April 19, 2019 Cherubic Hymn and Great Entrance: What (Not) To Do? The Cherubic Hymn is a preliminary or prefatorial chant to the Eucharistic Canon, which culminates in the transmutation (that is, a sacramental transformation) of…
April 17, 2019 Why Is The Curtain of the Royal Door Half-Closed During the Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts? The curtain of the Royal Door is half-closed – as opposed to being fully closed during other Liturgies – during the Liturgy of Presanctified…
April 15, 2019 “Let the Dead Bury Their Dead”: What Did Christ Mean? We find this statement recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke: “And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first…
April 12, 2019 Saturday of the Akathist: Why so Special? The Akathist Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary, is one of the most beloved services of devotion that we…
April 10, 2019 Rassophore Monk and Stavrophore Monk: What is the Difference? According to one tradition (e.g., the one observed in Kiev Caves Lavra), there are several degrees of monasticism. First, a novice becomes a Rassophore…
April 10, 2019 What Counts As Blasphemy? Dictionaries define blasphemy as the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God; irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable….
April 5, 2019 Some Practical Tips on Reading Akathists at Home There is only one akathist that is appointed to be done in the services of the Church, and that is the akathist of…
April 5, 2019 Who Is Who in the Church, or Who Keeps the Worship Running Archimandrite Dositheus (Mikhailiuk), a professor of Kiev Theological Academy, on those who perform and participate in worship. Father, who are those people who perform…
April 5, 2019 On Saturday Commemoration of the Dead in Orthodoxy The Saturdays of commemorations of the dead are called ancestral Saturdays (the first universal commemoration on Meat Fare Saturday, the second, third, and…
April 3, 2019 What Happened in the Beginning of the World, and How? A Priest Answers Children’s Questions, Part II If the universe was created almost 7,500 years ago, why can we see galaxies that are billions of light years away? What a clever…
April 3, 2019 Why Do We Address the Cross in Prayer? On this great feast of the Exultation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross Archpriest Andrew Nikolaidi addresses whether Orthodoxy considers the Cross to be…
April 2, 2019 When Is Communion Forbidden During the Lent and Why? There is no such thing as a prohibition of communion in the Orthodox Church. The Sacrament of Eucharist is the ultimate sacred ritual there…
