September 13 – 18 a delegation of Christians, 11 in number (6 Orthodox priests, 3 Orthodox laymen; a Protestant pastor and a professor), visited Syria on a fact finding mission — especially regarding the 3 million Christians in that country. I was one of them. After an 11.5 hour flight from JFK in NYC, the first contingent of our delegation arrived in Amman, Jordan. We were later to be joined by the other half, coming in from Chicago. As there... Read more

It’s not every day that your cell phone rings and the voice on the other end invites you to take a short trip to Syria in a couple weeks. But it does happen. At the invitation of the Antiochian Archdiocese, I traveled to Syria, September 14 thru the 18, with a delegation of Orthodox and Protestant Christians. IMAGE: Fr Dimitri Darwich and me in Ma’loula on Friday, September 16th. God allowing and flesh willing, a full photo report and podcast... Read more

A portion of this week’s podcast already in progress: … then there was the high school water tower which, even though it was 1979, still had a big fat 70s style “Class of 76” painted on it. We were the Class of 79 — and, of course, thought we needed to upgrade the water tower. Problem was, the school had wizened up to such pranks and, some time after 1976, had removed two sections of the water tower’s ladder. There... Read more

The Church’s veneration of Mary has always been rooted in her obedience to God, her willing choice to accept a humanly impossible calling. By Fr Alexander Schmemann The Orthodox Church has always emphasized Mary’s connection to humanity and delighted in her as the best, purest, most sublime fruition of human history and of man’s quest for God, for ultimate meaning, for the ultimate content of human life. If in Western Christianity veneration of Mary was centered upon her perpetual virginity,... Read more

With the recent falling asleep of Archbishop DMITRI of the Orthodox Church in America, I was reminded of the many occasions in his presence – mostly around the Monastery of the Glorious Ascension, Resaca, Georgia – back in the day. Then there was that one occasion concerning my feet and His Eminence … it’s included in this repeat episode of the Orthodixie Podcast. Forgive me, it’s silly really – obviously an attempt at humor by a fool; but even a... Read more

Patriarchate of Constantinople calls Synaxis to focus on the state of the Church in the Middle East An announcement issued by the Office of the Chief Secretary of the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s Sacred and Holy Synod, dated August 31, 2011, announced the convocation of a Synaxis of the Heads of the Ancient Patriarchates and the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus at the Ecumenical Patriarchate September 1-2, 2011. The text of the announcement reads as follows. “At the invitation of His All-Holiness... Read more

Guiding, Guarding and Discipline for Parents, Grandparents & Godparents in the Orthodox Tradition Retreat Master: Fr. John Peck September 10, 2011 Fr. John A. Peck is the priest in charge of St. George Orthodox Church in Prescott, AZ. Fr. John founded the Incarnation Broadcast Network, the first 24 hour Orthodox Christian internet radio broadcast in the world. He is the creator and webmaster of the popular websites “Preachers Institute”, “Journeys to Orthodoxy”, and “Good Guys Wear Black”. Fr. John has... Read more

The following comment from “Bill” was in reference to this story. 1) Texas is a big place, with different geography, different climates and different economies. (TMatt, try the Davis Mountains, sometime.) San Antonio is pretty much in the middle of the state. There’s a sign on I-10 heading west from San Antonio which says, El Paso – 535 miles. Big state. 2) Religion is in the air, the water and the soil. It is assumed. There are crosses everywhere. There... Read more

LONDON: US scientists claim that when aliens arrive, they will destroy Earthlings because we harm our environment so much. Three scientists from NASA and Pennsylvania State University have warned that aliens would declare a war with us after they see how we kill other species and harm our planet by giving off greenhouse gases. “Extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) could attack and kill us, enslave us, or potentially even eat us,” the report said. “ETI could attack us out of selfishness or... Read more

This episode of the Orthodixie Podcast is the second in a two-part series. After Part One, I’m Not Gay; I Was Drawn This Way, I received a number of emails, some from so-called homosexuals, thanking me. A couple emails were from parents. I’d mentioned that the topic of “sexuality” – especially use of the word gay – is on the minds of our young people. This, unless you are deaf or disinterested, is a fact. Why? Because our young people... Read more