The Ordination of Vasilios Chatzis to the Diaconate

On August 22/September 4, the servant of God Vasilios was ordained a deacon at the Monastery of Saint John Maximovitch in Cobleskill. Father Deacon Vasilios lives in the Cobleskill area with his family. He is the father of four. He was born in New York City on April 30, 1979 and was a member of the Saint Markella Cathedral in Astoria until he moved to Cobleskill.

May God bless Father Vasilios to minister in the Vineyard of Christ, for many years!

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Orthodox Awareness

Why Do We Follow the Old Orthodox Calendar?

Why do we follow the Old Orthodox Calendar?

a Because based on it, the First Ecumenical Council established the Paschal Canon and appointed that the feast of Holy Pascha may fall anywhere from March 22nd until April 25th, while with the New (Papal) Calendar it can fall as late at May 8th.

b The Gregorian (Papal) Calendar has been condemned by three Pan-Orthodox Councils under Patriarch Jeremiah Tranos (1583, 1587, 1589) Read more...

Missions

Saint Matthew the Evangelist, Jonesboro, Arkansas

Jonesboro is a town located near the Eastern border of Arkansas, with a population of approximately 60,000. From a human standpoint, it’s not the most likely candidate for a traditional Orthodox mission, but for an Orthodox Christian who orders his priorities around Christ and His Church, it makes perfect sense. Read more...

Youth

2025 Youth Conference

Please join us for the 2026 youth conference in Upper Marlboro, MD! To learn more, visit the this page.

Ask A Priest

Fasting

Q. There seems to be a lot of variation in how people observe fasting, but my confessor told me to fast from oil on Wednesday and Friday. Oil is a pretty vague category, though, and I was wondering if I could get a more explicit description of what kinds of food and drink are excluded on strict fast days. Read more...