The celebration and participation at these memorial services is very much a part of the Orthodox spiritual tradition, and very valuable for spiritual formation. Praying for the departed is an important work of mercy in our spiritual tradition, and should not be forgotten, taken lightly, or ignored! What is a Panikhida? The Panikhida is a solemn memorial prayer service in the Orthodox Church for the repose of the souls of the departed. During the service, the faithful pray for God to forgive the sins of the deceased and grant them eternal rest in His heavenly kingdom. The word 'panikhida' is from Slavonic: панихида, panikhída, from Greek παννυχίς, pannychis, "vigil" (etymologically meaning … [Read more...]
ASONA 2026 Icon Painting Workshop
Icon Painting Workshop - July 20-25, 2026 Join us on this six-day intensive course where we will captivate you in the art of the Byzantium painting technique. During the course we'll write (paint) the icon of Virgin Mary holding child Jesus. Besides Christ, no other subject has been more depicted than Mary, the Theotokos (Greek for “Mother of God”, literally “God-Bearer”). This “Virgin Mary” icon will come alive before you as the visiting master iconographer and expert instructor, Theodoros Papadopoulos from Greece, guides you, step by step, through the ancient techniques of Byzantine Iconography. Let us journey together, discovering anew, this traditional artistic … [Read more...]
Axios to the Friend of ASONA, His Grace, Bishop Damaskinos!
On Saturday, November 1st 2025 the friend of All Saints of North America Orthodox Church, Archimandrite Damaskinos Alazrai was consecrated as Bishop of the Diocese of Maleotodis in the Patriarchate of Alexandria. Fr. Damaskinos was an integral support for ASONA in the beginning years, traveling to Arizona to help us find an initial location, helping us host the first Vicariate wide spiritual retreat, and visiting our satellite missions and for parish feasts. Please remember Bishop Damaskinos in your holy prayers! Axios! … [Read more...]
2nd Annual All Saints Party
ASONA held it's 2nd annual All Saints party this past Friday evening. There was the usual costume and life of the saint, followed by guessing which saints, a pumpkin carving contest, and a wonderfully fun meal. A coloring book of all the saints portrayed was given to all the children! Thank you to Matushka Barbara Gill who spearheaded this glorious annual tradition, and to everyone who participated and made it such a special event! Here is a gallery of Saints! … [Read more...]
None Among the Believing
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...]
U.S. Army Soldier Baptized Orthodox in Romania after Conversion from Protestantism
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...]
The Quality of Freedom
by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon With respect to the life in Christ it is important to keep in mind two aspects of freedom: First, a correct concept of freedom disinclines us to reduce it to the mere ability to make choices. Thus reduced, indeed, freedom looks more like a potential than a reality. Freedom is counted, after all, as a great human blessing. But how can the mere capacity for choice be—without reservation—a blessing? Is that man to be called blessed who chooses to fling himself into a fire? Is freedom truly a blessing if someone deliberately enslaves himself? If freedom is to be counted a blessing, choice must in some measure be qualified by its object. This is why we sensibly … [Read more...]
On the Revocation of Metropolitan Onuphry’s Citizenship
by Metropolitan Ambrose of Tver “The Church is not measured by passports.” Friends, today the news agencies reported that, by decree of the President of Ukraine, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine has been stripped of the citizenship of the very country in which he was born and to which he has devoted his entire life. I must confess that such news always sounds like an echo of well‑known pages of Church history, when a secular power, translating spiritual matters into the language of passports and legal statuses, tries to mark out the borders of the Church. History has known many persecutors—from Nero, who mixed theatrics with bloody reprisals against … [Read more...]
Links to the Live Streamed Glorification Services for Matushka Olga of Kwethluk, AK
Below you will find the links to the live streamed services of the glorification of Matushka Olga Michael - these services officially declare her to be a saint of the Orthodox Church! Here are the links to the LIVE services (times in Arizona are in parentheses): Primatial All-Night Vigil for the Glorification of Saint Olga – Kwethluk, Alaska Date: Thursday, June 19 Time: 4:00 PM AKDT (5:00 pm AZ time) Livestream link: https://youtube.com/live/iUpL1KWTgxc?feature=share Primatial Divine Liturgy for the Glorification of Saint Olga – Kwethluk, Alaska Date: Friday, June 20 Time: 9:00 AM AKDT (10:00 am AZ time) Livestream … [Read more...]
What is Apostles Fast?
by Priest Brendan Pelphrey "The Apostles almost always fasted." St John Chrysostom, Sermon 57 on the Gospel of Matthew In America the Fast of the Apostles is probably the least well known, but is among the oldest of Christian traditions. It is mentioned by St. Athanasius in the fourth century, and there are other testimonies to its existence very early in the history of the Church. Orthodox Christians around the world observe four fasting seasons during the year. Two of these—the Great Fast for the forty days of Lent, and the Dormition Fast during the first fifteen days of August—are considered “strict” fasts. The other two are generally observed as “lesser” … [Read more...]
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