February 15, 2018 Your Guide to Prostrations during Great Lent During Lent we make more prostrations. That’s a process that begins by making the sign of the Cross, then bowing down, resting your knees…
February 14, 2018 6 Thoughts for Valentine’s Day Valentine’s Day: “A Pink Holiday” Red hearts, pink ribbons, candy packaged in purple, “angels” suspended in fluffy and blue clouds, among other sweet things…
February 14, 2018 Ancient Christian Origins of Saint Valentine’s Day Now a commercialized holiday celebrating modern Western courtship and romance, the ancient Christian origins of Saint Valentine’s Day are largely forgotten. The actual…
February 14, 2018 A Look at Monastic Ranks in the Orthodox Church Although the Orthodox Church does not have religious orders as the Latin (Roman Catholic) church does, there are different styles of monastic life in…
February 9, 2018 Why Do We Abstain from Meat during the Cheesefare Week? Cheesefare Sunday received it’s name because the previous week we did not eat meat, but only dairy products, such as milk, cheese, etc., as…
February 9, 2018 What Does the Chant “Eternal Memory” Mean at Memorial Services? When we chant “eternal memory” (“αἰωνία ἡ μνήμη”) at the end of Memorial Services and Funerals, it is often falsely assumed that this memory…
February 9, 2018 Commemoration of the Reposed in the Orthodox Liturgical Tradition How can we help our loved ones who have departed this life? Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) talks about the commemoration of the dead. According…
February 8, 2018 Concerning Women Singing or Directing in Church Choirs Question: What does St Paul mean when he says “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them…
February 8, 2018 What is Polyeleos in an Orthodox Christian Service? Polyeleos is the most festive part of the matins. It name is Greek in nature: polyeleos from polys – many, and eleos – grace….
February 5, 2018 Concerning Having Icons in Cars Lately, I have payed attention to the fact that people often put icons in their cars. These icons can be various: folding icons, triptychs…
February 2, 2018 5 Great Temptations Not to Fall into When Visiting Orthodox Monasteries The priest looked out of the altar, checking to see if the choir director was ready to begin the hours before the Divine Liturgy….
February 1, 2018 What is the Eucharist and why do we partake? One of my greatest stumbling blocks coming into the Orthodox Church was the closed communion table. Growing up Protestant, my experience was that the…
