Metropolitan Tikhon’s Nativity Message released

Metropolitan Tikhon’s Nativity Message released
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Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Metropolitan Tikhon’s Nativity Message released

On Tuesday, December 18, 2012, the Archpastoral Nativity Message of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, was released.

An Optina Elder. A Story

Olga Rozhneva

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Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Rating: 10|Votes: 2

An Optina Elder. A Story

Olga Rozhneva

“Well, that is that,” she thought. “It did not work… It was stupid of me to even hope… The Elder has more than enough things to do without having a conversation with every old woman who wants to talk to him!” The very next day, the phone rang, and, interrupting her daily tasks, she picked up the receiver. She picked it up, and almost dropped it again, for it was batiushkahimself who was calling! And he invited her to come see him at the metochion.

St. Nicholas, Protector of Children

Nun Cornelia (Rees)

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Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Rating: 9,7|Votes: 3

St. Nicholas, Protector of Children

Nun Cornelia (Rees)

On this day, the 19th of December (December 6 according to the Julian calendar), the Church celebrates the memory of one of her most beloved saints—St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra and Lycia. We are half way through Advent, the fast preceding the feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, born as a babe to the Virgin Mary. This is a time when we especially delight in the beauty and sanctity of children—defenseless, dependent, yet meaning everything to us. We would do anything to protect a child, even die ourselves, because we see in him God’s gift of our own eternal existence.

West Bank villagers celebrate St. Nicholas as protector, miracle man

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Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Rating: 10|Votes: 1

West Bank villagers celebrate St. Nicholas as protector, miracle man

Ask any Beit Jalla Christian, and he or she will point out the poor man's house—and the windows through which the bags were thrown—located right next to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in the center of the village.

A Shepherd and His Sheep: IGNATIUS IV of Syria

Vincent Martini

A Shepherd and His Sheep: IGNATIUS IV of Syria
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Saints. Asceties of Piety. Church Holy Days

Rating: 6,7|Votes: 7

A Shepherd and His Sheep: IGNATIUS IV of Syria

Vincent Martini

IGNATIUS IV was an advocate for both peace and understanding, and he was also a Patriarch with a missionary’s heart—especially to the “Gentile” world of the diaspora. This is rather fitting, as the Church of Antioch began its life as a home base for such missionary activity, with the apostle Paul being the most paramount example. Thanks to his leadership and motivation, there is now an Archdiocese of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in North America (and in many other nations around the world), as well as a distance-education program for people interested in serving the Church and learning more about their faith.