by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon When, at the Council of Nicaea, the Church formally determined that Pascha should always be observed on a Sunday, that determination necesarily affected the final day of Pentecost. Thus, beginning and ending on a Sunday, the whole fifty days of Pentecost began to take on some of characteristics associated with Sunday, the day of the Lord’s Resurrection. This adjustment involved two disciplines in particular: the fast days and the posture of prayer. First, because the entire fifty days of the Paschal season was a celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection, Christians began to observe that interval as a non-fasting period. That is to say, from the fourth century on, … [Read more...]
Honoring the Crown of Creation: Orthodox Christians, Bio-Ethics, and the COVID-19 Vaccine
“Recognize the dignity that belongs to you. He did not cause your origin by commandment, but there was a consultation in God in order to know how to introduce into life this being worthy of honor...” -St Basil the Great The purpose of this pamphlet is to provide Orthodox Christians with information to morally navigate the new line of vaccines that have been introduced to the public in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though this pamphlet deals specifically with the various COVID-19 vaccines available, this information can also be applied to the investigation of other vaccines that concern Christian morality, specifically the use of aborted children in scientific research … [Read more...]
Paschal Address of His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill
Reverend Fathers, Venerable Monastics, and Pious Faithful of the Western American Diocese ROCOR: Precious Children of the Church, my beloved flock: CHRIST IS RISEN! The rising of the Lord from the grave is the anticipation of faithful Christians each year, but for many people no more so than at present. A year ago, it was not possible to be in the churches for Pascha, on account of State restrictions relating to the pandemic, and this sad reality persisted for a very long time. But God is merciful, and recently we have been able, in this God-preserved Diocese, to return to a life of more-or-less liturgical “normalcy,” celebrating and participating in the Sacraments of the Church … [Read more...]
2021 Palm Sunday Celebration!
The celebration of Palm Sunday this year was especially glorious. If you missed it, here are a few photos of the celebration. … [Read more...]
2021 Lazarus Saturday Baptisms
On Lazarus Saturday, ASONA welcomed many new souls into the flock of Christ through the ancient mystery of Baptism. Fr. John Peck, Fr. Christopher Horsely, and Dcn Joseph Peck celebrated the Holy Mystery. Here are some highlights! … [Read more...]
How Monastics Acquire Their New Names?
Ever wonder why and how monastics receive a new name? What are the criteria for choosing names given to monks and priests? Can they influence the choice of their future names in one way or another? During this Great Lent many monastic novices became nuns, they took the monastic vows. It happened on April 15th. Several sisters took the Rassaphore and Stavrophore vows in our Convent. They were tonsured by the Most Reverend Veniamin, Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslavl. The good tradition to perform tonsures during the Lenten season is not accidental: it’s the time when all services and prayers are designed to help us reconsider and improve our fallen way of living. We have heard the Gospel … [Read more...]
Registration Open for 2021 AZ Missions Conference
2021 Arizona Mission Conference Fri. June 11 - Sun. June 13, 2021 Charting Uncharted Waters mission planting, growth, and development in the days to come This year’s Missions Conference will be incredible, dynamic, and interactive! His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, is our special guest and keynote speaker. Don’t miss this chance to get to know him and interact in this exclusive opportunity. Everyone at this year’s conference has started a mission from scratch and grown it into a full vibrant parish with a close community. We’ll be interacting and preparing for the days to come talking to real experts in church growth. We'll be setting a course for future activity, so we need you … [Read more...]
What Goes in My Pascha Basket?
After the Paschal Vigil, our Pascha baskets are brought out for blessing (the origin of the “easter” basket) filled with the things we have fasted from for the last 40 days. These baskets have been carefully prepared and include several foods with a traditionally symbolic significance. Sweet bread is always included, leavened with yeast. This is a symbol of the New Covenant; the Jews made unleavened bread, and we, the Children of the New Covenant, make leavened bread. The braided form of this bread is a display of the Trinity. Pascha Cheese is a figure of all the sweetness of the Kingdom, and remind us of the earthly gifts that come from God. Pascha cheese is normally included, and … [Read more...]
The Moral Peril of Taking Most Covid-19 “Vaccines”
by Fr. Alexander F. C. Webster, PhD The recent public statement by the Orthodox Theological Society in America (OTSA) released on March 8, 2021, with this unwieldy title—“Covid-19 vaccines: How they are made and how they work to prime the immune system to fight SARS-CoV2”—offers a seeming patina of legitimacy to an ethical argument that is abhorrent to any informed, devout Orthodox Christian. (See https://www.otsamerica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Covid19-VaccineTech.pdf.) In this essay, I shall retrieve that gauntlet and offer what I hope is a compelling counterargument. I. The OTSA statement declares boldly, “Most Church leaders have agreed that the many lives saved by … [Read more...]
The Cross: A Sign for All Christians
Originally titled: Should Protestants Make the Sign of the Cross? A Response to Pastor Doug Wilson by Robert Arakaki In a 30 December 2012 podcast, Pastor Doug Wilson was asked what he thought about Protestants crossing themselves. Apparently, this question was asked because growing numbers of Protestants have started crossing themselves. In short, Pastor Wilson’s answer was: “It’s lawful, but it’s not appropriate at all.” He elaborated that it would not be appropriate because it could cause confusion, that is, a Protestant making the sign of the cross might be mistaken for a Roman Catholic. In this blog posting I will be discussing: (1) the origins of this practice, (2) why many … [Read more...]
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