The place where heaven and earth are united As a priest, I bear the awesome burden of offering the Holy Oblation before the Throne of God, on behalf of all the people whose names are submitted to the monastery, and who are Orthodox. I offer for my monks, and my
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
The holiness of the Church During each and every celebration of the Divine Liturgy, we, as the people of God, recite the Nicene Creed. This ancient declaration is the very core of our common faith, and connects us to the teachings of the Ancient Church. In this creed we declare
Darkness does not exist in its own right Our Orthodox Christian theology views evil not as a primeval essence that is co-eternal and equal to God, but rather a falling away from good. Evil does not exist in and of itself, and was not created by God. Our Orthodox Church
Priests must serve with simplicity and love Orthodoxy has traditionally avoided clericalism, yet in more recent times this very corruption of priestly service has enter the doors of the Orthodox Church. The quest for honor has led many clergy to participate in a culture of abuse, where they even turn on
Our capacity to forgive is directly related to our capacity to love The ability to forgive others requires work on our part, for we must cooperate with the grace that comes as a gift of the Holy Spirit. Since we have been forgiven much, we, in turn, must forgive much.
Passing the crucible is not an option Our monastery has been inundated with visitors for the past number of years, and there seems to be no letup in the number of pilgrims wanted to spend time at the monastery. Additionally, numerous men are requested a chance to stay for a
Given the polarization of the nation that has taken place since the results of the presidential election have been made known, I was asked to repost the following essay previously posted on October 29th. Be Not Afraid God is still in charge As Orthodox priests our true nation is the Church,
A feeble attempt at restoring Ancient Christianity The “Messianic Jews” are a heretical group whose claim of reestablishing ancient “Jewish Christianity”, is a denial of the Orthodox Church’s claim to be the very Church founded by Christ Himself. These people are simply attempting to reestablish a Church that has already
Witnessing sustainable living to all who visit our monastery We monks have been raising free range hens for many years now, and enjoying the beautiful brown eggs, with the delicious flavor and deep colored yolks, while treating our hens, as we do all animals, as God’s creatures. They have feelings,
Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit The Divine Liturgy begins with the words, “Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit now and forever and to the ages of ages”. This kingdom