The Greek Orthodox Church conducts the blessing of the waters for the High Feast Day of Theophania. With the blessings of His Eminence +Demetrius the Metropolitan of America, this year's ritual took place at Battery Park in NYC with the participation of the clergy and laity of the Cathedral of St. Markella in Astoria, NY. Five men swam into the Hudson River to retrieve the Holy Cross that was tossed in by Bishop Christodoulos of Theoupolis, and the man who retrieved it presented it to Bishop Pavlos, the retired Metropolitan of America.
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.”
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...
2022 Youth and Family Conference
The 2022 Metropolis Youth and Family Conference was held for the first time in over a decade at the Dormition of the Theotokos parish in Clearwater, Florida. The theme of this year’s conference was “Orthodox Building Blocks: The Restoration of an Orthodox Way of Life”. The conference was attended by over 250 faithful... [Read more...]
Q. This concerns a U.S. marriage. If the marriage is civilly annulled, what is the effect upon the Church marriage? Is it also annulled? Read more...