Featured Articles
Fourth Sunday in Lent: St. John of the Ladder
Let us honor John, that pride of ascetics, that angel on earth, that man of God in heaven, that adornment of the world, and that bliss of virtues and good deeds; for, planted in the house of God, he flourished with justice; and, like a cedar tree in the wilderness, he caused the flock of Christ to grow, those sheep endowed with speech, in righteousness and justice.
--Vespers of the Feast
On the fourth Sunday in Lent we commemorate St. John, the great seventh-Century ascetic and author of The Ladder of Divine Ascent. As we continue the Lenten fast, we recall St. John's account of the labors necessary to approach God, and we take comfort in the Lord's words: "he who endures to the end will be saved" (Mt 24:13).
Ascending the Ladder: An online study class from Orthdox Christian Network
Antiochian Heritage Museum Opens "Spirit and Whimsy" Chocheli Exhibit
On March 15, the Antiochian Heritage Museum at Antiochian Village is opening a one-of-a-kind exhibit featuring the art of Niko Chocheli. "Spirit and Whimsy" marks the first time that a comprehensive exhibit of Chocheli's work, with examples from each of the books that he has illustrated, has ever been presented.
Niko Chocheli is one of the foremost artists to emerge from the Republic of Georgia, a nation rich in early Christian history. An acclaimed iconographer, illustrator, and award-winning artist, Chocheli draws upon the artistic traditions of both East and West, as well as his Orthodox Christian heritage, creating colorful and expressive paintings which have been shown throughout the world and which are held in many prestigious collections.
Antiochian Women's Month
Mother Alexandra Describes 2010 ProjectPlease visit our Antiochian Women web page!
2010 Women's Month Brochure (PDF)
The month of March has been designated as Antiochian Women’s Month by His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP. During the month of March every year, women are encouraged to express the fullness of their ministry in the Church. Sponsored by the Antiochian Women, each local chapter is encouraged to hold activities during the month of March and to participate in the Liturgy by reading the Epistle, delivering the homily, and ministering to the parish, the archdiocese, and the community.
Especially during the month of March, women are encouraged to minister to the needs of the poor, infirm and aged, engage in local charitable and humanitarian works, and raise funds for the Project of the Antiochian Women.
Conciliar Press Introduces New Resources
Conciliar Press has announced a new release of their most popular book, Becoming Orthodox, by Fr. Peter Gillquist. This edition of the best-seller includes an epilogue, "Coming Up on Twenty-Five Years," and will be featured soon as Conciliar's first audio book, read by the author himself. Additionally, the Press is moving into the world of digital publishing and has released their first Kindle book, Dimitri's Cross, the story of Fr. Dimitri Klepinin, an Orthodox priest serving in Nazi-occupied Paris.
Additionally, the two journals, The Handmaiden and AGAIN, will gain a second life in the new Conciliar reading room currently under construction. The Press also plans to provide online periodicals in the future, as CEO John Maddex explained in a recent interview.
1. Recently Conciliar held its annual editorial board meeting. How does your leadership plan to navigate all the changes taking place in the greater publishing world?
This is both an exciting and challenging time for all publishers including Conciliar Press. Exciting in terms of opportunities to harness new technologies to disseminate the life giving message of the Orthodox Faith.
March 2010 Issue of The Word Magazine Now Available Online
The March 2010 issue contains the following articles:
Ian and the Family of Believers, pg. 4
The Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and the Claim of Rome to Preeminence, pg. 6
by Dn. Gregory Roeber
Monasticism: The Angelic Evangelic Life, pg. 12
by Fr. Steven C. Salaris
March is Antiochian Women's Month, pg. 15
...and more!
Metropolitan PHILIP Appeal for Chile Earthquake Relief
Courtesy Mariana Bazo / ReutersMarch 1, 2010
TO BE READ FROM THE PULPIT
“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” (Acts 2:44-45)
Once again we are confronted with the images of destruction, death and human tragedy in the wake of the severe earthquake that struck Chile on Saturday, February 27th, 2010. More than 700 are confirmed to have died, with the toll expected to be higher. More than 1.5 million people are homeless or without shelter. I have been in touch with my brother, Metropolitan SERGIOS (Abd), the Primate of the Antiochian Archdiocese of Chile. His Eminence is personally safe and sound, but several of his churches have suffered damage from the earthquake, and the status of some of the faithful is still to be determined. As the quote above from the Book of Acts reminds us, it has always been the tradition of the Church to help any brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need. As such, we are asking all of our parishes and missions to appeal for prayers and donations in order to assist those who are in need in Chile.
Church Remembers St. Raphael on the Anniversary of His Repose
St. Raphael's ReposeFebruary 27th, is the 95th anniversary of the repose of our Father among the Saints, St. Raphael of Brooklyn. Holy Hierarch Raphael, pray unto God for us! Read about his passing on OrthodoxHistory.org.
Raphael Hawaweeny was born on November 8, 1860, in Beirut, Lebanon. Raphael attended the Greek Orthodox Theological School in Halki, Turkey; then traveled to Russia to further his studies at the Kiev Theological Academy. He was ordained a priest in 1889 and assigned to pastor the Antiochian Patriarchal Embassy in Moscow. He came know to the Arab communities in America as they sought his leadership. Bishop Nicholas of the North American diocese also went to Russia to recruit him and other missionaries. They arrived in America on November 14, 1895.
