Great Lent Encyclical 2014

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By Metropolitan Demetrius
Created on Saturday, 01 March 2014 22:05

Beloved children of the Holy Metropolis of America,

I greet you all in Our Lord for the first time as the Primate of the Holy Metropolis of America.

We are entering the blessed stadium of the virtues. It is the time for repentance, the time for cleansing, the time for spiritual renewal, and the time for dedication.

The services teach us how to enter this period:

“By fasting from foods, O my soul, and yet not cleansing thyself from passions, in vain dost thou boast in not eating. For unless the undertaking is unto thy correction, like a liar hated by God, thou art likened unto the evil demons who never eat. Do not sin, therefore, thereby making the Fast useless, but remain unmoved by unseemly impulses, resolving to stand before the Saviour Who was crucified, yea rather, to be crucified together with Him that was crucified for thee, crying unto Him: Remember me, O Lord, when Thou comest in Thy Kingdom”.

Let us take note that we need to be crucified together with Christ, that is, we need to pick up our Cross and endure the hardships of this life with thanksgiving.

Let us pray for our Local Church, that our merciful Lord would continue to guide us all into His heavenly Kingdom.

May God give you all the strength to endure the struggles of Great Lent, with peace, humility and repentance.

Your fervent suppliant before the Lord,

+Demetrius of America

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Orthodox Awareness

A Miracle of Saint Spyridon

This miracle of Saint Spyridon took place in Mandra, Greece in 1926.

It was 12/25 December, 1926. The state Church of Greece adopted the Papal calendar and with the help of the Greek government persecuted all those who did not accept the Papal calendar. The faithful Orthodox Christians of Mandra woke up and headed to their Church to celebrate the Feast of Saint Spyridon. When they reached the Church they saw that the door to the Church had been secured with chains and the faithful could not enter. Before leaving the Church to return to their homes they stuck their candles on the door. As soon as the last person placed his candles on the door

the chains broke and fell. The faithful, confirmed in their Faith, entered the Church and celebrated the Feast of Saint Spyridon.

The miracle was reported the next day by the newspaper Skrip.

Missions

Saint John of Kronstadt - Bunnell, Florida

St. John of Kronstadt Orthodox Church began as a mission parish in the year 2000, in a home chapel in Palm Coast, FL – a small town on Florida’s northeast coast located between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. After two years, it became necessary to have services in area community centers, rented for Sundays and other Holy Days. Read more...

Youth

2023 Youth Conference

Please join us for the 2023 youth conference in Chicago, IL! To learn more, visit the home page or visit the conference website.

Ask A Priest

Fasting

Q. There seems to be a lot of variation in how people observe fasting, but my confessor told me to fast from oil on Wednesday and Friday. Oil is a pretty vague category, though, and I was wondering if I could get a more explicit description of what kinds of food and drink are excluded on strict fast days. Read more...