Alexandra Kalinovskaya
“They … sacrificed their lives for Christ, for the faith; they were tortured in secret torture chambers, prisons, and camps because they believed in Christ and preferred to die rather than deny Him..."
Rev. Dr. Oliver Subotic
For Orthodoxy, the fundamental goal is the deification of man, his transformation in Christ, and not anything of this world.
The diocese of Voronezh was new and poor, established for the most part to combat the spread of the Old Believers. At that time, the land of Voronezh was troubled because of the “bespopovtsy” (priestless Old Believers), involuntary settlers from other places, and the local people with lax morals. The task of restoring order in the diocese was a serious challenge for the saint.
Archimandrite Sofian (Boghiu)
This is precisely what today’s feast calls each of us to do: to undergo an inward transformation, to be purified and enlightened, and to bring our lives into harmony with the holy will of God, who always desires what is good and blessed for us and for all mankind.
Hieromonk Philofei (Makharramov)
Here is the ideal that Christ left us: meekness, the spirit of humility, the spirit of love, and the spirit of self-sacrifice—this is always associated with self-emptying; we will always have to humble ourselves.
Hieromonk Pafnuty (Fokin)
Although she grew up in an atheistic Jewish family, from the age of six she felt drawn to the Orthodox faith and was baptized in 1941.
Fourteen days of intense sobriety to reach the greatest Marian joy: this is the logic of the Dormition Fast.
Hieromonk Agafangel (Davlatov)
These Seven Holy Youths fell into a deep and sound sleep; they did not die, but rather fell asleep, and they told this story themselves almost two centuries after they were sealed in this cave.
Hieromonk Spyridon (Dorosh)
Our faith is called Christianity because Christ is at its center. We look to Him, we strive towards Him, and we become like Him.
Sergei Kagirin
Hieromartyr Benjamin was condemned for his sharply negative attitude towards the Renovationist schism.
Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko)
Sanctity inspires, heals, and calls us to goodness. It proves that the Gospel is not a distant ideal but real life, accessible to each of us.
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.
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.”
Vera Andrejuk
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
