Romanian ice church blessed

American churches to share in fasting with Egyptian Copts

New York, January 31, 2011 (NCCCUSA) - The member communions of the National Council of Churches are joining Christians in the Coptic Orthodox Church in North America in a three-day period of prayer and fasting to seek God's presence amid the upheavals in Egypt.

The proclamation from the Coptic Orthodox Church reads:

"In response to the tragic events in our homeland of Egypt, the Coptic Orthodox bishops of North America have declared January 31 - February 2, 2011 as a period of fasting and prayer.

"During these days, we are to observe strict abstinence as any Wednesday or Friday. In addition, many churches will offer the celebration of the Divine Liturgy every day during this period to pray for peace and safety in Egypt for all our Egyptian brothers and sisters.

"May God remember the land of Egypt and her people."

The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, called upon MCC member communions "to honor this call from the Coptic Orthodox Church and to express their prayerful solidarity with all the people of Egypt, including the Christian minority and foreign service workers from the U.S. and other nations."

Kinnamon said he prayed that "the people of Egypt will experience a just and hopeful resolution of the current crisis."

Also today, the World Council of Churches based in Geneva, Switzerland, issued a statement of concern for the situation in Egypt.

"Member churches in all parts of the world are praying for the people of Egypt," the WCC statement said. "There are disturbing reports of increasing numbers of people being killed, of assaults and threats and of many living in fear. Our hopes and prayers are for the safety of citizens, for wisdom and compassion on the part of the authorities and for a non-violent and just resolution of conflicts and grievances."

Kinnamon said the U.S. NCC joins with the World Council's call "for peaceful dialogue and joint efforts at every level of society to find the way forward to a future that brings hope and security for the good of all people and communities ... We pray to God for mercy and protection for the Egyptian people and for all religious communities, and we are standing together with the churches in these challenging times."

The Seven Habits of Highly Orthodox People

From the blog Is Outrage! (reposted with permission):

AR: We are fortunate to have with us today Father Vasiliy Vasileivich, Pastor of Saints Boris and Gleb and Vladimir and Olga Russian Orthodox Church in Sydney, Austalia, and spokesman for the Church Overseas of Russian Orthodox Christians or COROC. Father Vasiliy has just published a new book, and has graciously agreed to an interview.
VV: Whatever is selling books.
AR: First let me say how good it is to see you after more than a year’s separation.
VV: Is good to being back.
AR: So I see you have a new book coming out next month through Anaxios Press: Seven Habits of Highly Orthodox People.
VV: Yes.
AR: I read it this time.
VV: How did you get copy?
AR: Wikileaks.
VV: Funny man.
AR: It’s my job. So let’s go over the seven habits, shall we?
VV: I was wondering when you would start actual interview...

Complete article here.

Bulgarian Orthodox - OCA relations

Met. Lovchanskim (left) and Arch. Zacchaeus (right)

(st-catherine.ru) - On Monday, January 31, 2011, with the blessing of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah of Moscow, his representative, Archimandrite Zacchaeus met with His Eminence, Metropolitan Lovchanskim Gabriel, a member of the Standing Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to discuss issues of mutual interest to both respective churches. The meeting took place in the working room of St. Danilov hotels in Moscow. The meeting was also attended by His Grace, Bishop Ignatius Provatsky Moscow representative of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

Among the topics they talked about the status of various parishes in the Bulgarian Orthodox communities in the United States and Canada, as well as the possible visit of the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in 2011.

Met. Hilarion on "spiritual blindness"

(mospat.ru) - Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations, celebrated on 30 January 2011 the Divine Liturgy at the Church of Our Lady the Sign to All the Afflicted-in-Bolshaya-Ordynka in Moscow. After the liturgy he addressed himself to the congregation with the following archpastoral homily.

... A spiritually blind man normally does not see his shortcomings. It seems to him that everything is all right in his life, that he always acts as appropriate, and if some problems arise in his relations with others, these others themselves are to blame because they underestimated, misunderstood something or did something wrong. He is certain: ‘I did everything in the right way, but all those around me did it wrong’.

A spiritually sighted person, to whom the Lord has opened his eyes, sees the hand of God in everything, understanding that life is not a coincidence and that the Lord guides him like a mother fond of her children on the way to the Heavenly Kingdom. Such a person understands that if difficulties and problems arise in his relations with others, he has to ask himself: did I do it in the right way? Perhaps I have overlooked something or did or said something wrong? A spiritually sighted person is aware that the cause of many of his troubles and sufferings lies in himself.

But if he scores a success, he first of all thanks God because he knows: He is the One from Whom all good things come. And even if a person himself achieves much through his own efforts, isn’t it the Lord Who has given him talents, health and strength to do it?
“This is the difference between the spiritual blind and spiritually sighted. Such people live next to us, in the same world, and move in the same circle. They can sit in the same office, live in the same flat, but they look at things quite differently. One of them is sighted while the other is blind; one believes, while the other does not. One, seeing a miracle, says, ‘It is a miracle of God which has happened so that my faith may be stronger’, whereas the other, witnessing a miracle, is sure that ‘It is a coincidence, there is no miracle’...

Complete article here.

Baptism. They don't all go willingly.

The Greek vernacular

Here's an example of why the words "Orthodoxy" and "change" do not go too well together.

From the blog gilgarzaonline.com...

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Here's what happens when the vernacular is introduced into Greek liturgy in Greece.

You'll need a bit of background for this video in which chaos erupts at about 1:20. The entire clip is in Greek, of course.

At the Church of St. Anthony in Volos, Greece, Metropolitan Ignatius is celebrating Solemn Vespers for the Feast of St. Andrew (Jan. 16, 2001) which is a big deal in Greece. The church is packed. The issue was whether or not the Bible readings during the service should be chanted in the vernacular Greek original Greek of the Septuagint (written in the 3rd century BC) and original New Testament Koine Greek. The Holy Synod of Greece recently said that the Bible texts should not be tampered with and changed into vernacular texts. The Metropolitan disagreed. He argued that young people needed to have the liturgy in the language they speak.

Unfortunately for the Metropolitan young people and everyone else disagreed. Immediately, as the vernacular texts were chanted, shouts of, "Your Eminence, not in the demotic {ie, vernacular}. Read the reading in the ancient language!"

The Metropolitan responds by saying, "You must know that some are videotaping at this time in order to create trouble. They want to show there is a reaction."

Maybe its just me but it doesn't seem like those doing the recording are the cause of all the ruckus.

Seminarians at March for Life: St. Tikhon's

(STOTS) - Members of the St. Tikhon’s Community participated in the annual March for Life event in Washington D.C. this past Monday.

As it does each year, this event brought hundreds of thousands of people of various faiths, races and social backgrounds to the front lawn of the White House in an attempt to draw national attention to sanctity of life issues.

The Orthodox faithful were led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Jonah, His Grace Bishop Tikhon, His Grace Bishop Melchizedek, His Grace Bishop Michael and Bishop-Elect Archimandrite Matthias.

Provided below is a link to C-Spans coverage of the speech portion of the event. Of special note is the address given by Fr. John kowalczyk which occurs towards the end of the video (available here).

Photo slideshow available here.

When to pray...

You should not wait until you are cleansed of wandering thoughts before you desire to pray; such distraction is not banished from the mind except by assiduous prayer requiring much labor. If you only begin to pray when you see that your mind has become perfect and exalted above all recollection of the world, then you will never pray.

- St. Isaac the Syrian

On the Square: The Church of the East

From the blog On the Square, and intriguing and insightful post on the Assyrian church...

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As you may be aware, several Christian churches in Kirkuk, Mosul, Basra, and Baghdad, as well as throughout the rest of Iraq, cancelled their festivities this past Christmas. Ever since the massacre of worshippers in Baghdad’s Church of Our Lady of Salvation last November—followed by attacks on Christian neighborhoods in the city—the Christians of Iraq have been living in a state of unrelieved terror, and they simply do not dare celebrate their faith too openly right now. Moreover, there is no reason to imagine that their situation will become any more tolerable in any conceivable near future.

There are beleaguered Christian communities throughout much of the Muslim world, of course, but it is quite possible that the last remnants of ancient Persian Christianity in Iraq and perhaps Iran will disappear in our lifetimes. If so, and if Persian Christianity is largely reduced to a fragmentary diaspora community, it will mark the end of yet another tragic episode in one of the more extraordinary tales in Christian history—though it is a tale regarding which most Christians know absolutely nothing.

Most of the Christians of Iraq belong to “Assyrian” tradition: the tradition, that is, of the Church of the East (often, and somewhat opprobriously, called the “Nestorian” Church) and of its sixteenth-century offshoot the Chaldean Catholic Church (occasionally, and somewhat opprobriously, called the “Uniate” Chaldean Church). Today, even many Christians who know something of the Eastern churches tend to think of the Assyrian communions as little more than exotic marginal sects; even among the “Oriental” churches (that is, the ancient Eastern communions that did not adopt the Christological formula of Chalcedon in the fifth century) they are often regarded as the least significant.

And yet at one time—from late antiquity right up into the high middle ages—the Church of the East was, in geographic terms, far and away the largest Christian communion in the world, and the most actively evangelical. Had there been such a thing as accurate cartography in the early thirteenth century, any good map of the Christian world might have suggested to a casual observer that European Christianity was little more than a local phenomenon, a sort of provincial annex at the western edge of Assyrian Christendom. Demographically, of course, the balances tipped in the opposite direction. Still, though, the Church of the East was anything but a marginal communion...

Complete article here.

Week of Christian Unity updates

(UOC-MP) - At the invitation of the public religious charitable organization - St Egidius' community (Roma), on the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine on January 24 the Vicar of the Kyiv Metropolis, His Grace Theodosius of Brovary participated in the theological conference in Genoa, held in the framework of the Week of Prayer for the Christian unity.

In the course of the conference His Grace Theodosius made a report themed "Liturgical life in the Orthodox Church", which excited live interest of the forum participants. His Grace was asked on the rite of the rites of the Divine Liturgy in the Orthodox Church, on the spiritual preparation of laity and clergymen to the sacrament of Eucharist, on the participation of youth in the liturgy. The audience also took interest in the work with youth in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Taking part in the conference's work, His Grace Theodosius made a visit to the elderly people's home of a familial type of St Egidius Community, asked questions about the legal provisions for such kind of establishment, having left a memorial note in the book of honored guests. Besides, His Grace bowed unto the great shrines of the Christian world, kept in Genoa: the Wonder working icon of the Savior Not-Made-by-Hands, the relics of St John the Forerunner, the Prophet of God, the holy martyrs' relics, the tray of Herodiade (on which the cut head of St John the Forerunner laid), the cup of ablution, in which Our Lord Jesus Christ washed the feet of his disciples. The trip of His Grace Theodosius, Vicar Bishop of the Kyiv Metropolis to the conference in Genoa was organized by the Department for External Church Relations of the UOC.

Read more »

St. Ephrem, by a flood of tears you made the desert fertile!

The Prayer of St. Ephraim

O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power, and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant.

Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou, unto ages of ages. Amen.

Troparion - Tone 8

By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile,
and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance.
By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe!
Our Father Ephraim, pray to Christ God to save our souls!

Kontakion - Tone 2

Ever anticipating the hour of Judgment,
you lamented bitterly, venerable Ephraim.
Through your deeds you were a teacher by example;
therefore, universal Father, you rouse the slothful to repentance.

Oriental Orthodox-Catholic Commission notes

VATICAN CITY, 28 JAN 2011 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican, the Holy Father received thirty members of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.

The commission was founded in 2003 as the result of an initiative by the ecclesial authorities of the family of Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The first phase of dialogue, between 2003 and 2009, "resulted in the common text entitled 'Nature, Constitution and Mission of the Church'", said the Holy Father. "The document outlined aspects of fundamental ecclesiological principles that we share and identified issues requiring deeper reflection in successive phases of the dialogue. We can only be grateful that after almost fifteen hundred years of separation we still find agreement about the sacramental nature of the Church, about apostolic succession in priestly service and about the impelling need to bear witness to the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in the world.

"In the second phase, the Commission has reflected from an historical perspective on the ways in which the Churches expressed their communion down the ages", the Pope added continuing his English-language remarks to the group. "During the meeting this week you are deepening your study of the communion and communication that existed between the Churches until the mid-fifth century of Christian history, as well as the role played by monasticism in the life of the early Church.

"We must be confident that your theological reflection will lead our Churches not only to understand each other more deeply, but resolutely to continue our journey decisively towards the full communion to which we are called by the will of Christ", he said.

"Many of you come from regions where Christian individuals and communities face trials and difficulties that are a cause of deep concern for us all", Benedict XVI concluded. "All Christians need to work together in mutual acceptance and trust in order to serve the cause of peace and justice. May the intercession and example of the many martyrs and saints, who have given courageous witness to Christ in all our Churches, sustain and strengthen you and your Christian communities".

Orthodox Music Symposium held at Indiana University

(AFR) - Listen to recordings from the Indiana University Orthodox Music Symposium, sponsored by All Saints Orthodox Church in Bloomington, Indiana, and the Early Music Institute of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. The host and emcee is Richard Barrett, choir director at All Saints Orthodox Church. More information and photos available here.

Russia's floating churches to get movie treatment

Moscow, January 27 (Interfax) - Film crew of the Italian TV company Paneikon shoots a documentary about floating churches in the Volgograd Region.

"The new film starts with a story about genocide of atheistic authorities against the Russian Orthodox Church, its clerics and believers," film director Aniello Corialli is quoted as saying by the Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Floating churches are built in Russia for missionary reasons. The Volgograd Diocese reminds that only several dozens of 700 churches that had existed in the region before the revolution managed to survive.

Only 43 parishes worked in the regions in 1991 and they were not able to radically improve the situation with Orthodox education. The church-ship offered an extraordinary decision to the problem. The first floating church St. Innokenty was built in 1998, it sailed the river until 2008 when its bottom was worn out.

Over three thousands of people were baptized onboard the ship for the time of sailing. Besides Italians, TV and film makers from Germany, Estonia, Australia and France also came to shoot the unusual ship.

An interview with "Heaven Help the Single Christian" author

Thomas Ruthford has written a book called Heaven Help the Single Christian (earlier posted about here) about, as the cover says, "Your (Practical) Guide to Navigating Church as You Search for a Godly Mate." Below is an interview with Mr. Ruthford about his book, the journey he took in writing it, and the family and friends that helped him along the way. Enjoy!

"O Lord, our God, crown them in glory and in honor!" - Paul & Michaele Barrera at St. Spyridon Cathedral in Seattle, WA

You've written a book entitled "Heaven Help the Single Christian." Can you speak a bit about what prompted you to write this book? Is there something about living in America that makes the experience of being single and Orthodox a difficult proposition?

I wrote the kind of book I would have liked to read back when I was single, wondering, wandering and waiting. It's frustrating being young and alone and full of Christian beliefs about marriage that can't be used. The idea of this book is that it can cheer you up and give you something to laugh about in the context of your Christian beliefs.

Being a single Christian in a culture that mostly dates is something of a mismatch -- the Bible doesn't have much dating in it, much romance. Certainly there's love and marriage, but not much choosing, selecting or sudden enthusiasm that's the center of modern love. This mismatch is the center of the humor of the book. This dating culture is where we live, and most of us wouldn't like to wall ourselves off from the culture, so we have to do our best to be Christian and to be moral, but without being strict stinkers about it.


When you wrote this book, who did you have in mind as your target reading audience?

My main audience was single Christians who really like going to church, and who really love the experience of worship, and would like the love experienced and expressed at worship to come home from the church and fill a married home. But, this love seems to be locked up at church for them. They would like to meet someone but are a little frustrated by the fact that they're not meeting someone at church.

I tried to make the book's approach as broad as I could across denominations, but it is naturally going to resonate more with Christians who belong to sacramental, traditional churches simply because I write from my own experience, and I am Orthodox.

You've been married a few years now. Did any of the lessons learned in your courtship make it into the book?

Yes, there are an assortment of things not to do -- trying too hard to find someone by taking a romantic pilgrimage, which is when you start scouting churches a few counties away in hopes of finding someone eligible. As for my courtship time, I did write about a sneaky adventure involving a pair of wedding crowns I concocted in order to surprise my wife with a proposal. Also, I tried asking my potential future father-in-law for a blessing, but my potential future wife said, "No, it's too early." When dear old potential future father-in-law heard about this, he said, "Who wears the pants in this relationship??" He left me thinking that I'd need a blessing to NOT marry his daughter.

Read more »

Seminarians at March for Life: Christ the Saviour

One of the seminarians from Christ the Saviour Seminary. Seminary faculty and seminarians, clergy, and laypeople were in attendance at the DC March for Life. While the OCA is quite prominent in the pro-life movement today, it should also be remembered that Orthodox Christians For Life was founded by ACROD priest Fr. Edward Pehanich and that Met. Nicholas was, until his recent health problems, a consistent attendee.

Christ the Saviour seminarians and ACROD clergy surrounded by fellow Orthodox marchers.

Seminarians at March for Life: St. Vlad's

(SVOTS) - Amid the signage at the March for Life rally this year in Washington, D.C.— “Choose Life: Your Mother Did,” “Everyone Deserves a Birthday,” and “I Regret My Abortion”— waved a banner embossed with the “St. Vladimir’s Seminary” name and logo. Members of our campus community braved the January chill to gather with thousands of pro-lifers on the National Mall to mark the 38th year since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down Roe v. Wade, legalizing abortion

The unique beauty of Georgian chant

Malkhaz Erkvanidze and choir

(One Magazine) - On an overcast weekday afternoon, six young men gather in a modest, drafty apartment in the historical district of the Georgian city of Tbilisi to practice the music scheduled for Sunday’s Divine Liturgy. The men, whose professions range from students to bankers, belong to the Agsavali Choir and sing the medieval haunting melodies of the Orthodox Church of Georgia at churches and other venues around the capital of the Caucasus republic — a nation that is neither Asian nor European, eastern nor western.

“Chanting serves the Lord,” says Guja Narimanishvili, a local business manager. “I first came to church like any average person, but later I became interested in chanting.” Drawn to the melodies, he says, he and his friends decided they had to learn more.

Mr. Narimanishvili began learning the ancient liturgical psalmody of the Georgian Orthodox tradition in 2003. He did not know the first thing about the church’s musical heritage — especially its medieval past.

“It is not a normal type of music … the chants were hard for everyone to listen to,” he recalls.

Nor are the chants easy to learn. Medieval Georgian chant utilizes a system of three–voice polyphony and differs in organizational structure from the more familiar Byzantine– or Russian–influenced chants of the contemporary Georgian church.

The Agsavali Choir meets a few times each week — and sometimes every day — to rehearse the difficult chants, to learn new ones or to make recordings. Learning the intricate harmonies, explains Mr. Narimanishvili, is a labor of love and faith.

“Our motivation is our love for this music,” he says. “It is a great treasure and when we touch it, it means a lot to us and we are proud we have this chance.” In recent years, medieval Georgian chant has experienced nothing short of a renaissance. The Agsavali Choir is in fact one of many such choirs that have spouted up across the country in the decades following Georgia’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The first, Anchiskhati, is based in a sixth–century basilica of the same name and tours the international concert circuit. The Tbilisi Conservatory of Music has added a graduate program in chant and a new school for chanting and folk music, sponsored by Georgian Orthodox Catholicos–Patriarch Ilia II, has opened its doors to eager students in Tbilisi.

Today’s youth especially have taken interest in the ancient art form. Unlike their parents and grandparents, the Millennial Generation is coming of age in a post–Soviet, independent Georgia — a nation still grappling with its national identity after more than a century of sustained cultural, economic and political oppression. In this context, traditional cultural expressions, such as ancient Georgian chants, have gained unprecedented popularity among the youth, who are embracing such discoveries with fierce enthusiasm.

For your enjoyment, the Lord's Prayer (Mamao Chveno)...

From One Magazine:

From Youtube:

მამაო ჩვენო - mamao chveno

მამაო ჩვენო, რომელი ხარ ცათა შინა,
mamao chveno, romeli khar tsata shina,
წმინდა იყავნ სახელი შენი,
tsminda iqavn sakheli sheni,
მოვედინ სუფება შენი,
movedin supeva sheni,
იყავნ ნება შენი, ვითარცა ცათა შინა, ეგრეცა ქვეყანასა ზედა.
iqavn neba sheni, vitartsa tsata shina, egretsa kveqanasa zeda.
პური ჩვენი არსობისა მომეც ჩვენ დღეს
puri chveni arsobisa momets chven dghes
და მომიტევენ ჩვენ თანანადებნი ჩვენნი,
da momiteven chven tananadebni chvenni,
ვითარცა ჩვენ მივუტევებთ თანამდებთა მათ ჩვენთა,
vitartsa chven mivutevebt tanamdebta mat chventa,
და ნუ შემიყვანებ ჩვენ განსაცდელსა,
da nu shemiqvaneb chven gansatsdelsa,
არამედ მიხსნენ ჩვენ ბოროტისაგან,
aramed mikhsnen chven borotisagan,
რამეთუ შენი არს სუფევა, ძალი და დიდება,
ramethu sheni ars supheva,dzali da dideba,
სახელითა მამისა და ძისა და სულიწმიდისა,
sakhelitha mamisa da dzisa da sulitsmidisa,
აწ და მარადის და უკუნითი უკუნისამდე.
ats da maradis da ukunithi ukunisamde.

ამინ. - amin.

Orthodoxy and the March for Life

(Washington Post) - To be on the Mall around noon Monday was to be confronted with a vast crowd of what appeared to be mostly Catholics assembled for the annual Right to Life March. There were students wearing hats and scarves bearing the name of seemingly every Catholic academy on the Eastern seaboard; crowds of nuns clad in all manner of habits and scores of dark-suited priests and seminarians waving banners and signs.

Closer to the stage one could spot several Orthodox Jews and several who appeared to be evangelical Protestants. Then the crowd parted and up on the stage marched a phalanx of black-cassocked Eastern Orthodox clergy led by Metropolitan Jonah, leader of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). Carrying a bejeweled walking stick and wearing a white crown-shaped miter, the metropolitan and the five bishops lined up beside him provided quite a contrast to the informally dressed crowd.

Talking with these Orthodox afterward, I learned that Jonah had put out word that every bishop who could make it to Washington for the march was expected to be there, along with 80-plus seminarians from two Orthodox seminaries: Saint Tikhon's in Pennsylvania and Saint Vladimir's in New York. The seminarians and their friends stood in a large clump off to the side, waving a large Orthodox Christians for Life banner.

All of the bishops present belonged to the OCA, the second-largest of three major Orthodox bodies in the United States. I was told there was no official there from the much larger Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America nor from the third-largest body: the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America. For shame.

Unlike evangelical Protestants and Catholics, the Orthodox in this country haven't been known for taking to the streets as antiabortion activists. What I did find on the official Greek Orthodox Web site was a statement calling abortion "immoral" and "murder." Likewise, the Antiochans condemn it in this statement on their site, adding that church fathers from apostolic times opposed it as well. They also posted an encouragement to take part in Monday's march. Plus, Frederica Mathewes-Green, one of the best-known antiabortion activists of any denomination, is married to an Antiochan Orthodox priest.

So, why weren't higher-ups from other Orthodox bodies out there braving the 25-degree weather Monday? It might have to do with Metropolitan Jonah making it a priority. Not only did he show up at the march soon after flying back from a visit to Moscow, he also officiated at a Divine Liturgy Monday morning at St. Nicholas Cathedral on Massachusetts Avenue for those involved in the march. Standing in front of the congregation in elaborate gold brocade vestments, he challenged listeners to oppose abortion "whatever the cost." He added, "being a Christian is not about what you do in church on Sunday." One can perform the rituals, he said, "But if you don't live according to the Gospel, that will condemn you to hell."

I asked Jonah why he felt it necessary to call out the troops instead of leaving the heavy lifting to the Catholics and evangelicals.

"The church's responsibility is to be the conscience for the culture," he said. "The Orthodox Church in this country is emerging from being an embassy of foreign cultures to being an authentically American church."

And there's nothing much more American than taking part in street protests.

Anglican updates: a grab bag

Church of England recommends Lily Allen and Lord of the Rings this Lent

(Christian Today) - The Bishop of Sheffield, Dr Steven Croft, has compiled a new five-week course called Exploring God's Mercy, which suggests Christians play popular songs or DVD clips at the start of each session to set the scene for that theme's week.

The resource is suitable for church groups, couples or individuals and brings together Scriptures, YouTube videos, podcasts for iPods, group discussions and prayer.

The book accompanying the course is inspired by a period of prayer and reflection that preceded his consecration as Bishop of Sheffield.

“The depth, strength and constancy of God’s love is of course a lifetime’s journey and Exploring God’s Mercy is designed to take groups or individuals further on that journey," he said.

The course focuses on five images of salvation: the weekly sessions are entitled Lost and Found: Hungry and Satisfied; In Prison and Set Free; Sick and Made Well; Storm Tossed and Comforted; Living the Fruitful Life.

Each session contains a reading from Psalm 107; a testimony based on Mark’s Gospel focusing on the ministry of Jesus; and a New Testament passage looking at Christ’s passion, death and resurrection.

Read more »

St. Gregory, Supreme Mind of Theology

Troparion - Tone 1

The sweet-sounding shepherd's pipe of your theology
overpowered the trumpeting of the orators;
for having searched the depths of the Spirit
eloquence was also bestowed upon you.
Pray to Christ God, Father Gregory,
that our souls may be saved.

Kontakion - Tone 3

By words of theology you unraveled the complex webs of the orators,
glorious Gregory,
and adorned the Church with the robe of Orthodoxy woven from on high.
Wearing it, she cries out with us, her children:
"Rejoice, O Father, supreme mind of theology."

Met. Jonah's homily before March for Life in DC

Notes from the Marches for Life

H/T: AOI

From Tulsa, OK...

(tulsaworld.com) - Local residents took to the streets of downtown Tulsa on Saturday to demonstrate their pro-life beliefs exactly 38 years after the U.S. Supreme Court's controversial abortion decision.

"Every life is sacred," said Kelly Cassidy of Skiatook. "That's why we're here."

Orthodox Christian led the March for Life in Tulsa, Oklahoma last Saturday.

The march began outside Holy Family Cathedral, 122 W. Eighth St., where a "Mass for Life" was led by Bishop Edward J. Slattery.

Slattery told those assembled that a "dark cloud" has enveloped the nation since the Roe v. Wade case was decided in 1973. He said an unborn child's right to life comes before anyone's freedom of choice.

Slattery vowed that the march will occur every year until this "terrible evil" has been erased in the United States.

The March for Life in Washington, D.C., is scheduled to take place on Monday - two days after the actual anniversary - while other events like the one Saturday in Tulsa are taking place nationwide throughout the weekend.

Bob Roe, 65, of Broken Arrow participated in Saturday's event in Tulsa and said it wasn't a protest march.

"It's an awareness march," he said.

The Rev. Rick Tabisz, pastor of King of Kings Lutheran Church in Glenpool, said it was an "incredibly, loving, peaceful and courteous" group that quietly marched about six blocks before ending up at the Chapman Centennial Green near Sixth Street and Boston Avenue, where a rally was subsequently held.

Tabisz said he thinks it's possible that the law will someday change.

He said "people are already waking up" to the ramifications of abortion.

Marcher Peggy Cogburn, 48, of Claremore said "we want people to realize that life begins at conception."

Cogburn said the results of November's elections strengthened her belief that the nation's abortion laws will change.

"We have hope," Cogburn said."There's work to do yet, though."

Clayton Whitson, 34, said it sometimes takes a long time for changes in the law to take place; but said he is "very optimistic" that it will happen on the subject of abortion.

While this is just the second year for the Tulsa event, the national March for Life in Washington dates all the way back to Jan. 22, 1974 - the first anniversary of Roe vs. Wade.

The first March for Life in Washington drew an estimated 20,000 supporters in attendance on the west steps of the U.S. Capitol.

Last year's event attracted an estimated 250,000 people.

Cassidy, who attends services at St. Therese Catholic Church in Collinsville, said there are some members of the church who will be attending the event in the nation's capital.

She said she was part of a group of about 10 from the church who appeared at the Tulsa event.

"It's peaceful, it's prayerful and it sets a good example for teens," she said.

Cassidy said such demonstrations "speak for people who can't speak for themselves."

Maria Whitson, 29, said she hopes the gathering will help point out that there are other options besides abortion - especially adoption - for those who find themselves confronted by an unexpected pregnancy.

From Washington, DC...

(thetimes-tribune.com) - An Orthodox priest from Jermyn will have a key role at Monday's annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.

Very Rev. Archpriest John Kowalczyk

The Very Rev. Archpriest John Kowalczyk, pastor of St. Michael's Orthodox Church in Jermyn and chancellor of the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania, will conduct the benediction preceding the anti-abortion march.

The Rev. Kowalczyk said Thursday he was humbled that organizer Nellie Gray asked him to participate and called it the "surprise of my life."

He will give the benediction - the final message before the march starts - on stage at the Ellipse facing the Washington Monument.

"I pray that whatever message is sent out there, that it will resonate into the hearts of people," he said.

The annual March for Life marks the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court case that legalized abortion. About 300,000 to 400,000 people are expected this year because the political climate has shifted to the conservative side, the Rev. Kowalczyk said.

The Rev. Kowalczyk considers himself an anti-abortion activist and has been involved with and attended the march for more than 25 years. He was in the seminary when Roe v. Wade was decided and wrote his dissertation on the Orthodox view of abortion.

"I couldn't understand how a nation that's really based on life principles ... cannot defend the most vulnerable," he said.

The Rev. Kowalczyk also will introduce the Orthodox delegation at the march, of which there will be many members from Northeast Pennsylvania. He said all students and staff at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan and other church members, including the Right Rev. Tikhon, bishop of the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania of the Orthodox Church in America, will attend as well.

The Orthodox church has a history of opposing abortion, the Rev. Kowalczyk said, "so for me to give the benediction is sort of like echoing not what Father Kowalczyk says but what the Eastern Orthodox Church has said throughout the centuries."

The March for Life and false parity

Many years ago a man called into a talk show I was listening to (Diane Rehm I believe it was). The topic was the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. He stated that every time one side did something to another the news media sought to find parity in the situation. The reasoning was that they didn't want to seem biased towards one side so they felt compelled to put the story in an eye for an eye format. This video highlights another false parity - that 300-400k people can march in our nation's capital and any reporting done is invariably a victim of this false parity, or worse, knowingly attempting to deceive.

A video of the March over the last few years...



The two photos from MSNBC...

Climacus Conference scheduled for February 2011

Friday, February 18 at 4:00pm - February 19 at 7:00pm

http://www.climacusconference.org/

St. Michael Orthodox Church

3701 St. Michael Church Dr.

Louisville, KY

Police called to troubled NY monastery

BOSTON (TNH via pokrov.org) - An incident occurred at the meeting of the corporate officials of the St. Irene Chrysovalantou Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery that took place last Friday Jan. 21, 2010 at the monastery's Astoria's offices requiring police intervention. Bishop Vikentios of Apameia, who was invited to attend the meeting as the secretary of the corporation, did not participate in the meeting after all, because the monastery's legal counselor did not allow the Bishop to bring along his attorney, George Razis. Bishop Vikentios was asked to sit down to the meeting alone, without his lawyer, but he refused. The police were immediately called to scene, and they took the reports of both sides, Bishop Vikentios and the other monastery officials.

Metropolitan Nikitas of the Dardanelles chaired the meeting, representing the corporate president Metropolitan Theoliptos of Iconium, while former abbot Metropolitan Paisios was represented by the acting abbot Bishop Ilia of Philomelion.

Five attorneys for the monastery were present at the meeting, wherein the decision to remove and replace Metropolitan Paisios and Bishop Vikentios as corporate officers was taken.

What harm Byzantine thinking?

An interesting questioned raised in the Orthodox Herald about the possible downside to relying on Byzantine and Roman educators to teach clergy with something other than a "Malankara Orthodox Syriac ethos."

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(Orthodox Herald) - In the current discussions involving Liturgical Translations, the influence of Byzantine Orthodox education given to our youngsters over the last 10 years set off an alarm in my mind. I have a doubt: Is it possible that the introduction / influence of a Byzantine ethos has already caused, or will cause, permanent damage to the minds of those who think liturgically in our church? I have little knowledge in this area, so could someone please clarify?

The Malankara Orthodox Syriac ethos (the inner spirit with which we approach our way of life), part of the Oriental Orthodox ethos, is similar in some aspects to the Byzantine Orthodox ethos, but differences exist in many areas, most importantly in Liturgical Theology. For example in the interpretation of the Feast of Denaha, the perspective of Fr. Varghese Varghese (which I believe is strongly Oriental Orthodox, especially Malankara Orthodox Syriac) differs from the Byzantine interpretation in many areas.

Then, where is the danger? Could it lie in the fact that when we have one or two generations of youths trained to view a liturgical manuscript by teachers who received Byzantine or Roman Catholic training, is it possible that we could lose the ability to view our liturgical texts from our own ethos?

Read more »

OCA offering diaconal vocations program course online

SYOSSET, NY (OCA) - As part of its mission to train late vocation candidates for ordination to the the Holy Diaconate of the Orthodox Church in America, the Diaconal Vocations Program is engaged in a process of curriculum revision and transformation mandated by the Holy Synod of Bishops. With the blessing of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, and at the direction of the Board of Theological Education of the Holy Synod of Bishops, an on-line course is being offered in Church History beginning January 31, 2011.

Archpriest John H. Erickson, the Peter N. Gramowich Professor of Church History, Emeritus, of Saint Vladimir's Seminary, Crestwood, NY, will teach the course, which will span 14 consecutive weeks on-line with weekly recorded audio lectures, short answer response assignments, live collaborative chat, and other assignments hosted in an on-line learning environment. Archdeacon Kirill Sokolov, OCA Director of Diaconal and Late Vocations, will assist Father John.

"I consider on-line education to be an important way in which we can strengthen our educational efforts in a geographically dispersed Church," explained Metropolitan Jonah. "Our diaconal candidates can benefit greatly from the teaching they receive from experienced teachers such as Father John and from the interactions they have with each other."

This pilot course is open to enrolled candidates in the Diaconal Vocations Program and other special students as approved. Course content fulfills the second semester requirements of the Diaconal Vocations Program during this transition time in the curriculum. Instruction is scheduled to begin January 31. The registration fee is $125.00. For additional information or to register, please contact Archdeacon Kirill at www.oca.org/dvp.

The Diaconal Vocations Program is a program of theological study offered by the Holy Synod to prepare men who may be called for ordination to the Holy Diaconate. The Holy Synod recently blessed a process of evaluation and revision for the Program. Archdeacon Kirill serves as director of Diaconal and Late Vocations.

Pro-life updates from Orthodoxy in America

WASHINGTON, DC (ACROD) - With the Blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas, Diocesan Clergy and Faithful, as they have for more than a quarter of a century, will take part in the annual March for Life in the Nation's Capitol on Monday January 24, 2011.

The Annual March for Life takes place to mark the 38th Anniversary of the January 22, 1973 Supreme Court Decision, known as Roe V. Wade which legalized abortion.

Prior to the Noon Rally on the National Mall, Diocesan Faithful will gather at Holy Resurrection Parish of Potomac Maryland for prayer and light refreshments.

At the National Mall they will join their brothers and sisters of other Orthdox Dioceses in America and will March behind the Orthodox Christians for Life Banner up Pennsylvania Avenue, to Capitol Hill where, by the Supreme court, they will offer prayers for the victims of abortion.

On this day, Orthodox Christians throughout America are asked to prayerfully remember the victims of abortion, and to educate themselves about and support life-affirming, Church-related agencies and organizations, such as Zoe for Life, Orthodox Christians for Life, and The Tree House.

And also...

(Episcopal Assembly) - Saturday, January 22, 2011 marks the 38th anniversary of the decision by the United States Supreme Court known as "Roe v. Wade." Orthodox Christians are asked to prayerfully remember the victims of abortion, and to educate themselves about and support life-affirming, Church-related agencies and organizations, such as Zoe for Life, Orthodox Christians for Life, and The Tree House.

"Orthodoxy 102" available online January 31st

I signed up for the Orthodoxy 101 course and thought it was quite good. I can only expect that, this being their second course, the material will continue to expand and the delivery will be even more professional.

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JOHNSTOWN, PA (ACROD) - With The Blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas a seven-week on-line introductory class on the Orthodox Christian Spiritual Life, Orthodoxy 102, will begin on Monday January 31, 2011. The class, led by Fr. Peter Paproski, will be broadcast live each week from St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Stratford Connecticut. The class will begin at 7:00 pm and will last approximately 60 minutes.

Topics to be discussed will include, The Nature of the Church, Teachings of the Fathers on the Spiritual Life, Sin and Repantance: Combating the Passions and Training in the Virtues, Orthodox Worship, Faith and Works, Spiritual Life and the World.

Time will allowed at the end of each session for a question and answer period based on questions raised in person or via email or instant messaging. Audio recordings of each session will be archived for later study.

There is no charge for participating, however, those who wish to participate must register on-line to enter the class room and access the broadcast link. Audio recordings of each session will be archived for later study.

Register here.

Many years to Patriarch Maxim of Bulgaria!

(bg-patriarshia.bg) - Annually on January 21 - the day on which we celebrate the memory of the great defender of Orthodoxy and confessor, who suffered much in defense of the right confession of faith, St. Maximus the Confessor, it becomes the occasion for our home church for a double joy and celebration of true catholicity. Bishops, priesthood, monks and laity, representatives of secular power gather around their primate - His Holiness the Bulgarian Patriarch Maxim and the Bishop, to beg in unity and filial love intercession of his patron St. Maximus the Confessor for the patriarch of the BOC for church performance of our Church, for the Bulgarian people and our country.

The Post-Soviet Church to be discussed in Würzburg

WURZBURG, Germany, JAN. 20, 2011 (Zenit.org) - The relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches after the disintegration of the Soviet Union 20 years ago will be the topic of a March 19 congress in Wurzburg.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, will discuss this topic in a round table as part of the congress organized by Aid to the Church in Need.

Also taking part in the debate will be the aid agency's president in Germany, Antonia Willemsen, and the head of the Russian Section of Aid to the Church in Need International, Peter Humeniuk. The moderator will be the writer Stefan Baier of Die Tagespost, a Catholic newspaper of Wurzburg.

In preparation for the meeting, Willemsen and Humeniuk traveled to Rome to inform Cardinal Koch on the works of their agency in Russia.

The prelate applauded the initiative of the association to promote interreligious rapprochement between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches.

He said that he is very interested in the meeting with Metropolitan Alfeyev, whom he has known and esteemed for years. He expressed confidence that the dialogue will continue to prosper.

Read more »

Notes from Met. Jonah's visit to Russia, installment 6

A visit to the Laura of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius

(st-catherine.ru) - On January 20th, 2011, His Beatitude Metropolitan Jonah of All America and Canada, currently on a visit to the Russian Orthodox Church, arrived in the Laura of the Holy Trinity and St. Sergius.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church in America was met at the gates by Archbishop Yevgeniy of Vereya, rector of the Moscow Theological Schools. Metropolitan Jonah venerated the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the Cathedral of the Trinity and other holy sites of the Laura, and saw the exhibits of the Church Archeological Museum at the Moscow Theological Academy.

His Beatitude Jonah met with the students at the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God located in the Academy. He told the students about prospects of exchange between the Moscow Theological Schools and St. Vladimir’s Theological Seminary in New York, USA.

The delegation was met at the Academy by its vice-rector, hegumen Vassian (Zmeyev), and assistant rector, protodeacon Igor Mikhailov. The visit completed with a talk at the refectory.

Among those accompanying His Beatitude Jonah were Bishop Aleksandr of Dmitrov, Bishop Melchizedek of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania (Orthodox Church in America), and archimandrite Zacchaeus (Wood), the OCA representative to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

A visit to St Andrew the First Called Foundation

Veneration of the Relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov

(st-catherine.ru) - The Metropolitan of All America and Canada together with the delegation accompanying him traveled to the Holy Trinity-St Seraphim Diveyevo Convent where they were met by Archbishop GEORGY and the Convent’s Abbess, Igumenia Sergeia. Following a short rest in the Hierarchal Guesthouse, His Beatitude processed to the convent’s main cathedral where he was able to venerate the holy relics of the Venerable Seraphim of Sarov. After venerating the holy relics, Metropolitan JONAH entered the altar where he greeted the hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church who arrived in Diveyevo to participate in the festal Divine Services.

New book "Heaven Help the Single Christian" published

A hat-tip and suggestion that you read Koinonia's post on this book. Below is a description and promotional video for the book published by Regina Orthodox Press.

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Heaven Help the Single Christian

Your (Practical) Guide to Navigating Church as You Search for a Godly Mate

By Thomas Ruthford

As a single Christian, you’re probably amazed and frustrated by how hard it is to find someone who shares the joy you experience in worship. You might try missionary dating – converting through flirting. Or you might succumb to the offer of a matchmaker claiming prophetic knowledge, but you know you’ll end up with a zealot, nerd or “instaspouse” that way.

Thomas Ruthford, after years of striking out at youth conferences, coffee hours and monasteries, has a book to help single Christians through the dating scene with humor and advice. Heaven Help the Single Christian is relationship advice for the serious churchgoer, but it’s not homework. Ruthford offers us thoughts and laughter on Internet dating for Christians, on the joys and perils of dating the sons and daughters of clergy and shows us that modest clothing does not have to be frumpy. Cheer up, you’re not alone. Perfect for young adult study groups.

About the Author

Thomas Eric Ruthford’s journeys took him from Western Washington state, where he grew up, to Ukraine, where he served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer and got an amazing spiritual education from the recovering Orthodox Church there. He also served as the financial officer of Raphael House of San Francisco, a homeless shelter for families run by Orthodox Christians who take it as part of their ministry to live in the shelter themselves.

Ruthford is now married, and lives in the Seattle area, and works as a freelance writer, and enjoys multi-day bicycle trips. He and his wife, Miri, love taking their overeager dog, Jisa, to the park to play.

Endorsements of the Book

"Christian singles get bombarded with bad advice, from all directions, everyday. Thank Heaven for this good-natured, clear, and funny book, by someone who arrived successfully on the other side of a wedding day."

- Frederica Mathewes-Green, Author & Speaker

"It's been said that the way to an Orthodox man's heart is for a gal to walk around with a cookbook under one arm, and a copy of the “Rudder” under the other. Thanks to Mr. Ruthford's disarming book, only one arm's necessary, for gals and guys! Now that one arm's free ..."

- Fr Joseph Huneycutt, Author & Speaker

Follow-up on historic cathedral consecration in MX

My apologies for the robo-translation, but I thought the photos and the story deserved republication even if the text presented in translation is imperfect.

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(iglesiaortodoxa.org.mx) - Our community has been decorated and with happy mood, has witnessed an event that will undoubtedly go down in history of Mexico and the Orthodox Church in Latin America: the consecration of the new cathedral on Sunday January 16 of this year .

The temple, located at Bosque Real in Huixquilucan division in the State of Mexico has been dedicated to the memory of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, in a liturgy presided by His Eminence Antonio Chedraoui. This time honored us with their presence and Archbishop concelebrated the members of the Holy Synod of Antioch, His Eminence Sergio Abad (Chile), Damaskinos Mansour (Brazil), Paul Saliba (Australia), George Abou Zakhem (Homs, Syria) Paul Yazigy (Aleppo, Syria), Silwan Muci (Argentina) and Juan Yazigy (Western Europe). Add to the episcopate of Antioch His Grace Ghattas Hazim Patriarchal Vicar and Dean of the Institute of Theology St. John of Damascus "and Grace Antonio Khoury, Bishop of Florida, the Archdiocese of North America. Likewise, orthodox bishops concelebrated other jurisdictions: His Grace Bishop Alejo Pacheco of the Orthodox Church of America and Nicholas Protopresbyter representing His Eminence Archbishop Athenagoras, the Ecumenical Patriarchate Anastasiadis. As a guest clergy highlight the presence of Bishop George Saad Abi Younes, Maronite Bishop of the Diocese of Mexico and the Reverend Father Zachary The Baramousy of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Read more »

Episcopal Assembly secretariat meets for the first time

(Episcopal Assembly) - On Jan 12-13, 2011, the members of the Secretariat of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America met in Alhambra, CA at St. Steven’s Cathedral, hosted by His Grace Bishop Maxim. The meetings were led by His Grace Bishop Basil, and included bishops, priests, deacons, monastics, and laity. In addition to Bishop Basil, the others in attendance were: Bishop Andonios, Bishop Maxim, Fr. Mark Arey, Fr. Nicholas Ceko, Fr. Josiah Trenham, Protodeacon Peter Danilchick, Mr. Eric Namee, and Fr. Benedict Armitage. Mr. Alex Machaskee was able to participate by phone in part of the meeting.

The Secretariat recommended to the Chairman, Archbishop Demetrios, some changes in the appointments for the committee members and chairs, which will eliminate the duplication of responsibilities and foster better efficiency.

Bishop Andonios, as the Secretariat’s Coordinator for Agencies and Endorsed-Organizations, was charged with creating standards for endorsement by the Assembly, reviewing the current endorsements, and developing a process for deciding on new applicants. Mr. Constantin Ursache, who works closely with Bp. Andonios and Fr. Mark Arey, was appointed a consultant to the Secretariat.

Bishop Maxim, as Coordinator for Committees, intends to contact the chairmen of the thirteen committees soon, to help them begin in earnest their work on behalf of the Assembly. Protodeacon Peter Danilchick, who developed a protocol to help the committees, was appointed consultant to Bishop Maxim.

The question of communications was also discussed. Those present acknowledged the fact that the Orthodox faith is not well-known to the media and public, and that heretofore has been largely unable to speak with a unified voice. It was asked, if Orthodox Christians neglect to address important issues in society, how can they be upset when their political leaders do the same?

As a result, the Secretariat has proposed, for the Chairman’s consideration, the creation of an Office of Communications. It will be empowered to speak on behalf of the Assembly, especially at times of crisis, when quick action is required. It is imperative that any message issued by the Assembly represent the views of all the member bishops; thus, the bishops themselves must determine at their next meeting in May how this process should work. Mr. Alex Machaskee agreed to act as a consultant to the Secretariat for communications.

Also discussed was the question of fundraising and the means of funding the activity of the Assembly, its Secretariat, and the thirteen committees. It was unanimously agreed that financial transparency and accountability was of the utmost importance.

Various other items of business were also discussed. The meeting was a very successful one, for which we thank God. This success was the result of the expertise, good will and dedication of all those present, and was also due in no small part to the warm hospitality shown by Bishop Maxim, Fr. Nicholas Ceko, the Hieromonk Jovan and the Cathedral’s Circle of Serbian Sisters – to whom many thanks are due

The Secretariat of the Assembly of Bishops then held a teleconference meeting on Wednesday, 19 January, to follow-up on the work of their meeting from the previous week. All the members were able to participate, except Fr. Nicholas Ceko of St. Steven's Cathedral in Los Angeles. Even His Grace Bishop Maxim was able to join the call, shortly after celebrating the Liturgy for the feast of Theophany (Old Calendar) in San Francisco. Everyone was satisfied that the decisions from the meeting in Alhambra were moving ahead.

Epiphany around the world

I have been reticent in the past to post photo collages, but they have recently proved very popular. The below are from the Frame blog of the Sacramento Bee.

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Russian orthodox believers march towards an ice hold during a religious procession to mark the Epiphany at Kolomenskoe park, on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia. (AP / Mikhail Metzel)

An Orthodox priest conducts a service at an ice hole in a pond as part of Epiphany celebrations in Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011. (AP / Sergei Chuzavkov)

Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kiev Patriarchate Patriarch Filaret (C) blesses the Dnieper river on January 19, 2011during Epiphany celebrations. (AFP/ Getty Images / Sergei Supinsky)

An Orthodox priest pours water over a woman standing in the Kara-Balta Rver during in celebration of the Epiphany holiday near the ethnic Russian village of Sosnovka, some 90 km outside the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, on January 19, 2011. (AFP/ Getty Images / Vyacheslav Oseledko)

A Russian Orthodox believer plunges into icy waters in celebration of the Epiphany holiday in Kolpino, close to St. Petersburg, on January 19, 2011. (AFP/ Getty Images / Kirill Kudryavtsev)