orthodox Missions for a joint conference held in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. The speakers were Fr. Joseph Huneycutt, Fr. Evan Armatas, and Fr. Peter Gillquist. The dates were January 20-21, 2012. The conference was dedicated to the memory of His Eminence, Archbishop Dmitri. — from Ancient Faith Radio (click the link to listen). Pictured with me: Deacon Gregory Norris of St Seraphim Cathedral. Read more

Freshly mown grass, newly lined field, colorful band uniforms, zealous cheerleaders, the smell of hot dogs and popcorn under a Friday night sky in the fall. Football. Back in the day, high school football practice began on August 1st. That was the day that we all had to run 5-miles around the field – for God and all to see what kind of shape we were in. That kind of routine marks you. It was only a few years ago... Read more