by Randall Hay One of the most moving sights in our church – for me, at least – is a line of people waiting to confess to the priest. These lines include all kinds of parishioners: mothers, fathers, children; sub deacons in cassocks, nuns; octogenarians, young adults and everyone in between. In the Orthodox Church, […]

Joy of All Who Sorrow Orthodox Christian Church received a Historic Preservation Education Grant to fund a series of four videos that showcase the restoration projects that have been accomplished in our church. The project is called, “Expressions of Joy,” and our first video is, “The Joy of Stained Glass.” This is the public release […]

Séances, astrology, Ouija Boards, palm reading, Tarot cards, and more – all attempts to circumvent God and find knowledge through the dark side. And despite the many warnings in scripture against such things, we are often tempted to dabble in one or more of these. “Just for fun,” we tell ourselves, “It’s harmless.” Some serious […]

When Sergius of Radonezh (known as Bartholomew before he became a monk), was growing up, his ability to learn did not match that of his two brothers. Then one day he met an old monk who, after Bartholomew explained his difficulties, gave Bartholomew a small piece of communion bread with the blessing, “Take and eat […]

Dateline: October 11, 1280 Mount Athos Yesterday, 22 monks and 4 laymen of the Orthodox faith were martyred by Latin crusaders. The martyrs were burned alive after refusal to accept union with another faith as ordered by Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Paleologos. Wanting to secure his throne, the emperor gave allowance for Crusaders together with […]

There’s one thing avid readers and occasional readers can agree on: books are getting expensive! That’s why we were thrilled when the public library came to Mother Macaria (our bookstore manager) and asked for a list of recommended books they could purchase for the library. Since then, she has sold quite a few books to […]

Who is Martyr Babylas? During his reign as emperor (284-305), Maximian renewed persecution against Christians. Saint Babylas was denounced as someone who was instructing children in Christian piety, which is defined by Merriam-Webster as “fidelity to natural obligations (as to parents) and dutifulness in religion.” When Babylas was brought before the emperor, he confessed faith […]

Our featured person this week was a murderer, adulterer, and robber. Wait a minute. Aren’t we supposed to be writing about saints in the Orthodox Christian Church? I am – keep reading! St. Moses lived in Egypt during the fourth century. While still a slave, he committed murder and his master banished him. He soon […]

After arriving in Indianapolis and attending Joy of All Who Sorrow, I discovered the people in this church are a true reflection of what it means to be a community. After each Sunday morning Divine Liturgy, we make our way to the hall for a group lunch. This routine helps to get to know people […]