Orthodox Christianity

Wednesday, July 30/August 12, 2026. 11th Week after Pentecost. Fast Day.

Wine and oil allowed.

Apostles of the Seventy Silas and Silvanus, and with them Apostles Crescens, Epenetus, and Andronicus (1st c.). Martyr John the Soldier, at Tralles in Asia Minor (361-363). New Hiero-confessor Anatole II (Potapov), elder, of Optina Monastery (1922).

Hieromartyr Polychronius, bishop of Babylon in Mesopotamia; Hieromartyrs Parmenius, Elimas, and Chrysotelus, priests, and Luke and Mocius, deacons, and Martyrs Maximus and Olympius, at Cordoba (ca. 251). Hieromartyr Valentine, bishop of Interamna (Terni) in Italy, and Martyrs Proculus, Ephebus, Apollonius, and Abundius (ca. 273). Uncovering of the relics of St. Herman of Solovki (1484). St. Angelina (Brancovic), despotina of Serbia (16th c.). Synaxis of the Saints of Samara.

Sitka Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Martyrs Abdon and Sennen, princes of Persia, at Rome (251). Prince Tsotne Dadiani the Confessor, of Mingrelia, Georgia (13th c.). St. Stephen Vladislav of Serbia (1243).

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Ukrainian Church Crisis

Abba Pambo. Restraint of the Tongue as a Spiritual Discipline

Abba Pambo. Restraint of the Tongue as a Spiritual Discipline Hieromonk Spyridon (Dorosh) Abba Pambo. Restraint of the Tongue as a Spiritual Discipline Hieromonk Spyridon (Dorosh) For the hermits, silence was the battlefield of continuous spiritual warfare. In solitude, the usual worldly concerns disappeared, and a person was left face to face with his own passions and with temptations from the evil one and the demons.

On Self-Denial and Truth

On Self-Denial and Truth If Therefore Thine Eye Be Single, Part 2 On Self-Denial and Truth If Therefore Thine Eye Be Single, Part 2 Hieromonk Savatie (Bastovoi) While God speaks to us about grace and forgiveness, people speak about laws and punishments. Strength forgives, but weakness punishes.

If Therefore Thine Eye Be Single

If Therefore Thine Eye Be Single Part 1: On Judgment and the Single Eye If Therefore Thine Eye Be Single Part 1: On Judgment and the Single Eye Hieromonk Savatie Baștovoi In our neighbor, we find either salvation or perdition.

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Publications

Tesla’s “Silent Agreement” with Saint Nicholas

Rev. Dr. Oliver Subotic

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Tesla’s “Silent Agreement” with Saint Nicholas

Rev. Dr. Oliver Subotic

In November 1940, the wealthy Serbian-American Mihailo Ducic sent him financial assistance. The ingenious inventor thanked him in a telegram, stating, among other things: “Saint Nicholas and you are my best friends.”

Saint Herman and His Alaska

A new book

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Saint Herman and His Alaska

A new book

How hard it was for the brothers in, the far north! Although autumn brought rain and wind to the brethren, the monks could not help but admire the beauty of the land and praise God despite the harsh weather.

Trust in God and Do Your Best

Sermon on the Feast-Day of Greatmartyr Panteleimon

Hierodeacon Iliodor (Schevchuk)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Trust in God and Do Your Best

Sermon on the Feast-Day of Greatmartyr Panteleimon

Hierodeacon Iliodor (Schevchuk)

St. Panteleimon was a physician, but at those moments when his profession could not bring any benefit, he turned to God so that He might make up for the weakness of human strength and grant healing to the sick.

St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska

Commemorated on July 26/August 8

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Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

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St Jacob Netsvetov the Enlightener of the Peoples of Alaska

Commemorated on July 26/August 8

He learned new languages, embraced new peoples and cultures, devised another alphabet, built another church and Orthodox community, and for the next twenty years, until his health and eyesight failed, continued to be an evangelical beacon of the grace of God in southwestern Alaska.

Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople

Commemorated on July 25

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Holy Woman Olympias (Olympiada) the Deaconess of Constantinople

Commemorated on July 25

Saint Olympias the Deaconess was the daughter of the senator Anicius Secundus, and by her mother she was the granddaughter of the noted eparch Eulalios (he is mentioned in the life of Saint Nicholas).

Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos

Commemorated on July 25/August 7

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Dormition of the Righteous Anna, the Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos

Commemorated on July 25/August 7

Saint Anna was the daughter of the priest Matthan and his wife Mary. She was of the tribe of Levi and the lineage of Aaron. According to Tradition, she died peacefully in Jerusalem at age 79, before the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos.

To Dedicate Yourself to God Out of Wholehearted Gratitude to Him

Archimandrite Melchisedek (Artiukhin)

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

To Dedicate Yourself to God Out of Wholehearted Gratitude to Him

Archimandrite Melchisedek (Artiukhin)

Some revere the monastic way of life while being unable to fully understand it; some consider it the pinnacle of Christian life, others an unnecessary extreme.

The Journey of Holy Admiral Theodore Ushakov: From Rybinsk to the French Riviera

Anastasiia Lutcenko

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

The Journey of Holy Admiral Theodore Ushakov: From Rybinsk to the French Riviera

Anastasiia Lutcenko

St. Theodore reminds us that holiness is also possible in the midst of responsibility, public service and difficult decisions. He fulfilled his duty with courage, but he never allowed power to overcome compassion.

The Hermit and Hesychast St. John (Iacob) of Neamț, the New Chozebite

Archimandrite Ioanichie (Balan)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

The Hermit and Hesychast St. John (Iacob) of Neamț, the New Chozebite

Archimandrite Ioanichie (Balan)

St. John (Iacob) was a holy hesychast of our days, who struggled for twenty-four years in the Holy Land, in the Jordan Valley and in the desert of Chozeba.

The Holy and Righteous Warrior Theodore Ushakov

Commemorated October 2/15 and July 23/August 5

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

The Holy and Righteous Warrior Theodore Ushakov

Commemorated October 2/15 and July 23/August 5

When it came to preserving lives, Ushakov did not divide officers and sailors into first and second class, and he did everything possible to conduct any military operation with minimal casualties.

That the Works of God Should Be Made Manifest

Svetlana Rybakova

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

That the Works of God Should Be Made Manifest

Svetlana Rybakova

St. Mary shared in the apostolic labors, preaching the Gospel among women. And she remained faithful to the Lord not only in the days of His glory, but also at the moment of His extreme humiliation.

From the Valley of Dry Bones to the Hope for Eternal Life

Sermon on the feast of the Prophet Ezekiel

Hieromonk Irenei (Pikovsky)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

From the Valley of Dry Bones to the Hope for Eternal Life

Sermon on the feast of the Prophet Ezekiel

Hieromonk Irenei (Pikovsky)

Faith in the resurrection of the dead is not only a dogma, but also a source of Christian hope and moral transformation.

Honoring the Saints Is Imitating Their Lives

Sermon on the Feast of the Holy Prophet Elias

Hierodeacon Iliodor (Shevchuk)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Honoring the Saints Is Imitating Their Lives

Sermon on the Feast of the Holy Prophet Elias

Hierodeacon Iliodor (Shevchuk)

His life’s path was joyless and very difficult; he was an outcast in his own homeland and he had to flee into the desert to escape the persecution of a wicked king. St. Elias went through severe trials and spiritual distress. It was very hard for him, but he passed through all this with God, without abandoning the ministry entrusted to him.

Praying Through The Storms

Fr. James Guirguis

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Praying Through The Storms

Fr. James Guirguis

We are the iron, often cold and lifeless. Yet we can be activated through prayer.

The Love and Humility of St. Seraphim of Sarov

Sermon on the feast of the Uncovering of the Relics of St. Seraphim, the Wonderworker of Sarov

Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

The Love and Humility of St. Seraphim of Sarov

Sermon on the feast of the Uncovering of the Relics of St. Seraphim, the Wonderworker of Sarov

Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov)

Learned and uneducated, rich and poor alike—everyone deeply loves St. Seraphim. It was this love, coming from the believing heart, that once played a key role in his canonization.

Evgenia Rozina: “Giving Christ Only What Is Left Over Is No Great Thing”

Notes from the Kostroma Countryside

Churches and Monasteries

Evgenia Rozina: “Giving Christ Only What Is Left Over Is No Great Thing”

Notes from the Kostroma Countryside

Children who first came to church only for Sunday school gradually led their own parents to Christ. That is one of the remarkable paradoxes of our time.

Everything That the Lord Has Promised, He Fulfills

Ninth Talk on the Divine Liturgy, Part B

Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol

Theology

Everything That the Lord Has Promised, He Fulfills

Ninth Talk on the Divine Liturgy, Part B

Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol

Wherein lies the truth of God? In that God became Man for the sake of the salvation of every one of us. This should be our focus in this present life.

To Be United in Christ

Homily for the Sunday of the Fathers of the Six Ecumenical Councils

Hierodeacon Iliodor (Shevchuk)

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

To Be United in Christ

Homily for the Sunday of the Fathers of the Six Ecumenical Councils

Hierodeacon Iliodor (Shevchuk)

We’re called to be united around the Gospel truth and the testimony that the Lord has left us.

Cherishing Love Amidst the Daily Grind

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Cherishing Love Amidst the Daily Grind

Today, more and more often, people say that they get burnout not at their jobs, but at home, with their loved ones.

Guardians of Memory

A Russian Orthodox Church in Menton, and the Priest Who Keeps Its Memory Alive

Anastasia Lutcenko

Churches and Monasteries

Guardians of Memory

A Russian Orthodox Church in Menton, and the Priest Who Keeps Its Memory Alive

Anastasia Lutcenko

The more noise fills our lives, the more important it becomes to recover the ability to hear silence. It is in silence that we most often encounter God.

“We Have Come To Help You”

Modern Miracles of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, St. Charalambos, St. Marina, and St. Nektarios

Gevorg Kazaryan

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

“We Have Come To Help You”

Modern Miracles of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, St. Charalambos, St. Marina, and St. Nektarios

Gevorg Kazaryan

Where there is no hope from men, help comes swiftly from Heaven.

Prince Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles. Choosing a Path

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Prince Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles. Choosing a Path

His next step was to lead his people along the same path that he himself had walked. From then on, the path of the prince and his people was the path of an Orthodox nation.

Do Animals Have Souls?

Archimandrite Savva (Mazhuko)

Theology

Do Animals Have Souls?

Archimandrite Savva (Mazhuko)

Does an animal have a soul? Is it appropriate to pray for a beloved cat or dog? Is it humane to euthanize a suffering animal? And after death, do our pets go to heaven? Nearly every pet owner has pondered these questions.

Oxygen and Food for the Soul

Ninth Talk on the Divine Liturgy, Part A

Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Oxygen and Food for the Soul

Ninth Talk on the Divine Liturgy, Part A

Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol

The Savior overcame death when He came Himself over to death. And for us Christians, this is the only way to overcome evil, the world, and all the sorrowful circumstances we face.

Being a Priest Is Enough For the Firing Squad. Hieromartyr Leonid Druzhinin

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Being a Priest Is Enough For the Firing Squad. Hieromartyr Leonid Druzhinin

On July 27, 1938, 142 people were shot at the infamous Butovo firing range near Moscow. Among them was Priest Leonid Druzhinin (commemorated July 14/27), an “anti-Soviet element” who had the “wrong” biography of being a clergyman.