September 11, 2017 1631 1 The Meaning of Shapes and Colors of Orthodox Churches The outer color of the church often reflects to whom it is devoted: to the Lord, to the Mother of God, to a saint…
September 6, 2017 371 0 A List and Explanation of Titles of Orthodox Christian Saints The holy ones of the Orthodox Church have various customary saint titles with which they are commemorated on the Church Calendar and in divine…
August 24, 2017 457 2 Why Should Reading in the Orthodox Church be Unemotional? I remember the words of Alexander Griboyedov from his play “Woe from Wit”: “Read it not like an altar server, but with passion”. For…
August 15, 2017 544 0 Why Are Orthodox Christian Priests Allowed to be Married? Apparently there is some confusion between the requirements for priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church, and the requirements in the Eastern Orthodox Church. In…
August 12, 2017 1143 4 Why do Orthodox Christians kiss the hand of a bishop or priest? A few of our new inquirers have asked about the practice of kissing the priest’s hand. For people outside of the Orthodox Tradition (and…
August 10, 2017 493 10 A List of Orthodox Christians in Various Countries By Population The number of Orthodox Christians in the world, according to different accounts is somewhere between 125 and 180 million. It is often difficult to…
July 25, 2017 194 0 10 Questions About Priesthood and Priests How well do we know who priests are and what do we know about their ministry? Where did it originate from, has it become…
July 25, 2017 284 0 Key Facts and Ideas about Repentance The Illness and the Cure Christianity without repentance is hypocritical, a mockery, even dangerous. It claims what is not rightfully ours, forgiveness without…
July 24, 2017 2278 2 Why Are the Faces of Clergy and Monastics Covered after Their Death? Why do we cover the faces of clerics after their death – several similar questions were addressed to the editor after the death of…
July 12, 2017 246 0 Earliest Icons of Apostles Peter and Paul Here are a few photos of the earliest surviving Icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul. They’re from St. Tecla’s catacomb in Rome, and…