We Must Embrace Our Material Self, Together With Our Soul Unlike angels, who are entirely spiritual beings, God has made each of us as creatures dwelling in a material world. To be whole, we must worship God both in body and soul. This teaching is central to our Christian faith
Author: Abbot Tryphon
I am abbot of All-Merciful Saviour Orthodox Monastery (ROCOR) on Vashon Island, WA. The island is a twenty minute ferry ride from West Seattle, and a fifteen minute crossing from Tacoma.
Surrounded by the Salish Sea, the island is some 87% undeveloped forest, with a rural population of around eleven thousand citizens. If you wish to contact me personally, you can email me at: abbottryphon@vashonmonks.com
We Must Refrain From Becoming the Super Correct Driven by fear, there are people who leave the Church and head into schism. In Greece there are at least eighteen “Old Calendar” Orthodox churches who claim to be THE Church, not recognizing each other as canonical. In the United States there
We Must Not Allow Ethnicity to Become a Barrier to a Life of Faith Over the years I have heard many grief stricken parents and grandparents lament the loss of their children and grandchildren from the Church. Sad as it may be, I’m not usually surprised, for over and over I’ve
https://www.patristicfaith.com/orthodox-christianity/a-gift-from-god/
God Arranges Everything for Our Salvation I have chosen not to take the vaccine. I do not think any vaccine will prevent anyone from getting Covid, and I have read with increased horror as the evidence has become increasingly clear within the scientific community that this vaccine is in reality
Building a Strong Domestic Church Knowing the history of lengthy power outages on Vashon Island, our monastic brotherhood planned ahead for such events. We have a propane fireplace in our library, as well as smaller propane heaters in the cells, which provide heat. We have kerosene lanterns and candle light,
The Feast of Saint Herman of Alaska (according to the Julian Calendar) The following post was sent to me by His Grace, Bishop George of Australia. I wish to share it with all of you on this, the Feast of Saint Herman of Alaska. For all of you who are
We Must Be a Signpost Pointing Toward a Bright and Happy Future One of the most beloved movies ever made was Frank Capra’s, “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Starring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, the movie tells the story of an ever optimistic man, who, while facing life’s hardships, sets aside
The Importance of Preparing for the Divine Liturgy That the Church requires us to prepare to receive the Holy Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ, prior to the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, by saying the Pre-Communion Prayers, is a given. The Church also requires us to fast