by Archpriest John Whiteford Failed Handoff My wife and I have been Orthodox for 34 years now, but we both come from families that were not Orthodox, and so as we have lost family members over the years, we have come to use the Akathist for the Repose of the Departed a lot. This Akathist prays for all who have died, both Orthodox and Non-Orthodox, Christian and Non-Christian. It specifically prays for those who have died under tragic circumstances, such as suicide, those who died without repentance, those who died in their youth, etc. I have found it to be a great source of consolation. But there is one line in this Akathist that brings to mind a tragedy of a different kind. The final … [Read more...]

A soldier serving in the United States Army recently converted from a neo-Protestant denomination to Orthodoxy, receiving baptism at the Church of St. Nicholas in Flămânzi, Botoșani County in northern Romania. He was later married in the same parish community. The announcement of the baptism was made at the end of last week by Father Valentin Cârlan, who wrote on Facebook: “A new Christian of Christ! Receiving the baptismal name of Ezekiel, after a period of catechesis and several meetings, after learning the Creed and the teachings of the Orthodox faith, he was baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity, converting to Orthodoxy! From a soldier in the U.S. Army, he became a ‘new soldier of … [Read more...]