Orthodox Christianity

Wednesday, July 23/August 5, 2026. 10th Week after Pentecost. Fast Day.

Wine and oil allowed.

Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Pochaev” (1675). Martyrs Trophimus, Theophilus, and 13 others, in Lycia (284-305). Glorification of St. Theodore Ushakov, admiral of the Russian Navy (Glorification 2001).

Hieromartyr Apollinarius, first bishop of Ravenna (ca. 75).

Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “The Joy of All Who Sorrow” (with coins) of St. Petersburg (1888).

Righteous Anna (Hannah), mother of the Prophet Samuel (1100 b.c.). Martyr Apollonius, at Rome (183). Repose of St. John Cassian the Roman, abbot, of Marseilles (435). St. Anna of Leucadia (919). Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks (1675). St. Pelagia, nun, of Tinos (1834). St. John (Iacob) of Neamts, the Chozebite (1960). 250 martyrs killed by Bulgarians (802-811).

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Ukrainian Church Crisis

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

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

The Holy and Righteous Warrior Theodore Ushakov Pavel Astakhov The Holy and Righteous Warrior Theodore Ushakov Commemorated October 2/15 and July 23/August 5 Pavel Astakhov 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

That the Works of God Should Be Made Manifest Svetlana Rybakova 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.

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Publications

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.

Polemics with Catholicism in the works of the Holy Hieromartyr Gorazd, Bishop of Bohemia and Moravia-Silesia

Priest George Maximov

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Polemics with Catholicism in the works of the Holy Hieromartyr Gorazd, Bishop of Bohemia and Moravia-Silesia

Priest George Maximov

The Holy Martyr Gorazd (Pavlik; 1879–1942) is the most prominent saint of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia in the 20th century.

The Gospel of the Kingdom: From Earthly Expectations to the Heavenly Reality in Christ

Priest Tarasiy Borozenets

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

The Gospel of the Kingdom: From Earthly Expectations to the Heavenly Reality in Christ

Priest Tarasiy Borozenets

The Apostles expected a throne in Jerusalem; Christ established His throne in their hearts.

And Men Loved Darkness Rather Than Light: What’s Scary about Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World?

Priest Tarasiy Borozenets

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

And Men Loved Darkness Rather Than Light: What’s Scary about Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World?

Priest Tarasiy Borozenets

Huxley poses a chilling dilemma: to be human or to be happy? Exactly like that and no other way.

Not All Silence Holds the Voice of God

Homily for the Seventh Sunday of Pentecost

Hieromonk Spyridon (Dorosh)

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Not All Silence Holds the Voice of God

Homily for the Seventh Sunday of Pentecost

Hieromonk Spyridon (Dorosh)

We don’t need silence for silence’s sake, but that within it you might meet the one Who wants to speak with you; that you might, in silence, meet the Bridegroom of your soul.

St. Olga and Us

Priest Sergei Begiyan

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

St. Olga and Us

Priest Sergei Begiyan

Olga’s witness through her own life undoubtedly left its mark upon the hearts of her grandchildren. They remembered their holy grandmother. One of those grandsons would later become Grand Prince Vladimir, forever known as “the Fair Sun.”

How St. Paisios was visited by Great Martyr Euphemia

A talk by Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol. Part 2

Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

How St. Paisios was visited by Great Martyr Euphemia

A talk by Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol. Part 2

Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol

Now I am sixty-four, and in difficult moments that happen to everybody these images, these memories from the Holy Mountain are a good inheritance for me, a refuge where I enter and gain strength, courage, consolation and support from God to continue my struggle.

Against Screenocracy

Rev. Dr. Oliver Subotic

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Against Screenocracy

Rev. Dr. Oliver Subotic

The essence of the challenge we face may be captured by the seldom-used term screenocracy, so as to designate as precisely as possible a particular “regime” of occupying the human mind through the audio-visual stimuli transmitted via screens.

“Will there be a movie about love and forgiveness today?”

Three Testimonies of the Love of Elder Gabriel

Constantine Tsertsvadze

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

“Will there be a movie about love and forgiveness today?”

Three Testimonies of the Love of Elder Gabriel

Constantine Tsertsvadze

He preaches in different languages, he arranges people’s destinies; like a loving father, he seats friends who have fallen out together in concert halls, reminding them that the main movie God expects from us is a movie about love and forgiveness.

Confession as the Joy of Transfiguration

Deacon Dionisy Akhalashvili

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Confession as the Joy of Transfiguration

Deacon Dionisy Akhalashvili

Through the Sacrament of Repentance, we try to resolve the internal conflict between good and evil in our souls, and renounce evil and direct our will towards goodness.

The Stavropegic Convent of St. Ambrose and the Kazan Icon of the Theotokos in Shamordino

Churches and Monasteries

The Stavropegic Convent of St. Ambrose and the Kazan Icon of the Theotokos in Shamordino

Shamordino is the child of the great holy Elder Ambrose (Grenkov; 1812–1891) of Optina.

Gospel Simplicity

Priest Tarasiy Borozenets

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Gospel Simplicity

Priest Tarasiy Borozenets

A simple person simply acts, simply forgives and asks for forgiveness, simply helps without considering the backlash.