by Archpriest Pavel Velikanov If death has been defeated, why do people still die? Christ did not simply raise the dead—this had happened before, through the prophets and even during His earthly ministry. But those who were raised returned to this life only to die again. What took place in Christ is altogether different. After His Resurrection, He does not die. His human nature passes into a new mode of being in which death no longer has any place. Saint Basil the Great offers an image that helps us understand why we still pass through death. Imagine a potter who lovingly fashions a beautiful vessel. An enemy, out of malice, pours molten lead into it. The vessel can no longer be used, and … [Read more...]

Each Sunday in the Paschal Season is devoted to a particular theme. The Paschal Season is 40 days of Sundays! The broad theme of the Paschal season is WATER. Following the waters of baptism! On Bright Monday, for example, it is traditional for Orthodox women to ‘sprinkle’ the men (especially the priest) with holy water. On Bright Tuesday, the men sprinkle the women. 2nd Sunday of the Holy Myrrhbearers This Sunday commemorates the Myrrhbearing woman and Nicodemus and the noble Joseph of Arimathea, and how their tears of sorrow were transformed into tears of joy. There are eight women who are generally identified as the myrrh-bearers. They are Mary Magdalene, Mary, the Theotokos, Joanna, … [Read more...]

On Lazarus Saturday, April 4, 2026, 23 catechumens were baptized into the Orthodox faith at All Saints of North America Orthodox Church. This was the largest catechumen class baptized at one time at ASONA (so far!). There are, as of this writing, still 27 catechumens preparing for entrance into the Church for the future! Another catechumen was made on Palm Sunday! God is building the 'new crew' of the Church, the Church of Tomorrow is being built today. Glory to Jesus Christ for all things! Here is a gallery of photos of this event. If you are interested in joining, see Subdeacon Michael Cassell, our membership coordinator right away! … [Read more...]

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...]

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...]

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...]