On Saturday, December 4/December 17, His Eminence, Metropolitan Demetrius, celebrated a peaceful Divine Liturgy in the chapel dedicated to Saint John of Damascus in honor of the patron of our Educational Initiative. This was part of a visit to the Initiative offices and the residence of Fr. John Somers, the Headmaster of the Orthodox Educational Initiative.
During his visit, His Eminence spent time discussing Initiative updates with Fr. John as well as praying for Saint John’s intercessions to guide the students, faculty, and parents of the OEI. The visit was a wonderful blessing for the Initiative!
Operating with the blessing of the Eparchial Synod, the Initiative maintains many different offerings for elementary, middle, and high school students as well as adult discussion groups, podcasts, and a YouTube channel that produces Orthodox educational content.
Please peruse our website https://orthodoxlearninggoc.com for current offerings as well as give us a call at 215-987-2655 or send us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We are always accepting donations for our scholarship fund which allows deserving children who would not otherwise be able to participate in our classes, the ability to attend!
May God bless all the teachers, students, parents, and benefactors of the Orthodox Educational Initiative and may Saint John of Damascus intercede on our behalf!
Iftar, refers to the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Iftar is one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community, with people gathering to break their fast together. Iftar is done right after sunset.
We report the following unchanged as it was published:
"The leaders of the Armenian, Roman, Jewish and Syrian communities of Turkey sat around the fasting Iftar dinner in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul." Read more...
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...
2023 Youth Conference
Please join us for the 2023 youth conference in Chicago, IL! To learn more, visit the home page or visit the conference website.
Q. I noticed that we call the angels Michael and Gabriel "Saint." I thought the title "Saint" was only given to humans who have proven themselves Godly. Do you mind clarifying this for me? Is there a deeper meaning to "Saint" that I am not aware of?
-S.L. Read more...