Orthodox Christianity

Monday, October 6/19, 2026. 21st Week after Pentecost.

No fast.

Holy Apostle Thomas (1st c.).

New Hiero-confessor, Michael Soyuzov, archpriest, of Kronstadt (1922).

Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “O All-Hymned Mother.” “Hodigitria” (“Directress”) Icon of the Theotokos at Xenophontos (Mt. Athos).

St. Cindeus of Cyprus, monk. Virgin-martyr Faith at Agen (Gaul) (3rd c.). New Monk-martyr Macarius of St. Anne’s Skete, Mt. Athos, at Prusa in Bithynia (1590).

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Ukrainian Church Crisis

Be Ye Therefore Merciful

Be Ye Therefore Merciful Igumen Andronik (Trubachev) Be Ye Therefore Merciful Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost. Luke 6:31–36 Igumen Andronik (Trubachev) Why does Christ exalt mercy so highly? Because in nothing else, dear brothers and sisters, can we become so like God as in mercy.

Patriarch Job Is a Model of Higher Spiritual Life and Righteousness

Patriarch Job Is a Model of Higher Spiritual Life and Righteousness Elena Detinina Patriarch Job Is a Model of Higher Spiritual Life and Righteousness Elena Detinina St. Job then initiated a new project vital for the Russian Orthodox Church—the printing of liturgical literature, which was in short supply everywhere.

Holy Hierarch and Confessor Agathangel, Metropolitan of Yaroslavl

Holy Hierarch and Confessor Agathangel, Metropolitan of Yaroslavl Holy Hierarch and Confessor Agathangel, Metropolitan of Yaroslavl In his testament of December 25, 1925, Patriarch Tikhon named Metropolitan Agathangel as the second candidate for the position of Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne.

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Publications

A Wall Carpet with a Door behind It

Priest Leonid Bartkov

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

A Wall Carpet with a Door behind It

Priest Leonid Bartkov

This is a story about a man who lived with a carpet on his wall for years, never suspecting there was a door hidden behind it. And one day he finally decided to pull that carpet aside.

The Collapse into Chaos – Where Only God Makes Sense

Fr. Stephen Freeman

Theology

The Collapse into Chaos – Where Only God Makes Sense

Fr. Stephen Freeman

Nothing is more traumatic than the onset of chaos. Predictability breaks down, goodness seems to disappear, and the madness of sheer survival takes over.

Holy Hieromartyr Cyprian and the Holy Virgin Martyr Justina

Commemorated October 2/15

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Rating: 7|Votes: 8

Holy Hieromartyr Cyprian and the Holy Virgin Martyr Justina

Commemorated October 2/15

On this mountain Cyprian studied all manner of diabolical arts: he mastered various demonic transformations; learned how to change the nature of the air; to bring up winds; produce thunder and rain; disturb the waves of the sea; cause damage to gardens, vineyards, and fields; to send diseases and plagues upon people; and in general he learned a ruinous wisdom and diabolical activity filled with evil.

Heavenly Powers Are Present with Us in Church!

Homily on the Feast of the Holy Protection

St. Innocent of Kherson

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Heavenly Powers Are Present with Us in Church!

Homily on the Feast of the Holy Protection

St. Innocent of Kherson

The first thing we should focus our attention on here is the very appearance of the Mother of God with the angels and saints.

Sermon on the Feast of the Protecting Veil of the Most Holy Theotokos

Hieromonk Nikon

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Sermon on the Feast of the Protecting Veil of the Most Holy Theotokos

Hieromonk Nikon

We, great sinners, have no other Intercessor more powerful than the Most Holy Theotokos.

On Those Who Trade in “Trinkets”

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

On Those Who Trade in “Trinkets”

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

When the pressure has disappeared, yet the person continues to support what was created through coercion and silently approves of those who persecute people who disagree with the newly established order, he is no longer a victim of circumstances but a willing accomplice.

Orthodox Christian “Humility of Wisdom”: Antidote to Artificial Intelligence

Priest Paul Siewers

Orthodoxy Today

Orthodox Christian “Humility of Wisdom”: Antidote to Artificial Intelligence

Priest Paul Siewers

Elder Maciarius’ emphasis on the humility of wisdom runs against the grain of our modern ethos of using knowledge for self-assertion, comfort, and worldly power, the fruits of which may be seen in AI.

The Church St. Ephraim Himself Asked to Be Built, in Gratitude for His Miracles

Nun Alexandra (Markova)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

The Church St. Ephraim Himself Asked to Be Built, in Gratitude for His Miracles

Nun Alexandra (Markova)

St. Ephraim chose a special place for his church, and a man to serve him there.

Opening of the Relics, and Glorification of St. John Maximovitch

Archpriest Peter Perekrestov

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Rating: 8.8|Votes: 57

Opening of the Relics, and Glorification of St. John Maximovitch

Archpriest Peter Perekrestov

"He is incorrupt! His relics are incorrupt!"

New Martyr Elizabeth Ever a Contemporary Saint

A talk with Archpriest Andrei Posternak

Archpriest Andrei Posternak

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

New Martyr Elizabeth Ever a Contemporary Saint

A talk with Archpriest Andrei Posternak

Archpriest Andrei Posternak

People continue to be drawn to her ability to love through action. She did not limit herself to beautiful words.

The Giver of life

Fr. James Guirguis

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

The Giver of life

Fr. James Guirguis

The healing and the wellness and the good that we seek isn’t found in acquiring things but in mending the severed bond with our Creator.

“With Fr. Kirill, It Was as Though We Lived in Another Life”

Anna Gerasimova

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

“With Fr. Kirill, It Was as Though We Lived in Another Life”

Anna Gerasimova

So many people came to him, and through his prayers he received God’s help in such grave and difficult matters. And despite the terrible suffering he himself bore, he manifested such humility—humility to the very end.

Husband and Wife in Christian Marriage: Twenty Centuries Later

The Holy Church’s View on Marriage

St. Tikhon (Belavin)

Marriage and Family

Husband and Wife in Christian Marriage: Twenty Centuries Later

The Holy Church’s View on Marriage

St. Tikhon (Belavin)

The present article aims to demonstrate that the Holy Church’s teaching on marriage is immeasurably higher than Count Tolstoy’s, proving that the Church’s perspective—not Tolstoy’s—is the true Christian view.

Two Men of God

Sermon on the Feast Day of the Apostle John the Theologian and Patriarch Tikhon

Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Two Men of God

Sermon on the Feast Day of the Apostle John the Theologian and Patriarch Tikhon

Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov)

St. Tikhon bore his cross with dignity, just as St. John the Evangelist, who although the youngest, proved to be a faithful disciple of Christ, and was granted great spiritual gifts.

Traditions and Faith: Why A Ritual Does Not Always Indicate Faith

Priest Leonid Bartkov

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Traditions and Faith: Why A Ritual Does Not Always Indicate Faith

Priest Leonid Bartkov

Faith is not a tradition. Tradition is just a door. But you can spend your whole life standing by that door, never daring to open it and step inside.

Sergei of Radonezh, Saint of All Russia

Artemy Yermakov

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Rating: 6|Votes: 16

Sergei of Radonezh, Saint of All Russia

Artemy Yermakov

At that moment, the fate of the Russian Church was being decided; even the whole fate of Russian culture was being sealed. Just try to imagine Russia without the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, without Andrei Rublev, without the churches dedicated to the Holy Trinity. And yet, St. Sergius left that decision up to another, even though he already knew the answer to his own question.

Borderline States—Between Body and Soul

Dmitry Avdeev (†2022) on depression, neuroses, and other nervous disorders

Orthodoxy Around the World

Borderline States—Between Body and Soul

Dmitry Avdeev (†2022) on depression, neuroses, and other nervous disorders

I’ve been studying borderline states for about twenty years now, and I see that these are diseases, but they are often sinful diseases.

Not Grudgingly, but with Love

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

Not Grudgingly, but with Love

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)

In a world where everyone is constantly rushing, giving another person a few minutes of your undivided attention can be one of the greatest acts of mercy.

God Loves Us, and Believes in Us

Deacon Dionisy Akhalashvili

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

God Loves Us, and Believes in Us

Deacon Dionisy Akhalashvili

God trusts us, believes in us, and in our ability to shape our lives in goodness and to resist evil. Not by compulsion, but willingly. This is what mature relationships look like—built on love, mutual respect, and trust.

Psychological Tools in The Pastoral Approach, The “Dark Tetrad,” and Spiritual Well Being

Conversation with Priest Ioann Bakushkin

Priest Ioann Bakushkin

Orthodoxy Around the World

Psychological Tools in The Pastoral Approach, The “Dark Tetrad,” and Spiritual Well Being

Conversation with Priest Ioann Bakushkin

Priest Ioann Bakushkin

One of the main skills here is to stop assuming that the other person thinks and feels the same way I do.

“The Prophet Jonah Is a Sign of Repentance and a Prefiguration of Resurrection”

Sermon on the Feast Day of the Prophet Jonah

Hieromonk Irenei (Pikovsky)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

“The Prophet Jonah Is a Sign of Repentance and a Prefiguration of Resurrection”

Sermon on the Feast Day of the Prophet Jonah

Hieromonk Irenei (Pikovsky)

The path of Jonah is the path of every Christian: from flight to obedience, from fear to prayer, and from death to a new life.

The Sunday After the Exaltation of the Cross

New Martyr Priest Sergei Mechev

Homilies and Spiritual Instruction

The Sunday After the Exaltation of the Cross

New Martyr Priest Sergei Mechev

It sometimes happens that we ourselves do not carry our cross, and by our rudeness we enable those around us to cast off their own crosses.

The “Action-Packed” Life of Eustathius Placidas

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

The “Action-Packed” Life of Eustathius Placidas

Placidas became one of the earliest Great Martyrs of Christianity. On September 20/October 3, the Church commemorates not only St. Placidas, but also his wife and children.

An Angel of Love on Mt. Amomon

Gerontissa Makaria (Desipri): Mother of All Who Suffer, Part 2

Nun Alexandra (Markova)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

An Angel of Love on Mt. Amomon

Gerontissa Makaria (Desipri): Mother of All Who Suffer, Part 2

Nun Alexandra (Markova)

There were many orphans around you. You stroked their hair and smiled at them, because you’re their “mama,” the one who raised them. You taught them to love Christ, the Theotokos, and St. Ephraim, and to help the less fortunate.

Gerontissa Makaria (Desipri): Mother of All Who Suffer, Part 1

Discovery of the Relics of St. Ephraim of Nea Makri

Nun Alexandra (Markova)

Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Gerontissa Makaria (Desipri): Mother of All Who Suffer, Part 1

Discovery of the Relics of St. Ephraim of Nea Makri

Nun Alexandra (Markova)

For her many years of great ascetic labors, God and the Theotokos prepared her for the highest honor and mercy, to the joy of the entire Orthodox world—the discovery of the fragrant relics of the Great Martyr Ephraim the Wonderworker amidst the ruins of the ancient monastery, after 500 years of being hidden in the ground.