If we are to be true to our calling as the children of God, we must live in imitation of Christ. We must imitate His meekness and humility. We must love others just as did He. We must be willing to be transformed, and made whole, that others might see in us the Light of […]

The news of the death of Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II is greeted by the hierarchy, clergy and faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia with the Christian admixture of sorrow and joy that ever accompanies the mystery of death. We sorrow, for we have lost the Sovereign of realms in which our […]

On the 18th of September, the Orthodox Church celebrates a very special feast the day of Saints Peter and Fevronia. These two saints from the 13th century are considered to be the patron saints of family, love, and fidelity. The Duke of the Russian city of Murom, Peter met Fevronia (a peasant girl) when she cured […]

Christianity is a communal faith, one that requires its followers to be actively involved with others. The Church’s worship is communal, and salvation itself is a corporate act, one that necessitates interaction with others. One is not “saved” in a vacuum but as part of the corporal life of the Church. Your salvation must be […]

Father Alexander opened the meeting with a prayer, followed by Father Athanasy welcoming the parishioners and reminding them to sign in and collect the packet that included the agenda and reports for the past year. Next, Father Athanasy read the agenda for the meeting. Paul Johnson read the minutes from 2021. The minutes were accepted […]

On Memorial Day, May 30, 2022, clergy and faithful of the Western American Diocese took part in the annual trek to Fort Ross Historic Park to participate in the Divine Liturgy, process to the cemetery, and a perform a Litya for the departed who are buried at Fort Ross, who lived, labored, and reposed there […]

“But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”  —Luke 5:35 The roots of the Apostles Fast go back to the first century of Christianity. After the Lord’s Ascension, His disciples lived a lifestyle of continuous fasting and prayer until the day the Holy Spirit descended—the day […]

It was with great sadness that on May 16, 2022—the day of commemoration of Venerable Theodosius, Abbot of the Kiev Caves, and the eve of the fifteenth anniversary of the reestablishment of liturgical communion within the Russian Orthodox Church—we received the news that our beloved First Hierarch Metropolitan Hilarion had reposed in the Lord. Having […]

The Holy Week services begin with the celebration of Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem, where He will complete His earthly ministry and complete the second purpose of His incarnation on Earth—the redemption of mankind through His death on the Cross and Bright Resurrection. As we recall from Scripture, Jesus triumphantly entered into Jerusalem to the cheers […]

For the third year in a row, we are distracted during this most holy time of the year: Great Lent and Holy Pascha. For two years in a row, the Covid-19 pandemic had us worried about being out in public places or even coming to church. Glory be to God that we passed through this […]