On November 29, 1962, at the Parish of Saint Markella, in Astoria, NYC, Archimandrite Petros (Astyfides) was ordained to the Episcopal dignity by His Eminence Archbishop Leonty of Chile, who was assisted by His Grace Bishop Seraphim of Caracas. Serving as Hieromonk was Eleutherios Moschos, and serving as HieroDeacon was Nikodemos Kalantis. Chanting were Hieromonk Akakios Ntouskos, and Presbyter George Markou. Present were Gerontissa Syglitiki, her sisterhood, Subdeacon Igor, and the future priest Vsevolod Dutikov. Mr. Dutikov drove the Russian bishops from Synod Headquarters in Manhattan to St. Markella's in Astoria, Queens. The ordination was done in secret. No photographs were taken, and certainly no home movies were recorded on any film camera. Recently, by the will of God, an audio recording of the ordination has been discovered. This is that recording.
“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...
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...