| Archive Metropolitan Hilarion: The Russian Orthodox Church originated in Kiev, not in Moscow, not in St. Petersburg 14 January 2019 year 13:04 Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, gave an interview to the TV channel RT. – What can the Moscow Patriarchate do to support the Ukrainian Orthodox Church? – First of all, we are praying for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, for Ukraine and for the Ukrainian people. At every Liturgy we offer special petitions and prayers to God that He helps our Ukrainian brothers and sisters survive at this difficult time of persecution by the Ukrainian political authorities. I deliberately call it persecution because what is happening in Ukraine is evidently an intervention of the state in the internal affairs of the Churches. It was the state which initiated the process of granting autocephaly to two schismatic groups, unified with the view of receiving this document from the Patriarchate of Constantinople. It is the Ukrainian authorities which now insist that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church should change its name. However, according to the international norms, a Church itself should choose its name; it is not for the state to grant the Church a particular name. Yet, this is what is happening in Ukraine. We also note that many representatives of the Ukrainian authorities are considering measures aimed at transferring the property from the canonical Church to the newly created church organization. It concerns, in particular, the two great monasteries – the Kiev Caves Lavra and the Pochaev Lavra. Each of these monasteries has several hundred monks. Besides, the Kiev Theological Academy is located in the Kiev Caves Lavra. So, it is impossible to imagine what will happen to these monks and to the students of the Theological Academy, if these properties will be transferred to the newly created church organization which has not many, but just a few monks. It is not clear at all who will be living in these monasteries and what fate awaits the monks once they are expelled from their abodes. We hope very much that it will not happen, that, as Mr. Poroshenko said many times, each person will be able to choose to which church to go and that there will be no violent seizures of monasteries, churches or other properties. |
| On the second Sunday of Great Lent, there is a great feast in the blessed city of Thessalonika, Greece. It is the feast of St. Gregory Palamas. On this day, the holy relics of the saint are taken from the Church of St. Gregory in a procession throughout the city, escorted by bishops, priests, sailors, policemen, and thousands of faithful. One wonders why his earthly remains are still held in such great veneration. How could his bones remain incorruptible more than six hundred years after his death? Indeed, St. Gregory’s life clearly explains these wondrous facts. It illustrates the inspired words of the apostles that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 6:19) and that we are " partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). A Childhood Passion for the Eternal St. Gregory Palamas was born in the year 1296. He grew up in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in a critical time of political and religious unrest. Constantinople was slowly recovering from the devastating invasion of the Crusades. It was a city under attack from all sides. From the west, it was infiltrated by Western philosophies of rationalism and scholasticism and by many attempts at Latinization. From the east, it was threatened by Muslim Turkish military invaders. The peace and faith of its citizens were at stake. Gregory’s family was wealthy. His father was a member of the senate. Upon his father’s sudden death, Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Paleologos (1282–1328), who was a close friend of the family, gave it his full financial support. He especially admired Gregory for his fine abilities and talents, hoping that the brilliant young man would one day become a fine assistant. However, instead of accepting a high office in the secular world, Gregory sought “that good part, which will not be taken away” from him (Luke 10:42). Upon finishing his studies in Greek philosophy, rhetoric, poetry, and grammar, Gregory, at only twenty or twenty-two years of age, followed a burning passion in his heart. Like a lover who strives to stay alone forever with his loved one, Gregory was thirsty for this living water (see Revelation 22:17). Therefore, no created thing could separate him from the love of God (see Romans 8:39). He simply withdrew to Mount Athos, an already established community of monasticism. He first stayed at the Vatopedi Monastery, and then moved to the Great Lavra. |
| John Anthony McGuckin St. Andrei Rublev (ca. 1360–1430) KONSTANTIN GAVRILKIN Little is known of the life of Russia’s greatest icon painter. The indirect evidence suggests that he was born around the 1360s and settled in the Trinity Monastery (later, the Troitse- Sergieva Lavra) near Moscow shortly after the death of its founder, St. Sergius of Radonezh (1392), presumably already as a monk. Rublev is first mentioned in the Chronicle of the Trinity Monastery under the year 1405, when he is said to have worked on the frescoes and icons of the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin together with Theophanes the Greek, a prominent Byzantine master who is believed to have been associated with the hesychast movement and who trained Andrei in icon painting. In this and other sources associated with the same monastery, Andrei is mentioned in later years as a man of holy life and master of remarkable talent who decorated churches in Moscow, Vladimir, and other places. The last place Rublev was known to be working was at the Moscow Andronikov Monastery, where he died around 1430. In the Soviet period this monastery was closed but has since reopened as the Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art, with a collection representing Russian works from the 15th to 17th centuries. Although the authority of Andrei Rublev as model icon painter was recognized by the Stoglav Council of 1551, which declared that iconographers should follow the ancient standards of Greek icon painters, Andrei Rublev, and other famous masters (Lazarev 1966: 75–8), the decline of Russian iconography after the late 16th century led to a gradual loss of that knowledge and skill associated with Rublev and his school. By the 19th century virtually only the Old Believers who treasured the liturgical and spiritual traditions of the Muscovite Rus remembered his name without, however, being able to identify his works. With the beginning of the scholarly study of early Russian iconography at the beginning of the 20th century, the only starting point for the recovery of Rublev’s legacy was the Icon of the Holy Trinity in the Trinity Cathedral of the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, which, according to all the sources, was painted by Andrei Rublev alone. Cleaned in 1904, the icon provided iconologists with the stylistic and technical clues for further research. After a century-long study of his frescoes and icons, St. Andrei Rublev is recognized today as a great master of composition, light, and color, who was able to express through his works the peace and beauty of the world transformed by grace, the vision of the human being transformed by the Spirit into the true image and likeness of God. He was officially canonized as a saint by the Russian Church in 1988. |
| Patriarch Kirill: St. Sergius is the Embodiment of Holy Russia Holy Russia is what we call a meta-reality, that which lies beyond the boundaries of human reality. The annual celebration on July 18 of the finding of the sacred relics of St. Sergius, Abbot of Radonezh (1422), this year became the culmination of the feast dedicated to the 700th anniversary of this great Russian ascetic struggler. Following the Liturgy at the cathedral square of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia addressed the numerous pilgrims with the following sermon: Photo: http://www.patriarchia.ru Your Eminences and Graces! Revered Father, Mother Abbesses, Brothers and Sisters! Eminent state officials! I would like to greet you all cordially on this great feast for our entire historical Fatherland and all of Rus’: the feast day of our Holy and God-Bearing Father, Sergius, Abbot of Radonezh. Sergius, the Venerable God-Pleaser, is truly a luminary through his entire life and across all of history. As the flame on a candle concentrates all of its energy, so too did the personality of St. Sergius concentrate all the light and spiritual strength of Holy Russia. When we say “Holy Russia,” what do we have in mind? Some people think that this is just a mythologema, an idea that was typical of our people in the Middle Ages. Others try to find the embodiment of Holy Russia in one historical period or another and, pointing at one or another period, say: this was Holy Russia. But neither the one nor the other is correct. Holy Russia is not a myth and Holy Russia is not an historical reality. Holy Russia is what we call a meta-reality, that which is beyond the boundaries of human reality. But if we use the word “reality,” then that which is beyond it has a bearing on our everyday life. And it becomes clear that Holy Russia is the undying spiritual and moral ideal of our people, and that the expression of this idea, its dominant, is holiness. Surprisingly, if one asks a simple question: where else was holiness the basic, principal idea of people’s lives? Then we are talking neither about monasteries, nor about closed groups of people dedicated to the service of God, but about an enormous nation. Usually people have different ideals connected with earthly life: the ideals of wealth, power, and might. But the ideal of our nation was holiness; this was the national ideal, and therefore those who attained holiness, who realized this national ideal, became heroes: heroes of the spirit, ascetic strugglers, and luminaries. This applied to princes, boyars, rulers, military leaders, simple peasants, monks, and laypeople. And of all those who embodied the idea of Holy Russia, the Holy Venerable Sergius, Abbot of Radonezh, is in the first place. |
| 3. The Text A. Previous Editions of Palamas» Works The two foremost editorial efforts in recent years have been John Meyendorff’s edition of the Triads and the three volumes of the Thessalonica edition of Palamas’ works under the general direction of Panagiotes Chrestou. 158 While both are laudable enterprises and important contributions to Palamite studies, the reviewers were quick to note certain deficiencies. 159 Although these are major works of Palamas, the editors have not produced critical editions by modern standards. Codicological study of the Palamite corpus as a whole was broached very briefly by Meyendorff in his Introduction but not adequately pursued for the indispensable information it provides regarding the relationship of the manuscripts. 160 Chrestou reserved such a study for a final volume. 161 Selection of manuscripts for collation was somewhat arbitrary. The best manuscripts were chosen, but we are never informed about the factual bases for such judgements. At times, manuscripts early in date and easily accessible were not included in collations. No attempt was ever made to establish stemmatic relationships. The principles for including or excluding variant readings in the apparatus were left for the reader to guess. Finally, the constitution of the text appears to have been based largely upon the subjective judgement of the editor. B. Manuscripts of The Capita 150 C=Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, Fonds Coislin 100. 162 Fifteenth century, paper, i+342 folios, 298x221 mm. This codex was formerly vol. 3 of the official collection of Palamite documents deposited in the κατηχουμενεα of the Great Lavra on Mount Athos, the monastery to which Gregory Palamas was once attached. 163 The volume contains, in chronological order, first the works of Palamas prior to 1341 and then those from the later period of his life. The treatises appear in the following order: (Ep Damianus) 164 Apodictic Treatises (fols. 13r–63v) Against Bekkos (fols. 64r–68v) Ep 1 Akindynos (fols. 69r–75r) |
| The 24th North American Orthodox Church Musicians’ Conference (ROCM) was a great success that made a lasting impression on the church choir directors, choristers, and readers who participated. The conference was organized jointly by members of the Liturgical Music Commission (LMC) of the Synod of Bishops (ROCOR) and the parish of St. Andrew Stratelites, St. Petersburg, Florida, whose rector is Archpriest Igor Shitikov. The main theme of this year’s conference was “From Generation to Generation: Developing and Strengthening the Musical Tradition of Your Church Choir.” Intensive classes, lectures, and rehearsals were held at the lovely Clarion Clearwater hotel, in the vicinity of the host parish. The program of the conference was intense. One has only to read the titles of the lectures to understand that the curriculum was both serious and relevant: • Bishop Theodosy of Seattle: Recollections of the Kievan Caves Lavra and the Question of Musical Continuity in the Russian Diaspora • V. Rev. Andre Papkov: On “Liturgical Pace” in Russian Orthodox Church Services: Some Things to Strive for With Your Choir • Protodeacon Serge Arlievsky: A Legacy of Trials and Rewards: Music at the St. Herman’s Annual Youth Conference • Protodeacon Serge Arlievsky, Vladimir Krassovsky, and Anastasia Serdsev: Working with Your Church Choir: Will the “Next Generation” Follow? • Kurt Sander: Stepped-Up Self-Education Today: Making the Most of What’s “Out There” for You! • Nicolas Schidlovsky: Orthodox Musical Tradition: Deepening the Understanding in Our Midst • George Skok: Your Choir and Your Priest: Tailoring and Refining Your Vigil Service • Vladislav Markov (Music Director, St. Andrew’s Church) and George Skok: Two Church Choirs and Their Musical Practice for the All-Night Vigil and Divine Liturgy • George Skok, Chair: The All-Night Vigil and Its Musical Significance in Parish Practice-Open Forum and Participant Discussion We should especially mention the seminar on choral conducting technique, taught by Maestro Peter Jermihov from Chicago, a well-known conductor in North America. |
| Fyodor M. Dostoevsky, Orthodox Convert 1821–1881 (January 28/February 9)/Православие.Ru Fyodor M. Dostoevsky, Orthodox Convert 1821–1881 (January 28/February 9) On February 9, 1881, Feodor Dostoevsky parted this world as his family read to him the Gospel parable of the prodigal son. This article in Orthodox America from the 100th anniversary year of Doestoevsky's death commemorates the great writer, and shows his significance to the Orthodox Church. Feodor Dostoevsky on his deathbed. January 28/February 9 of this year (1981) marked the hundredth anniversary of the death of Fyodor M. Dostoevsky, the great Russian writer who was probably the most powerful Orthodox voice in the world literature of recent centuries. In marking this anniversary with an Ukase decreeing the celebration of memorial Services for him in all dioceses, as well as recommending gatherings and lectures devoted to him, the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Outside of Russia noted that " his creative activity was highly valued by outstanding church thinkers. His burial is remembered as an extraordinary event, and in the name of the St. Alexander Neysky Lavra (in Petersburg) his widow was asked to bury him precisely there, since Fyodor Michailovich was a defender of Orthodoxy. " Unlike most Russian novelists and writers of the 19th century, Dostoevsky's intent in his creative activity was precisely to exemplify Orthodox principles. After a youthful fascination with Western ideas and his involvement with a socialist-revolutionary group, Dostoevsky returned from a term of exile in Siberia fully converted to the truth of Orthodoxy and resolved to use his literary talent to defend this truth against its many enemies, and to illuminate with its light the spirit of his times. In The Possessed (literally, “The Demons”,), he made a devastatingly precise analysis of the radical revolutionary mind and foresaw the hundred million people it would be necessary to kill to make the revolution successful in Russia (Solzhenitsyn has noted the exact correspondence to the number of victims of Soviet Communism). |
| Reliquary with Holy Relics of Fifteen Saints Opens at St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra Photo: lavra.spb.ru A reliquary containing holy relics of fifteen saints of the Orthodox Church from different eras was opened at St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. “According to an ancient tradition, many monasteries have reliquaries. In association with the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the birth of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky this year, the reliquary of our monastery was opened at St. Theodore Church of the Holy Trinity – St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra,” a message on the Lavra’s website says. The holy relics of the 15 saints are inserted into their icons. Everyone can venerate them and pray before the saints’ icons. Today, the relics of the following saints are kept in the reliquary of St. Alexander Nevsky Lavra: The Holy Martyr Maria of Gatchina; The Hieromartyr John Kochurov; The Venerable Seraphim of Sarov; The Venerable Maxim the Greek; The Holy Great Martyr Catherine; The Holy Apostle Philip; The Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious; The Holy Great Martyr Anastasia; Saint Alexius, Metropolitan of Moscow; The Hieromartyr Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste; The Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth and St. Barbara; Saint Thaddeus, Archbishop of Tver; Saint Isaiah, Bishop of Rostov; The Holy Apostle Bartholomew; The Venerable John of Valaam. It is noted that these icons and the holy relics are already known to the parishioners of the Lavra and are placed in their usual places in free access for prayer in front of them – at the Holy Trinity Cathedral and other churches of the lavra. The Reliquary of the Lavra will be replenished with new icons in the future. Meanwhile, the monastery will gratefully accept help in creating a reliquary and painting icons for it. You can f ollow Pravmir.com on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , or Telegram . Code for blog Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. |
| Venerable Theodosius the Great, the Cenobiarch Commemorated on January 11 Saint Theodosius the Great lived during the fifth-sixth centuries, and was the founder of cenobitic monasticism. He was born in Cappadocia of pious parents. Endowed with a splendid voice, he zealously toiled at church reading and singing. Saint Theodosius prayed fervently that the Lord would guide him on the way to salvation. In his early years he visited the Holy Land and met with Saint Simeon the Stylite (September 1), who blessed him and predicted future pastoral service for him. Yearning for the solitary life, Saint Theodosius settled in Palestine into a desolate cave, in which, according to Tradition, the three Magi had spent the night, having come to worship the Savior after His Nativity. He lived there for thirty years in great abstinence and unceasing prayer. People flocked to the ascetic, wishing to live under his guidance. When the cave could no longer hold all the monks, Saint Theodosius prayed that the Lord Himself would indicate a place for the monks. Taking a censer with cold charcoal and incense, the monk started walking into the desert. At a certain spot the charcoal ignited by itself and the incense smoke began to rise. Here the monk established the first cenobitic monastery, or Lavra (meaning “broad” or “populous”). Soon the Lavra of Saint Theodosius became renowned, and up to 700 monks gathered at it. According to the final testament of Saint Theodosius, the Lavra rendered service to neighbor, giving aid to the poor and providing shelter for wanderers. Saint Theodosius was extremely compassionate. Once, when there was a famine in Palestine and a multitude of people gathered at the monastery, the monk gave orders to allow everyone into the monastery enclosure. His disciples were annoyed, knowing that the monastery did not have the means to feed all those who had come. But when they went into the bakery, they saw that through the prayers of the abba, it was filled with bread. This miracle was repeated every time Saint Theodosius wanted to help the destitute. |
| Archive Пн The Synod of the Byelorussian Orthodox Church makes an appeal over the Ukrainian authorities’ actions against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church 5 July 2023 year 10:33 On July 4, 2023, the Synod of the Byelorussian Orthodox Church issued an appeal over the continued actions of the Ukrainian authorities against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Appeal reads: With deep sorrow, the Synod of the Byelorussian Orthodox Church has taken reports on the developments taking place in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Despite the protests of dozens of thousands of civil believers and the international community’s disapproval, the Ukrainian authorities have continued perfidiously encroaching upon the great shrine for all the Orthodox believers without stopping the godless attempts to ravage the cradle of the Orthodox faith of the Eastern Slavic nations. For several months, the abbot of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, the Most Rev. Metropolitan Pavel (Lebed’) has been under arrest on far-fetched accusations. The Lavra clergy are deprived of the opportunity to celebrate the Divine Liturgy and other services and its novices and numerous faithful to worship freely in the cathedral churches of the monastery. The clergy and laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church are regularly subjected to lawless actions aggravating the situation. At the end of June 2023, a vast publicity in the mass media was gained by reports that the Kiev city authorities, using a plausible pretext of ‘saving’ cultural conserves from missile blows, plan to remove from the Kiev Pechersk Lavra the most venerated shrines of the Orthodox Church - holy relics and old icons with the aim to give them ‘into the charge’ of museums in Italy, France, German and the Vatican. In doing so, the leaders of the country and the Ukrainian capital city do not consider the opinion of Orthodox believers while their concern for the earlier ‘inventory’ of the Lavra’s shrines was lulled by false promises to ensure that the religious, historic and cultural valuables of the Ukrainian people will never leave the territory of Ukraine. |
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