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Here you will find news and general information about the Byzantine Catholic (Greek Cath- olic) and other Eastern Christian Churches.
Fasts & Feasts
4 - Independence Day
18 - Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils
20 - Holy Prophet Elias
1-15 - Dormition Fast
6 - Transfiguration
15 - Dormition of the Mother of God
29 - Beheading of St. John the Baptist
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Tenth Week After Pentecost
July 26 - August 1, 2010
Matthew 21:43-46 – “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. But when they tried to arrest him, they feared the multitudes, because they held him to be a prophet. (RSV - Gospel for Thursday)
Scripture Readings:
- Monday - 1 Corinthians 15:12-19, Matthew 21:18-22
- Tuesday - 1 Corinthians 15:29-38, Matthew 21:23-27
- Wednesday - 1 Corinthians 16:4-12, Matthew 21:28-32
- Thursday - 2 Corinthians 1:1-7, Matthew 21:43-46
- Friday - 2 Corinthians 1:12-20, Matthew 22:23-33
- Saturday - Romans 15:30-33, Matthew 17:24-18:4
- Sunday - John 21:1-14, 1 Corinthians 4:9-16, Matthew 17:14-23
Summer Feasts
- July 20th - Holy Prophet Elias - "Journey's End is the Knowledge of God"
- August 6th - Transfiguaration of the Lord - "Bask in the Brightness"
- August 15th - Dormition of the Mother of God - "Mary: Christ's First and Greatest Disciple"
The Icon is the Exalatation of the Cross. On August 1st the Church celebrates the memory of the Procession of the Wood of the Life-Giving Cross. The Dormition Fast begins on August 1st and continues until August 15th, the Feast of the Dormition (Falling-Asleep) of the Mother of God.
Procession of the Wood of the Life-Giving Cross
August 1
August can be a dangerous month! In times of old Constantinople (now Istanbul) and the whole Byzantine world the summer was far more dangerous than the winter. Homes were small and cramp. The days and even the nights were often hot and stifling. Food spoiled quickly. People became ill. The best practice and medicine of the day were not enough to prevent people from becoming sick, let alone heal them. Something more was needed: prayer, fasting, almsgiving and the healing power of the Wood of the Cross.
August is also the time in which the Church celebrates two great feasts: The Transfiguration of Our Lord (August 6th) and the Dormition (Falling Asleep) of the Mother of God (August 15th). What a wonderful opportunity to call the world back to Christ! This call to rededication developed into a two week lent that Byzantines now call the "Dormition Fast". In Constantinople, from the eve of July 31st to August 15th the Wood of the Cross was brought out from the imperial treasury and placed on the holy table in the Great Church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom). From the Great Church it was carried in procession each day throughout the city of Constantinople, calling all people back to Christ and for the healing of sickness, both physical and spiritual. Everywhere the Tree of Life went the people fell down in veneration of the Savior and His Cross.
Sisters of St. Basil at Mount St. Macrina to Celebrate 76th Annual Pilgrimage
Thursday, 15 July 2010 17:54
Mary, Icon of Compassion selected as theme
July 14, 2010, Uniontown, Pa. -- The 76th Annual Pilgrimage in Honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help will be held at Mount St. Macrina, Uniontown, Pa., Sept. 3-6, 2010 (Labor Day weekend). This year, the weekend's activities and programs are inspired by the theme of "Mary, Icon of Compassion".
"This year's theme recalls the endless love between God and humanity. Although it would be appropriate in any given year, it struck a chord in the hearts of the Sisters in view of the recent tragedies in the world," said Sister Seraphim Olsafsky, OSBM, Provincial, Sisters of St. Basil the Great.
The weekend will offer pilgrims the opportunity to participate in religious services and an array of activities, including the beautiful Divine Liturgy, Mystery of Reconciliation (Confession), the popular children's procession and the inspiring candlelight procession. There will also be enriching educational opportunities for both adults and children, including special programs for children, teens and young adults. Private pastoral counseling, a session on bereavement, and education and discussion forums are also planned. Pilgrims will also have the opportunity to purchase icons, religious gifts, and cards.
Read more: Sisters of St. Basil at Mount St. Macrina to Celebrate 76th Annual Pilgrimage
Behold! The Wood of the Cross!
Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance. Grant victory to Your Church over her enemies, and protect Your people by Your Cross.
Troparion of the Cross
We Follow Christ
News of the Christian East
- Russian Orthodox Patriarch faces angry protests in Ukraine
- Russian Orthodox patriarch praises Pope, rips Protestant compromises with secularism
- Sisters of St. Basil at Mount St. Macrina to Celebrate 76th Annual Pilgrimage
- Russian Orthodox Church welcomes appointment of Cardinal Kasper’s successor
- Final Report of the Synod of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church - June 2010
- Ukraine plays referee between the Pope and the Patriarch of Moscow (Commentary)
- Volyn Media: Patriarch Lubomyr Called to Renew the Original Unity of the Church and Ukraine
- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese 40th Clergy Laity Congress Begins in Atlanta
- Speech of His Beatitude Patriarch Gregorios III at the opening of the Holy Synod of the Melkite Church
- Encyclical of Archbishop Demetrios for Independence Day - July 4, 2010
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The Divine Services of Holy Week and Pascha are online:
Note: Files are large and between 1-2 hours each. Recordings from St. George the Great-Martyr Church, Aliquippa, PA. Right-click to download and save. Files may open a new browser window. |
Wisdom from the Church Fathers
| Seek, my child, the nobility
of the soul, for it is truth; that of the body is false. Do not seek
honor from men, for this injures one; but rather, seek heavenly glory .
. . . You are to be sympathetic with all the brethren and help them as
much as possible; and, you are to minister to them that are unable
or weak. Do not desire to live by another's labors . . . . Never
ridicule anyone, and especially when they are in misfortune. When you hear that a certain brother is disorderly, supplicate God to
correct his life. Visit and help the sick, and serve the brethren as
their servant; so you might be a friend of Christ Who, for your sake,
became a servant and minister. Always heed, my child, not to fall into
temptations. However, if it happens that you should fall, immediately rise up and amend yourself with repentance, and again
hasten to prayer. In this manner, live your life, my child, and God
shall always come to you and help you in soul and body. St. Theodora of Alexandria, "The Lives of the Spiritual Mothers: An Orthodox Materikon of Women Monastics and Ascetics |