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!
Why do we follow the Old Orthodox Calendar?
a Because based on it, the First Ecumenical Council established the Paschal Canon and appointed that the feast of Holy Pascha may fall anywhere from March 22nd until April 25th, while with the New (Papal) Calendar it can fall as late at May 8th.
b The Gregorian (Papal) Calendar has been condemned by three Pan-Orthodox Councils under Patriarch Jeremiah Tranos (1583, 1587, 1589) Read more...
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...
2025 Youth Conference
Please join us for the 2025 youth conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada! To learn more, visit the conference website.
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...