On Sunday, December 8/21, Andrew Wales of the parish of St. Seraphim of Sarov in Glen Allen (Richmond), Virginia, was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by Metropolitan Demetrius. His Eminence concelebrated with Fr. Nicodemos Gayle, the parish rector, and Archdeacon Agathangelus.
After the ordination, a festive but fasting meal was served, and the Metropolitan spoke on several issues of concern to Orthodox Christians, such as the appearance of the Cross in 1925, the reunion of Orthodox Christians in March 2014, and pastoral matters.
Father Deacon Andrew is married to Diakonissa Anna, and they have an infant daughter. It should be noted that Father Deacon Andrew, originally from the Southwestern United States, relocated specifically to a city where there is a parish of our Church. While not everyone can do this, it is a remarkable testimony to his dedication to the Church, and a witness to others who have the ability. We wish Fr. Dcn. Andrew, his family, and his parish many years, and exclaim, "AXIOS!" ("He is worthy!").
In the early 20th century, the idea of promoting the union of Churches (Orthodox and heterodox) began to gain ground among circles in the Eastern Orthodox Church by establishing a "Communion of Churches" modeled on the League of Nations.
The Patriarchal Encyclical of 1920 foresaw a series of steps toward the “union of the Churches,” of which the first was the change of the calendar for the simultaneous celebration of feast days by all the “Churches.” The content of the encyclical was kept secret from the faithful and only after a few years became known. Read more...
Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church is a beautiful mission parish near downtown Tucson, a city in southern Arizona. It was started in 1997 by Father John Bockman, who was a missionary Priest formerly serving missions in Tennessee and Massachusetts since 1990. Father John served the faithful in Tucson and the surrounding area in his home Chapel until his repose in November of 2000. His wife, Presbytera Valerie, continued to make her home Chapel available for the mission, with clergy from Saint Nectarios Orthodox Church in Seattle and His Eminence, Metropolitan Moses of Toronto (then of Portland), visiting to provide the Divine Services.
Read more...2026 Youth Conference
Please join us for the 2026 youth conference in Upper Marlboro, MD! To learn more, visit the this page.
Q. Can you tell me what the two-headed snake cane the Greek Bishop is walking with represents? What does it mean?
-V.T.
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