Sunday of Orthodoxy
For more than one hundred years the Church of Christ was troubled by the persecution of the Iconoclasts of evil belief, beginning in the reign of Leo the Isaurian (717-741) and ending in the reign of Theophilus (829-842). After Theophilus's death, his widow the Empress Theodora (celebrated Feb. 11), together with the Patriarch Methodius (June 14), established Orthodoxy anew. This ever-memorable Queen venerated the icon of the Mother of God in the presence of the Patriarch Methodius and the other confessors and righteous men, and openly cried out these holy words: "If anyone does not offer relative worship to the holy icons, not adoring them as though they were gods, but venerating them out of love as images of the archetype, let him be anathema." Then with common prayer and fasting during the whole first week of the Forty-day Fast, she asked God's forgiveness for her husband. After this, on the first Sunday of the Fast, she and her son, Michael the Emperor, made a procession with all the clergy and people and restored the holy icons, and again adorned the Church of Christ with them. This is the holy deed that all we the Orthodox commemorate today, and we call this radiant and venerable day the Sunday of Orthodoxy, that is, the triumph of true doctrine over heresy.
This webinar features Fr. Evan Armatas and Elissa Bjeletich and originally aired on March 1, 2015.Great Lent is the Church’s 40-day period of preparation for its greatest feast—the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
A few years back I asked a class of students to explain the details surrounding Greek Independence Day. The students went on to tell me about specific heroes and even the religious significance of the day. Most of them discussed how March 25th was a religious holiday and that they go to church on that day. I was surprised to find that children were not aware of the historical significance of that day. The rest of the discussion showed their confusion between OXI Day and Greek Independence Day.
Deciding to send your child to one of our Greek parochial schools has many benefits that are not just religious in nature. There are academic, social, and emotional benefits that come with attending one of our Greek schools. Our schools concentrate on the whole child, not just academics.
Today we celebrate two revolutions: one political and the other ontological. We are reminded that the ontological revolution of Christ’s Incarnation is simultaneously a political revolution, one that we must fight to incarnate.
The “Home Church” is a recently released book which provides a pastoral response to mixed Orthodox and Catholic couples, with the purpose of helping to heal the divide between the two churches. The book, written by Fr. Halikias for his doctoral thesis at the Boston University.
Office of Greek Education Greek Independence Day 200th Year Anniversary from the Greek Revolution 1821.
With humility, I stand before you today, asking that you invoke the Holy Spirit, that through the Grace of the Holy Spirit to change my imperfections and fill that which is lacking for the glory of His Holy Church as I enter into the ranks of the Holy Diaconate.
His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America has appointed Mr. George Tsunis to serve as the co-Vice Chairman of the Archdiocese’s National Coordinating Committee commemorating the historic Greek Revolution of 1821. The Committee is comprised of individuals and organizations representing the fullness of the Omogenia in the United States