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Daily Meditations

The Nineteenth Day of Christmas Advent. The Third Birth of Christ (Part II)

12/03/2025

Stergios Sakkos Our first encounter with Him is through faith. Faith opens the door of the soul, so that Christ can enter. Faith receives Him, subjects our hearts to Him and engenders within us a fervent interest and powerful desire to approach Him. This is the initial requirement for Christ to dwell in our hearts, as Saint Paul says (Eph. 3, 17). But it takes love in order for the Lord to stay with us

The Eighteenth Day of Christmas Advent. The Third Birth of Christ (Part I)

12/02/2025

Stergios Sakkos Rebirth The third birth of Christ is in the life of people who believe in Him and accept Him as their own, personal God. Because even though Christ became incarnate in order to save everyone, not everyone will be saved. Of course, the Lord “wants all people to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth”, (I Tim. 2, 4), and is certainly all-powerful. Nevertheless, He respects people’s freedom as well

BOARD OF TRUSTEES (PARISH COUNCIL) ELECTIONS FOR 2026/2027 ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2025

12/01/2025

PARISH BULLETIN REFERENCE:  BOARD OF TRUSTEES (PARISH COUNCIL) ELECTIONS FOR 2026/2027 ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2025. Dear Steward: This year there are seven (7) candidates to fill the six (6) vacancies on the Saint Sophia Cathedral Board of Trustees for the 2026/2027-year term.  Per the Archdiocese Uniform Parish Regulations (UPR), Saint Sophia is required to hold an election to vote for these candidates.  Stewards may vote for up to six (6) candidates.  Write-in candidates are not

The Seventeenth Day of Christmas Advent. A Virgin Gave Birth

12/01/2025

~By Father Stephen Freeman, December 28, 2022 I was browsing through some online material recently and came across a conversation between a non-believing sceptic and a Christian apologist. The question was asked (right off the top): “Why a virgin birth?” The apologist did a decent job of responding, giving a fairly common explanation of “why Christ had to be born of a virgin.” Something about it left me empty. Thinking about it – I believe

Parish Community Letter -December 2025

11/30/2025

Dear Saint Sophia Parishioners,  On behalf of Father Steve and with his blessings, the Parish Council would like to provide the SSC Community with an update. We hope everyone had a WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING and we wish you and yours a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  LITURGICAL CALENDAR – every Sunday 8:30 Orthros and 10:00 Divine Liturgy – please see the website, website calendar, bulletins, and emails for other services.  ASK YOUR PARISH

The Sixteenth Day of Christmas Advent. Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called

11/30/2025

The Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called was the first of the Apostles to follow Christ, and he later brought his own brother, the holy Apostle Peter, to Christ (John 1:35-42). The future apostle was from Bethsaida, and from his youth he turned with all his soul to God. He did not enter into marriage, and he worked with his brother as a fisherman. When the holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John began to preach, Saint

The Fourteenth Day of Christmas Advent. Have a Dickens of a Christmas

11/28/2025

~By Father Stephen Freeman, December 12, 2022 In the late 1600’s in colonial Boston, the celebration of Christmas was against the law. Indeed, anyone evidencing the “spirit of Christmas” could be fined five shillings. In the early 1800’s, Christmas was better known as a season for rioting in the streets and civil unrest.1 However, in the mid-1800’s some interesting things changed the cultural response to the feast and, in 1870, Christmas was declared a federal holiday

The Thirteenth Day of Christmas Advent. All About Thanksgiving

11/27/2025

~By Father Lawrence Farley The Christian Faith is all about thanksgiving.  Our secular North American society thinks that thanksgiving is moderately important, and so it has a wonderful Thanksgiving Day feast once a year.  I love this feast.  Every October…when the leaves start to turn colour and the days become a little cooler, we gather if possible with our extended families and sit down to a turkey dinner.  There are no pilgrims and no Plymouth

The Twelfth Day of Christmas Advent. Venerable Stylianos of Paphlagonia

11/26/2025

St. Stylianos was from Paphlagonia living in the latter 6th century and early 7th century. He loved the Lord Jesus Christ with his whole heart and lived in strict asceticism. When he fell asleep in the Lord, his face shone like the sun and an angel appeared to take his soul to Glory. His prayers have worked many miracles, both during his earthly life and since. He is of special help to children who are

The Eleventh Day of Christmas Advent. Saint Catherine of Alexandria

11/25/2025

~By His Eminence Metropolitan PANTELEIMON of Antinoes Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine (Greek ἡ Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνη ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς) is a Christian saint and martyr. The Orthodox Church venerates her as a “great martyr“. St. Catherine was the daughter of Costus, a pagan governor of Alexandria. She announced to her parents that she would only marry someone who surpassed her in beauty, intelligence, wealth, and social status. This was an early foreshadowing of her eventual discovery of Christ. “His

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