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Agios Paisios of Mount Athos, Patron Saint of Signalmen

Published by Pemptousia Partnership, November 10, 2017 Nikolaos G. Koios, Content Coach of Pemptousia Following a request by the Office of Military Chaplains, part of the General Staff of the Greek Armed Forces, the Holy Permanent Synod of the Church of Greece has declared Saint Paisios the Athonite to be the Patron Saint of the Corps of Signals. Thinking Christians are often troubled by the question: how is it possible that the Church, which blesses the

A Terrible Knowledge

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, December 7, 2016  Greek Mythology made the curiosity of Pandora the primary cause of suffering in the world. She fails to resist the lure of finding out what is in a box she is told to leave closed. Opening the box, she unleashes sorrow and suffering into the world. We humans are a curious lot. We want to know everything about our business and much about what is not our business.

Feast Day of the Holy Martyr Procopius

On July 8, the Greek Orthodox Church commemorates the Feast Day of Agios Procopius. Procopius was born in Jerusalem of a Christian father and a pagan mother. At first, his name was Neanias. Following the death of his father, his mother raised her son completely in the spirit of Roman idolatry. When Neanias had grown up, Emperor Diocletian saw him, took a liking to him, and brought him to his palace for military service. When

Are You in Pain?

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification Topic of the Week – Are You in Pain?   Let Us Manifest This Faith “…The more silent God remains, the more present He is. The more it seems as if all is lost and as if there is no hope anywhere, the more present God is; the more He intervenes invisibly and mystically. He doesn’t reveal His help, He doesn’t let us see it,

Feast Day of Agia Kyriaki the Great Martyr

On July 7 the Greek Orthodox Church commemorates the Feast Day of Agia Kyriaki the Great Martyr. Agia Kyriaki was the only child of Dorotheus and Eusebia. Since she was born on a Sunday (Kyriaki, in Greek), she was named Kyriaki. One day a wealthy magistrate wished to betroth Kyriaki to his son. Not only was she young and beautiful, but her parents were wealthy, and the magistrate wished to control that wealth. The magistrate

Deicide is the Equivalent of Patricide

Published by Pemptousia Partnership, January 14, 2017 According to the Biblical concept, ‘patricide’ is essentially the same as the sin of Adam and Eve. Their effort to become gods through the forbidden fruit and not through the alignment of their will and their actions to the commandment and will of God is the first attempt to remove God from the world and from our life. It’s the first attempt to expel God from the human

The Patricidal Society

Published by Pemptousia Partnership, December 9, 2016 The times in which we live are distinguished by a rebellion, unprecedented in history, against any kind of authority or ‘guardianship’. All authority, religious or moral, social or familial is being called into question and is being shaken by a profound crisis. This general crisis also involves education, its values and its aims. Here, too, everything is being doubted, according to the well-known educator Paul Lagran, who said

God and the Fourth of July

By Meir Soloveichik, July 1, 2016 5:18 pm ET On July 4, 1776, after voting to approve the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress advanced the following resolution: “That Dr. Franklin, Mr. J. Adams and Mr. Jefferson, be a committee, to bring in a device for a seal for the United States of America.” Of these three founders, two suggested seals that incorporated profoundly biblical images. Franklin, according to his own notes, proposed the following as

Feast Day of Agios Kosmas and Agios Damianos

On July 1 the Greek Orthodox Church commemorates Agios Kosmas and Agios Damianos the Holy Martyrs, Wonderworkers and Unmercenary Physicians. They suffered at Rome in the reign of the emperor Carinus (283-284). Brought up by their parents in the rules of piety, they led strict and chaste lives, and they were granted by God the gift of healing the sick. By their generosity and exceptional kindness to all, the brothers converted many to Christ. The

Synaxis of the Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Apostles

TODAY’S SYNAXARION: On June 30th Our Holy Orthodox Christian Church commemorates, honors and celebrates the feast day of the Synaxis of the Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Twelve Apostles. Even though each of the Twelve Great Apostles has his own particular feast day during the year, the Church has set aside this day as a general feast of all the holy Apostles together, and St. Paul with them. The following are the names and the separate feast