Visit of the Myrrh-streaming Icon of St. Nicholas to St. John of San Francisco Monastery

On Wednesday, June 29, upon the request of Metropolitan Demetrius of America, Fr. Elias Warnke brought the myrrh-streaming icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker to the Russian Orthodox Center in Richmondville, NY, the location of the Clergy Synaxis of the GOC. The icon was brought out for the two days of the Synaxis, and then was taken to St. John of San Francisco Monastery in Cobleskil, NY (located only some 10 minutes away) for the vigil on the night of Friday, July 1. It was venerated by hundreds of faithful, and the next morning, the day of the Feast of St. John, swabs of cotton soaked in the miraculous oil were handed out to all the pilgrims.

This icon began streaming on the feastday of St. Nicholas (December 6/19) 1996, and has not ceased to stream fragrant myrrh and work miracles over the past 20 years. Its guardian is Fr. Elias Warnke, who was the parish priest of the church where the icon began streaming.

It was an occasion of much rejoicing to have the icon present for the Clergy Synaxis and for the feastday of the new monastery of St. John. May St. Nicholas and St. John Maximovitch send their blessing upon the Metropolis of America and the new Monastery!

Orthodox Awareness

Bartholomew Prays at Iftar

Iftar, refers to the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Iftar is one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community, with people gathering to break their fast together. Iftar is done right after sunset.

We report the following unchanged as it was published:

"The leaders of the Armenian, Roman, Jewish and Syrian communities of Turkey sat around the fasting Iftar dinner in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul." Read more...

Missions

Saint Matthew the Evangelist, Jonesboro, Arkansas

Jonesboro is a town located near the Eastern border of Arkansas, with a population of approximately 60,000. From a human standpoint, it’s not the most likely candidate for a traditional Orthodox mission, but for an Orthodox Christian who orders his priorities around Christ and His Church, it makes perfect sense. Read more...

Youth

2025 Youth Conference

Please join us for the 2025 youth conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada! To learn more, visit the conference website.

Ask A Priest

Is the GOC Insular?

Q. In considering becoming part of the GOC in America, I am getting warnings from various circles that the attitude of GOC people is that of being “walled off,” “arrogant,” “judgmental,” and “in your face” toward those not in the Genuine Orthodox Church, with accusations such as “World Orthodox” priests are “not even Christians” and the like. Could you give me your personal, realistic assessment of this dynamic and possibly refer me to an official statement on how GOC members should and do relate to and communicate with those in “World Orthodoxy”? Read more...