With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Demetrius of America and His Grace Bishop Maximus of Pelagonia, the Hermitage of San Ignacio in Santa Cruz Naranjo, Guatemala (which is the residence of Bishop Maximus) announces the official opening of its online store for buying coffee produced at the Monastery. The coffee is grown by the monks working together with local farmers. It is cultivated at a high altitude (5,000 ft.) and in volcanic soil, which guarantees an excellent brew. After being cleaned and dried in Guatemala, the beans are sent by ship to the United States, where they are roasted and packed by a dedicated team of volunteers from our Holy Metropolis. Ordering online is easy: just select the package you want, pay using one of the multiple options provided, and your order will be shipped immediately to your house or parish. All proceeds go to supporting the Monastery and missionary work in Latin America and Africa, so please help spread the Word of God by purchasing high quality and reasonably priced San Ignacio Coffee!
We also encourage parishes to use San Ignacio Coffee for their coffee hours and luncheons. Special prices are available for bulk orders to parishes.
The online store may be found here: http://Sanignaciocoffee.com. May God bless all of you for your support, and may Saint Ignatius the God-bearer intercede on our behalf!
In the early 20th century, the idea of promoting the union of Churches (Orthodox and heterodox) began to gain ground among circles in the Eastern Orthodox Church by establishing a "Communion of Churches" modeled on the League of Nations.
The Patriarchal Encyclical of 1920 foresaw a series of steps toward the “union of the Churches,” of which the first was the change of the calendar for the simultaneous celebration of feast days by all the “Churches.” The content of the encyclical was kept secret from the faithful and only after a few years became known. Read more...
Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church is a beautiful mission parish near downtown Tucson, a city in southern Arizona. It was started in 1997 by Father John Bockman, who was a missionary Priest formerly serving missions in Tennessee and Massachusetts since 1990. Father John served the faithful in Tucson and the surrounding area in his home Chapel until his repose in November of 2000. His wife, Presbytera Valerie, continued to make her home Chapel available for the mission, with clergy from Saint Nectarios Orthodox Church in Seattle and His Eminence, Metropolitan Moses of Toronto (then of Portland), visiting to provide the Divine Services.
Read more...2021 St. Xenia Camp
Greetings St. Xenia Camp family,
As previously announced, through the intercessions of St. Xenia, the prayers of so many of you, and with the blessing of Metropolitan Demetrius, St. Xenia Camp 2021 will return to Forest Acres in Fryeburg, Maine August 15-21! Given the continued impact of COVID-19, camp this year may yet be somewhat different from the past Forest Acres experiences. We are sharing this information ahead of registration so that all families can make an informed decision on whether they feel comfortable sending their camper(s) this year. [Read more...]
Q. Are the prayers in the blue prayer book [A Prayerbook for Orthodox Christians by the Holy Transfiguration Monastery —ed.] compulsory for everyone? I mean their morning prayers and the service of Small Compline. My confessor gave me a special rule but wasn’t clear about whether this replaced the book prayers or was in addition to them. Read more...