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by Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev In the Orthodox tradition the theme of primacy is closely connected with that of church authority, which, in its turn, is for the Orthodox theologian indivisible from the idea of 'catholicity' or 'conciliarity.' As is well known, for various historical reasons the Orthodox Church never had and to this very day does not have a unified administrative and governing structure. Among the primates of the Local … [Read more...]
by Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev Lecture delivered at the Kiev Theological Academy on September 20, 2002 Church Singing Permit me to say a few words about church singing. Recently I visited the Valaam Monastery of the Transfiguration, where I served an all-night vigil and Divine Liturgy in the monastery’s main church. The services there struck me by their prayerfulness, harmony, simplicity and grandeur. … [Read more...]
by Fr. Aris Metrakos This article contains excellent advice for anyone contemplating the priesthood or discerning a vocation in the Orthodox Church (or any 'church' for that matter). Fr. Aris nails it. Aren't we disgusted with the shocking number of high-profile cases of priests engaged in pedophilia, homosexual activity, and adultery? Some excuse this behavior with the platitudes "a sin is a sin" and "we are all sinners." Uh, excuse … [Read more...]
Greetings, friends of Preachers Institute, I'm adding a little section to the top of the front page "A Word To The Fore" which will contain a pithy quote containing some wisdom or common sense in an age gone mad. This is just a little thing, but I feel worthwhile. Also, including Scriptural quotes, and quotations from the writings of the saints and fathers, we'll be including wise words from others as well. Our hope is that this will … [Read more...]
This comes to us from "Life Transfigured" A Journal of Orthodox Nuns. "When we stay within the embrace of our mother the Church, we can know that we are with our Lord." A frequent question we hear is "Why do we need the Church?" People want to know why they must go to a particular church, attend services they may not understand, obey rules that feel constricting to their lifestyle, and spend time with others they do not know or want … [Read more...]
by St. Justin Popovich Fr. Justin Popovich, was a renowned Serbian theologian. A patristic scholar, poet and true philosopher, who had command of several languages, he devoted his many talents to defending the Faith against ecumenism-for which he was called “the conscience of the Serbian Church”-and unmasking the true face of humanism as a regression to ancient paganism. As an antidote he vigorously preached the eternal truth of Christ … [Read more...]
By St. Justin Popovich Fr. Justin Popovich, was a renowned Serbian theologian. A patristic scholar, poet and true philosopher, who had command of several languages, he devoted his many talents to defending the Faith against ecumenism-for which he was called "the conscience of the Serbian Church"-and unmasking the true face of humanism as a regression to ancient paganism. As an antidote he vigorously preached the eternal truth of Christ the … [Read more...]
by Fr. John A. Peck Part Three of a Five Part series A Short History of the Liturgical Location for Preaching: The Ambo, the Pulpit and the Lectern. The Pulpit The word pulpit comes from the Latin pulpitum, meaning a stage or scaffold. The most popular and consistent architectural 'solution' to a highly visible and clearly audible location in a Church has been the pulpit. The pulpit is the direct descendant of the ambo, as is an … [Read more...]
By Fr. John A. Peck Part One of a Five Part Series A Short History of the Liturgical Location for Preaching: The Ambo, the Pulpit and the Lectern Throughout history, the place occupied by the preacher has changed based on liturgical and theological need. Primarily of course, the purpose of changing the location was of necessity – to be seen and heard by those listening and looking. Our Lord Himself ascended a mountain for the “Sermon … [Read more...]
Elder Daniel of Katounakia (+1929) was originally from Smyrna, and at one point while he was a monk on Mount Athos he lived at Vatopaidi Monastery. One of his obediences was to travel on business for Vatopaidi to Smyrna where he stayed for nine months. When Elder Daniel was a young boy in Smyrna, there was a simple Christian named Demetrios, who was known for his great virtue and piety, that would counsel and admonish him with heavenly … [Read more...]
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