“In the seventh century of the Christian era, a wandering Arab of the lineage of Hagar the Egyptian, combining the powers of transcendent genius with the preternatural energy of a fanatic, and the fraudulent spirit of an impostor, proclaimed himself as a messenger from Heaven, and spread desolation and delusion over an extensive portion of the earth. Adopting from the sublime conception of the Mosaic law the doctrine of one omnipotent God, he connected indissolubly with it the audacious falsehood... Read more

In honour of the 250th birthday of Mozart — named for the Saint, the Golden-Mouthed, whose memory is kept today … I must inform [you] that on 27 January, at 8 p.m., my dear wife was happily delivered of a boy; but the placenta had to be removed. She was therefore astonishingly weak. Now, however (God be praised) both child and mother are well. She sends her regards to you both. The boy is called Joannes Chrisostomos, Wolfgang, Gotlieb. [Leopold... Read more

The order of ordained women deacons “never totally disappeared in the life of the Orthodox churches” and there are strong signs of a desire to renew it, an Orthodox theologian told a largely Catholic gathering on Jan. 20. Kyriaki Karidoyanes FitzGerald, a theologian, outlined the history and Orthodox theology and practice regarding deaconesses in the 2006 Isaac Hecker Lecture at St. Paul’s College in Washington. The lecture series is named after the founder of the Paulist religious order. FitzGerald, author... Read more

NBC’S lame-duck series Book of Daniel … starring Aidan Quinn … centers on an Episcopal priest in a posh Connecticut suburb. His wife is infatuated with martinis, one of his sons is homosexual, the other is sleeping around, his daughter is selling dope, the Jamaican housekeeper is smoking it, his brother-in-law has stolen $3.5 million from the church (after having a threesome with his wife and Daniel’s secretary), and the lady bishop is having an affair with Daniel’s father, who... Read more

The following piece, a bit dated and slightly edited, was originally published in The WORD magazine (1994). In light of recent comments, I thought others might find it helpful. Mind you, it predates the Internet and Reality TV [sic]. With that in mind, think of how far we’ve “progressed” (how numb we’ve become) …Years ago, my wife and I decided we could no longer afford our cable TV subscription. Given the usual slate of programming, we thought cable was something... Read more

Two from James … One. Two. Enjoy! Read more

Dear Father Huneycutt, I would like to add my little story among the so many other life stories that you have received. I am a Greek Orthodox living in Holland. In my present age, being a grand-mother, I look back and see the so many years I lived without God. I wish I could go back and make again my life, but with God in my life. As it is known, all Greeks are baptized and are Orthodox. I lived... Read more

Back in 2003, at the annual March for Life in DC which marked the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I saw a woman carrying a sign that read: “24 Years Later … My Choice Hurts Me Still.”Though there were thousands of other slogans, banners, and images, I couldn’t get this woman and her “Scarlet Letter” out of my mind. I was shocked, saddened, and unsure of what to do. Was I supposed to do anything? Thank goodness there were... Read more

Fr John Salem wears a St Eelers lapel pin. I grew up a Steeler fan. Fr John is THE Steeler fan. God is always good. But, I’m thankful the Steelers made it to the Super Bowl for many reasons — not least of which is it goes a long way in making a great work environment that much better. I predict, if they win, Fr John will give all of St George parishioners at least $1,000 each. I realize the... Read more

January 22, 2006 marks the 33rd anniversary of the tragic Supreme Court Decision Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the U.S. This Supreme Court decision overturned all moral and logical reasoning that most citizens of our society held and practiced. Since 1973, over 43 million lives have been aborted. Approximately 93% of the women who have had abortions cited they did so for social reasons (i.e. unready for responsibility, can’t afford the baby, concern over how baby would change... Read more