On Thursday afternoon, December 17, the commemoration of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara and St. John of Damascus, His Grace, Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan visited the monastery with the wonderworking Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God. Archimandrite Seraphim and all the brethren greeted His Grace and the Holy Icon with great joy and…

NEW YORK: On Tuesday, December 22nd, 2020 His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros convened a regularly scheduled Holy Eparchial Synod meeting in order to review, discuss and decide on significant matters of the Holy Archdiocese of America. This, the 99th, meeting of the Holy Eparchial Synod is of historic significance in expectation of the 100th Anniversary of…

  “The Father was well pleased: the Word is become flesh, and the Virgin hath given birth unto God become man. A star is the herald; Magi worship; shepherds marvel; and creation doth rejoice.” (Troparion of Christmas praises) Today, the Church celebrates festively in doxology and thanksgiving God’s condensation to man. Today, the Church preaches…

On Tuesday, December 9/22, 2020, the Patriarchate celebrated the feast of Saint Anna’s conception. On this feast the Church commemorates that the noble couple Joachim and Anna, being childless, entreated God to give them a child, and God granted their request, by giving them Mary. Keeping their promise to God, they offered Mary to the…

The online Orthodox platform Pemptousia and the Orthodoxia news agency have begun posting documentaries, features and news footage from the archives of the St. Maximus the Greek Institute, with a new item posted every day at 9 p.m. – Athens time. Videos include a procession of the Holy Cincture of the Theotokos, the Virgin Mary,…

The first online Synaxis, or assembly, from Mt. Athos with the Elder Archimandrite Ephraim, the Abbot of the Holy and Great Monastery of Vatopedi, with Romanian Orthodox chanters, was held this week. The assembly from Mt. Athos was hosted by the online Orthodox platform Pemptousia, in cooperation with the Holy Metropolis of Bukovina and the…

Despite the dire situation and pandemic-restrictions in place, the Russian Orthodox Church has completed the construction of nine new churches in the Moscow area over the past few months. According to State Duma deputy Vladimir REzin, who heads up the “200 Churches” initiative, Moscow’s residents are supporting coming generations’ needs for religious and spiritual values….

The Metropolis of Sofia’s department of charity has commenced a program whereby clerics visit hospitals in the Bulgarian capital. The program, an initiative by and under the blessing of the Patriarch of Bulgaria, His Holiness Neofyt, aims to spiritually support the ill, and all healthcare professionals, who are sorely tested amid the ongoing pandemic.

The Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain, His Eminence Nikitas, this week issued a Christmas encyclical, in which he beseeched the Lord to redeem humanity and save all of creation. His Eminence pointed out that this year’s Christmas will be a different experience, “…as the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 virus have changed our…