....strikes again :-)
Because I decided I would keep up with the Rounup yesterday, on the Feast of the Beheading of the Forerunner, I simply have to start with this gem........a RC priest, Fr Dwight, reminesces that he used to know a nun who was HeadMistress of the local parish school dedicated to St John Baptist, and she would regularly answer the phone with the immortal words "Hello, this is the head of John the Baptist speaking"...........
Pilgrims using the Vatican` special pilgrim airline to tourist shrines were rather distressed when under the strict anti-terrorism laws, their holy water form the RC shrine at Lourdes had to be discarded before flying home because the bottles , shaped like a statue of the Virgin, contained more than the regulation 100ml of liquid....
The wonderful Byzantine blogger MaryPoppinsNOT and her family are taking part in a 40 day prayer vigil outside a Planned Parenthood abortion facility due to open near her. God bless all those who witness for life and love in this way !
A delightful musing on St Anna, the grandmother of Christ has been penned by missingbecheery.
The great Feast of the Dormition has been an important focus this month, and Laura Nee has written about the ending of the Life of the Theotokos. Magda has written about how she and her family were able to use technology to take part in the Paraklisis during the Fast, and Fr John talks about the icon of the Dormition.
Alana gives us "worship on steroids"!
Some really quite sobering thoughts on the Priesthood, which I had never considered, are picked up on here, and Antioch Abouna ponders why he became and remainanOrthodox and a priest here. Fr Peter talks about a recent Sunday here, which made me giggle.
I`ve spent a lot of time over the last few weeks reading Harry Potter fanfiction, and was delighted to read Matt`s article on the subject of Harry`s very Christian Patronus.
Visible Christian things are also on Abouna`s mind when he talks about the ancient English custom of well-dressing here.
Items of immense value for daily living are worth reading ; Grace provides two of them with keeping offenses in perspective and being the fond and foolish parent of our thoughts.
Fr Joseph provides the other via Elder Paisios.
James from Paradosis has had an amazing trip to Orthodox Africa, which I commend to you in its entirety over at his site, from the end of July to the beginning of August. A recent post of his cracked me up- the subject of Orthodox leftovers.......... as did C`s new post on Sunday morning headaches !
Life in a one storey universe and death in a two storey universe are very well worth a read - fascinating, thought provoking and have stuck in my mind since I read them first.
Molly talks about being taught to serve Christ in the less fortunate by her daughter, and gave me much food for thought.
Dixie blogs about an ancient Orthodox church found in Tiberias.
Maryleah discusses the icon of the Holy Mandylion and also St Gregory Palamas' thoughts on the necessity of holy icons.
Katherine gives us a feast of articles, quite literally ! Go read how to build a tetrapod of your very own here, and take a visual journey through the Orthodox church here, and see the Twelve Great Feast Montessori style !
Another take on WWJD ? is given by Dave, who also blogs about icons on a BBC tv programme and the trials and tribulations of Christian student bodies in a non-Christian tolerant Britain. He also gives us a link to fun quizzes - thank you!
Papa herman is blessed to be going on pilgrimage to Fr Seraphim Rose`s grave at Platina this coming weekend. May his trip be both safe and richly blessed !
Although the recent dreadful fires in Greece now seem to be under control, thank God, there is widespread devastation and suffering in many areas. You can help IOCC help the Greek folk by visting Fr Joseph`s link .
That`s about all folks. Hope you enjoyed it !
Showing posts with label Orthodox Roundup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orthodox Roundup. Show all posts
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Orthodox Roundup
It`s Roundup time :-)
There has been an abundance of brilliant blogging by the Orthodox community over the last few weeks, but I think the best place to start is with preparations for the Dormition fast.
Katherine describes what she and her family are doing with Treasure boxes for the Theotokos and CD resources for the Paraclesis service .
One of my own special favourites is the Paraclesis cd performed by Abouna`s Angels, but I haven`t found it anywhere on the web; I bought mine form Orthodox Christian Books in the UK.
The talented Dawn has finished her wonderful icon of St Michael and like many of us, has been reading Harry Potter. Laura Nee gives her thoughts on Harry Potter as a role model for children brought up without a faith / moral background. Matt also has some interesting points to consider, as does Fr Joseph.
Orrologion gives a superb pictures of St Elizabeth the New Martyr`s life and character here.
Papa Herman describes the life and a miracle of St Marina
Alana ponders on the complexities of almsgiving.
Deb has been to visit the myrrh streaming icon of St Anna. Fr Stephen discusses how icons are amazing teaching aids, on turning the heart to God, and how much he appreciates the intercessions of the Saints
James over at Paradosis is now a tonsured Reader. Many Years !
Are cappucino coffees Orthodox ? David discusses the evidence !
Over at Pithless Thoughts, s-p provides some scatalogical Orthodox humour.
Handmaid MaryLeah has inspired me immensely with some glorious excerpts from St Theophan`s writings 1, 2, 4, as well as contemporary Saints like Elder Michael II of Valaam, and Elder Adrian of Romania. If you haven`t already bookmarked her blog, I would recommend that you go visit it - each time I do, my spiritual batteries are recharged.
There has been an abundance of brilliant blogging by the Orthodox community over the last few weeks, but I think the best place to start is with preparations for the Dormition fast.
Katherine describes what she and her family are doing with Treasure boxes for the Theotokos and CD resources for the Paraclesis service .
One of my own special favourites is the Paraclesis cd performed by Abouna`s Angels, but I haven`t found it anywhere on the web; I bought mine form Orthodox Christian Books in the UK.
The talented Dawn has finished her wonderful icon of St Michael and like many of us, has been reading Harry Potter. Laura Nee gives her thoughts on Harry Potter as a role model for children brought up without a faith / moral background. Matt also has some interesting points to consider, as does Fr Joseph.
Orrologion gives a superb pictures of St Elizabeth the New Martyr`s life and character here.
Papa Herman describes the life and a miracle of St Marina
Alana ponders on the complexities of almsgiving.
Deb has been to visit the myrrh streaming icon of St Anna. Fr Stephen discusses how icons are amazing teaching aids, on turning the heart to God, and how much he appreciates the intercessions of the Saints
James over at Paradosis is now a tonsured Reader. Many Years !
Are cappucino coffees Orthodox ? David discusses the evidence !
Over at Pithless Thoughts, s-p provides some scatalogical Orthodox humour.
Handmaid MaryLeah has inspired me immensely with some glorious excerpts from St Theophan`s writings 1, 2, 4, as well as contemporary Saints like Elder Michael II of Valaam, and Elder Adrian of Romania. If you haven`t already bookmarked her blog, I would recommend that you go visit it - each time I do, my spiritual batteries are recharged.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Orthodox Roundup
Welcome back !
I have been really interested to read Katherine`s thoughts on curriculum planning for her home-schooling. Although we don`t homeschool, her resources are fantastic and I love her ideas.Can we home church the way it is possible to homeschool ? Thoughts on teaching the children the Faith within the liturgical year are here.
The prayers she intends her little ones to learn, understand and memorise this year are here, and a truly wonderful unit on the 12 Saints of North America is here. I will certainly be returning to these frequently for our use at home this summer........
HamdmaidLeah has provided two superb articles; one is the life of St Matrona of Russia, of whom I had never heard, I am ashamed to say, and am in awe at her amazing life, and the other is an interview with Igumena Varvara , the abbess of All Russia, about her life in monasticism.
The experiences of singing at the Russian reunification services is described vividly in these articles one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine . It must have been amazing to be there.
I especially loved this article about how to acquire the spirit of peace
and the article about Slurpees as fasting food :-)
Molly talks about persecution and opening our hearts, and the sacrifices it entails here. Be warned, it made me cry.......
The new Optina martyrs are described here
Why is love so difficult ? asks Fr Stephen, and talks about how to learn to know God.
I partiularly loved the bit about not reading more hours in the day than we spend praying :-)
Learn more about the Martyrs of the Boxer Rebellion in China here. Fr Elias Wen, oldest orthodox priest in the world has reposed. May his memory be eternal
James from Paradosis writes eloquently, as always, about the Saints of North America, the Orthodox slain in Russia, and about how our frenetic modern lives could lead us to an MTV type lifestyle if we do not take care to cultivate some patience, peace and tranquility of heart.
Liturgical use of English in ethnocentric parishes is the topic of discussion here.
Can you make a conncetion between St John the Baptist and The Sound of Music ? Can you ?
There is one, believe it or not :-) Go here to the RC Westminster Cathedral administrator`s site to find out how.....
Oh, and by the way, the Turkish government has decided that Patriarch Bartholomew is only leader of 3,000 Christians in turkey and is not the Ecumenical Patriarch. So try telling that to the Orthodox churches :-)
I have been really interested to read Katherine`s thoughts on curriculum planning for her home-schooling. Although we don`t homeschool, her resources are fantastic and I love her ideas.Can we home church the way it is possible to homeschool ? Thoughts on teaching the children the Faith within the liturgical year are here.
The prayers she intends her little ones to learn, understand and memorise this year are here, and a truly wonderful unit on the 12 Saints of North America is here. I will certainly be returning to these frequently for our use at home this summer........
HamdmaidLeah has provided two superb articles; one is the life of St Matrona of Russia, of whom I had never heard, I am ashamed to say, and am in awe at her amazing life, and the other is an interview with Igumena Varvara , the abbess of All Russia, about her life in monasticism.
The experiences of singing at the Russian reunification services is described vividly in these articles one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine . It must have been amazing to be there.
I especially loved this article about how to acquire the spirit of peace
and the article about Slurpees as fasting food :-)
Molly talks about persecution and opening our hearts, and the sacrifices it entails here. Be warned, it made me cry.......
The new Optina martyrs are described here
Why is love so difficult ? asks Fr Stephen, and talks about how to learn to know God.
I partiularly loved the bit about not reading more hours in the day than we spend praying :-)
Learn more about the Martyrs of the Boxer Rebellion in China here. Fr Elias Wen, oldest orthodox priest in the world has reposed. May his memory be eternal
James from Paradosis writes eloquently, as always, about the Saints of North America, the Orthodox slain in Russia, and about how our frenetic modern lives could lead us to an MTV type lifestyle if we do not take care to cultivate some patience, peace and tranquility of heart.
Liturgical use of English in ethnocentric parishes is the topic of discussion here.
Can you make a conncetion between St John the Baptist and The Sound of Music ? Can you ?
There is one, believe it or not :-) Go here to the RC Westminster Cathedral administrator`s site to find out how.....
Oh, and by the way, the Turkish government has decided that Patriarch Bartholomew is only leader of 3,000 Christians in turkey and is not the Ecumenical Patriarch. So try telling that to the Orthodox churches :-)
Monday, June 04, 2007
Orthodox Roundup
Having drawn a huge sigh of relief that family birthday season is over until September, it must be past time for a Round-up :-)
The major news is of course the re-unification between Rocor and the Moscow Patriarchate. Fr John Whiteford was there in Moscow, and has even provided a travel journal with wonderful photographs of the various churches and pilgrimage centres he managed to visit in an amazingly short space of time here
and here
and here
and here
and finally here.
Seraphim talks about the meaning of the Sunday of All Saints, and how we are not born saints but have to work hard at it.
How missionary Orthodoxy can successfully be brought to pagan cultures is exemplified by the great Russian enlightener Saints of Alaska and whose example is totally relevant to witnessing to 21st century pagans, as discussed here by Justin. The Alaskan theme continues in the wonderful story of the Life of Blessed Matushka Olga.
Alana talks about how the Feast of the Ascension leaves her feeling Lonely and Bereft
At the ever-interesting Orrologion are a whole slew of treats, including a list of where major saints` relics can be found and how Cyprus is aiming to attract religious pilgrims and tourists by publicising their historic churches and relics.
For those of you who love to collect links, the Great Book of Needs is now online for perusal, as is the Euchologion
In an interesting twist of events, S-P over at Pithless Thoughts was almost arrested for talking to a woman considering an abortion and Life with a little one is pondered lovingly by Molly, and how it allows us the chance to be still and reflect.
Fr Stephen talks about loving our enemies, with the sober realisation that probably almost everyone is our enemy....go read ! and also about how by being united to Christ, we are united to the Mother of God, the saints and the whole company of Heaven.
The Apostles`Fast and its "intrusion" into a Western Summer lifestyle is analysed nicely here, and how we have to adapt to Orthodoxy, not Orthodoxy to us......
Till next time !
The major news is of course the re-unification between Rocor and the Moscow Patriarchate. Fr John Whiteford was there in Moscow, and has even provided a travel journal with wonderful photographs of the various churches and pilgrimage centres he managed to visit in an amazingly short space of time here
and here
and here
and here
and finally here.
Seraphim talks about the meaning of the Sunday of All Saints, and how we are not born saints but have to work hard at it.
How missionary Orthodoxy can successfully be brought to pagan cultures is exemplified by the great Russian enlightener Saints of Alaska and whose example is totally relevant to witnessing to 21st century pagans, as discussed here by Justin. The Alaskan theme continues in the wonderful story of the Life of Blessed Matushka Olga.
Alana talks about how the Feast of the Ascension leaves her feeling Lonely and Bereft
At the ever-interesting Orrologion are a whole slew of treats, including a list of where major saints` relics can be found and how Cyprus is aiming to attract religious pilgrims and tourists by publicising their historic churches and relics.
For those of you who love to collect links, the Great Book of Needs is now online for perusal, as is the Euchologion
In an interesting twist of events, S-P over at Pithless Thoughts was almost arrested for talking to a woman considering an abortion and Life with a little one is pondered lovingly by Molly, and how it allows us the chance to be still and reflect.
Fr Stephen talks about loving our enemies, with the sober realisation that probably almost everyone is our enemy....go read ! and also about how by being united to Christ, we are united to the Mother of God, the saints and the whole company of Heaven.
The Apostles`Fast and its "intrusion" into a Western Summer lifestyle is analysed nicely here, and how we have to adapt to Orthodoxy, not Orthodoxy to us......
Till next time !
Monday, May 14, 2007
Orthodox Roundup
I know, it`s been a while :-)
Feast your eyes on a lovely icon ! The talented Byzantine Catholic blogger MaryPoppinsNOT has posted photos of her wonderful new icon here and also made a marvellous post on the joys of being open to new life from God
Icons and truth are also a theme in this post by Fr Stephen.
Fr John Parker writes eloquently on the bizarre aspects of being a priest asked to lead public prayer yet having to be so utterly inclusive as to be unable to actually pray within one`s particular tradition as a result. How he resolved this is here.
Fr John also writes about how and why the Orthodox can - and do- ! bless everything here
Fr Peter has a new podcast series available :-)
Alana over at Morning Coffee stopped me dead in my tracks when she blogged about showing mercy and justice in a family setting, and made me realise how far short I fall in my own home.Thank you Alana, and may God richly bless you and yours ! James at Paradosis also picks up on a related theme, that parenting requires humility.
Molly Sabourin also has her point of view on the perils and pitfalls of parenting !
Fr Stephen produced three posts on Orthodoxy and Family issues, here, here, and here, which I found very valuable. His post detailing two experiences of Pascha in the 1920s in Russian are heartbreakingly moving.
Over at Orrologion there are quite a few posts of special interest, especially dealing with the veneration of the Saints
and why it can be hard to deal with the fact that the Church is not for perfect people, but a place for people to BE perfected, and how we can deal with this paradox.
The upcoming reunification of ROCOR with the Moscow Patriarchate has produced a great deal of blogging heat and light, but one of the best posts has to be the one that includes a heartfelt message from Fr Pimen of the Old Believer parish in Erie as to why it is in fact a GOOD THING .
An Orthodox prayer which often causes Protestant eyebrows to zoom into the stratosphere , and its reasons is well worth a read here. The comments are particularly insightful.
How the Mormon faith would re-write the Nicene Creed is well worth reading, as it details so clearly why it is most definitely not a Christian church in any sense of the word. It is good to clearly understand what others believe and Grace has done a grand job with this.
Dave Holford comments upon the increasing problem of drunken youths in the UK, and how new legislation could, if pushed to its extreme, make it illegal for our children to receive the Divine Mysteries in church. Dave also blogs about the esteemed St Edelienta
and about how even Protestantism is guilty of its own little papacies
Dixie`s spiritual father gives valuable insight about choices.
S-p, who writes some of the most thoughtful, insightful material that I have ever read has posted his excellent article on the difficulties of people who have same-sex attractions within the Orthodox church and within society.
Until next time, dear friends - God bless !
Feast your eyes on a lovely icon ! The talented Byzantine Catholic blogger MaryPoppinsNOT has posted photos of her wonderful new icon here and also made a marvellous post on the joys of being open to new life from God
Icons and truth are also a theme in this post by Fr Stephen.
Fr John Parker writes eloquently on the bizarre aspects of being a priest asked to lead public prayer yet having to be so utterly inclusive as to be unable to actually pray within one`s particular tradition as a result. How he resolved this is here.
Fr John also writes about how and why the Orthodox can - and do- ! bless everything here
Fr Peter has a new podcast series available :-)
Alana over at Morning Coffee stopped me dead in my tracks when she blogged about showing mercy and justice in a family setting, and made me realise how far short I fall in my own home.Thank you Alana, and may God richly bless you and yours ! James at Paradosis also picks up on a related theme, that parenting requires humility.
Molly Sabourin also has her point of view on the perils and pitfalls of parenting !
Fr Stephen produced three posts on Orthodoxy and Family issues, here, here, and here, which I found very valuable. His post detailing two experiences of Pascha in the 1920s in Russian are heartbreakingly moving.
Over at Orrologion there are quite a few posts of special interest, especially dealing with the veneration of the Saints
and why it can be hard to deal with the fact that the Church is not for perfect people, but a place for people to BE perfected, and how we can deal with this paradox.
The upcoming reunification of ROCOR with the Moscow Patriarchate has produced a great deal of blogging heat and light, but one of the best posts has to be the one that includes a heartfelt message from Fr Pimen of the Old Believer parish in Erie as to why it is in fact a GOOD THING .
An Orthodox prayer which often causes Protestant eyebrows to zoom into the stratosphere , and its reasons is well worth a read here. The comments are particularly insightful.
How the Mormon faith would re-write the Nicene Creed is well worth reading, as it details so clearly why it is most definitely not a Christian church in any sense of the word. It is good to clearly understand what others believe and Grace has done a grand job with this.
Dave Holford comments upon the increasing problem of drunken youths in the UK, and how new legislation could, if pushed to its extreme, make it illegal for our children to receive the Divine Mysteries in church. Dave also blogs about the esteemed St Edelienta
and about how even Protestantism is guilty of its own little papacies
Dixie`s spiritual father gives valuable insight about choices.
S-p, who writes some of the most thoughtful, insightful material that I have ever read has posted his excellent article on the difficulties of people who have same-sex attractions within the Orthodox church and within society.
Until next time, dear friends - God bless !
Friday, April 27, 2007
Orthodox Roundup
It`s that time again already :-)
Last issue, I forgot to mention some wonderful Lenten and Paschal snippets from our Byzantine Catholic friend, MaryPoppinsNOT , over at Crazy Acres. In this one, she compares the Great Canon to labour, as all our female readers who have given birth will empathise :-)
I absolutely adored her Bright Week idea of a bonfire accompanied by food and the celebration of an Akathist ! And her experiences of running an icon painting workshop are fascinating.
Another late update from post-Pascha is this interesting post about Radonitsa, the Ancestors` Remembrance Tuesday after St Thomas` Sunday and a discussion about why we pray for the reposed.
The life of Blessed Matrona of Moscow is related here, and the wise words of Fr John Krestiankin about marriage are quoted here
2007 marks the 1600th anniversary of the repose of St John Chrysostom !
Which is the coolest town in Europe ? Go here to find out !
James from Paradosis provided me with the coolest picture ever - the Great Blessing of an Ice Rink for the World Ice Hockey Championships !
His wife Sophia blogs about the beginning of their farm industries and the reason for their choice of name here.
The heartbreaking events of Virginia Tech are discussed movingly by S-P over at Pithless Thoughts and by Fr Peter, who discusses the heroic actions of a Jewish Holocaust Survivor who protected his students though it cost him his life, and of Fr Peter`s own counselling work at the campus after the tragedy......
The Violent Munkee had an amazing insight whilst listening to the Orthodox funeral of Boris Yeltsin and Michael over at Sarisburium ponders on the meaning of Silence in our lives as described in the Rule of St Benedict.
St Seraphim`s advice on how to pray when time is short is discussed by Fr Stephen, who also tells us why monastics are vitally important in the modern world. St Silouan`s admiration for the wisdom, piety and integrity of his father is a highly profitable read.
The amazing spiritual advice of Bishop Kallistos of Denver bears very close reading , and I will certainly be coming back to this repeatedly.
If you have young ones, they will most likely love this, where you can watch and listen to the author reading aloud the story she wrote about the miracle worked for her grandmother by St Kendeas !
I think that`s about all for now, folks !
Till next time........
Last issue, I forgot to mention some wonderful Lenten and Paschal snippets from our Byzantine Catholic friend, MaryPoppinsNOT , over at Crazy Acres. In this one, she compares the Great Canon to labour, as all our female readers who have given birth will empathise :-)
I absolutely adored her Bright Week idea of a bonfire accompanied by food and the celebration of an Akathist ! And her experiences of running an icon painting workshop are fascinating.
Another late update from post-Pascha is this interesting post about Radonitsa, the Ancestors` Remembrance Tuesday after St Thomas` Sunday and a discussion about why we pray for the reposed.
The life of Blessed Matrona of Moscow is related here, and the wise words of Fr John Krestiankin about marriage are quoted here
2007 marks the 1600th anniversary of the repose of St John Chrysostom !
Which is the coolest town in Europe ? Go here to find out !
James from Paradosis provided me with the coolest picture ever - the Great Blessing of an Ice Rink for the World Ice Hockey Championships !
His wife Sophia blogs about the beginning of their farm industries and the reason for their choice of name here.
The heartbreaking events of Virginia Tech are discussed movingly by S-P over at Pithless Thoughts and by Fr Peter, who discusses the heroic actions of a Jewish Holocaust Survivor who protected his students though it cost him his life, and of Fr Peter`s own counselling work at the campus after the tragedy......
The Violent Munkee had an amazing insight whilst listening to the Orthodox funeral of Boris Yeltsin and Michael over at Sarisburium ponders on the meaning of Silence in our lives as described in the Rule of St Benedict.
St Seraphim`s advice on how to pray when time is short is discussed by Fr Stephen, who also tells us why monastics are vitally important in the modern world. St Silouan`s admiration for the wisdom, piety and integrity of his father is a highly profitable read.
The amazing spiritual advice of Bishop Kallistos of Denver bears very close reading , and I will certainly be coming back to this repeatedly.
If you have young ones, they will most likely love this, where you can watch and listen to the author reading aloud the story she wrote about the miracle worked for her grandmother by St Kendeas !
I think that`s about all for now, folks !
Till next time........
Monday, April 16, 2007
Orthodox Roundup
Christ is Risen !
Home-schooling - the benefits and drawbacks- has been in the news here over the last few weeks, with concerns that parents are not teaching their children enough. I was very interested to read this summary of a RC mother`s homeschooling day
It seems very comprehensive to me and is able to include a fair amount of appropriate religious education; would any of my homeschooling readers like to share their own experiences ?
It seems very comprehensive to me and is able to include a fair amount of appropriate religious education; would any of my homeschooling readers like to share their own experiences ?
Some brilliant blogposts appeaared about Holy Week, and I know it is a little late, but I thought I would share my favourites :-)
Joshua asks "How long would you stand and listen to the reading of the gospel – the good news of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ – the story of his pilgrimage from the upper room to the garden tomb?"
Christopher gives a wonderful account of Holy Week in the Holy Land in 1846 by Monk Parthenius .
James talks about killing God
Mimi provides the Paschal greeting from all around the world`s languages !
Fr Joseph provides a plethora of Paschal pictures (I rather liked that sentence !)
Mary Brigid ponders on Bright Week
Christopher posts excerpts from Scott Cairns` magnificent, poetic essay on his experiences on the Holy Mountain. and Fr Stephen talks about the importance of truly "hearing" Scripture as opposed to simply listening to it.....
Monica talks about how eavesdropping on murder at a doctor`s clinic in Romania affected her, and James ponders the morality of imposing circumcision on infants to protect them from sexually transmitted diseases rather than teaching them abstinence before marriage.
Dave Holford ponders the point of the Turkish government renovating an Armenian church and then refusing to let anyone use it, and archaeology may have discovered the truth behind the Titulus Crucis
I think that`s all for now, folks :-)
Monica talks about how eavesdropping on murder at a doctor`s clinic in Romania affected her, and James ponders the morality of imposing circumcision on infants to protect them from sexually transmitted diseases rather than teaching them abstinence before marriage.
Dave Holford ponders the point of the Turkish government renovating an Armenian church and then refusing to let anyone use it, and archaeology may have discovered the truth behind the Titulus Crucis
I think that`s all for now, folks :-)
Monday, March 26, 2007
Orthodox Roundup
What with one thing and another, it has been a while since I managed to produce a Roundup.
A cracking list of Orthodox saints who are particularly associated with helping in certain problems can be found here
Orthodoxy Today hosts an extremely good article on why we venerate the Holy Cross.
Fr John also provides a sermon on the same theme. See also why we need to climb this tree.....
A Western-Rite Orthodox vesperal service is provided by Michael at Sarisburium , which is particluarly moving.
An Orthodox -tweaked Authorised version of the Psalter is hosted at Orthodox England and will be most useful whilst we wait (some of us with much more patience than others, I`m sure !) for the long-anticipated complete Orthodox Bible.
A brief search at the Google books website unearthed this little treasure, being a Russian primer and Catechism
Deb provided much food for thought with her article about St Cyril of Jerusalem, about whom I previously knew nothing. May we all benefit from his holy prayers.
How those of us who live "in the world" can emulate the saints is pointed out by the examples of married saints Adrian and Natalie.
The search for clues to the past of an aging Orthodox monk are chronicled here. He might be known to one of you......
Christopher also posts about valuable audio resources
Where are you going with Jesus? - a touching post by James from Paradosis about his life.
I was mightily relieved to read Matt`s posts about his Lenten struggles. It`s not just me , then !
The deeper meaning and practicalities of almsgiving are described by Grace in an amazing and thought-provoking article.
Fr Stephen is, as always, an inspiration. Read about the Door of the Heart , and about reading the Bible
That`s about it folks !
Next Roundup will most likely be in Bright Week.
May the rest of Great Lent and Holy Week be blessed for us all.
A cracking list of Orthodox saints who are particularly associated with helping in certain problems can be found here
Orthodoxy Today hosts an extremely good article on why we venerate the Holy Cross.
Fr John also provides a sermon on the same theme. See also why we need to climb this tree.....
A Western-Rite Orthodox vesperal service is provided by Michael at Sarisburium , which is particluarly moving.
An Orthodox -tweaked Authorised version of the Psalter is hosted at Orthodox England and will be most useful whilst we wait (some of us with much more patience than others, I`m sure !) for the long-anticipated complete Orthodox Bible.
A brief search at the Google books website unearthed this little treasure, being a Russian primer and Catechism
Deb provided much food for thought with her article about St Cyril of Jerusalem, about whom I previously knew nothing. May we all benefit from his holy prayers.
How those of us who live "in the world" can emulate the saints is pointed out by the examples of married saints Adrian and Natalie.
The search for clues to the past of an aging Orthodox monk are chronicled here. He might be known to one of you......
Christopher also posts about valuable audio resources
Where are you going with Jesus? - a touching post by James from Paradosis about his life.
I was mightily relieved to read Matt`s posts about his Lenten struggles. It`s not just me , then !
The deeper meaning and practicalities of almsgiving are described by Grace in an amazing and thought-provoking article.
Fr Stephen is, as always, an inspiration. Read about the Door of the Heart , and about reading the Bible
That`s about it folks !
Next Roundup will most likely be in Bright Week.
May the rest of Great Lent and Holy Week be blessed for us all.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Orthodox Roundup
Things have been quite busy chez moi, so I apologise for the erratic postings of The Roundup.
Have you ever wondered about learning Church Slavonic ? If so, I have found a great resource for doing just that !
Go here and find out almost everything you ever wanted to know....
I was intrigued to find out about St Phanourios and his quite amazing ability to help people to find things which they have lost. Fr Demetrios Serfes has an informative life about the Saint, and also the recipe for the traditional "thank-offering" to bring to Church when something you cherish has been found with the intercession of the Holy Saint.
In March we celebrated the repose of Papa Nicholas Planas, whose simple and remarkable life deserves to be much more widely known. I really wish I had been Orthodox when I visited Athens, for I would certainly have made a pilgrimage to his little Church.
March also sees the celebration of the life of the pre-Schism German St Walburga, whose life and shrine and myrrh-streaming relics are described in detail by another RC blogger, Fr Nicholas. It is even possible to ask the monastery for a small vial of the holy myrrh, diluted in water.
For those of us in Wales, March 1st is the day of celebrating our patron, David. This RC article provides some interesting details about his life and also some rather tasty traditional Welsh recipes !
A fantastic article about fasting can be found at Orrologion - it describes the full gamut of fasting and non-fasting, and just about every viewpoint inbetween. Well worth a read !
Alana gives some great Lebanese fasting recipes here .
Orthodox fasting is described well and at length in a newspaper. H/T to James at Paradosis.
Some great complete textbooks of immense Orthodox interest to chew over can be found here H/T to Orrologion.
Some extremely interesting Orthodox articles can be found here. I particularly commend this one about the prayer life of parent and child, and how they inter-relate.
St Catherine`s Church in Colorado has a great selection of Orthodox podcasts covering a vast range of topics of very contemporary interest !
I`m looking forward to listening to number 125, which covers John 3:13-17, Ambulances, Snakes, 9/11, and the Cross............
Seraphim writes movingly about the importance of community as we work towards salvation and theosis .
The controversy over the spurious claims about the alleged tomb of Jesus are covered well by Fr John Whiteford, and by James as well as the RC blogger Jimmy Akin .
Fr John blogs about the Sunday of Orthodoxy, and how our respect for icons should - and must- be carried over into our lives in the way we treat those around us.... a theme also emphasised by Fr Stephen
Grace provides much food for thought when she blogs about how we ought to read and meditate on scripture .
Physical and spiritual deep-cleaning , so appropriate for Great Lent, is described by Monica in Romania.
Fr Stephen writes compellingly about the Medicine of Immortality here .
Molly has moved me to tears on several occasions in her fantastic blog. Of particular note are her post on Mercy, her post on Persecution and the post on Peacemakers she describes from Ancient Faith Radio .
I hope you have enjoyed this Roundup, and have a blessed second half of Great Lent !
Have you ever wondered about learning Church Slavonic ? If so, I have found a great resource for doing just that !
Go here and find out almost everything you ever wanted to know....
I was intrigued to find out about St Phanourios and his quite amazing ability to help people to find things which they have lost. Fr Demetrios Serfes has an informative life about the Saint, and also the recipe for the traditional "thank-offering" to bring to Church when something you cherish has been found with the intercession of the Holy Saint.
In March we celebrated the repose of Papa Nicholas Planas, whose simple and remarkable life deserves to be much more widely known. I really wish I had been Orthodox when I visited Athens, for I would certainly have made a pilgrimage to his little Church.
March also sees the celebration of the life of the pre-Schism German St Walburga, whose life and shrine and myrrh-streaming relics are described in detail by another RC blogger, Fr Nicholas. It is even possible to ask the monastery for a small vial of the holy myrrh, diluted in water.
For those of us in Wales, March 1st is the day of celebrating our patron, David. This RC article provides some interesting details about his life and also some rather tasty traditional Welsh recipes !
A fantastic article about fasting can be found at Orrologion - it describes the full gamut of fasting and non-fasting, and just about every viewpoint inbetween. Well worth a read !
Alana gives some great Lebanese fasting recipes here .
Orthodox fasting is described well and at length in a newspaper. H/T to James at Paradosis.
Some great complete textbooks of immense Orthodox interest to chew over can be found here H/T to Orrologion.
Some extremely interesting Orthodox articles can be found here. I particularly commend this one about the prayer life of parent and child, and how they inter-relate.
St Catherine`s Church in Colorado has a great selection of Orthodox podcasts covering a vast range of topics of very contemporary interest !
I`m looking forward to listening to number 125, which covers John 3:13-17, Ambulances, Snakes, 9/11, and the Cross............
Seraphim writes movingly about the importance of community as we work towards salvation and theosis .
The controversy over the spurious claims about the alleged tomb of Jesus are covered well by Fr John Whiteford, and by James as well as the RC blogger Jimmy Akin .
Fr John blogs about the Sunday of Orthodoxy, and how our respect for icons should - and must- be carried over into our lives in the way we treat those around us.... a theme also emphasised by Fr Stephen
Grace provides much food for thought when she blogs about how we ought to read and meditate on scripture .
Physical and spiritual deep-cleaning , so appropriate for Great Lent, is described by Monica in Romania.
Fr Stephen writes compellingly about the Medicine of Immortality here .
Molly has moved me to tears on several occasions in her fantastic blog. Of particular note are her post on Mercy, her post on Persecution and the post on Peacemakers she describes from Ancient Faith Radio .
I hope you have enjoyed this Roundup, and have a blessed second half of Great Lent !
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Orthodox Roundup
Welcome back !
As we begin Great Lent, a good place to start has to be with St John Chrysostom`s Sermon on Fasting .
An updated schedule for Reading the Church Fathers is available here
A huge amount of liturgical material is available online here , including an almost complete Menaion , courtesy of Holy TransfigurationCtahedral in Denver, CO.
If you like listening to liturgical music, the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Cantor Institute in Pittsburgh has made available online no fewer than 743 MP3 files for download. Well worth a visit !
Justin writes lovingly about St Haralambos, whose relic is cherished by his parish .
Fr John links to an interesting article about visiting Mount Athos. I will never be able to go there, but I do enjoy reading about it :-)
James from Paradosis describes an amazing book, "A Byzantine Journey" by John Ash, in which is mentioned a sermon delivered by Patriarch Photios when the Hagia Sophia mosaic of the Theotokos and Holy Child was inaugurated on March 29th 867.
Matushka Elizabeth from Portland writes about Forgiveness Vespers, as does Molly and also
Monica in Romania who describes some amazingly perceptive comments from her smnall son Simi on the Crucifixion......
Eric John mentions a talk about Christian Service in War by Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky) of New York.
Fr Stephen continues to provide much spiritual food for thought - amongst his gems are
words form St Isaac of Syria and Soul Saturday and how to "think with the heart"
A scholarly article about Dostoyevsky and the Brothers Karamazov is well worth a read, but not if you are being harrassed by small children, as I am at present. I will be saving this for the quiet time after they go to bed :-)
As we begin Great Lent, a good place to start has to be with St John Chrysostom`s Sermon on Fasting .
An updated schedule for Reading the Church Fathers is available here
A huge amount of liturgical material is available online here , including an almost complete Menaion , courtesy of Holy TransfigurationCtahedral in Denver, CO.
If you like listening to liturgical music, the Byzantine Catholic Metropolitan Cantor Institute in Pittsburgh has made available online no fewer than 743 MP3 files for download. Well worth a visit !
Justin writes lovingly about St Haralambos, whose relic is cherished by his parish .
Fr John links to an interesting article about visiting Mount Athos. I will never be able to go there, but I do enjoy reading about it :-)
James from Paradosis describes an amazing book, "A Byzantine Journey" by John Ash, in which is mentioned a sermon delivered by Patriarch Photios when the Hagia Sophia mosaic of the Theotokos and Holy Child was inaugurated on March 29th 867.
Matushka Elizabeth from Portland writes about Forgiveness Vespers, as does Molly and also
Monica in Romania who describes some amazingly perceptive comments from her smnall son Simi on the Crucifixion......
Eric John mentions a talk about Christian Service in War by Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky) of New York.
Fr Stephen continues to provide much spiritual food for thought - amongst his gems are
words form St Isaac of Syria and Soul Saturday and how to "think with the heart"
A scholarly article about Dostoyevsky and the Brothers Karamazov is well worth a read, but not if you are being harrassed by small children, as I am at present. I will be saving this for the quiet time after they go to bed :-)
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Orthodox Roundup
Welcome back and thank you for your patience !
A special welcome and thank you also to Father Gregori, who has kindly been praying for our family and he is posting from a much colder climate than we have here in South Wales !
We are still awaiting our forecasted snow, but at the moment we have sunshine and blue skies.......
Huw Raphael posted a brilliant and thought-provoking exposition on the message of the Publican and the Pharisee which stopped me dead in my tracks.
The idea of simplicity of prayer is developed by Fr Stephen as he ponders on Metropolitan Anthony of blessed memory`s book "Learning to Pray".
Fr John gives a link to the glorification video of St Xenia of St Petersburg, which I had never seen before. I have two icons of St Xenia, whose selfless love for her husband and her concern for his salvation puts me to bitter shame. I endeavour to follow her example......
Seth kindly provides the text of a sermon about the Mother of God delivered by Metropolitan Anthony of blessed memory, which merits close reading. May we all benefit from the Theotokos` holy prayers as we prepare for Great and Blessed Lent and the glorious Feast of Holy Pascha !
Many Christian denominations embrace the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It is a topic of concern for many Orthodox, for a variety of reasons. Christopher has posted an interesting article detailing his "take" on the matter .
Fr Stephen also posts a deep article on the topic of Guardian Angels. Each child in our home has their own Guardian Angel icon by their beds, and our bedtime routine involves invoking the prayers of our Guardian Angels. I can`t imagine **not** doing this
During my web-wanderings, I found a great resource ; a Romanian Orthodox Priest`s Service Book in English ! There are prayers for so many different circumstances listed here ; I have found many relating to my needs and hope you will also find them of use.
Another resource is the blog of the Voice of Moscow radio station, which comes via a Lutheran church who have kindly made this available to "learn about our Russian Orthodox Christian compatriots, their rich history, music, composers, performers, writers, sermons, and Saints' lives and work".
They are true to their word and give links to wonderful excerpts from the writings of the Optina elders, St John of Kronstadt and St Dimitri of Rostov, amongst many others.
Another resource providing amazing links to Akathists, Canons and Services to many different Saints can be found here
Out of curiosity, I searched Google video to see if The Silent Scream anti-abortion film was posted, and it is indeed available to watch. This is one of the first pieces of pro-life film I saw, before I became a midwife, and it still horrifies me to watch it. Be warned, it is graphic and disturbing, and is happening all over the world as we read this.
It was filmed in the earlier days of ultrasound scanning, and as the technology has improved exponentially since then, it would be technically possible to depict a child being dismembered in 3-D now. I find this version horrific as it is.........Lord have mercy on us all.
On a happier note, I will end by posting a link to the audio chant of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple .
I`m sorry this is shorter than usual, but I hope you will all find something of value here !
A special welcome and thank you also to Father Gregori, who has kindly been praying for our family and he is posting from a much colder climate than we have here in South Wales !
We are still awaiting our forecasted snow, but at the moment we have sunshine and blue skies.......
Huw Raphael posted a brilliant and thought-provoking exposition on the message of the Publican and the Pharisee which stopped me dead in my tracks.
The idea of simplicity of prayer is developed by Fr Stephen as he ponders on Metropolitan Anthony of blessed memory`s book "Learning to Pray".
Fr John gives a link to the glorification video of St Xenia of St Petersburg, which I had never seen before. I have two icons of St Xenia, whose selfless love for her husband and her concern for his salvation puts me to bitter shame. I endeavour to follow her example......
Seth kindly provides the text of a sermon about the Mother of God delivered by Metropolitan Anthony of blessed memory, which merits close reading. May we all benefit from the Theotokos` holy prayers as we prepare for Great and Blessed Lent and the glorious Feast of Holy Pascha !
Many Christian denominations embrace the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It is a topic of concern for many Orthodox, for a variety of reasons. Christopher has posted an interesting article detailing his "take" on the matter .
Fr Stephen also posts a deep article on the topic of Guardian Angels. Each child in our home has their own Guardian Angel icon by their beds, and our bedtime routine involves invoking the prayers of our Guardian Angels. I can`t imagine **not** doing this
During my web-wanderings, I found a great resource ; a Romanian Orthodox Priest`s Service Book in English ! There are prayers for so many different circumstances listed here ; I have found many relating to my needs and hope you will also find them of use.
Another resource is the blog of the Voice of Moscow radio station, which comes via a Lutheran church who have kindly made this available to "learn about our Russian Orthodox Christian compatriots, their rich history, music, composers, performers, writers, sermons, and Saints' lives and work".
They are true to their word and give links to wonderful excerpts from the writings of the Optina elders, St John of Kronstadt and St Dimitri of Rostov, amongst many others.
Another resource providing amazing links to Akathists, Canons and Services to many different Saints can be found here
Out of curiosity, I searched Google video to see if The Silent Scream anti-abortion film was posted, and it is indeed available to watch. This is one of the first pieces of pro-life film I saw, before I became a midwife, and it still horrifies me to watch it. Be warned, it is graphic and disturbing, and is happening all over the world as we read this.
It was filmed in the earlier days of ultrasound scanning, and as the technology has improved exponentially since then, it would be technically possible to depict a child being dismembered in 3-D now. I find this version horrific as it is.........Lord have mercy on us all.
On a happier note, I will end by posting a link to the audio chant of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple .
I`m sorry this is shorter than usual, but I hope you will all find something of value here !
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Orthodox Roundup
Welcome to the latest Roundup, slightly later than planned due to Nativity/New Year and my birthday :-)
To start us off, Michael provides a sober and sorrowful commentary on the latest twist in the Moscow Patriarchate/ROCOR tale; that some parishes have split off and refuse to accept the reunion, and have thrown in their lot with the Holy Synod in Resistance. Desperately sad news.
Fr Joseph gives details of the very first joint service to be held by the reunited Russian Church.
The monks of Mount Athos have also made known their concerns about recent RC/Orthodox dealings as chronicled here .
Like me, Michael finds great spiritual benefit and solace in the Rule of St Benedict, and gives a great summary of it here as well as a glorious icon of St Benedict.
A lovely central European custom, which seems entirely in keeping with Orthodox praxis , that of the Epiphany Chalk, is described on a RC blog .
An Appalachian Deacon`s dream of buying a property and setting up a mission church is well worth a read here.
More remembrances of the blessed life of the recently reposed Anastasia Titov (may her Memory be Eternal!) are chronicled by Fr John and are well worth a read.
I absolutely loved this bumper sticker. If I drove a car, I would buy one in a flash :-)
Details of a modern miracle are recounted in a fascinating post .
I`m sure many of you have seen this site, but it is a new and fascinating resource to me !
To end, please read Fr Stephen`s lovely post about Weeping with the Mother of God. Absolutely wonderful.
To start us off, Michael provides a sober and sorrowful commentary on the latest twist in the Moscow Patriarchate/ROCOR tale; that some parishes have split off and refuse to accept the reunion, and have thrown in their lot with the Holy Synod in Resistance. Desperately sad news.
Fr Joseph gives details of the very first joint service to be held by the reunited Russian Church.
The monks of Mount Athos have also made known their concerns about recent RC/Orthodox dealings as chronicled here .
Like me, Michael finds great spiritual benefit and solace in the Rule of St Benedict, and gives a great summary of it here as well as a glorious icon of St Benedict.
A lovely central European custom, which seems entirely in keeping with Orthodox praxis , that of the Epiphany Chalk, is described on a RC blog .
An Appalachian Deacon`s dream of buying a property and setting up a mission church is well worth a read here.
More remembrances of the blessed life of the recently reposed Anastasia Titov (may her Memory be Eternal!) are chronicled by Fr John and are well worth a read.
I absolutely loved this bumper sticker. If I drove a car, I would buy one in a flash :-)
Details of a modern miracle are recounted in a fascinating post .
I`m sure many of you have seen this site, but it is a new and fascinating resource to me !
To end, please read Fr Stephen`s lovely post about Weeping with the Mother of God. Absolutely wonderful.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Orthodox Roundup 3
Welcome to issue 3 of the Roundup :-)
Fr Stephen gives us a seasonal start with a review of the new Nativity Film and also a commentary on the pre-Communion prayer:
Behold: I draw near to the Divine Communion.
Burn me not as I partake, O Creator,
For Thou art a Fire which burns the unworthy,
Rather, cleanse me of all defilement.
Julio has a fantastic post about having a crisis not of faith, but of praxis, here and it is a situation I can certainly resonate with, looking back at some points in my own life.........
Some of us sure have some seriously interesting hobbies ! Check out Papa Herman`s amazing bicycle inner tube creations !
The Christian history of London may need to be re-written follwing some interesting archaeological discoveries at the site of St Martin in the Fields, which shows evidence of Christian graves (possibly royalty) dating back to the time of Queen Bertha, 1400 years ago, pre-dating St Paul`s Cathedral`s original foundation by almost 200 years.
The tomb of St Paul the Apostle has been re-discovered in Rome, buried in the Church of St Paul Without The Walls, and a late 4th century Christian church has been discovered in Israel, believed to have been built on the site where the Ark of the Covenant was originally housed.
Philippa`s own round-up is well worth a visit here , as is the North Texas Orthodox Missions site here, which links to great music, podcasts, sermons and much more. I`ve bookmarked it and I am working my way steadily through its resources.
Matushka Jenny has completed two glorious new icons of St Barnabas and St John the Forerunner , thereby giving me a reason to own up to covetousness.......
Another iconographer has set up a webcam so you can see him work on his latest icons , which is a great idea.
Nathan Hoppe reviews the practice of the 40 days commemoration of the departed in relation to his beloved wife Lynette, and their first family Thanksgiving without her.
An interview with Russian Old-Rite Believers can be found here, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
A particular delight was to find some of the sayings of Mother Gavrilia avalable online here .
Fr John gives a sobering insight into apparently rapidly deteriorating conditions for Christians in Bulo Burto, Somalia, where it has been decreed that anyone not observing the islamic prayer rule will be beheaded.....
Alana writes eloquently of her experiences on St Nicholas` Day whilst living in Switzerland. In our family we observe the tradition of putting our slippers outside our bedroom doors, which get filled with chocolate coins and the small ones receive appropriately-themed small gifts. December 6th is always eagerly anticipated in our house !
Fr Stephen gives us a seasonal start with a review of the new Nativity Film and also a commentary on the pre-Communion prayer:
Behold: I draw near to the Divine Communion.
Burn me not as I partake, O Creator,
For Thou art a Fire which burns the unworthy,
Rather, cleanse me of all defilement.
Julio has a fantastic post about having a crisis not of faith, but of praxis, here and it is a situation I can certainly resonate with, looking back at some points in my own life.........
Some of us sure have some seriously interesting hobbies ! Check out Papa Herman`s amazing bicycle inner tube creations !
The Christian history of London may need to be re-written follwing some interesting archaeological discoveries at the site of St Martin in the Fields, which shows evidence of Christian graves (possibly royalty) dating back to the time of Queen Bertha, 1400 years ago, pre-dating St Paul`s Cathedral`s original foundation by almost 200 years.
The tomb of St Paul the Apostle has been re-discovered in Rome, buried in the Church of St Paul Without The Walls, and a late 4th century Christian church has been discovered in Israel, believed to have been built on the site where the Ark of the Covenant was originally housed.
Philippa`s own round-up is well worth a visit here , as is the North Texas Orthodox Missions site here, which links to great music, podcasts, sermons and much more. I`ve bookmarked it and I am working my way steadily through its resources.
Matushka Jenny has completed two glorious new icons of St Barnabas and St John the Forerunner , thereby giving me a reason to own up to covetousness.......
Another iconographer has set up a webcam so you can see him work on his latest icons , which is a great idea.
Nathan Hoppe reviews the practice of the 40 days commemoration of the departed in relation to his beloved wife Lynette, and their first family Thanksgiving without her.
An interview with Russian Old-Rite Believers can be found here, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
A particular delight was to find some of the sayings of Mother Gavrilia avalable online here .
Fr John gives a sobering insight into apparently rapidly deteriorating conditions for Christians in Bulo Burto, Somalia, where it has been decreed that anyone not observing the islamic prayer rule will be beheaded.....
Alana writes eloquently of her experiences on St Nicholas` Day whilst living in Switzerland. In our family we observe the tradition of putting our slippers outside our bedroom doors, which get filled with chocolate coins and the small ones receive appropriately-themed small gifts. December 6th is always eagerly anticipated in our house !
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Orthodox Roundup 2
*****UPDATE to include amendments:-
The irrepressible but irregularly posting catechumen DoomHamster has put finger to keyboard to record her thoughts on attending her first Orthodox funeral
Dave Holford`s site has been changed due to unforeseen circumstances to here ****
Hi folks, and welcome to the Orthodox Roundup 2.
Apologies for it being late; this is due to our ISP managing to accidentally terminate our account one month before they were supposed to :-)
A Happy and Blessed Advent to you all !
In light of the Fast, I have to mention that Grace over at This Side Of Glory has a gorgeous post You Know You`re Orthodox If.......
Huw Raphael at Doxos has a great post about various hypothetical "brands" of Orthodoxy.
Well worth a read and a chuckle, but tinged with sadness at the fact that so many of these divisions do in fact exist. Sigh.
Father Stephen makes some wise observations about Preserving Peace Of Soul, from St Seraphim of Sarov. The Fast isn`t just about food; it is about turning our thoughts and hearts more fully to God. He also writes about where we pray
and about the immense wisdom of St Isaac of Syria as well as one of his first icon encounters.
Micahel at Sarisburium makes some pertinent comments about the feasability and indeed the advisability of creating a national British pan-Orthodox Church here , followed closely with his essay on Western-Rite Orthodoxy which debunks many popular misconceptions about the Western Rite. The common heritage of the Undivided Church is obvious when comparing some of the liturgical texts according to Ben Johnson.
Fr John Parker writes eloquently about Salvation and whether we know if we are saved.
Alana at Morning Coffee tells of planning Sunday school lessons, and how the Old Testament figures were able to have such a vibrant, living trusting relationship with God.
Fr John Whiteford has a great article about the life and work of Protopriest Seraphim Slobodskoy, author of the classic catechetical text, The Law Of God.
The Indiana list occasionally throws up some gems, one of which was a reference to a news article about the Staff and Vestments of Metropolitan Philaret of blessed memory being taken to Russia. There is also a video link here .
A solemn Requiem service was held in Moscow on the 11th November, commemorating the 185th anniversary of the birth of the great novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky; details can be read here . There are many other items of interest on the site !
Fr Peter gives news of a website devoted to the meeting of Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Benedict.
From Luz comes sad news indeed of the horrific death of a 14 year-old Christian Assyrian boy here. The Scrivener also details the horrors of being a Christian in Iraq at present.
Lord, have mercy.
The trials and tribulations of a neophyte Reader are vividly and hilariously detailed by James of Paradosis fame.
Subdeacon Seraphim writes a Cautionary Tale about the necessity for making your family and friends aware of your wishes relating to your funeral arrangements .
On a more mundane but also important level for those lef behind after a loved one dies, is a practical post about letting family know how to access your online data to sort out any necessary business after death here .
Dave Holford writes about almost-official British medical policy relating to killing disabled babies , closely followed by considered Anglican opinions about the same issue and also writes about the great Welsh saint, Dyfrig .
MaryPoppinsNOT, a Byzantine - Rite Catholic blogger describes what happened when she took a fast from blogging here ......... !
Deb volunteers a favourite article about Orthodoxy, Postmodernity and the emerging Church by Steve Hayes . Thanks Deb !
Next Issue of the Roundup should be in 2 weeks time. Any submissions will be thankfully received :-)
The irrepressible but irregularly posting catechumen DoomHamster has put finger to keyboard to record her thoughts on attending her first Orthodox funeral
Dave Holford`s site has been changed due to unforeseen circumstances to here ****
Hi folks, and welcome to the Orthodox Roundup 2.
Apologies for it being late; this is due to our ISP managing to accidentally terminate our account one month before they were supposed to :-)
A Happy and Blessed Advent to you all !
In light of the Fast, I have to mention that Grace over at This Side Of Glory has a gorgeous post You Know You`re Orthodox If.......
Huw Raphael at Doxos has a great post about various hypothetical "brands" of Orthodoxy.
Well worth a read and a chuckle, but tinged with sadness at the fact that so many of these divisions do in fact exist. Sigh.
Father Stephen makes some wise observations about Preserving Peace Of Soul, from St Seraphim of Sarov. The Fast isn`t just about food; it is about turning our thoughts and hearts more fully to God. He also writes about where we pray
and about the immense wisdom of St Isaac of Syria as well as one of his first icon encounters.
Micahel at Sarisburium makes some pertinent comments about the feasability and indeed the advisability of creating a national British pan-Orthodox Church here , followed closely with his essay on Western-Rite Orthodoxy which debunks many popular misconceptions about the Western Rite. The common heritage of the Undivided Church is obvious when comparing some of the liturgical texts according to Ben Johnson.
Fr John Parker writes eloquently about Salvation and whether we know if we are saved.
Alana at Morning Coffee tells of planning Sunday school lessons, and how the Old Testament figures were able to have such a vibrant, living trusting relationship with God.
Fr John Whiteford has a great article about the life and work of Protopriest Seraphim Slobodskoy, author of the classic catechetical text, The Law Of God.
The Indiana list occasionally throws up some gems, one of which was a reference to a news article about the Staff and Vestments of Metropolitan Philaret of blessed memory being taken to Russia. There is also a video link here .
A solemn Requiem service was held in Moscow on the 11th November, commemorating the 185th anniversary of the birth of the great novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky; details can be read here . There are many other items of interest on the site !
Fr Peter gives news of a website devoted to the meeting of Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Benedict.
From Luz comes sad news indeed of the horrific death of a 14 year-old Christian Assyrian boy here. The Scrivener also details the horrors of being a Christian in Iraq at present.
Lord, have mercy.
The trials and tribulations of a neophyte Reader are vividly and hilariously detailed by James of Paradosis fame.
Subdeacon Seraphim writes a Cautionary Tale about the necessity for making your family and friends aware of your wishes relating to your funeral arrangements .
On a more mundane but also important level for those lef behind after a loved one dies, is a practical post about letting family know how to access your online data to sort out any necessary business after death here .
Dave Holford writes about almost-official British medical policy relating to killing disabled babies , closely followed by considered Anglican opinions about the same issue and also writes about the great Welsh saint, Dyfrig .
MaryPoppinsNOT, a Byzantine - Rite Catholic blogger describes what happened when she took a fast from blogging here ......... !
Deb volunteers a favourite article about Orthodoxy, Postmodernity and the emerging Church by Steve Hayes . Thanks Deb !
Next Issue of the Roundup should be in 2 weeks time. Any submissions will be thankfully received :-)
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
The Halloween Special - Orthodox Round-Up Number One
I was a little surprised that last night, we hadn`t had a single trick or treater visit our home by 7.15pm. I even said so to my DH when he phoned up from work.
No sooner had I put the phone down when there was a knock at the door, and there were two beautifully behaved and nicely costumed children.
We had two more visits in the next half-hour, and that was it.
I had said Vespers in the Icon corner, with the lampada lit, in deference to it being Western-Rite All Hallows Even.
For many non-Orthodox or even non-RC Christians, our concept of the Communion of Saints and the great cloud of Witnesses is hard to grasp. It seems entirely natural to me and to my children, who, young as they are, understand that our beloved dead are dead only in body and that they do most truly live and rejoice in Christ.
It is entirely appropriate that in the historic first millenial Orthodox tradition of Britain that All Saints`Day is so immediately followed by All Souls` day, when we can remember those who have gone to their rest before us and for us to pray for their souls.
May their Memories be Eternal, O Lord !
Fr Joseph has an interesting post on Halloween and asks why there aren`t Old Calendar Pagans.....
Remembering Vladika John was posted by Fr John Whiteford recently, and is an edifying read.
Seraphima at A Catechumen`s Walk blogs eloquently about the soul`s need for healing at the Spiritual Hospital.
From the Tundra Medicine Dreams blog comes a wonderful account of an Orthodox Alaskan Yupik village funeral as observed by a non-Orthodox. Sometimes it is very enlightening to see ourselves from the viewpoint of an outsider......
Deb provides a link to the Orthodox resources at YouTube. This could end up being a brilliant resource :-)
Please keep the nominations coming in !
Next Round-Up will most likely be in 2 weeks time.
No sooner had I put the phone down when there was a knock at the door, and there were two beautifully behaved and nicely costumed children.
We had two more visits in the next half-hour, and that was it.
I had said Vespers in the Icon corner, with the lampada lit, in deference to it being Western-Rite All Hallows Even.
For many non-Orthodox or even non-RC Christians, our concept of the Communion of Saints and the great cloud of Witnesses is hard to grasp. It seems entirely natural to me and to my children, who, young as they are, understand that our beloved dead are dead only in body and that they do most truly live and rejoice in Christ.
It is entirely appropriate that in the historic first millenial Orthodox tradition of Britain that All Saints`Day is so immediately followed by All Souls` day, when we can remember those who have gone to their rest before us and for us to pray for their souls.
May their Memories be Eternal, O Lord !
Fr Joseph has an interesting post on Halloween and asks why there aren`t Old Calendar Pagans.....
Remembering Vladika John was posted by Fr John Whiteford recently, and is an edifying read.
Seraphima at A Catechumen`s Walk blogs eloquently about the soul`s need for healing at the Spiritual Hospital.
From the Tundra Medicine Dreams blog comes a wonderful account of an Orthodox Alaskan Yupik village funeral as observed by a non-Orthodox. Sometimes it is very enlightening to see ourselves from the viewpoint of an outsider......
Deb provides a link to the Orthodox resources at YouTube. This could end up being a brilliant resource :-)
Please keep the nominations coming in !
Next Round-Up will most likely be in 2 weeks time.
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