Photo Report: First Service with Fr. Innokenty

Vespers today was our Holy Transfiguration's first service with Fr. Innokenty.  We were very blessed to have him with us, and we look forward to Divine Liturgy in the morning!

Homilies and Comments for the Sunday of Orthodoxy

Homily for the Sunday of Orthodoxy, by Bishop Atanasije - orthodoxinfo.com

Sermon on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, by St. Tikhon - orthodoxengland

Sermon on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, by Archbishop Averky - orthodox.net

Sunday of Orthodoxy Homily, by Met. Anthony of Sourozh - preachersinstitute

Farewell Sermon of St. Tikhon of Moscow - preachersinstitute

Homily on the Sunday of Orthodoxy - easterndiocese.org

From a Homily on the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, by St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) - pravoslavie.ru

Homily at the Sunday of Orthodoxy Pan-Orthodox Vespers, by Bishop Peter of Cleveland - chicagodiocese.org

The Victory of Orthodoxy, by Archbishop Alypy of Chicago and Mid-America - holyvirginprotection.org

We Have Been Blessed With An Acting Rector, Hieromonk Innokenty

Last night, we received the blessed news from His Grace Bishop Peter that he has assigned Hieromonk Innokenty (Reichert) of Ss. Sergius and Herman of Valaam Orthodox Mission in Houghton, MI to serve as our acting rector.

His Grace Bishop Peter Elevates Fr. Innokenty to the Priesthood (Sunday of the Holy Cross, 2012)

We are very grateful to have been placed under the spiritual care of our good friend.  I first met Fr. Innokenty (then Torsten Reichert) when I first attended an Orthodox Christian Divine Liturgy in Humble, TX.  Both he and our family re-met again attending St. Jonah Orthodox Church in Spring, TX.  Since then we have seen a fair bit of "action" together behind the altar, and Fr. Innokenty has always impressed me with his dedication, attention to detail, sensitivity, and thoughtfulness.  He has been a friend of our family ever since that first meeting, and we are very happy to continue our journey with him now.  Glory to God!

Fr. Innokenty plans to make his first visit to Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Mission for the second Sunday of Great Lent, March 30-31 (civil), to serve Saturday evening Vespers and Sunday Divine Liturgy.  His second visit is planned for the 3rd Sunday of Pascha, May 18-19.

Fr. Innokenty can be reached directly via his contact information here (click).

Lenten Epistle of Metropolitan Hilarion

Source: ROCOR


NEW YORK: March 14, 2013

Lenten Epistle of
His Eminence Metropolitan
H I L A R I O N
of Eastern America and New York,
First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

Eminent Brother Archpastors, Honorable Father-Concelebrants, Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord:

As we approach Great Lent, I hasten to ask forgiveness from you all, as well as your holy prayers for my unworthiness. I earnestly call upon all the children of the Russian Church Abroad to exert all your efforts towards self-contemplation, to examine your lives, to augment your prayers, to attend all the edifying divine services of Great Lent and to read spiritually beneficial books during these days of salvation! Great Lent, with its divine services and spiritually-moving church singing and readings, grants us abundant nourishment for our souls. Let us not fail to take advantage of what the Holy Church offers us during this beneficial period.

The special Cherubic Hymn that we sing during the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts tells us that we should approach the Chalice of Christ with faith and love if we hope to partake of the eternal blessed life. Beloved ones, we are created for eternity. Therefore, we must lift our minds and hearts to heavenly things, especially as we prepare for the Sacraments; we need to leave behind all worldly cares, pouring our souls out before God in praise, gratitude and prayers of repentance.

True fasting consists not only of abstinence from non-lenten foods, but of distancing oneself from impure thoughts, words and deeds. “Those who abstain from food yet behave badly,” says St Basil the Great (the author of the Liturgy which will be celebrated on Sundays, on Great Thursday and Great Saturday of this Lent), “are like the devil, who, though he eats not, yet sins perpetually.” St Tikhon of Zadonsk, this humble and loving saint of the Church of our Fatherland, meanwhile, teaches us as follows about fasting: “May your mind fast from worldly thoughts; may your will fast from wicked desires; may your ears fast from filthy songs and the whispers of slanderers; may your tongue fast from slander, condemnation, flattery, lies and all sorts of useless, decadent words; may your hands fast from violence and theft of the property of others; may your feet fast from going towards an evil deed. This is indeed the Christian fast, the sort God requires of us.”

Taking all this into account, let us strive to exhibit special effort in prayer, fasting and frequent preparation for the Sacraments, declaring war upon our weaknesses and zealously performing good deeds with the aim of lightening the burden of the cross borne by our neighbors!

I extend heartfelt greetings to all of you with the onset of the “springtime of the soul” and prayerfully wish you blessed success in the podvig of Great Lent, so that on the “feast of feasts,” with spiritual joy and piety, with the sense of Paschal elation and new inner strength, you might bow down in adoration to the Lover of mankind, our God Who rose on the third day, the Originator of our faith and salvation! Amen.

With love in the Lord,

+ HILARION,
Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York,
First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

Homilies and Comments for Forgiveness Sunday

Forgiveness Sunday, 2012, by Archbishop Alypy - holyvirginprotection.org

Forgiveness Sunday - orthodoxwiki

Forgiveness Sunday (1986), by Met. Anthony of Sourozh - stjohndc.org

Resentment and Forgiveness, by Hieromonk Damascene - preachersinstitute.com

Forgiveness Sunday (The Expulsion of Adam and Eve From Paradise) - orthodoxword

The Condition Prior to Entering the Forty-Days Fast, by St. Ignatius Brianchanonov - pravoslavie.ru

Forgiveness Sunday - orthodoxengland.org.uk

God Will Not Accept Repentance Without Love, by Archbishop Seraphim of Bogucharsk - pravmir.ru

Forgiveness Sunday, by Archbishop Andrei Rymarenko - holytrinitymission.org

Forgiveness Sunday (2001), by Met. Anthony of Sourozh - pravmir.ru 

Forgiveness Sunday, by Archpriest Sergei Sveshnikov - pravmir.ru

Forgiveness Sunday in Icon and Prayer - iconreader

Homilies for the Sunday of the Last Judgement

Sermon on the Sunday of the Last Judgement - orthodoxengland.org.uk

Sermon on the Sunday of the Last Judgement, by Archpriest Symeon Lev - Pravmir

Sermon on the Last Judgement, by St. John Maximovitch - Mystagogy

Commentary on the Last Judgement, by St. Theophylact - orthodoxinfo.com

Concerning an Icon of the Last Judgement, by Archbishop Andre Rymarenko - Mystagogy


Also several more icons and frescoes of the Last Judgement (click to see a larger version):

Homilies for Sunday of the Prodigal Son

It has been our practice to, at the end of our services, read certain edifying material related to the feast/commemoration of the day.  Yet, I'm being encouraged by those who attend to put these things into my own brief words - at least from time-to-time.  In doing so, I would still like everyone to have access to the writings that I draw from - because I can't imagine that I really do them any justice in my own words.

So here are the sermons for this week.

Sermon on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son - by Archpriest Vitaly Yakumchuk

The Sunday of the Prodigal Son - orthodoxengland

Sermon on the Prodigal Son - St. Cyril of Alexandria