Greek Orthodox priest Papa Stratis was only 57 years old but the work that he left behind changed the lives of many people and will be remembered forever. The Greek priest, also known by the name Efstratios Dimou carried the Cross of thousands of people, helping migrants and refugees who arrived on the Greek island of Lesvos. He founded the …

DEAN KALYMNIOU It is common knowledge that the 1821 revolution secured Greece’s independence. What is generally not known, however, is that the independent state of Greece was set up for financial failure from its very outset. In 1824, a loan of £472,000 pounds was secured on the London Stock Exchange to finance the campaign for independence. This offering was oversubscribed …

Dear Friends of Saint George Taybeh, We hope you will have a blessed and happy new ecclesiastical year filled with many fruits of the Holy Spirit.  A few days a bit late with our good wishes for our friends on the new calendar but a bit too early for our friends on the old.  Either way, please know how much we appreciate your …

By Matushka Constantina Today we commemorate the holy belt of the Theotokos – the only surviving relic of the Virgin Mary. According to Tradition, the Apostle Thomas was the only apostle absent at the dormition of the Mother of God. He was grieved to learn of this, but suddenly found himself witnessing the Virgin’s ascent to Heaven. He pleaded with …

By Andreas C Chrysafis August, 2015 (No 78) © Having a solution to a problem is better than not having one at all! But one could equally ask: what kind of solution can be considered fair in comparison? Is a resolution that endeavours to split and fragment a nation on the basis of language, religion and ethnicity a fair solution …

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. The Gospel, all the Gospel is a gift of God to us, and although we are not continuously reminded of the need to be grateful, how can we not respond with gratitude to what the Gospel brings to us? God has so loved the …

By St Justin Popovic Today is a little Great Friday, a second Great Friday. For today the greatest man among those born of women, John, the Holy Forerunner and Baptiser of the Lord, is murdered. On Great Friday, people murdered God, crucified God. On today’s holy great feast, people murdered the greatest of all men. It is not I who …

Walking with the Icon of the Holy Theotokos It is four in the morning and while everyone else is trying to get a good night sleep, Orthodox Christians from all corners of the Holy Land collected themselves to march in a beautiful  procession in honor of  the Virgin Mary.  Every year, based on the Old Julian Calendar, the faithful gather …

DEAN KALYMNIOU Crisis? What crisis? This is the caption posted by a Facebook ‘friend,’ below a photograph of a stereotypical Aegean beach. All the accoutrements of a ‘perfect’ holiday are present: the impossibly blue waters, the sun-bleached pebbles, the pastel multi-coloured beach umbrellas, the oiled skin of the southerners in various gradations of burn, a half-finished frappe fermenting within arm’s …