THE NATIVITY FAST is divided into two periods: The 1st period is today, November 15th, through December 19th when the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish, wine and olive oil) is observed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but with katalysis for wine and olive oil on Tuesday and Thursday (though some also permit fish on Tuesday and Thursday during this 1st period) and for fish, wine and olive oil on Saturday and Sunday. The 2nd period is... Read more

Click to enlarge. Taken from here. Read more

The audio version of We Came, We Saw, We Converted is now available from Conciliar Press. (Currently, there are three titles up for download – here.)This week’s Orthodixie Podcast is taken from the chapter titled Bending the Rules Out of Love. Though not quite the cadence of a Pentecostal Preacher — neither HU’H!s thrown in for rhythm nor electric-organ-exclamation points — after about the 8:00 mark I do come close to shoutin’. The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio. To... Read more

Click image to enlarge. Thanks to Joseph at Byzantine Texas for his help. Read more

See this guy? Yup! He goes to my church. Does he go to your church? I know what you’re thinking: Fr Joseph, as you’ve said over and over again, you are from the Old Country! Why do you keep picking on people who do not come from the Old Country? People who were not born near Palestine? People who are not like … JUST LIKE … You? The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio. Oh and these guys …Maybe they... Read more

This week’s podcast, An Orthodixie In That Toddlin’ Town, comes to you “live” and edited from Christ the Savior Church (OCA) in Chicago. Part One deals with imagining, pondering, and questioning. We’ll eventually tackle (or, at least, tickle) the following topics: The relevance of the Orthodox Church in society today. What makes the traditions of the Church so important today? What is wrong with shorter services, less emphasis on confession and communion, less time in church? How can the Orthodox... Read more

Full disclosure: The main reason my son and I were in Chicago last weekend was for me to speak at Christ the Savior Orthodox Church. While there, we were the guests of Fr John Baker and stayed in “the Residence” — a building beside the church where Fr John and his family live; where the late Archbishop JOB resided; and which also serves as the Parish Hall. I ended my previous post by saying, “Next: A boy named Sue”. Upon... Read more

… on a Mission from God. What makes a kid go from looking like this … … to this? Hanging with these guys, no doubt. Aha! This is the “God part” (third from right). And yet, on closer examination … … but not to be found in Sears’ catalog anymore. No, not that … Ah, yes. Mission accomplished — in LEGOS! A view from BFKAST (Building Formerly Known as Sears Tower). Out on the glass ledge. Dad wears goofy shoes.... Read more

Time, once again, to dig into the big bag of letters from Ancient Faith listeners … First off, this letter from a listener in Colorado: Dear Fr Joseph, I was shocked recently to learn that a new survey was just released which stated the number of Orthodox Christians in the United States is drastically lower than I’d previously been led to believe. Last I’d heard, there were a couple million American Orthodox Christians. Now I hear that, counting the so-called... Read more

While preparing a talk on Mary the Mother of God for the recent Pilgrimage, I came across some good stuff from Dr George Gabriel’s book, Mary the Untrodden Portal of God. Check this out: From eternity, God provided for a communion with His creation that would remain forever. In that communion mankind would attain to the eternal theosis for which it was made. The communion, of course, is the Incarnation through the Ever-Virgin. Mankind’s existence and, therefore, that of all... Read more