Orthodox Christianity

Friday, February 7/20, 2026. Cheese-fare Week—no meat; fish and dairy allowed.

Cheese-fare Week—no meat.

St. Parthenius, bishop of Lampsacus on the Hellespont (4th c.). St. Luke of Mt. Steirion (ca. 946).

The 1,003 Martyrs of Nicomedia (303). St. Euthymius, monk of Glinsk Hermitage (1866). St. Boniface, abbot, of Feofania (Kiev) (1871).

New Hieromartyr Barlaam (Ryashentsev), archbishop of Perm (1942).

Hieromartyr Augulius, bishop of Augusta (ca. 305). Six Martyrs of Phrygia (ca. 305). St. Mastridia of Jerusalem, woman ascetic of the desert (ca. 580). St. Richard of Wessex (720). New Martyr George of Alikianes on Crete (1867). St. Aprionus, bishop of Cyprus.

Repose of Archimandrite Gennadius, ascetic of the Roslavl Forests (1826), and commemoration of his disciple Abramius, desert-dweller of Whitehoof Convent (1868), and the latter’s spiritual daughter Abbess Alexandra (1883); and repose of Archimandrite Cyril (Pavlov) of St. Sergius Lavra (2017).

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Ukrainian Church Crisis

On the Threshold of Lent

On the Threshold of Lent Metropolitan Serafim (Joanta) On the Threshold of Lent Metropolitan Serafim (Joanta) of Germany and Central Europe Every time we confess a sin, the Merciful Father waits for it. He wants to forgive us.

The Biblical Understanding of Forgiveness in the Modern World

The Biblical Understanding of Forgiveness in the Modern World Nikolai Gerasimov The Biblical Understanding of Forgiveness in the Modern World Nikolai Gerasimov Thus, forgiveness in the Biblical sense is not just an act of reconciliation, but a deep spiritual process that engages both the person offering forgiveness and the one seeking it.

The Lay Order of Small Compline

The Lay Order of Small Compline Nun Kallista (Golik) The Lay Order of Small Compline In the Rhythm of the Church, Part 3 Nun Kallista (Golik) Interestingly, in Greece, Small Compline is included in prayer books as the evening prayer rule, so it’s quite common and familiar to everyone. The Russian tradition doesn’t have Small Compline in its prayer books, but you can find it in the Horologion.

Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov; † February 20, 2017)

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Maslenitsa - Cheese-fare Week

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Publications

Hieromartyr Vasily Nadezhdin: “O Lord, Save the Pious, and Hear Us!”

Natalia Vashchina

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Hieromartyr Vasily Nadezhdin: “O Lord, Save the Pious, and Hear Us!”

Natalia Vashchina

No precautions saved Fr. Vasily from arrest. A dossier on him had been prepared for a long time, as evidenced by the nature of the charges against him.

On How Two Old Women Decided to Restore a Church in a Russian Village…

Churches and Monasteries

On How Two Old Women Decided to Restore a Church in a Russian Village…

The church is grand and with a unique architecture—the only one in the Ryazan region built in the style of Northern Art Nouveau.

Are You Merciful?

Fr. James Guirguis

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Are You Merciful?

Fr. James Guirguis

According to Our Lord Jesus, God will accept and welcome those who open their hearts and welcome others into their lives.

Why Are People in the West Buying Up the Scriptures, While Their Churches Are Empty?

Alexei Tereshchenko

Orthodoxy Today

Why Are People in the West Buying Up the Scriptures, While Their Churches Are Empty?

Alexei Tereshchenko

Growth of Bible sales in the West is a symptom of a great thirst. It is the sign that spiritual hunger cannot be satisfied by any visible sweetness of the world.

Banzai, Holy Father Nicholas!

Viktoria Dorofeyeva

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Banzai, Holy Father Nicholas!

Viktoria Dorofeyeva

St. Nicholas Equal-to-the-Apostles became an apologist for the Orthodox faith in Japan. Over Vladyka’s fifty years of ministry in Japan, he gathered a flock of more than 30,000.

Blindness of the Heart: Why the World Does Not See God

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Blindness of the Heart: Why the World Does Not See God

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

Goodness is the presence of God in a person.

Blessed Help from the Queen of All Icon at Moscow’s Novospassky Monastery

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Blessed Help from the Queen of All Icon at Moscow’s Novospassky Monastery

She lit a candle before it, ordered a moleben, and took some holy water and holy oil. At her next examination, her tests came back clear.

The Faith of the Heart

Sermon on the Feast of the Meeting of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Hieromonk Dimitry (Volkov)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

The Faith of the Heart

Sermon on the Feast of the Meeting of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Hieromonk Dimitry (Volkov)

In other words, Christ will forever remain both fully Man and fully God in one Person, and will forever retain His two natures. This is a great truth. It elevates you and me, for it turns out that Christ is our kin, which is called humanity.

How Do We Prepare for the End Times?

Sermon on the Sunday of the Last Judgment

Hieromonk Athanasius (Deryugin)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

How Do We Prepare for the End Times?

Sermon on the Sunday of the Last Judgment

Hieromonk Athanasius (Deryugin)

We never know in what conditions we will have to live. Whether it will be an externally quiet life or whether difficult times will come—it doesn’t matter at all, because in any situation a Christian must live according to God’s commandments.

Prayer for Our Loved Ones

Sermon on the Meatfare Saturday of the Commemoration of the Dead

Hieromonk Zosima (Melnik)

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Prayer for Our Loved Ones

Sermon on the Meatfare Saturday of the Commemoration of the Dead

Hieromonk Zosima (Melnik)

We can, like Sts. Martha and Mary, the sisters of the Righteous Lazarus, run to the Savior and entreat Him that our reposed loved ones will rise together with Christ into eternal life.

The “Weeping” Icon of The Mother of God in Romania

Commemorated 1/14 February

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

The “Weeping” Icon of The Mother of God in Romania

Commemorated 1/14 February

This icon of the Mother of God was in a church in the Orthodox Theological Seminary at the Romanian Sokolski Monastery. In February 1854, it gained renown for the remarkable miracle of shedding tears.

“Here’s something very important: The world doesn’t revolve around you”

Archpriest Nikolai Kalinichenko

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

“Here’s something very important: The world doesn’t revolve around you”

Archpriest Nikolai Kalinichenko

What kind of Nativity of Christ is it if you greet not Christ but anger in your heart?

A Memorial Church to Victims of the Leningrad Blockade and New Miracles of St. John of Shanghai

Conversation with Archimandrite Jerome (Testin)

Archimandrite Jerome (Testin)

Churches and Monasteries

A Memorial Church to Victims of the Leningrad Blockade and New Miracles of St. John of Shanghai

Conversation with Archimandrite Jerome (Testin)

Archimandrite Jerome (Testin)

The greatest sacrifice, the sacrifice of love, was made here and; owing to it, we can live today.

Wholly Devoted to God

Sermon on the Feast of the Three Ecumenical teachers and Holy Hierarchs Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom

Hieromonk Philofei (Makharramov)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Wholly Devoted to God

Sermon on the Feast of the Three Ecumenical teachers and Holy Hierarchs Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom

Hieromonk Philofei (Makharramov)

St. Gregory the Theologian said, “The only wisdom I have learned is that one must fear God in his life.”

What Strength of Spirit!

A Homily on the Three Holy Hierarchs

Archimandrite Diodore

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

What Strength of Spirit!

A Homily on the Three Holy Hierarchs

Archimandrite Diodore

The flock of the entire Ecumenical Orthodox Church learns Christian wisdom, knowledge, and piety from the Three Holy Hierarchs.

The Consolation, Kindness and Love of Abbess Magdalena (Orlova-Davydova) and Her Convent

Churches and Monasteries

The Consolation, Kindness and Love of Abbess Magdalena (Orlova-Davydova) and Her Convent

Mother Magdalena’s great-nephews warmly called her, “Grandma-Matushka,” and the locals called her “Dobrynikha,” which in Russian means “the kind one”—because she was so loving and kind to the simple folk.

Fasting is a School of Piety

Marital Fasting, Part 2

Archpriest Pavel Gumerov

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Fasting is a School of Piety

Marital Fasting, Part 2

Archpriest Pavel Gumerov

Should a husband and wife abstain during the fast, what rules are there on this matter, and what mistakes do people often make in this area?

Marital Fasting, Part 1

Archpriest Pavel Gumerov

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Marital Fasting, Part 1

Archpriest Pavel Gumerov

It’s said that any extended fast, including Great Lent, is a joy, a springtime for the soul, because it’s an opportunity to work on yourself, to try to change something for the better. It’s a stepping stone for every Christian. There’s an element that’s delicate, difficult, and somewhat sensitive, but which can’t be brushed aside: marital relations.

The Holy Ascetics Ephraim and Isaac the Syrians

Alexandra Kalinovskaya

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

The Holy Ascetics Ephraim and Isaac the Syrians

Alexandra Kalinovskaya

St. Ephraim is famous for his numerous spiritual writings, which were translated into Greek in his lifetime.

“I came to Russia as a “spiritual refugee”

Theophan Casad on the “leavening effect”

Orthodoxy Today

“I came to Russia as a “spiritual refugee”

Theophan Casad on the “leavening effect”

I became certain that it is truly very difficult for an Orthodox person to reside in the USA and Denmark. It’s basically the same as if you swim against the tide of society.

The Father’s All-Forgiving Love

Sermon on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son

Hieromonk John (Kudryakov)

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

The Father’s All-Forgiving Love

Sermon on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son

Hieromonk John (Kudryakov)

The confession of the prodigal son who realized that he deserved no better than a servant’s position was so profound that it concerned not only the petition to his parent, but also the violation of the God-given order in the universe: I have sinned against Heaven (Lk. 15:18).

The Abbreviated Daily Cycle

In the Rhythm of the Church, Part 2

Nun Kallista (Golik)

Education

The Abbreviated Daily Cycle

In the Rhythm of the Church, Part 2

Nun Kallista (Golik)

The daily cycle of services is, one might say, the “liturgical clock” the Church has lived by day after day for many centuries. The daily cycle took shape in monasteries, though there was a time when laymen observed it daily as well.

All Who Live a Godly Life in Christ Jesus Shall Suffer Persecution

Sermon for the Synaxis of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church

Hieromonk Athanasius (Deryugin)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

All Who Live a Godly Life in Christ Jesus Shall Suffer Persecution

Sermon for the Synaxis of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church

Hieromonk Athanasius (Deryugin)

Reading their Lives, reading about how they kept their faith, it is impossible not to love them, and therefore not to come into contact with their souls. In this way, they will pray for us in Heaven and ask God that we will also become worthy descendants and heirs of these great saints.

Parisian Miracle of St. Nicholas and St. Gabriel

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Parisian Miracle of St. Nicholas and St. Gabriel

Then, out of nowhere, a Hare Krishna sect emerged in their city and Masha went all in, up until the time she left for Europe.

“We’ll Name the Children Xenia and Andrei”

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

“We’ll Name the Children Xenia and Andrei”

Today, on the feast day of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg, we offer our readers the stories of some people who asked this saint for help and whose prayer requests were fulfilled.