Indeed, how awesome is the mystery of death!
The Abbot of the Skete of the Holy Fathers in Chios, Archimandrite Ambrose (Psomias) aged 57, suddenly and unexpectedly departed from this earthly life.
A tireless laborer of the Gospel, and a zealot for the Patristic Traditions, Fr. Ambrose was the spiritual father of the monasteries in Chios: the Skete of the Holy Fathers, the Convents of St. Constantine, the Archangels in Nenita, and St. Matrona, as well as hundreds of faithful.
He loved the Divine Services, and was tireless in fulfilling his pastoral obligations which extended from one end of Chios to the other. He also greatly renovated the Skete of the Holy Fathers, the Church of St. Matrona in Chora, and the Convent of the Archangels in Nenita.
He reposed very suddenly at dawn today (May 1/14, 2015) at the age of 57. The Funeral Service will be served by His Eminence, Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Attica – Locum Tenens of the Metropolis of Chios – on Saturday (May 3/16) at 11 a.m. in the Skete of the Holy Fathers.
We pray that the soul of the reposed Elder find rest in the dwellings of the righteous.
Archimandrite Ambrose received the monastic tonsure on the Feast of the Holy Ascension in the late 1970's, he was ordained a Deacon on Palm Sunday 1981, and a Priest and Archimandrite on Thomas Sunday 1987, all in the Cathedral of St. Markella, in Astoria, NY by the Ever-Memorable Bishop Petros of Astoria. Shortly after his ordination he was sent to serve the Skete of the Holy Fathers in Chios.
The Cathedral of St. Markella fondly remembers Fr. Ambrose, who was a member of its Brotherhood for many years, and a spiritual brother to His Eminence, Metropolitan Pavlos, and the clergy, and monastics of St. Markella.
May his memory be eternal! Αἰωνία ἡ μνήμη αὐτοῦ!
This miracle of Saint Spyridon took place in Mandra, Greece in 1926.
It was 12/25 December, 1926. The state Church of Greece adopted the Papal calendar and with the help of the Greek government persecuted all those who did not accept the Papal calendar. The faithful Orthodox Christians of Mandra woke up and headed to their Church to celebrate the Feast of Saint Spyridon. When they reached the Church they saw that the door to the Church had been secured with chains and the faithful could not enter. Before leaving the Church to return to their homes they stuck their candles on the door. As soon as the last person placed his candles on the door
the chains broke and fell. The faithful, confirmed in their Faith, entered the Church and celebrated the Feast of Saint Spyridon.
The miracle was reported the next day by the newspaper Skrip.
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.
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Q. Are the prayers in the blue prayer book [A Prayerbook for Orthodox Christians by the Holy Transfiguration Monastery —ed.] compulsory for everyone? I mean their morning prayers and the service of Small Compline. My confessor gave me a special rule but wasn’t clear about whether this replaced the book prayers or was in addition to them. Read more...