Russian Orthodox Church marks Feast of All Saints

RIA Novosti ^ | 14/06/2009

[pobeda1945]

MOSCOW, June 14 (RIA Novosti, Ivan Korzun) - Russia is celebrating the Feast of All Saints on June 14, with liturgies in Orthodox churches throughout the country commemorating all known and unknown saints. The feast, also called All Saints' Sunday, is marked on the first Sunday after Pentecost. It became prominent in the ninth century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Leo VI the Wise (886-911).

His wife Theophano was known for her piety, giving alms to the poor and monasteries, caring for widows and orphans, and consoling the sorrowful.

After her death Leo built a church, and forbidden from dedicating it to his wife, dedicated it to All Saints, so that his wife would be honored as a righteous woman. He also issued a decree on the date of the feast. After All Saints' Sunday, the Peter and Paul Fast begins in the Orthodox Church, which this year lasts two weeks.

Western Christians mark All Saints' Day, also called All Hallows Day, on November 1.

[Cronos]

Wishing you a Happy Feast Day.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

A Blessed All Saints Day to our Orthodox brothers in Christ from a Catholic Freeper.

[ElPatriota]

Hello Orthodox friends

Happy FEAST OF ALL SAINTS!

If you want to hear some FANTASTIC religious music go to this http://ancientfaith.com/, follow the instructions in the PIC below.

This website is WONDERFUL for anyone considering becoming a member of the ORTHODOX CHURCH... All kinds of podcasts. Tons of material... I think is a wonderful alternative for Roman Catholics who want a more rigorous, more traditional church with basically the same rituals.
How come I don't hear that much from Orthodox people here?... COME ON.. LET'S TALK :)

[Kolokotronis]

Orthodox ping

[Kolokotronis]

The music isn’t bad but the Westernized sermonizing is terrible. A better, soundly Orthodox internet site is:

http://www.myocn.net/index.php/The-Rudder.html

[Campion]

I think is a wonderful alternative for Roman Catholics who want a more rigorous, more traditional church with basically the same rituals.

I guess Catholics aren't supposed to proselytize the Orthodox, but the reverse isn't true.

"Silence of the Roman Catholic Church on the attack on family values" ... what are you talking about? What planet do you live on?

[Forward the Light Brigade]

We are all brothers in Christ. We stand before him with his glory in our hearts as one, as we pray for those who are still in darkness in the embrace of the false prophet of Mecca. Blessings to all and may the word of Christ go out to all the world.

[ElPatriota]

Your point? :) I'm not an Orthodox yet... but I am thinking about it.

Something else, the CC is "THE CATHOLIC CHURCH!!!"... and their responsibility is greater than that of a smaller church with less resources or visibility.

IF THE Catholics themselves, would have been more demanding from he church, perhaps the CC would have been more proactive in cleaning the children abuses and facing up to the problem.

It is BEYOND my understanding... how the Catholic faithful can put up with what the CC did w/o getting angry... beyond me!

[ElPatriota]

Hmmm Thanks for the link, I’ll checkit out :)

[Kolokotronis]

“I guess Catholics aren’t supposed to proselytize the Orthodox, but the reverse isn’t true.”

C, we don’t proselytize you guys. There is no need to and it would be highly inappropriate. There is, however, a group of former evangelical protestants here in America who converted some years back who felt that it was their calling to do just that. They’ve been slapped down more than once over this behavior but their spiritual arrogance, especially that of one or more of their priests, is truly astonishing. Many of them lurk around on Ancient Faith radio which is one of the reasons why its a site to be avoided.

[ElPatriota]

...C, we don’t proselytize you guys. There is no need to and it would be highly inappropriate...

Ooops... seems like I am braking a rule here... If if did I am sorry... I can see that would upset faithful from other religions.

Ok. let me ask you, is there an Orthodox group here in FR, where you can talk w/o offending anyone?

By the way, I checked the music... Wonderful...Thanks.

[Yudan]

Kolo,

Christ is in our mist.

I love you, brother. Genuinely. Deeply. And I have appreciated your wisdom. But I find this comment out of line. Your rhetoric is over the top, and a dramatic overgeneralization. Matthew 7:1-5. If the Evangelical converts in the Antiochian Archdiocese have been too “on fire” then I’m sure +Philip has/will handle it.

If not for those converts, I would not have found Orthodoxy when I did. Or, more appropriately, it would not have found me. Worshipping alongside Arab Christians in an Antiochian Orthodox Parish has helped soften the post-9/11 hardness of my heart toward Middle Easterners. And I thank God for that.

The Lord works in his mysterious was and most assuredly does not need you or me to act as his referee. So, as politely as I can put this - step off with all the “harumph”ing.

El Patriota is a cradle Roman whose disaffection with the abuse scandals in that Communion have led him to seek a home elsewhere, and he is looking to the East.

The convert population definitely needs the discipline of the cradles. At least those - who you yourself guided me to look to - come to Liturgy more frequently than on Pascha. Converts look to cradles for wisdom and guidance and all too often they are LET DOWN.

By the same token, the cradles need a double dose of the converts’ zeal. Maybe triple.

[Yudan]

I forgot to add,

Forgive me.

[Kolokotronis]

“If the Evangelical converts in the Antiochian Archdiocese have been too “on fire” then I’m sure +Philip has/will handle it.”

So we all hope, Yudan. The activities of some of those evangelicals has been a source of problems here in the States and abroad because of some basic misunderstandings about Orthodox theology and praxis.

“El Patriota is a cradle Roman whose disaffection with the abuse scandals in that Communion have led him to seek a home elsewhere, and he is looking to the East.”

Latins are free to explore Orthodoxy as the Orthodox are free to explore Roman Catholicism. That said, Y, there is a very, very long and sad history of Roman Catholic proselytizing of Orthodox Christians which for many centuries and even to the present in some areas has been a source of great discord between the East and the West. On the other hand, in the last century there were forced conversions of Eastern Rite Catholics back to their ancestral Orthodoxy in places like Ukraine and after the fall of the USSR of very active proseltyzing by Latins in Russia.

As for ““harumph”ing”, the Synod in Antioch very recently did some rather substantial “harumph”ing” on this very subject, in which +Philip joined.

As a general proposition and over the past few years, Orthodoxy and the Latin Church have arrived at a point where it has been determined that it is destructive of potential harmony for either side to seek to convert the other. As a catchumen, you may not have been aware of that. That’s what Campion was alluding to.

[Yudan]

“As a general proposition and over the past few years, Orthodoxy and the Latin Church have arrived at a point where it has been determined that it is destructive of potential harmony for either side to seek to convert the other.”

Yes, very true. The Late Patriarch of Moscow, Alexei II was on record as saying there would never be communion between East and West so long as the Church of Rome sought to proselytize in Russia.

“...the Synod in Antioch very recently did some rather substantial “harumph”ing” on this very subject, in which +Philip joined.”

Well aware on my end of the Byzantine intrigue to which H.E. +Philip has treated both his Archdiocese AND the Holy Synod in Antioch. My family and I began the process of conversion about 6 weeks before the Feb 24 bomb went off. In my own opinion, it comes down to Philetism on the part of a small group of old-country priests in the Midwest. And the Laity have fought back pretty hard about the whole deal, as they have throughout Church history when the Hierarchy got something wrong. The Latins have one thing right for sure in all this: mandatory clerical retirement at 75 (and Cardinals lose their vote for Pope at 80).

“As a catachumen...”

{cue the commercial bumper of “Dark Shadows” here as the trump card is played} Dumm-duhhhmmm-DAAAAAAAAAUUUUUMMMMM!!!!

Please tell me you didn’t mean that as snottily or elitist as it sounded. Because if it was, you just lost my personal deference to your “wisdom.”

[Kolokotronis]

“In my own opinion, it comes down to Philetism on the part of a small group of old-country priests in the Midwest.”

Really? One of the reasons that we will not see an autocephallous American Orthodox Church in our lifetimes is that there are some persons, very loud persons, in the churches of the various jurisdictions, virtually all relatively recent converts, who really think they know Orthodoxy and Orthopraxis better than the Patriarchial Synods and that their Western, American very, very protestant praxis and phronema is superior to the 2000 year old praxis of The Church in the East. The Synods and most of the laity and monastics and lower clergy disagree, thank God!

“Please tell me you didn’t mean that as snottily or elitist as it sounded. Because if it was, you just lost my personal deference to your “wisdom.””

I meant it as instruction and correction to a catechumen. What effect that has on your opinion of me is entirely your affair, Yudan.

[arielguard]

Question out of curiosity, Kolo. Could you please list some examples (not all) of what the converts are doing wrong, and what the corrections are?

I certainly don’t believe I have everything right, but it does no good to state that I and my priest are poorly catechised if I don’t know what is actually wrong.

[ElPatriota]

...“El Patriota is a cradle Roman whose disaffection with the abuse scandals in that Communion have led him to seek a home elsewhere, and he is looking to the East.”...

Geee... I feel like the kid who while playing with matches close to very flammable containers... set a big fire! So let me try to put it out.

I made a mistake. I got a little carried away for several reasons:

- Yes, I am looking into the Orthodox Church as an alternative to the RCC.

- My "beef" is only with this church and NO OTHER (too long to explain but you can read it -- see link below)

- I am not trying to offend anyone's religion! I am simply looking for the one that will "fit my needs," that's all. In our last conversation I asked which church came closest to the RCC in rituals, etc. Several nice people (i.e. Salvation) trying to be helpful, suggested I might look into the Orthodox Church. And so I have been looking into it and to my surprise!... I like what I've seen so far (like a kid in an ice-cream shop: It's just a question of which flavor now :)... so I see a bit of hope, like a "match in the darkness" (pun intended :). So yes, I am a bit excited at the prospect of finding something I thought I could never replace. I don't know if I will ever convert, there is a long way to go, at least a year or two, but I know I will visit several of the Orthodox Churches in its different flavors... and the rest is in God's hands.

If you are interested you can read post # 61 of http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2264321/posts

- Lastly, I was happy to see this thread on something exclusive to the Orthodox Church, which I don't see that often here in FR or maybe I never noticed? Hmmmm...

- In short, I forgot this "a thread" (public) and not an "Orthodox Group" (private). So I see how the faithful of other religions might take offense to what I said today unless they understand the background.

So, I will remove the picture in my first post and please accept my apologies.

[Yudan]

“I meant it as instruction and correction to a catechumen.”

Thank you, but no. I have a Priest who is in good stead with his Bishop, who is in turn also in good stead with the Metropolitan. Since you’re not among their ranks, I’ll stick within the hierarchy for my instruction.

“What effect that has on your opinion of me is entirely your affair, Yudan.”

That’s good. I shan’t give it to you any further. Please respond in kind.