"St Juvenal was (together with St Herman, see Dec. 12) a member of the first mission sent from Russia to proclaim the Gospel in the New World. He was a priest-monk, and a zealous follower of the Apostles, and baptized hundreds of the natives of Alaska. He was martyred by enraged pagans in 1796." (Great Horologion)

He is honored as the founder of Orthodox monastic life in Russia. He was born in Chernigov province and tonsured at the Monastery of Esphigmenou on the Holy Mountain. His abbot sent him from Mt Athos to Kiev to establish the monastic life there in 1013, during the last years of Prince Vladimir's holy reign. He lived there as a hermit, slowly drawing to himself others who wished to share the ascetical life. In time, the brotherhood grew into the Kiev Caves Lavra. St Anthony refused to serve as abbot of the monastery; this task was taken up by St Theodosius (commemorated May 3). St Anthony continued to live as a cave-dwelling hermit and reposed in peace at the age of ninety.

"Saint Olga, renowned for her wisdom and sobriety, in her youth became the wife of Igor, Great Prince of Kiev, who ruled during the tenth century. After her husband's death, she herself ruled capably, and was finally moved to accept the Faith of Christ. She travelled to Constantinople to receive Holy Baptism. The Emperor, seeing her outward beauty and inward greatness, asked her to marry him. She said she could not do this before she was baptized; she furthermore asked him to be her Godfather at the font, which he agreed to do. After she was baptized (receiving the name of Helen), the Emperor repeated his proposal of marriage. She answered that now he was her father, through Holy Baptism, and that not even among the heathen was it heard of a man marrying his daughter. Gracefully accepting to be outwitted by her, he sent her back to her land with priests and sacred texts and holy icons. Although her son Svyatoslav remained a pagan, she planted the seed of faith in her grandson Vladimir (see July 15). She reposed in peace in 969." (Great Horologion)

Her mother died when she was very young, and she was brought up by her father. As she grew older, she grew in virtue and beauty. Her father conceived an illicit desire for her and made improper advances toward her, which troubled her so greatly that she fled her village and hid in the mountains. Her father pursued her, even wounding her with arrows in his effort to possess her. Finally she took refuge in a cloven rock. When her father found that he could not drag her from her refuge, he viciously dismembered her and threw her head into the sea. From the rock that had sheltered her a stream appeared, whose water had healing virtues. The holy Marcella is especially venerated on Chios to this day.

"Saint Eudocimus was from Cappadocia, the son of pious and most illustrious parents, patricians in rank. He especially cultivated chastity and mercy, the one by never meeting the gaze of a woman, the other by cheerfully providing the needs of the poor. When he was made military commander of Cappadocia, he continued in his righteous ways, showing mercy and uprightness in all his dealings. Having so lived in piety, quietly and without ostentation, he was called from this life at the age of thirty-three, about the year 840, during the reign of the Iconoclast Theophilus. Not long after his burial, his grave became a fountain of unending miracles, as God revealed the virtue that Eudocimus had striven to hide; when his grave was later opened, his body was found incorrupt. His holy relics were translated to Constantinople." (Great Horologion)

Read his prophecies (which include the prophecy that Christ would be born in Bethlehem, Micah 5:2) in the Old Testament book that bears his name. He was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah, Amos and Hosea, and is ranked sixth among the "minor" prophets. It was he who prophesied that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem. (This is a different Micah from the one mentioned in 1 Chronicles 22:8, who lived earlier). Micah was buried in his home village of Morasth in the land of Judah; his holy relics were found along with those of the prophet Habbakuk during the reign of St Theodosius the Great — their location was given by a revelation to Zebennus, Bishop of Eleutheropolis.

"A wealthy and devout woman, she lived on the island of Aegina, but, when the Arabs over-ran the island, she moved to Salonica. There, she gave her only daughter to a monastery, where she received the monastic name Theopista. Her husband Theodorinus died very soon, and then Theodora became a nun. She was a great ascetic. She often heard angelic singing, and would say to her sisters: 'Don't you hear how wonderfully the angels are singing in heavenly light?' She entered into rest in 879, and a healing myrrh flowed from her body, which gave healing to many.

He was born around 190 to pagan parents in North Africa. Before baptism he was distinguished in Carthage as a teacher of philosophy and rhetoric. He came to faith in Christ and was baptized at a young age; as soon as he became a Christian he abandoned his prestigious teacher's position, sold his many possessions and gave all his wealth to the poor. He was ordained presbyter in 247, Bishop of Carthage in 248. He was known for his gentleness and paternal care for his flock, combined with firm opposition to heretics. His extensive writings still guide the Church today.   For his confession of Christ, he was beheaded under the Emperor Valerian on September 14; since that is the date of the Exaltation of the Cross, his feast is kept today. At the time of his execution he left twenty-five gold pieces (a huge sum) for the executioner who beheaded him.

He began his life in the cruelest of circumstances: both of his parents were imprisoned for their faith in Christ. First his father, Theodotus, died in prison, then his mother, Rufina, died shortly after his birth, so the infant was left alone in prison beside the bodies of his parents. But an angel appeared to the widow Ammia, telling her to go to the prison and rescue the child. Ammia obtained the city governor's permission to bury the parents and bring the child home. He was called Mamas because he was mute until the age of five and his first word was `Mama'. Despite his late beginning, he showed unusual intelligence and, having been brought up in piety, soon openly proclaimed his Christian faith. When he was only fifteen years old he was arrested and brought before the Emperor Aurelian. The Emperor, perhaps seeking to spare the boy, told him to deny Christ only with his lips, and the State would not concern itself with his heart. Mamas replied `I shall not deny my God and King Jesus Christ either in my heart or with my lips.' He was sent to be tortured, but miraculously escaped and lived in the mountains near Caesarea. There he lived in solitude and prayer and befriended many wild beasts. In time, he was discovered by the persecutors and stabbed to death with a trident by a pagan priest.

He was born to wealthy and noble parents in Carthage (north Africa), and became a prominent lawyer in that city. Around the year 246 he embraced the Christian faith and was baptized by the priest Caecilianus. Immediately he gave all his goods to the poor and retired to a quiet place in the country to devote himself to prayer and study of Christian writings. In 248 or 249 he was elected Bishop of Carthage by the insistence of the people, though some priests opposed the consecration of such a new Christian.   Soon after his election, the Emperor Decius began a terrible persecution of Christians, during which Cyprian, in hiding, upheld his flock by letters. During this time many Christians gave in to fear of death and either sacrificed to the idols or signed statements that they had done so. When the persecution ended, the problem arose of how to treat the apostates who wished to be received back into the Church. Rigorist groups such as the Novatians and Montanists held that these lapsi had removed themselves from all hope of salvation and could never re-enter the Church. Cyprian rejected this view (as well as the position of some who would immediately reconcile the apostates); he established the position, still standard in the Church, that apostates could be restored after confession and long penance. His position led to a schism in the Church at Carthage when Cyprian's opponents set up Maximus the Montanist as a rival Bishop. The schism was only ended by a plague that swept the Empire and the city of Carthage in 253-254, together with a renewed persecution of Christians. Saint Cyprian's tireless care for the suffering during this time won most of the schismatics back to his side. When peace returned, Cyprian called a series of Councils in Carthage to resolve the conflicts that had troubled the Church. He upheld the African (and Eastern) churches' practice of reconciling heretics to the Church by Baptism rather than by laying on of hands, as was done in Rome; though Cyprian did not seek to impose this practice on other churches, Rome was not so tolerant and broke with the African church until the death of Pope Stephen.   In 256, yet another persecution broke out under the Emperor Valerian. Cyprian was arrested and brought before the Proconsul of the region. He refused to defend himself, and when told that he was to be executed, said only Deo Gratias!(Thanks be to God!). At his execution the holy bishop ordered that twenty-five gold pieces be given to the executioner, and put on the blindfold with his own hands.   Note: St Cyprian is missing on this date from traditional martyrologies because he was once confused with St Cyprian of Antioch (October 2). Today is the date of his martyrdom and the date of his commemoration on the Latin calendar.

The holy Scriptures, from beginning to end, are filled with mentions and descriptions of the Heavenly Host: not to believe in angels is not to believe in the Bible. In the heavens they behold the face of God, eternally hymning His glory. They are intimately involved with mankind as well: an angel is appointed guardian over every nation, and over every individual Christian. The Archangels Michael and Gabriel, whom we especially commemorate today along with all the other bodiless powers, have served as messengers to man. "Michael" means "Who is like God?";"Gabriel" means "God is mighty." Gabriel especially was appointed to announce the coming of Christ in the flesh.   There is no reckoning the number of the Heavenly Host, though we know that they are a great multitude. They are ranked in nine orders, called Thrones, Cherubim, Seraphim, Dominions, Powers, Authorities, Principalities, Archangels and Angels. "Angel" means "herald" or "messenger" and is properly applied only to those who serve as messengers from God to man; but the name is often applied to the entire host of bodiless powers.   Though bodiless, the angels are finite in knowledge, extension and power. The angel Lucifer, once the highest of them all, desired to be like God Himself, and was cast forever from the presence of God, along with countless others who followed him. These we now know as Satan and the demons. (Needless to say, they are not commemorated today).

Cappadocia (in eastern Turkey) is virtually devoid of Christians now, but in 1840, when St Arsenios was born there, there were still vital Orthodox communities. He became a monk and was sent to his native town, Farasa, to serve the people. He became known as a mighty intercessor before God, praying for all who came to him, Muslims as well as Christians. His countless miracles of healing became known throughout Cappadocia; those who could not come to see him would sometimes send articles of clothing for him to pray over. He became known as Hadjiefendis, a Muslim term of honour for pilgrims, because he made pilgrimage to the Holy Land every ten years on foot. He never accepted any gifts in return for his prayers and healings, saying ‘Our faith is not for sale!’   “He concealed his holiness as much as he could beneath a rough and sharp-tempered exterior. If anyone expressed admiration for him, he would reply "So you think I'm a saint? I'm only a sinner worse than you. Don't you see that I even lose my temper? The miracles you see are done by Christ. I do no more than lift up my hands and pray to him." But as the Scriptures say, the prayers of a righteous man avail much, and when St Arsenios lifted up his hands, wonders often followed.   “He lived in a small cell with an earthen floor, fasted often and was in the habit of shutting himself in his cell for at least two whole days every week to devote himself entirely to prayer.   “Father Arsenios predicted the expulsion of the Greeks from Asia Minor before it happened, and organized his flock for departure. When the expulsion order came in 1924, the aged Saint led his faithful on a 400-mile journey across Turkey on foot. He had foretold that he would only live forty days after reaching Greece, and this came to pass. His last words were "The soul, the soul, take care of it more than the flesh, which will return to earth and be eaten by worms!" Two days later, on November 10, 1924, he died in peace at the age of eighty-three. Since 1970, many apparitions and miracles have occurred near his holy relics, which reside in the Monastery of Souroti near Thessalonica. He was officially glorified by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1986.” — Source: Orthodox Parish of St John of Kronstadt (UK) The primary source for the life of St Arsenios is Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian, compiled by Elder Païsios of the Holy Mountain, who was baptized as an infant by the Saint.

Fr. Andrew begins a survey of the Radical Reformation which introduced the effects of pietism into the Protestant church.

Fr. Andrew continues his survey of the Radical Reformation by discussing the impact of Antinomianism and the theory of the Great Apostasy.

Fr. Andrew examines the theological developments of the Radical Reformers, and introduces some of the Anabaptist denominations which developed. Brethren Mennonite Amish Hutterite Moravian

Fr. Andrew completes our survey of the Radical Reformation with a discussion of the denominations that arose, such as: Puritans Quakers Shakers Baptist

Fr. Andrew introduces Evangelicalism as it comes out of the Pietistic and Revivalist movements.

Fr. Andrew explores the understanding of salvation in the Evangelical tradition.

Fr. Andrew concludes the first part of his survey of Evangelicalism by discussing the topics of dualism, incarnation and eschatology.

Fr. Andrew begins part two of his study of Evangelicalism by exploring some of the denominations which arose. Restorationist Adventist Holiness Non-Denominationalism Dispensationalism

Fr. Andrews concludes his description of Evangelicalism with a brief survey of the following: Emerging Church Missional New Calvinists Ancient-Future

Elder Paisios constantly stressed the power of positive thinking. In this episode, the listener will learn the effects of poor stress management on the body and how positive thinking is important for our health and weight management.

What does it mean to truly love and care for ourselves? How is this related to our health and faith? In this episode, Rita takes a look at the Akathist of Thanksgiving service to gain insight on how to properly nurture ourselves to aid us in proper care of body and soul alike.

With the New Year around the corner, people are making decisions about which diet to try. In this episode, Rita shares what the research shows about eating the Holy Orthodox way. 

Rita discusses dedicating a fast to someone to aid us in deepening our prayer for them.

Rita explains the use of the Sanctification Prayer that we pray before eating, asking the Holy Spirit to fill and guide what we are partaking in.

Rita reflects on how physical objects can help us attain food for our soul, and how we can use physical objects to help us in prayer.

Chaplain Sarah Byrne-Martelli interviews Chaplain Sarah Jabbour from Beacon Hospice on the topic of "Caring for People with Dementia."

Fr. Adrian and Chaplain Sarah begin a two part conversation about the important role of self-care in preventing burnout in caregiving roles.

Fr. Adrian and Chaplain Sarah continue their conversation about the important role of self-care in preventing burnout in caregiving roles, focusing on the psychological point of view and addressing how to do good self-care.

Fr. Adrian continues his interview with Fr. James Parnell - Hospital Chaplain, Parish Priest and Military Chaplain - about the unique opportunities and challenges of offering spiritual care to military veterans. This is Part 2 of a 2-part series.

Fr. Adrian interviews Fr. James Parnell - Hospital Chaplain, Parish Priest and Military Chaplain - about the unique opportunities and challenges of offering spiritual care to military veterans. This is Part 1 of a 2-part series.

Fr. Adrian Budica interviews Dr. Katya Hill - Associate Professor at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh and Executive Director of the AAC Institute and clinic a non-profit organization dedicated to serving individuals who cannot talk. (Part 1 of 2)

Fr. Adrian Budica continues his interview with Dr. Katya Hill - Associate Professor at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh and Executive Director of the AAC Institute and clinic a non-profit organization dedicated to serving individuals who cannot talk. (Part 2 of 2)

Dr. Adrian Budica, ThM, ACPE, BCC, Director of Field Education, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood NY, and Sara Byrne-Martelli, MDiv, DMin candidate, BCC, Chaplain, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. Video presentation available here.

Fr. Adrian and Chaplain Sarah define the meaning and purpose of palliative care.

Fr. Adrian and Chaplain Sarah continue their conversation about palliative care and the role of the chaplain.

Chaplain Sarah Byrne-Martelli shares an essay she wrote on the topic of why bad things happen to good people.

¿Es la iglesia ortodoxa Católica? También en estos días otra duda que surge sobre la iglesia ortodoxa es si es cristiana. Conocemos que en estos días tenemos cerca de 3,000 organizaciones que se consideran como cristianos. Vamos a considerar un momento lo que nos enseña la historia y como entendemos nuestra parte. Is the Orthodox Church Catholic? Also, these days another doubt arises about whether the Orthodox Church is even Christian. We are aware that in these days there exist approximately 3,000 organizations that consider themselves Christians. Let us consider for a moment what history teaches us and how we understand our place.

La siguiente entrevista nos ofrece algo más sobre la iglesia Ortodoxa en América Latina con Serafina Karbo quien está cumpliendo su llamada al Señor como trabajadora en Proyecto México en Tijuana, México. Ella comparte con nosotros sobre su vida como una Cristiana Ortodoxa, su trabajo en Proyecto México, sobre su visión de cómo colaborar con la iglesia en México y América Latina. Ella se ha dedicado al labor en América Latina y la apreciamos por compartir con nosotros su fe y trabajo en el que ella colabora, el desarrollo y visión futura para trabajar en América Latina. The following interview offers us something more about the Orthodox Church in Latin America with Serafina Karbo who is fulfilling her call to the Lord as a worker in Mexico at Project Mexico in Tijuana, Mexico. She shares with us about her life as an Orthodox Christian, her work at Project Mexico and her vision for how to be more involved with the Church in Mexico and Latin America. She is dedicated to working in Latin America and we are grateful for her sharing of the faith and work that she is involved, her future plans and vision for working in Latin America.

Fr. Andrew speaks at Bucknell University on February 3, 2010. We have broken the talk into two parts, with part 1 on today's episode and part 2 on March 22.

Fr. Andrew speaks at Bucknell University on February 3, 2010. We have broken the talk into two parts and this is part 2.

Fr. Andrew says we have become a global society of consumers at the expense of localism which has real implications for our Christian faith.

Fr. Andrew uses the term "Thinness of Place" to further explore the importance of localism and gives us 17 practical suggestions for moving closer to that ideal.

Fr. Andrew gave this talk at Cornell University on February 14, 2012.

On this Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, Fr. Andrew speaks of the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

On this feast day of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Fr. Andrew tells the true story of a love that is beyond our imagination.

On this Sunday of the Canaanite Woman, Fr. Andrew speaks about the virtue of humility.

On this Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee, Fr. Andrew asks the simple, but complicated question, why are we here, why do we come to church?

On this Sunday the Church remembers and celebrates the work of the 318 bishops at the First Ecumenical Council.