A sermon, widely circulated on the Internet, has led to an apology (or sorts) from His Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH: SYOSSET, NY [OCA Communications] — On Great, Holy and Good Friday, April 17, 2009, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, issued the following statement in response to recent commentary on his April 5, 2009 sermon, delivered at Saint Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX. “I greet you in a spirit of repentance and forgiveness as we celebrate the... Read more

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I posted this as a tweet, but it needs blog magnification: “As if normal trials were insufficient, the enemy offers a magnifying glass these last days before Pascha; may it be flipped by the Resurrection.” Lent being ended and Holy Week in swing, many feel a sense of depression brought on by dwelling on wasted time and hopes of pious preparation that never materialized. The enemy of souls is fully aware of this, now that we’ve brought it to mind,... Read more

FeastOfFeasts.org is co-sponsored by the communications office of the Orthodox Church in America and the Department of Internet Ministry of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. Collected here are a selection of the best writing on Paschal themes available from the gifted writers and teachers of the Orthodox Church in America and the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese. They’ve posted a piece of mine, The Light of the Resurrection, HERE. Oh! Be sure to read Dr Maria Khoury’s piece,... Read more

Thank God Lent’s over! As we journey through Holy Week to the Great Feast of Feasts, PASCHA, let’s listen in on some more of the retreat — including PALE GAS — which took place just north of the border in El Paso, Texas. The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio. Read more

The St George Seniors Group made their annual spring pilgrimage to St Paraskevi Monastery yesterday. I’ve been blessed to join them on the past two trips; yesterday we were also joined by Fr John Salem. (Click pics to enlarge.) Shot from a distance, here’s a pic of the newly completed Temple dedicated to Saint Paraskevi. The housing for the female monastics. This is a new fountain on the walkway toward the entry of the nuns’ quarters. Aha! The secondary reason... Read more

Forgive me but … too funny. Forgive me. Read more

An important message from Byzantine Dixie … As you may be aware the Southern Woman is actively discouraged from wearing white shoes after Labor Day and before Easter. I actually think this may be codified in certain city, county and state ordinances … at least one gets that idea if she tries wearing white shoes out of season! However, please note, these ordinances were written on the basis of Western Easter dating. Therefore, it is fully acceptable for the Southern... Read more

As we head toward the end of the Lent and the beginning of Holy Week, the Orthodixie Podcast begins a series based on the book DEFEATING SIN – Overcoming Our Passions and Changing Forever — taken from a retreat hosted by St George Church, El Paso, Texas. The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio. Image Source Read more

The following is from John over at Notes from a Common-place Book. Among American Orthodox, if you are susceptible to being twisted into knots over machinations at the top, or jurisdictional squabbles, or intra-jurisdictional infighting, then there are certainly developments out there to view with alarm. The OCA has come through a rough patch, much better positioned going forward, but not out of the woods just yet. The Antiochians are currently undergoing their own turmoil, the full ramifications of which,... Read more