Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

Welcome, Readers and Surfers, of whatever persuasion! 
 
This website intends to be a doorway into the treasury of Christian insights and achievements afforded by that Garden of the eternal Church of Christ, sown and nurtured, as we believe, by our Lord Himself which is called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. 
 
Its title does not intend to imply any official connection with any Ukrainian Orthodox communion.  Indeed it has been enriched by folks who love this Garden, who find themselves in various Ukrainian Orthodox - as well as Ukrainian Catholic communities. About Us. We welcome the feedback, input and comments, laudatory or critical as well as analytical - and especially inquisitive! - of our readers and friends across the globe.

NEW - Discussion Form

Answers to Visitors' Questions

A couple of questions regarding confession:
1) when confessing our sins formally to a priest in Church prior to taking the Eucharist, is it less proper when no concrete sins are mentioned (just 'in general')? Is the whole process 'watered down' in such instances?
2) after confession and after taking part of the Eucharist, do (or should) Orthodox believe that the sins committed prior are fully and properly forgiven (even if mentioned in specifics) - with the person now fully 'clean' of them? See answers

Responses to Priests First,  when you go up for communion, after the priest gives you the Eucharist, what are you supposed to say (if anything) before you cross yourself.
Second, at the end of mass when you go up to kiss the cross the Priest is holding does he say "istos voscras"  and if he does what should your response be?  Voistino Voscras? See Answer

Previous Questions

The Holodomor of 1933 -
Spiritual Reflections
Silence
Evil
Faith
Foregiveness - Eucharist
Hope
Justice and Mercy
Love

It is often the case that when clerical celibacy appears in news articles or popular journals that the “married priesthood” is introduced somewhere in the discussion as a panacea for any and all perceived problems involving unmarried priests.
Marriage for priests would solve everything, we are told, introducing smooth sailing where there are choppy waters otherwise. In fact, this is a gross oversimplification of the many challenges a married priest in North America faces, along with his wife and family.
December 22, 2008 marked the third anniversary of the repose of my sister-in-law, Renata’s, father, the Reverend Ihor Chabursky. A reflection on his life can serve to highlight those challenges.

Coldplay’s hit song “Viva la Vida” has struck positive chords internationally.  Who would have thought such a popular song would be about religion?

Apostles' Fast June 15 - July 11
Summary of articles on fasting on this site

The Glorious Beauty of the Liturgical Calendar

On the Second Sunday after Pentecost it is the tradition of the Orthodox to remember the Saints who have been glorified in their own land or locality. The First Sunday after Pentecost is the Sunday of All Saints – those known and those unknown by the earthly Church. The sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was to populate the universe with Holy Men and Women. On the Monday after All Saints’ Sunday, we begin the Apostles’ Fast to remind us of our vocation to join the ranks of these Holy Ones. And on the Second Sunday we celebrate the memory of those so proclaimed, as well as others who have not been – and indeed may never on earth be – so proclaimed who have shone forth among us locally.

Today's Feast - the Day of Pentecost, the Descent of the Holy Spirit brings us a Gospel reading (John 7:37-52,8:12) with images which speak of a happiness that lasts and that makes other people happy, too. Jesus says: "If any one thirsts, let him come to Me and drink". It is not only water for which people thirst. Jesus offers that which responds to a spiritual thirst, a thirst for lasting happiness, a thirst for answers to our hard questions - a thirst for meaning.

Previously posted articles on the Pentecost

On the Seventh Sunday after Pascha the Holy Church commemorates the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.  This Council was convened in 325 A.D. in the city of Nicea (today Iznik in Turkey, a source of popular brilliant blue ceramics) by St. Constantine, Equal-to-the-Apostles, the Emperor of Rome who stopped all persecution of the Faith of Christ and made it the faith of his Empire.

On May 10 on the Gregorian Calendar (which is April 27 on the Julian) we celebrate the memory of another of the kinsmen “according to the flesh” of our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ, St. Simeon, the second bishop of Jerusalem.

On May 3 Gregorian Calendar (which is April 20 on the Julian), Orthodox Christians celebrate the memory of a child-martyr, Gabriel Gavdel, of the village of Zwierki near the town of Zabludow in the diocese of Bialystok who died on April 11, 1690.

Listing of Articles in Calendar Order

Icons of the Mother of God

On the Sunday of All Saints, as well as on the Feast of the Meeting of Christ (February 2/15) and on the second to last day before the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God (August 13/26) we celebrate an Icon of the Mother of God with two names: “The Softening of Evil Hearts” and “Of the Seven Arrows”.

The Radiant Beauty of the Saints

Letters to Theophilus
21 Additional Letters

New Ukrainian Saints

Great 19th Century Orthodox Archbishop and Teacher Glorified a Saint The Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church under His Beatitude Volodymyr of Kyiv and Ukraine recently met to ratify the glorification/canonization of a number of new Saints.