The Parable of the Prodigal Son and the 'Secret Life' of New Martyr Anna Chetverikova
It appears that I’m back where I was a fortnight ago: looking through the saints of the coming week, I found another ‘Virgin-Martyr’ of...
Approaches to Pre-Lent: The Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee
Depending on which part of the Orthodox tradition you belong, the Gospel on the Sunday before the start of the Lenten Triodion could...
Meeting the Lord in His Temple: The Two Olgas
At this time of the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, I’ve managed to piece together an inspiring story of struggle against persecution...
Themes of the Theophany
‘For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,...
Calculating Christmas
Please find attached the text of my talk about how we work out, from Scripture, the date of Christ's Birth with an overview of how the...
The Angelic Hierarchy
The Old Testament Book of Tobit is the account of a man called Tobias who sets out on a journey to reclaim money lent to an acquaintance....
The Liturgy of Preparation
Please find attached my article on the subject of the Proskomedie.
Poetry about St. Alban
Selected parts of 'The Life of St. Alban and St. Amphibalus'
St. Alexander of Munich
New Martyr, Passion Bearer.
Names and Labels of the Pentecostarion: The Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council
So Christ is ascended…into heaven! Now we are in expectation, along with the apostles, of the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter....
Names and Labels of the Pentecostarion: The Man Born Blind
John 9, 1-38 It's a scene of great tumult: a group that possesses the earthly power to stone our Lord for blasphemy is all ready for the...
Names and Labels of the Pentecostarian: The Samaritan Woman
We find people commemorated on Sundays of the Pentecostarion who are no longer what they once were, yet we still seem to label them
Why do the Orthodox pray for the dead?
The short answer is that they are not dead|: . Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38-Jesus makes it very clear here that God is not God of the Dead but...
The Holy Myrrhbearers
‘With faith and love draw nigh’…the words of the Divine Liturgy that call us to receive Holy Communion. Was it faith? I’ve read that the...
The Start of Bright Week
'Bright' and 'Monday' are two words we don't often think about using together in our age, when Mondays mark the weekly return to work for...
Some Thoughts on the Story of St. Mary of Egypt
Call me nosey, but I think the story of St Mary of Egypt throws up a number of questions alongside her answers.
The Bible
The Orthodox Church has a very different approach to The BIble than the Western Church. If, like me, you were brought up to go to Church,...
What is the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts?
On Friday I attended a liturgy of the presanctified gifts. Even though it was completely in Church Slavonic...
Happy Maslenitsa!!!
Maslenitsa (Russian: Мaсленица, Ukrainian: Масниця, Belarusian: Масленіца; also known as Butter Lady, Butter Week, Crepe week, or...
When you fast...Part 3
For those of you who are interested in a fuller account of how the Orthodox Church practises fasting,let me refer you to The Lenten Triodion