This is the recording of the class: Orthodoxy 101 – Orthodoxy Alive of October 12, 2022. It is an unedited video of the ZOOM recording of the class. It is a class of the Adult Religious Education Classes of Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, Austin, Texas. For the best view, please start at 10:00 minutes into the recording. God Bless ….FrG
Pantokrator Monastery at Ntaou Pendeli
Entrance to Transfiguration Chapel at Pantokrator
Monastery
Today we visited and venerated the relics of the Holy Fathers of the Pantokrator Monastery at Ntaou Penteli. Our Transfiguration Parish in Austin TX is blessed to have relics of these martyred Fathers in our Holy Altar. This link will relate the history of the Monastery for your understanding: http://www.pantokratoros-tao.gr/index.php/en/ The convent is growing and building a new Church Temple to the Glory of God. The Commemoration of these Martyrs is the Tuesday of Bright Week
God Bless ….Fr. G.
St Cuthbert the Wonderworker, Bishop of Lindisfarne
As many of you know, I read for my Ph.D. in England at the University of Durham. During this time I gained a great appreciation for the early Orthodox saints of Great Britain. One of these saints is St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, whose holy relics are buried in the Great Cathedral of Durham on the university campus. Last Saturday, our Holy Church commemorated St. Cuthbert.. This short film from Trisagion Films tells his story. I pray you find it inspirational and begin to appreciate the rich heritage of the Celtic saints of the Church. God Bless….Fr. G.
The Whole Package
St. Katherine the Great Martyr
Today when we admire someone who is beautiful, witty and bright we might say, she’s the whole package. This is a perfect description of St. Katherine the Great Martyr. Katherine lived in the early 4th century in the city of Alexandria. Highly educated, beautiful, articulate and of royal blood, Katherine confronted the Emperor Maxentius and professed her faith in Christ. The emperor summoned fifty pagan philosophers to debate Katherine on matters of faith. Catherine(another spelling) refuted their arguments so convincingly that many of her learned opponents accepted Christ. Maxentius was infuriated and ordered Katherine tortured and many of the new converts put to death.
Tortured and imprisoned her courage and deep faith influenced over 200 additional souls to embrace faith in Christ including the emperor’s wife Valeria Maximilla. They too were also martyred. Maxentius tried to entice Katherine by an offer of marriage, but the princes would have none of it. She face even more terrible tortures. The Emperor sentenced Katherine to be tortured on a spoked wheel, which broke in pieces when Katherine touched it. Many icons of the great saint depict her standing next to a wheel. Katherine was finally beheaded at the young age of 18. With her faith and dedication to Christ she earned the grace of the Holy Spirit and the crown of a Great Martyr of the Church. Throughout the centuries many miracles have been accomplished through the intercessions of St. Katherine. She has appeared to many faithful to comfort them in times of distress. The Emperor Justinian named the Monastery on Mt. Sinai in her honour and it is one of the primary pilgrim destinations in the Orthodox world. Holy Martyr of God, Katherine, pray for us.
St. Raphael of Brooklyn
Our Father among the Saints
St. Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn
“Good Shepherd of the Lost Sheep in America”
(November 8, 1860 – February 27, 1915)
On the Saturday prior to the commemoration of the Feast of the Holy Archangels (November 8) our Church commemorates the Feast of Our Father Among the Saints, St. Raphael (Hawaweeny), Bishop of Brooklyn. St. Raphael was born to a Syrian Orthodox family in Beirut (now Lebanon). Educated in Syria, at Halki, the Ecumenical Patriarchal School near Constantinople, and at the Theological Academy of Kiev. Fluent in several languages, he came to America attached to the Church of Russia and was assigned to lead the Syrian Orthodox Spiritual Mission in North America. He was elected bishop and was the first Orthodox hierarch consecrated in North America (1904). He served as bishop guiding the Orthodox, at a time that all ethnic groups were ministered under the Russian mission on this continent. He traveled extensively visiting the scattered Orthodox immigrants all over North America. He founded many churches across the country, including Archangel Michael’s Orthodox Church in Beaumont, TX. He also helped established St. Tikhon’s Monastery in Pennsylvania. He reposed in the Lord, February 27, 1915. He is buried at the Antiochian Village in Ligonier, PA. St. Raphael was glorified by the OCA in 2000
For an excellent article on his life by Bishop Basil (Essey) please see:
http://www.angelfire.com/pa3/straphaelcanonized/lives/TheWordMay2000.pdf
Hymns of Bishop Raphael of Brooklyn:
Troparion (Tone 3)
Rejoice, O Father Raphael, Adornment of the Holy Church!
Thou art Champion of the true Faith,
Seeker of the lost, Consolation of the oppressed,
Father to orphans, and Friend of the poor,
Peacemaker and Good Shepherd, Joy of all the Orthodox,
Son of Antioch, Boast of America:
Intercede with Christ God for us and for all who honor thee.
Kontakion (Tone 3)
Today the memory of blessed Raphael hath shone on us;
For having received Christ’s call, he faithfully took up his cross
and followed Him becoming a fisher of men.
Let us cry aloud to him saying: Rejoice O Father Raphael!
The Two Great Protectors of Our World
During this week of the Holy Cross and the Annunciation, let us prayerfully thank God for the protectors of the world, the Holy Cross and the Most Holy Theotokos. In our prayers let us ask: “Through the power of the Holy Cross, Most Holy Theotokos, Pray for your world now and always.”….dn g
]]>