Tag: Christianity

Prague, March 17, 2025

Photo: uoc-news.church     

His Eminence Archbishop Michael of Prague and the Czech Lands celebrated the 10th anniversary of his episcopal consecration this weekend.

In addition to clergy of the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, the Archbishop was joined by three hierarchs and clergy of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church during the Divine Liturgy at the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral in Prague on Saturday, reports the Information-Education Department of the UOC.

Many Ukrainian refugees living in the Czech Republic were present for the service.

Photo: uoc-news.church     

After the serving, His Eminence Metropolitan Viktor of Khmelnitsky read out the greetings from His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine to Abp. Michael of Prague. In particular, the UOC primate said:

On this remarkable day, greeting Your Eminence, I would like to convey to you words of heartfelt gratitude for your support of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, particularly of our clergymen and laypeople, who have found refuge in your diocese at the time of a cruel war. By your mercy, fervent prayers before the Throne of the Most High, and wise statements, you manifest a visible guarantee of our unity in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3).

Met. Viktor also presented the Prague hierarch with a Cross and Panagia.

Abp. Michael has proven himself a friend of Orthodox in Ukraine. Archbishop Michael of Prague bans his clergy from serving with Ukrainian schismaticsThe clergy of the Prague Diocese of the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia have been officially banned from serving with clergy of the schismatic Ukrainian group created by Constantinople on December 15.

“>In 2019, he formerly forbade his clerics from serving with those of the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” and he has also Archbishop of Prague protests persecution of Ukrainian ChurchAnother hierarch is speaking up in defense of the innocent people of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Kiev Caves Lavra—this time from the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia.”>spoken out against the present persecution of the canonical UOC.

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For his July 23, 2020, ordination as coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Peoria, Bishop Louis Tylka entered a sparsely filled cathedral, with “X” taped on pews where masked clergy and guests could sit 6-feet apart during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pope Francis had appointed him that May, when lockdown rules barred then-Father Tylka from traveling to Peoria from his parish in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

“I had to sneak into Chicago and make a video to be the announcement,” he said.

From Peoria to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to the U.S. bishops’ headquarters in Washington, D.C., the Church experienced disruption — and new ways to share God’s mercy. Restrictions varied by state, county, and diocese as pastoral leaders improvised new forms of ministry. Online Mass went from innovative to ubiquitous, parishes offered drive-by confession and virtual prayer groups.

Bishop Tylka supported such ministries, but spiritual scars remain. Pandemic polarization left “lasting skepticism about institutions and people in authority,” he said.

He believes the Church offers the way back — if people will walk it.

“Our Church, through the sacraments — particularly reconciliation and the Eucharist — is a bridge that people can use to bring healing,” he said. “You can lead somebody to a bridge and say, ‘This is how you cross the river.’ But they still have to be willing to step on the bridge and walk across.”

COVID creativity

Nationwide, Mass attendance plummeted initially but has rebounded nearly to 2019 levels, according to a 2023 study from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). Few left altogether, but those who attend Mass a few times a year grew by 6%.

Participation isn’t an issue at St. Mel in Woodland Hills, where some Sunday Masses are standing-room-only. The parish recently launched a welcoming ministry, Landings, “for people who have fallen away from the Church to have a nice, safe place to come back to and share a meal,” said Father Steve Davoren, the pastor.

During lockdown, he allowed individuals to enter the church for personal prayer. Mass and confession were offered outdoors. For drive-by adoration, he expected 100 people, but cars lined up for a half-mile to pray before the Blessed Sacrament and receive a socially distanced blessing.

“People waited for over an hour to come through in cars, even people who weren’t Catholic,” he said.

Home blessings proved so popular that they continue.

“I think the key for us is that we never closed. We were there for them in their time of need,” he said. “You need to stay connected.”

After the nation’s first coronavirus death was confirmed on Feb. 29, 2020, near Seattle, priests there became the first to knowingly anoint COVID patients. Some hospitals banned clergy, while others permitted priests outfitted like astronauts to bring the sacraments.

“Hospital ministry didn’t fully open up until [2023]. I felt like it was almost one of the last things,” said Helen McClenahan, chief communications officer of the Archdiocese of Seattle.

Homebound ministry “shifted from focusing on the dozen people that we have always cared for, and was applied to the whole parish.”

Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky, has a mission diocese encompassing 50 counties, most in Appalachia with pockets of deep poverty and a population that is 3% Catholic. Kentucky had among the highest COVID death rates nationwide.

The Diocese of Lexington promoted vaccination and was “pretty strict about enforcement for employees to be vaccinated,” Stowe said. “We took our lead from the Holy Father and from the best science that was available to us.”

When Stowe’s aunt died during Holy Week 2020, he limited her funeral to 10 people.

“It was hard on everybody, and I experienced it as both a mourner and a pastor,” he said.

Amid ideological divisions over vaccines, masking, and other matters, “we tried to be as … pastorally accessible as possible, but also maintain the restrictions that existed for the common good.”

Some dioceses rented apartments near hospitals, where priests lived in strict isolation apart from hospital visits. Some were supported by the U.S. bishops’ Catholic Home Missions Appeal, which underwrote expensive protective gear for impoverished mission dioceses.

With many grant-funded projects canceled, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) gave mission dioceses flexibility to spend the money on emergency needs.

“Everyone became very creative, very agile. One of the things we got out of COVID was to realize that there isn’t just one way to do things,” said Kevin Day, director of Catholic Home Missions at the USCCB.

Online parish giving platforms may be the most significant change. Before 2020, dioceses and parishes were skittish, fearing they could invite scams, said Matthew Manion, a professor of church management at Villanova University.

“I think very few people have a fear of that anymore,” he said.

“Many parishes have realized that when you have online giving, the average giving per person goes up.”

In the Archdiocese of Seattle, online offertories often included the words, “Don’t forget to click your link to donate.”

“People rose to the occasion,” McClenahan said. “In a set of unknowns, the one known is the Church. So while we had this significant drop in attendance, the drop in giving didn’t nearly match that.”

Nationwide, giving is 2-3% lower than in 2019, though in the West and South it is 3-5% higher, Manion said. As of mid-2023, 16% of donors had not returned, but budgets were sustained because better-off parishioners increased their gifts by an average of 24%.

“A combination of them being less hurt and seeing a need for greater generosity, they stepped up and gave more,” Manion said.

What the pandemic made permanent

Prior to COVID, the Church of the Nativity in Timonium, Maryland, was famed for innovative evangelization, which had catalyzed growth in attendance and giving. The staff was on a planning retreat for “digital discipleship” when the lockdown hit, said Tom Corcoran, associate to the pastor at the parish in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Nativity prioritized welcome, “so that people who are watching [Mass] online feel part of the community and not like they’re second-rate citizens,” he said.

Today, Nativity’s leaders encourage in-person worship but maintain online Mass. It’s for the homebound and for people exploring Catholicism who aren’t ready to come to church.

“Everybody we’re trying to reach is already online and we’re in a digital age. You have to use those tools,” Corcoran said.

While Stowe initially felt awkward preaching to a camera in an empty chapel, “at least five people told me that they joined the church because of those livestream Masses, that they would have been afraid or uncomfortable at even entering a Catholic Church.”

Catholic schools thrived as they typically reopened long before public schools. Enrollment grew 3.7% in 2020-2021 and has not reversed.

“That increased enrollment was directly a result of Catholic schools opening safely for in-person and hybrid classes,” said BeeJae Visitacion, communications director of the National Catholic Education Association.

“Catholic schools repurposed gyms, all-purpose rooms, and outdoor spaces to accommodate social distancing, ensuring the health and safety of students and staff while maintaining a sense of normalcy.”

At St. John the Baptist Parish in Baldwin Park, whose 10,000 families make it the largest bilingual parish in the archdiocese, ministry “has changed dramatically since the COVID pandemic,” said Father Ismael Robles, the pastor.

“People came back to church with a greater zeal and dedication to service and ministry,” reported Robles. His parish now has more ministries, higher Sunday Mass attendance, and “significantly increased” Sunday Mass collection numbers compared to pre-COVID.

After the initial total lockdown, the parish had gradually reopened under archdiocesan guidance. But as parishioners begged to know why they couldn’t gather for Mass with masks when restaurants were serving large numbers of unmasked people, Robles decided to resume all ministries on their previous schedules.

Parishioners responded joyfully, with 500 attending weekly classes in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.

“I know that as a Church we talk a lot about evangelization possibilities, but sometimes it is as simple as opening the doors,” Robles said.

“Sometimes in life we have to be bold and make important decisions. If those are from God he will honor them and we will see the fruits. We as a Church should not let ourselves be guided by fear, but instead by faith, hope, and love.”

How the Church looks different

Locally, most dioceses still see an impact from COVID, and new issues are arising.

As government COVID subsidies ended, “some of the housing ministries, like St. Vincent de Paul and Catholic Housing Services have seen upticks in demand, and sometimes an inability to meet that demand,” McClenahan said.

Liturgically, the sign of peace has largely shifted away from the handshake due to concerns about germs. The chalice is still not offered at some parishes.

Many longtime extraordinary ministers of holy Communion are elderly and fear constant face-to-face interactions, Tylka said. He tells pastors that, “It’s incumbent on you to invite young people — and older people — to serve.”

The key to spiritual growth during COVID was that “people were really hungry for community and a faith experience,” said Michel Therrien, president and CEO of Preambula, a Pittsburgh-area ministry to lead Catholics deeper into discipleship. In March 2020 he was preparing to welcome participants to Preambula’s newly renovated headquarters.

“So, the lockdowns hit and we went to Zoom, which was a new thing,” he said.

Catholics registered from across the country.

“People were isolated and wanted to be with other disciples that they could pray with and share their faith with during this very difficult time,” Therrien said.

When the lockdowns lifted, “our online registrations came to a screeching halt. We stopped doing it because people wanted to be in person again.”

He believes that Catholics who vanished from Mass had found their parishes dry before COVID.

“People long to have a sense of community and connection around their faith, specifically faith sharing, not just donuts and coffee,” he said. “They want to come together to be able to share and talk with other disciples about what is pressing hard into their life and hear how they experience God.”

The missing had probably been “semi-regulars,” who attended a few times annually, said Manion, the church management professor. Parishes should contact them, he wrote in a paper on COVID recovery in churches:

“Personalized, individual outreach is time-consuming and labor intensive, yet it is also the fundamental evangelizing work of missionary discipleship to which we are called.”

    

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!

Two weeks of Lent have already passed, and all of us are laboring and struggling. But why are we doing so? Why do we undertake this labor of abstinence in our lives? If we look at ourselves from the outside, we will see that we are the same as we were before Lent. Just as before the beginning of Lent our thoughts during prayer were not about God, so now they constantly wander during prayer. Just as we relaxed, so we continue to relax. As we envied, so do we continue to envy.

And it would seem that On Bodily FastingWe are told: It is no big deal to eat non-Lenten food during Lent. It is no big deal if you wear expensive beautiful outfits, go to the theater, to parties, to masquerade balls, use beautiful expensive china, furniture, expensive carriages and dashing steeds, amass and hoard things, etc.

“>fasting does not change anything in our lives. But that’s not quite true. Sin separates us from God—the wall of sin that we build between ourselves and God. And sin permeates our entire lives. Unfortunately, we cannot imagine our lives being filled with holiness and piety, and we cannot imagine them without sin. If we compare sin, which causes spiritual harm to our souls, with some disease that affects the body, we will see that sin (in the spiritual sense) has absorbed all the qualities of the most terrible diseases.

This sin is ancestral. We inherited the propensity to sin not only from our parents, but also from our ancestors Adam and Eve themselves. Just as they once disobeyed God and decided to live without Him, so we continue to strive to live without God in our lives. Sin is infectious, because when we look at each other and communicate with each other, we become infected with sin. It “cripples” our souls, just as our bodies are crippled by fractures or injuries, and we suffer from them, but nevertheless we continue to live with them.

What should we do then, dear brothers and sisters? Should we be discouraged and despair? Certainly not. And today’s Gospel reading, which you and I have heard, inspires us in particular. It inspires us with the episode that was read at the service today.

When Christ was staying in the town of Capernaum, He preached in a house, with a large number of people coming to listen to Him. There were so many of them that it was no longer possible to enter the house. There was a certain very seriously ill man. His illness was really terrible—he was paralyzed. He couldn’t move any member of his body at all. When the man’s friends learned that Christ was preaching in this village, put him in a litter and carried him to the place where Christ was. When they came, they saw that they couldn’t go inside, because a huge crowd of people both inside and outside the house were trying to hear what Christ was saying. Then they climbed onto its roof. As you know, in the time of Christ in the Orient roofs of homes were flat and made of straw or reeds. Having made an opening in the roof, they let down their paralyzed friend in the litter on ropes to the feet of Christ. Seeing their faith, the Savior said to the man with palsy: Son, thy sins be forgiven thee (Mk. 2:5).

Look at how amazing this is: the sick, paralyzed man couldn’t show his desire to change in any way. He could not speak, nor move his arms or legs. He lay absolutely motionless. But Christ forgave his sins. Why did Christ forgive his sins? Here the Gospel tells us very clearly: seeing the faith of the people who brought him, Christ forgave his sins.

Photo: foma.ru     

Dear brothers and sisters, we do not rely on our own strength in our lives; we rely on the power of the Holy Church in which we are standing. Here, we are all united into one Body of Christ. We pray here, as do the Heavenly powers. Both the angels and a whole host of saints pray at the throne of God. And we realize that there is so much sin in our lives that we will never be able to overcome it by ourselves. But we do not lose heart, for we know that we are united with those in whose lives there is both holiness and piety.

And maybe in our lives, like the paralytic we read about in the Gospel today, we will hear the same words from God: Thy sins be forgiven thee. Not because you are so nice, not because you have worked so diligently, and not because you have done so much, but because you have friends whose faith in God is much stronger than yours. And in our lives we hope for such people who are our prayerful intercessors and helpers. We hope that if not by our efforts, then if only through their prayers, their faith, and their intercession, God will forgive us and hear us.

And when Christ was saying to the paralyzed man that his sins had been forgiven, some of the people who were with him in the house started grumbling, saying, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? (Mk. 2:7). Then Christ, seeing through them, turned to them and asked: Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? (Mk. 2:8, 9).

And if we think more deeply about it, we will surely understand that it is much easier to say that your sins have been forgiven. Because no one can see it, no one can investigate it, and no one can know if they have been forgiven or not. The Savior continues: But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (He saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house (Mk. 2:10, 11). And in front of all the people who were in the house the sick man gets up on his feet, after many years of lying down, and begins to walk. All those present were filled with awe and reverence. And they said that a great prophet had visited them.

Dear brothers and sisters, today’s Gospel reading inspires us and supports our Lenten labors. It shows us that we are not alone. It shows us that besides our brothers and sisters in Christ, who stand side by side with us, there are also saints who are close to us and dear to us. And our lives change not only by our own efforts, but also by the faith and intercession of the saints in whom we believe and turn to in prayer.

Just like this paralytic, our souls are motionless. We ask, “What is meant by a “paralyzed soul”? How can a soul move?” The habits of the soul are spiritual. These are the ability to pray, the ability to see the pain of our loved ones, the ability to have compassion and not to pass by someone in need. Let’s ask ourselves if we have all these habits in our souls. And if we look at ourselves from the outside, we will see that our souls are paralyzed just like that man from the Gospel. That they themselves are unable to do anything, that they seem to want, strive and desire to pray, fast, live piously, or firmly believe in God, but in fact they cannot. And, at the same time, the soul can’t live without Him. It needs close people to take care of it.

We know that God is not indifferent to us, that He loves us. We know that multitudes of saints pray with us in the bosom of the Holy Church. They intercede with God for us and implore God to forgive us; because we are unable to improve on our own. But despite our weakness, infirmity, and sinfulness, God expects us to do something. The Savior waits for us to show our faith in something. The Lord expects our lives to be Christian, the lives of people who believe in God. And when we come to believe in God, we inevitably begin to imitate Him—we want to be like Him and to have at least something in our lives that was in the life of Christ.

Dear brothers and sisters, realizing all this, we all need each other’s support. We all need spiritual strength. And may God grant that we have friends in our lives like those of this sick man from the Gospel. So that someone might bring our paralyzed, wounded, and weak souls and let them down at the Savior’s feet; so that we may also hear from Him these inspiring and blessed words about the forgiveness of our sins. Not because we are worthy of it, but because there are those by whose faith God works in our lives.

May God grant that it may be in our lives as we have heard in the Gospel today. May God grant that we find the strength in our lives to support each other, to pray for each other. And when we see difficulties, weakness or sorrows in the lives of our loved ones, not to pass by, not to remain indifferent and passive, but act as the people we have heard about in the Gospel today; to do everything in our power to help others.

Dear friends, reflecting on all this, let’s force ourselves. Most of Lent is still ahead: four weeks are left, and we all have the opportunity to change our lives, to work; and not only to hear the Holy Scriptures, but to put them into practice in our lives.

Amen.

    

Prayer

The Pharisee prayed at length, while the The Parable of the Publican and the PhariseeThese, then, are the two different states – on the one hand, there is the prayer beginning with thanksgiving: God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are. This is seemingly an invocation of God, but in actual fact it is a confirmation of his ”ego”, for the core of pride, according to Venerable John Climacus, is ”the shameless parade of our labours”.

“>publican said only a few words: “O God! Be merciful to me, a sinner!” but it was he who left the Temple more justified. This means that true prayer is not in verbosity, in kneeling, in raising your hands, and many prostrations. True prayer involves, first of all, exploring yourself and your spiritual state, when the thoughts and mind of the one praying are directed into his soul, and sensing and deeply experiencing his unworthiness and sinfulness, he turns to God for help.

Secondly, true On PrayerWhat should someone do who doesn’t know any prayers, but desires to pray, to save his soul?

“>prayer is the movement of a man’s soul to the Heavenly Father, when his soul nearly leaves the body and rushes towards the Kingdom of God. In these moments, a man feels not only closeness to God but also unity with Him. When the fervent desire and grace of true prayer awaken in the soul, it greedily reaches out to the Lord like a hungry man for food and drink. During true prayer, a man is deaf to everything and his body doesn’t feel anything. He stands before the throne of God and, feeling his wretchedness, and senses the boundless mercy of God.

Thirdly, true prayer warms the human heart and directs it to good deeds. It awakens good intentions and aspirations in the human heart and destroys base desires and thoughts. Prayer makes a man glorify the Lord with his deeds, with his whole life. If a man’s external life is expressed in thoughts and actions, then his spiritual life consists of prayer and deeds. Prayer that doesn’t translate into concrete action isn’t true prayer. Likewise, every good deed we do is the same prayer, since it’s the fruit of the latter. In prayer, a man’s soul must be humble; we have to expose and accuse ourselves, regret and repent of our sins, begging God for mercy.

Before prayer, we have to prepare our soul and heart for it. When approaching the first prayer directly, attune yourself well to it, and don’t be like those who test the Lord. Show modesty and meekness and think about how you’re a pitiful, weak, and sinful creature, devoid of all spiritual merits. Remember that during prayer, you stand before the Lord, before Whom angels and all the Heavenly powers tremble, but at the same time before the Most Merciful Father, Who sees through our hearts and waits for what spiritual gift we’ll present to him. During prayer, we need to have our feelings, intentions, and soul align with the words we utter. After prayer, we have to look for the possibility of realizing everything we entreated the Lord for in prayer, and translating it into concrete deeds. We live poorly when we pray poorly, and we pray poorly when we live poorly. The true man of prayer is the one who involuntarily sheds tears during prayer.

Being a Christian

If you carefully observe today’s Christians and imagine their spiritual state, you’ll notice that they don’t think at all about how important and difficult it is to be a Christian, about how much labor and attention is needed to fulfill spiritual duties. They indulge in earthly vanity from morning till evening, never once turning their hearts to the Lord. Even the smallest danger and obstacle can shake their longing for the Lord and their love for Him, can shake their faith. The Apostle Paul testifies to how difficult and important the Christian life is. Inner strengthening, firmness, and durability, that is, a full-fledged spiritual life, requires great vitality and energy, and we mustn’t rely solely on our own strength, rather we need the power and help of the Savior.

Being a Christian means waging a relentless struggle against the evil powers and spirits that rule in the world. Therefore, a Christian must always be armed with spiritual weapons, for his spiritual enemies are ever at the ready to devour him. Let us add to this the need to fight with visible enemies—evil people, with our own passions and wicked inclinations that always seduce and alienate us from the Lord. But if we always and everywhere observe our great Christian faith and are strengthened by Divine grace, we can easily prevent any danger and successfully continue our spiritual ascent, overcoming our enemies and temptations. The Apostle Paul also teaches how a Christian can be strengthened. Inasmuch as this world is a sea of lies and injustice, you’ll inevitably drown in it if you don’t adorn yourself with truth and righteousness. In his earthly life, a Christian must preserve in his heart that peace and tranquility that is given us by the grace of the Gospel. Faith should be a Christian’s shield, and the word of God a spear in his hand. Only the Christian thus armed will be able to defeat spiritual and bodily enemies and pass through numerous dangers unharmed, to establish himself in the Kingdom of God.

Sin

The Savior healed a man who was seriously ill for thirty-eight years and told him not to sin anymore lest he bring even greater trouble upon himself. From this it follows that the cause of the man’s protracted illness was sin. Every sin causes a man either bodily or spiritual harm. A great sin brings great harm, and a small sin less harm. The first and most terrible fruit of sin is that through sin man is deprived of God’s grace and thereby destroys his soul. Sin is the source of many of man’s bodily torments. For example, gluttony causes many sicknesses; a man whose heart and soul are full of envy becomes restless, withers, wastes away physically—in a word, he falls into a miserable state. And of course, Fight Laziness… If You Aren’t Too LazyThere are several ways to overcome laziness, both psychological and spiritual.

“>laziness and idleness are bad for the body and cause sicknesses, because the human body is designed for labor and movement.

A man who sins not only plunges himself into sickness and misfortune, but also prepares ailments and trials for his offspring, for his bodily or spiritual properties pass on to his children and to all his descendants. This is evidenced by the question put to the Savior by His disciples concerning the man born blind: Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? (Jn. 9:2). Every sin is a seed that will surely bear bitter fruit in due time. Moreover, those who sin set a very bad example for their family members and others. Such a man passes on a heavy legacy to his descendants, who become unwitting heirs of his sins. The Lord intentionally links any misfortune with a specific sin, so that man, who naturally has a great predisposition to sin, would be fearful and wary. The opposites of sin are grace and virtue, which in this earthly life are the source of comfort and happiness for man.

The temptations of the devil

Don’t give the devil, that is, the tempter, any occasion or opportunity that he can use to approach you and destroy your soul. Our fierce spiritual enemy, the devil, entices and tempts us exactly to the degree that we ourselves provide the occasion for. The cause and occasion are always our evil inclinations, wicked passions, and negligence. Some people, out of stupidity or Pharisaism, attribute all their sins to the devil: “The devil tempted me; the enemy seduced me…” But let us recall the words of the Apostle Paul: Neither give place to the devil (Eph. 4:27), which makes clear that we ourselves give the devil the opportunity to tempt us. Remember, the devil constantly watches and tests you: What weaknesses, vulnerable spots, bad character traits, and tendencies reside within you? If he discovers that you’re greedy and self-serving, he’ll use this to plunge you into many sins; if he notices your hot temper and impetuousness, he’ll use them for your destruction. But most often, a man gives the devil a place in his heart when he’s lazy, idle, and spends his days doing nothing.

Virtue

It’s not enough for a Christian to avoid sin—he must also cultivate the On the Importance of the Virtues for Attaining Salvation, Part 1The general Patristic approach to battling with specific sinful passions includes not only the desire to cut off the occasions for a passion to emerge, but also forcing oneself to plant the opposing virtue in his soul.

“>virtues. To save our soul, it’s not enough to not be a predator; we have to be merciful. It’s not enough to not love lies—we have to selflessly defend the truth; we shouldn’t only not be adulterers—we also have to reject unclean thoughts.

Candles

A lighted candle teaches how our heart and soul should burn with a bright flame before the Lord, with prayer, faithfulness, and love.

Integrity

One of the Church’s main tasks is to take care of man’s integrity. The Lord Jesus Christ demands from us such moral integrity, self-confidence and conviction in our righteousness that we would naturally inspire trust and respect from those around us, that we wouldn’t need to swear to be believed, but that our word would be as firm as our deeds: Yes means yes, and no means no—and no swearing is needed. But only such people act this way, and others believe only those whose integrity and honesty are known to all. Some people constantly swear various oaths to strengthen their words and arguments, but no one believes them nevertheless, because others know quite well that these people are lacking in integrity and honesty.

What is this integrity? Integrity is when a man always speaks the truth and is sincere, always faithfully fulfills all his promises and the commandments, is afraid and ashamed of lies and unrighteous and cunning actions; he doesn’t insist on what he’s not firmly convinced of and doesn’t promise to do what he can’t do. In short, integrity is when a man’s words and deeds are united. What should awaken and strengthen integrity in a man’s heart? The consciousness that his honor was given to him by the Lord; and he must always remember, cherish, and preserve his honor, as well as the height and glory of human nature in general. Human nature possesses such honor that can’t be overestimated, for the Creator Himself didn’t spare even His own Son for its salvation and enlightenment.

Nothing so diminishes and debases the height of human nature as lying and cunning. We have to remember that without integrity, a man can be neither a good Christian nor a good citizen. Christianity is the fulfillment of the promise that we gave the Lord at our holy Baptism, in particular that we would be pure and honest, with love for God and man. Those who are lacking in integrity won’t be able to fulfill this vow. It is a poor and careless Christian who doesn’t remember this promise.

In this earthly world, our lives, private and civil, depend entirely on integrity. There’s no man who isn’t bound to someone by some condition or obligation. Our duty is to fulfill these obligations, namely: to be loving parents, to keep a sense of brotherhood, to respect relatives, to be loyal friends, to have proper relationships between elders and juniors, to be honest in business… All the numerous and multifaceted relationships are built on certain conditions, obligations, and their fulfillment. In society, where orderliness reigns, they revere and respect each other’s honor and dignity, for all members of society, and every endeavor succeeds; but where this is not the case, life is difficult.

Integrity is the adornment of a cleric. His first quality should be integrity. If a pastor is lacking in this quality, it’s an unspeakable disaster for the flock. His deceit and unrighteousness poison the flock.

Integrity is necessary for people of any profession, be it a government official, a merchant, or a housewife. Unfortunately, many today think that you can’t achieve or gain anything by integrity and that integrity leads a man to many troubles and sorrows. Such views are widespread and prevail where ignorance and immorality reign. Let’s imagine for a minute that all this is true and that a man can get rich at the price of the loss of his integrity and honor! Under no circumstance does a man have the right to compromise with his conscience; he mustn’t sell his honor and dignity for money. In such a situation, a man, if he’s a Christian, must recall the Gospel words: For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mk. 8:36-37).

We often forget how a man should protect and defend his honor and dignity. We must know that every lie, every vileness, every cunning, every base act deprives us of our honor and dignity. If you respect yourself and want to earn the respect of others, then first of all, you must watch out for your integrity. For a Christian, the most valuable treasures are his honor and dignity, and losing them is like death. If you want to be called a man, keep your honor and dignity by acting with integrity.

Photo: pravmir.ru     

The reading is from the gospel according to St. Mark 2:1-12

Today I would like to briefly explore the connection between St. Gregory Palamas: Traditionalist or Innovator?Although his theology was vindicated by several councils in Constantinople between 1341 and 1351, and he was canonized just nine years after his death in 1368, it remained a topic of disagreement. His theology and influence fell into nigh-obscurity from the late sixteenth century practically until the twentieth century, and today there is still disagreement within the Orthodox Church over how to understand his theology and interactions with his opponents, as well as continued debate from outside the Church.

“>St. Gregory Palamas and the second Sunday of Great Lent. First we must take a look at the gospel story of the paralyzed man. As Our Lord Christ encounters him He does something that was considered quite blasphemous at the time. He tells the man that his sins are forgiven. After a great degree of resistance from the on-lookers Our Lord asks “which is easier to say to the paralytic, “your sins are forgiven you” or to say “rise take up your bed and walk?”

I would submit that this is the connection to the great saint Gregory Palamas who lived almost 700 yrs ago. Gregory Palamas became archbishop of the great city of Thessaloniki (we know that St. Paul wrote at least two letters to the Christian community in that city some 650 years before Palamas). In fact, you can travel to Greece and visit the cathedral dedicated to him, and venerate his body which is in a side chapel of the church. This Gregory Palamas was called “the cause of all disorders and disturbances in the Church.” Now imagine that he was called “the cause of all disorders and disturbances in the Church” by the Patriarch of Constantinople himself. The year is 1344. This comment was made during a Church council and it caused this man to be thrown into prison for the next 4 years. Yet the Church in her wisdom has set aside this the Second Sunday. St. Gregory Palamas

“>second Sunday of Great Lent as Palamas Sunday.

Palamas understood through faithful practice that the body and soul must be saved together or they will perish together and he taught this quite publicly as bishop of the city of Thessaloníki. Among the spiritual practices taught by St. Gregory was the practice he learned from other monks called “stillness of the heart”, better known as hesychia or hesychasm. Stillness of the heart is the practice of quieting yourself to such a degree that you can finally come to hear the voice of God clearly in your heart as the psalmist writes “Be still and know that I am God.”

This teaching was not endorsed by all of the leaders or teachers of the Church. In fact, I might go so far as to say that most Christian denominations still do not believe this teaching or it’s consequences. Many western Christians look at growing in their faith as a matter of intellectual growth, but Palamas, learning from the fathers, saw growth as requiring purification of the body in order to open a relationship with the Holy Spirit. We are walled off from God through our sins and passions, and the ascetical disciplines and the practice of prayerful stillness, renew us to receive gifts and treasures from God. Christ our God forgives us, but somehow we are still left with residue and scars from our sins and the filth of our souls. So these practices help us to be cleansed and to hasten our healing. We are open to synergy with the Holy Spirit.

“Be still and know that I am God.” Think about how difficult it would be to be still?

We are so easily distracted by so many things from smart phones to computers to television to movies to music that we are filled to the brim. All these not only distract but they add layers around our heart by numbing it and holding it captive. So these things distract our attention and focus elsewhere and they also leave us wanting more.

The truth is that many of us are afraid of quiet time. We must have a radio or TV in the background or we must be talking to someone. Are we afraid of what we will find without these distractions in our lives? Maybe, but we also know that unless you get rid of all the external pacifiers you cannot actually be pacified. We are always looking for a painkiller but we rarely remember that the pain is there to point us to the fact that there is a problem that needs a cure not a cover up. Our problem is that we are sinful and we have rejected God and by chasing and loving everything but God we have created the emptiness that we feel. Yet there is a cure. Our cure is to constantly and diligently seek Jesus Christ through prayer at every moment of the day. We follow this diligent search for the Lord by pursuing Him in the life of the Church which is His body.

St. Gregory defended the idea that he learned from others and put into practice in his own life, namely that through solitude (time alone) as well as constant prayer such as the About the Jesus PrayerIn order not to get lost in the various methods and definitions of the Jesus Prayer, it’s enough to follow these teachers: St. John Climacus, St. Nilus of Sora, Fr. Seraphim of Sarov, and Dorotheos.

“>Jesus Prayer, one could fully begin to hear God and to speak to Him in a meaningful way. By focusing all our attention on God one can actually begin to commune with Him and to even see His glorious light with the faculty of the heart. In fact, our theology and the lived experience of the Orthodox saints tells us that through this path, we actually, truly, really, begin to know God in His energies.

Today is a reminder of the struggles that we face as we are paralyzed by our own sins. It is a reminder that when God heals us, He heals all of us and not just a part. Knowing this each of you must continue to really give God your heart, mind, soul and strength. In this way He will see your heart as usable material that He can sculpt into His next masterpiece. Or a place that He can turn into His glorious temple! I want to leave you with a quote a share nearly every year from St. Gregory Palamas, who writes, “Let not one think, my fellow Christian, that only priests and monks need to pray without ceasing and not laymen. No, no; every Christian without exception ought to dwell always in prayer.” AMEN.

Chicago, March 13, 2025

Photo: mitropolia.us     

The Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral of Sts. Constantine and Helen hosted a pan-Orthodox celebration over the weekend, gathering hierarchs, clergy, and faithful from various jurisdictions.

“It was a celebration of faith, tradition, and communion, where heaven and earth united in prayer, and the hearts of those present were enveloped in sacred joy,” writes Fr. Ștefan Drăgoi, Secretary of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of the United States of America.

On Saturday evening, March 8, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas celebrated Vespers with a host of clergy. In honor of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, Fr. Ștefan offered a homily on the significance of icons in the life of Christians.

The next morning, Met. Nicolae was joined by hierarchs from four jurisdictions: Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese), Archbishop Daniel of Chicago and the Midwest (Orthodox Church in America), Bishop Serafim of Kostajnica (Serbian Orthodox Church), Bishop Ioan of Canada (Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas), and Bishop Timothy of Hexamilion (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese).

Photo: mitropolia.us     

Before the Divine Liturgy, the cathedral’s newly completed iconography was solemnly consecrated. “Through the anointing with Holy and Great Chrism and the sprinkling with holy water, these icons were transformed into windows to heaven, channels of divine grace descending upon the faithful who pray with devotion.”

During the Divine Liturgy, the homily was offered by Met. Nathanael of the Greek Archdiocese. A moleben of thanksgiving was offered after the service, especially in honor of this year’s celebration of the centenary of the Romanian Church’s status as a Patriarchate.

After the services, the women of the cathedral offered a Lenten meal. Reflecting on the consecration of the cathedral iconography, Met. Nicolae said:

As the psalmist says, “Standing in the Church of Your glory, we feel as if we are in Heaven,” and today, we too sense that we have ascended a step closer to the Kingdom of God. Yet, our work does not end here. We are now called to an even deeper mission—to build within the hearts of our children and youth a love for Christ, a steadfast faith, and the awareness of belonging to a people with a rich tradition and profound spirituality.

That evening, the same hierarchs, together with His Grace Bishop Alexei of Alaska (Orthodox Church in America), celebrated Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers at Holy Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago, as Seven hierarchs gather in Chicago to celebrate Triumph of Orthodoxy Vespers (+VIDEO)Seven hierarchs representing four Orthodox jurisdictions came together in Chicago on Sunday evening for the annual tradition of Pan-Orthodox Vespers in honor of the feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.

“>OrthoChristian previously reported.

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Kalyazin, Tver Province, Russia, March 13, 2025

Photo: tvereparhia.ru     

The famous Kalyazin Bell Tower, whose image is known throughout the world, has been returned to the ownership of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The relevant documents were transferred to Hieromonk Ambrose (Zhelyabovsky), the abbot of the Hierarchical Metochion-the Church of the Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos of the former Holy Trinity-Makaryev Monastery in Kalyazin, Tver Province, reports the Tver Diocese.

His Eminence Metropolitan Ambrose of Tver reflected on the importance of this event:

The Kalyazin Bell Tower of the flooded St. Nicholas Cathedral is the only remnant of Kalyazin’s once magnificent church ensembles, which included the famous Holy Trinity-Makaryev Monastery, one of the spiritual and cultural centers of the ancient Tver land.

Today, the famous Kalyazin Bell Tower rightfully remains one of the main spiritual, cultural, and tourist landmarks of the region.

Its transfer to the Tver Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church under the care of the emerging monastery on the island is not just the return of a historical shrine, but also an important step toward the spiritual restoration of our land.

The monastery, once devastated and flooded, is again becoming a place of prayer, monastic feats, and spiritual nourishment for people. The bell tower, which has survived centuries and preserved its appearance amidst the waters, has become not only a reminder of the past but also hope for the future.

We pray that prayers and bell ringing will once again sound in this place, proclaiming eternal truths about our people’s faith and the revival of our ancient and great land.

The bell tower was built in 1800 as part of the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the St. Nicholas on the Zhabna Convent. It stands 245 feet tall.

In the 1940s, during the construction of the Uglich Hydroelectric Power Station and the creation of the Uglich Reservoir on the Volga, part of Kalyazin was flooded. The St. Nicholas Cathedral with its bell tower were also surrounded by water. The cathedral was dismantled, but it was decided to keep the bell tower as a lighthouse.

It became a local landmark famous throughout Russia.

During restoration work in 2021, the foundation was reinforced, the church’s facades and interiors were restored, and the cross was renovated.

Prayer services are regularly held in the chapel located in the bell tower.

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Jordanville, New York, March 13, 2025

Photo: YouTube     

On February 23, Elder Savvas of Mt. Athos, one of the most beloved spiritual fathers in Greece today, offered a spiritual talk at the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia’s Holy Trinity Monastery and Seminary in Jordanville, New York.

His talk was entitled, “The Danger of Silence: Speaking the True Faith in Times of Compromise.”

Fr. Savvas spoke about both good and bad silence, being careful while listening, not cooperating with heretical leaders, how everyone has the responsibility to speak, the weakness of modern Christians, when bishops should not be obeyed, standing up for the truth, and much more:

​

This was not the Elder’s first visit to Jordanville. In October, he also offered a talk on spiritual laws.

***

Elder Savvas of Mt. Athos began his monastic journey at the Holy Kelli of the Entrance of the Theotokos in Kerasia on Mt. Athos. He holds degrees in both Dentistry and Theology from the University of Thessaloniki, where he also earned a Master’s in Theology under Dr. Demetrios TselengidisTselengidis, Dr. Demetrios

“>Professor Demetrios Tselengides.

Fr. Savvas is the spiritual father of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in the Diocese of Edessa, northern Greece. With tireless dedication, he teaches and guides the faithful, not only within his diocese and throughout Greece, but globally through his online homilies and lectures.

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On March 14 the Russian Orthodox Church honors the memory (the repose) of Nun Martyr Eudokia (Eudoxia) of Heliopolis, head of a community of women ascetics.¹

St. Eudokia of Heliopolis     

St. Eudokia was born in the Phoenician city of Heliopolis (now Baalbek in Lebanon). She was a Samaritan by birth and was famous for her amazing beauty, which played a cruel trick on her. For some time the future saint lived in prostitution, seducing many with the beauty of her face and figure and thus gaining her wealth. But the Lord did not forsake her and brought St. Eudokia to salvation in the following way.

On the other side of the wall in the house where St. Eudokia lived in Heliopolis, a Christian had taken up residence, and once a certain ascetic named Herman once stayed overnight there. Through the thin partition between the rooms, St. Eudokia once heard them read the Holy Scriptures at night, and some of the verses immediately touched her heart. She heard about the eternal bliss that awaits those who live righteously on earth, and about the retribution that awaits sinners.

She was particularly struck by these Gospel words: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell (Matt. 5:27–29).

St. Eudokia’s heart almost stopped beating in her breast. She realized that these verses were addressed specifically to her. She burst out crying and through her tears continued to listen to the ascetic’s reading: And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth… Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt. 25:30, 41).

The verses of the Holy Gospel about the On the Last JudgmentThe Gospel calls to purity and a pious life us who await the “day of the Lord”.

“>Last Judgment of the Lord that awaits every human being horrified the future saint Eudokia. The grace of God touched her heart, and the young woman clearly understood the terrible sin she had been living in. She continued weeping, as she clearly saw that the Lord would judge her, a sinner. St. Eudokia realized that if she did not change her life, she would be sent to eternal torment.

St. Eudokia couldn’t sleep at all that night. She shed tears until the first rays of the sun.

Early in the morning St. Eudokia knocked timidly on the next door.

“Come in,” a cheerful voice invited her.

With fear the woman entered the humbly furnished room with a table, a bench, and a small shelf for dishes in it. An elderly man was standing in the middle of the room. Judging by a prayer rope in his hand, he was still praying.

When the ascetic saw the woman, he asked her kindly:

“What brought you to me, my child?”

St. Eudokia bowed to the elder and said in a low, breaking voice:

“Elder, help me—give me advice on how to go on living.”

Herman realized that the young woman really needed his help. He went to St. Eudokia’s room right away.

    

When they sat down on a bench by the window, the elder, seeing that St. Eudokia could not gather her thoughts and had been shaken by something, began to tell her about his pilgrimage to holy places. Then he asked her again:

“What is bothering you?”

St. Eudokia asked him the question that had been tormenting her all that night:

“Father, teach me how to avoid On The Sufferings in Hell and the Kingdom of GodThe kingdom of God is within you (Lk. 17:21), said the Lord; that is, in the heart. Therefore, it is necessary to seek it out in the heart, cleansing it of the passions and assaults of the enemy, judging and reproaching no one…—St. Macarius of Optina

“>suffering in hell for my sinful life.”

Elder Herman started speaking. St. Eudokia listened to him attentively for a long time. The ascetic spoke about the Lord Jesus Christ, His commandments, and eternal life. And St. Eudokia’s soul was coming alive and straightening up, as if cleansed of its sins. The young woman was being filled with indescribable joy and love for Jesus Christ.

Herman gave St. Eudokia advice:

“My child, if my words have touched your heart, you need to be baptized, become a true Christian and start living according to the commandments of God. Give away the wealth acquired by your dissolute life, and then, if your heart is so inclined, join a community of women ascetics. Now, I advise you to spend time in repentance, fasting and prayer.”

St. Eudokia thanked the elder warmly, and then asked him:

“Father, you have taught me much, and my heart has found the solace I have been looking for for a long time. Come back here in a few days.”

When some time later Fr. Herman came to St. Eudokia again, she welcomed him with joy and immediately asked him:

“Father, I thought a long time about your advice, wept over my past sinful life, prayed to God to forgive me, and fasted. And now I want to be baptized.”

Fr. Herman invited a priest. Theodotus, Bishop of Heliopolis, baptized St. Eudokia after a trial period and catechumenate. Thus a former harlot became a Christian.

    

The first thing she did was to distribute her wealth among the poor and the destitute. And then, on the advice of Fr. Herman, she became a member of a community of unmarried women ascetics, where she devoted all her energies and time to labors, repentance and the feats of ascetic life. Her feats of penance were especially austere: She spent days and nights incessantly imploring the Lord to forgive her past depraved life.

The Lord endowed the repentant St. Eudokia with spiritual gifts. Soon she became the head of a community of women ascetics. One day a young pagan named Philostrates came to her community. He donned the garb of an ascetic, went into St. Eudokia’s cell and said to her:

“I remember you well, because, like you, I come from the city of Heliopolis. I am here to persuade you to return to your native city. You are still young and beautiful, so all the men you knew will be happy to welcome you. You will become rich and independent again.”

St. Eudokia answered him angrily:

“May the God of retribution forbid you! This will never happen!”

And at the same moment the deceiver suddenly dropped dead.

St. Eudokia called all the women of her community to her cell and begged them to pray for Philostrates. Earnest prayers to the Lord were offered up in all the cells of her community, and St. Eudokia herself, kneeling down, prayed for a long time and fervently asked God to reveal His will to her concerning this pseudo-ascetic. And the Lord appeared to St. Eudokia and said:

“Rise, Eudokia, kneel down and pray, and your tempter will come back to life.”

St. Eudokia thanked the Lord warmly and intensified her prayer for Philostrates. And a miracle occurred! Philostrates rose from the dead. He opened his eyes, saw St. Eudokia standing by his side and said:

“Forgive me, Mother. I didn’t know what I had done.”

Soon Philostrates was baptized in this community, then went to Heliopolis, and after offering repentance he set out on the right path. He always remembered the grace of the Lord Who had given him time to repent and mend his ways.

But after a while, St. Eudokia faced a new trial: the Governor Aurelian was misinformed that after converting to Christianity St. Eudokia had allegedly hidden her wealth in the community. Aurelian sent soldiers to seize non-existent jewels and gold. The soldiers approached the community.

And then a miracle occurred again. For three whole days the soldiers unsuccessfully tried to come close to the walls of the community, but some invisible force would throw them back each time.

Aurelian was told about the miraculous defense of the community and its protection by the power of God. The enraged ruler did not heed Divine Providence. He called his son and said to him:

“My son, you will lead the vanguard of soldiers. Go with it to the community where you will find money and treasures, and bring them back from there.”

However, Aurelian was again met with failure, or rather, a tragedy: on the very first day of the journey his son injured his leg and died. Distraught with grief, the father no longer thought about some mythical “wealth”, weeping over the body of his young dead son. Philostrates, who happened to be nearby, advised Aurelian:

“I see your great bereavement. St. Eudokia, the head of the community that your soldiers attempted to take by force, can help you. Ask her to bring your son back to life by prayer.”

Aurelian instantly sent a messenger to the community. Surprisingly, this time the messenger was able to ride up to the walls of the community and enter the courtyard unhindered. He conveyed Aurelian’s request to St. Eudokia. She began to pray to the Lord Jesus Christ at once, and He raised the young man from the dead. Seeing this miracle, Aurelian and all those around him—his family and the city residents—came to believe in the Savior and were baptized.

St. Eudokia converted many pagans to Christ.

When the persecution of Christians intensified, St. Eudokia was seized and taken to the Governor Diogenes. His military commander Diodorus began to torture her. At that moment, a man from his house ran up to Diodorus and said:

“Lord, I am here to tell you that your wife Firmina has died suddenly.”

Diodorus, instantly forgetting about his duties as St. Eudokia’s executioner, fell at the saint’s feet and exclaimed in despair:

“Holy Eudokia, forgive me and help me! Bring my young wife back to life, for she has just died.”

St. Eudokia had ardent faith in the Lord and sincerely loved people. She turned to God with fervent prayer and besought Him to bring the dead woman back to life. After a while the messenger came running from Diodorus’ house again. He shouted from afar: “My lord! Great joy! Firmina has come back to life! She is safe and sound!”

Having experienced such a miracle, the power and mercy of the Lord, the Governor of Heliopolis Diogenes and his commander Diodorus were converted to Christ and soon received Holy Baptism together with their households, servants, and soldiers. And St. Eudokia stayed in Diodorus’ house for some time to tell the newly converted Christians about the life and commandments of Jesus Christ.

Soon Diodorus had the opportunity to perform a miracle himself through prayer, showing the glory of God.

One day, when the only son of a Christian widow was working in the garden, he was bitten by a snake and died. His mother was crying bitterly. Having learned about this, St. Eudokia told Diodorus:

“The time has come for you to show your faith in the Almighty God Who answers the prayers of repentant sinners, and by His mercy, fulfills their petitions. Resurrect the son of the inconsolable widow by your prayer.”

“I am unworthy to perform this miracle. I have no such boldness before the Lord,” Diodorus lamented.

“Offer up your sincere prayer to the Lord, and He will hearken to it,” St. Eudokia replied.

    

Relying on St. Eudokia’s instructions, Diodorus began to pray fervently, invoking the Lord. Then he pronounced:

“In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, young man, rise!”

In front of the astonished people the widow’s son opened his eyes and slowly rose from the ground. The overjoyed mother rushed to hug her resurrected son, whom she had not expected to see alive.

After that, St. Eudokia returned to her community in the city of Heliopolis, where she struggled for fifty-six long years.

After Diogenes’ death, the new governor of Heliopolis was Vincent. He began his reign with the brutal persecution of Christians. St. Eudokia was also seized. She bravely confessed the Christian faith, refused to worship pagan idols and called on her persecutors to embrace the true faith. The Governor Vincent ordered that St. Eudokia be beheaded by a sword. On March 1/14, around 160–170 A.D., St. Eudokia was slain and received the crown of martyrdom.

Greece, March 14, 2025

Photo: Romfea     

Two retired hierarchs of the Greek Orthodox Church reposed in the Lord yesterday, March 13.

Metropolitan Anthimos, who led the Metropolis of Thessaloniki for nearly two decades until his resignation in Long-time bishop of Thessaloniki resignsMetropolitan Anthimos (Roussas), who has led the Metropolis of Thessaloniki for nearly two decades, submitted his letter of resignation to the Archbishop of Athens on Monday.

“>August 2023, departed to the Lord at the age of 91, reports Romfea.

He had been sick for a few months and was being treated at home.

His funeral will be held on Saturday at the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Thessaloniki and he will be buried at the Metropolitan Church of St. Gregory Palamas.

Later in the day, it was reported that the retired Metropolitan Titus of Paramythia also reposed, at the age of 94, at the hospital in Preveza where he was being treated. He served in the episcopal dignity for 41 years.

May their memories be eternal!

***

Met. Anthimos was born in Salmoni, Ilia Prefecture, on October 26, 1934. He studied philology and theology at the University of Athens. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1964 and to the priesthood in 1965. He served in the Archdiocese of Athens until 1974.

On July 14, 1974, he was consecrated Metropolitan of Alexandroupolis, where he served as hierarch for 30 years, during which 35 new churches and two monasteries were built from the ground up. Four social service institutions were also built.

On April 26, 2004, he was elected as Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, where he continued his work of building churches and social ministries. He also reorganized the Higher Ecclesiastical Academy of Thessaloniki and reformed the Holy Metropolis of Thessaloniki’s St. Gregory Palamas Educational and Cultural Foundation.

Met. Titus was born in Piraeus in 1931. He graduated from the Theological School of the University of Athens in 1964 and was ordained a deacon and priest in 1966.

He served as a preacher in the Metropolis of Kefallinia.

On July 17, 1974, he was ordained Metropolitan of Paramythia, Filiates and Giromeri.

On August 18, 2023, he submitted his resignation, which was accepted by the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece on August 25, 2023.

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