Source: The New York TImes Even as the monasteries of the Orthodox Church are besieged by the coronavirus, apocalyptic-minded priests balk at state restrictions on public worship. By Andrew Higgins MOSCOW — A physics student at Moscow State University, Dmitri Pelipenko turned away from science in 2018 to devote himself to God, enrolling as a novice monk at Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church. His spiritual journey, derailed by the coronavirus, came to an abrupt and gruesome end shortly after the Orthodox Easter. Admitted to the hospital after testing positive for the illness, Mr. Pelipenko…
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Source: Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago Join Metropolitan Nathanael and a panel of professional Orthodox Christians for a discussion on the Myrrh-bearing Women and their impact on the special ministry of women in the Church for the past two millennia.
Source: The Orthodox Ethos Share and Subscribe to this channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Isiopili Website: http://orthodoxethos.com Publishing: http://uncutmountainpress.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frpeterheers Twitter: https://twitter.com/frpeterheers Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frpeterheers/ Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00Y938IQ2
Source: Orthodox Christianity We have all seen by now the disruptive reports describing in detail just how deadly and serious the coronavirus is. While that is true, the way that many within the Church are responding and, in particular, the guidance that we have received from many bishops, is disconcerting. We are directed now by hierarchs in several jurisdictions that the laity are to remain at home viewing the services via live-streaming, while the clergy are to serve a full cycle of services in near-empty churches, accompanied by a skeleton staff of altar servers and readers or singers. What is…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Christ is risen! As Bishop Maxim, shepherd of the Western Serbian Diocese, says in his Paschal Message (please find 12 minutes to listen to it), Spring and liturgical Easter are unapproachable this year because of the coronavirus. But, can we “say that the world doesn’t experience spring? … No! Can we say Christians do not experience Pascha? Not at all. Our faith is that the Holy Spirit constitutes the Church also in the time of coronavirus.” Those of us who could and had the equipment, knowledge and ability, experienced the Pascha Services via live streaming or…
Source: Ancient Faith Ministries If you are interested in how the Coronavirus pandemic has affected American Orthodox Churches, please take part in the live call-in show, “Coronavirus and Orthodox Parish Life,” on Ancient Faith Radio, Tuesday, April 28, 9 pm EST / 6 pm PST. To access the show, go to www.ancientfaith.com/live. Hosted by Fr. Thomas Soroka (St. Nicholas OCA Church, McKees Rocks, PA), Fr. Steven Tsichlis (St. Paul GOA Church, Irvine, CA) and I will discuss the recently released report “On the Eve of Easter 2020: Coronavirus and US Orthodox Christian Parishes.” How have parishes adjusted their liturgical services and small…
Source: Public Orthodoxy RELIGIOUS MATERIALITY IN POST-CHERNOBYL CONTAMINATION by Elena Romashko The publication of this essay coincides wit the anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, Saturday, April 26, 1986. In March 2020, we were asked to work from home because of the pandemic of coronavirus. We could not even imagine how quickly the situation would escalate to a global lockdown. Looking at the warm and beautiful weather my husband said, “It’s hard to believe that being outside can be dangerous—the world around looks exactly the same, like nothing has changed.” His words stung me with a flashback: Sonja, one of my informants…
Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA Helpful Tools for Parishes Financial Planning During A Crisis CARES Act: Available Assistance to Orthodox Parishes in the United States Financial and Digital Toolbox for Online Giving Nonprofit Legislation How the COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Bill Affects Churches and Nonprofits Updated Daily: Help for Nonprofits During the Coronavirus and Uncertain Economic Times Grant Opportunities National Council of Nonprofits The Chronicle of Philanthropy National Center for Family Philanthropy
Source: TIME BY BILLY PERRIGO AND JOSEPH HINCKS This weekend’s Orthodox Easter celebrations in Greece were a low key affair for Michalis Stratakis and his wife Nancy. They still ate lamb, but the meat was oven-cooked instead of carved off a whole animal that had been spit-roasted for hours over charcoals. They painted eggs red according to Greek tradition and played games with family members in Athens, but over cell phone screens from their home on the Greek island of Crete on Sunday, rather than at the usual raucous feast of about 20 friends and relatives. “It was heartbreaking, to tell you the truth, because we didn’t…
Source: Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Bulletin, Kankakee, IN Christ is Risen! Alithos Anesti! What a wonderful – against all apparent odds – Holy Week and Easter we had, connected in new and unusual ways – by icons in the pews, by Facebook live and Zoom, by our souls and by Christ’s love and sacrifice. I hope you were able to feel the transcendence of it all. Spiritual music helps, and our Church is loaded with it, and blessed with multiple traditions of sublime combinations of sacred text with melody, harmony, tone, and mood, to create moments that transcend everyday life…
Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA During a painful time of forced separation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Orthodox Christians united as the one Body of Christ worshiping from home. This short compilation highlights creative ways the faithful celebrated Holy Week and Pascha (Easter) in 2020. Thank you to those who shared their experiences!
Source: Orthodox Church in America by Fr. Jerome Cwiklinski Retired Navy Chaplain Archpriest Jerome Cwiklinski, CPT CHC USN, is one of the longest-serving military chaplains in the Orthodox Church in America. In retirement Father Jerome, together with his wife Matushka Wendy, continue to serve the pastoral and spiritual needs of the Orthodox Marines at Camp Pendleton, CA. through the on-base Chapel of Saint John the Forerunner. As for many who serve their country in the Armed Forces, this is not Father Jerome’s first Pascha away from home, not the first time he has served Pascha in peculiar circumstances. Father Jerome offers…