His Eminence, Metropolitan Demetrius, traveled to Guatemala to celebrate the feast days of St Xenia of Saint Petersburg, and Saint Ignatius the God-bearer.
His Eminence celebrated the customary all-night vigil at the Church of Saint Xenia of Saint Petersburg on February 5, serving into the early hours of February 6.
Afterwards, preparations were made at the hermitage of Saint Ignatius the God-bearer with the help of the local inhabitants of Santa Cruz, Neranja, around a two hour distance from Guatemala City. The hermitage is situated in a beautiful isolated area, with a magnificent view. The area is very safe and the local inhabitants, although quite poor, are very protective of the hermitage. Over 70 faithful and catechumens attended the Holy Services at an outdoor liturgy served by His Eminence and Deacon Cyrilo Mendoza, in Spanish.
His Eminence has assigned Priestmonk Maximos, who is fluent in Spanish, to help overlook the Latin American missions. Priestmonk Maximos will have catechism classes on a regular basis. We ask the faithful to pray for our faithful in Guatemala.
“Trust ye not in princes, in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation.”
(Psalm 145:3)
We mustn’t have absolute trust in human beings for our salvation, no matter what dignity they have. Human beings are changeable. Today they are saints, tomorrow—deniers. Today—sinners, tomorrow—righteous. We must have absolute trust in God, and in Him we must base our hopes of salvation. “Blessed is he of whom the God of Jacob is his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God” (Psalm 145:5). 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...
2026 Youth Conference
Please join us for the 2026 youth conference in Upper Marlboro, MD! To learn more, visit the this page.
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...