Permanent Imam is appointed at Hagia Sophia The position of Imam at Hagia Sophia that was established in 1936 but remained vacant for years has now been filled, as a permanent Imam has been appointed. According to the decision of the Mufti of Fatih district and the Religious Affairs Service
Category: The Morning Offering
The Age of Innocence is found within The recent Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to Bob Dylan brought back a flood of memories for me, for he and his music were the center of my musical life, way back when. Like many of my contemporaries, I had immersed myself in
The limits of human reason and the knowledge of God There is the seen, and there is the unseen, the material and the immaterial. That which is material can be scientifically examined and experienced, the immaterial can only be seen and experienced spiritually. These are two worlds that are only
Cremation versus the Orthodox practice of burial The first time I ever attended a funeral service where cremation of the body of the deceased had taken place was in Portland, Oregon, many years ago. An Episcopal priest friend had died and had requested his body be cremated. Walking into the
I’ve never met an atheist! The young man announced at the beginning of a college class, that he was an atheist. I’d been invited as a guest lecturer, and had opened the talk with the observation that everyone has a nous that hungers for God. This young man took exception,
Taking Orthodoxy beyond the self-congratulatory We must guard against noticing when another parishioner seems careless in the making of the sign of the cross, while we go about demonstrating for all around us, the proper way. Making sweeping signs of the cross that are done in such a way as
Children must be taught kindness at an early age More and more frequently we read about children taking their own lives, having reached a place where they would rather be dead, than live another hour suffering from bullying. Too often parents and teachers have ignored the problem of bullying, dismissing
We must strive to make a good confession Following His glorious Resurrection, as He appeared to His Disciples, the Lord Jesus Christ gave the command that, “Whosoever’s sins you remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever’s sins you retain, they are retained John 20:23.” From that moment in history, the
My journey to Maine I will be traveling to Maine, early today, to baptize my niece’s third child, a baby girl. She and her husband Nicholas now have three beautiful children, and are members of Saint Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Church, in Richmond, Maine. Father Chad Williams is their priest, and
Church as Hospital of the Soul Our Orthodox Faith defines sin as an illness that is in need of healing, not as a crime that requires punishment. The Church is a hospital for the soul whose therapists (priests) first sought therapy and then became the therapists. As a healing institution