On Friday July 12/25, 2014 His Eminence, Metropolitan Demetrius of America, accompanied by Hieromonk Maximus and Archdeacon Agathangelus traveled to Bogotá, Columbia in order to receive Fr. Félix Piñeros and his family and the faithful with him. Fr. Félix and Presbytera Clara/Fotini have a small but nice house chapel in the third floor of their house, dedicated to St. Nectarios of Aegina.
They served Matins on Saturday morning, and arranged the altar with antimension and chrism. It turns out that the relic in the antimension is of St. Fotini, Presbytera’s patron saint. On Saturday evening they served full Vespers. On Sunday morning Metropolitan Demetrius served Hierarchal Divine Liturgy with Frs. Félix and Maximus. Fr. Agathangelus chanted assisted by Presbytera Clara/Fotini. The clergy answered questions about chanting, liturgics, and various practical things relating to Church life. We departed early Monday morning. Fr. Félix is a retired lawyer who also studied for eight years in a Roman Catholic seminary. He has written a number of books in Spanish about Orthodoxy. He is looking into finding a larger building so the mission can grow.
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...
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...2025 Youth Conference
Please join us for the 2025 youth conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada! To learn more, visit the conference website.
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...