Heavenly powers, bodiless powers, heavenly hosts or angels. There are many names for the great and holy beings we celebrate on November 8th. The Feast of the Synaxis of Michael the Archangel and Other Heavenly Powers. Sometimes this feast is also called Michaelmas. This feast day was established before the 1st Ecumenical Council, at the …
Demetrius, the Great-Martyr, is celebrated in the Byzantine Churches on October 26th. Although, I didn’t know much about this saint – actually, only that he existed. So I thought that I’d learn and share his story, as well as ways to celebrate this great martyr’s feast day! The Holy and Glorious Great-Martyr Demetrius, from Whose …
Apostle James Son of Alpheus We celebrate James, the apostle and Son of Alpheus, on October 9th. It is difficult to say what we know about this James. Particularly because there are many other people named James (or as it should be translated, Jacob) in the New Testament. Some people theorize that James Son of …
The icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is one of my favourite icons. So much so that when I picked our wedding icons I chose a set with Our Lady of Perpetual Help for the Marian icon. And that is why this icon is our topic for today! The Icon The Our Lady of …
When I entered a Byzantine Catholic Church for the first time, the iconostas took my breath away. Just wow! A glimpse of the beauty and glory of God. Now during Divine Liturgy, I love to reflect upon the images. Especially during prayers to the Theotokos, when I look at one of the icons of Mary. …
At my first few Divine Liturgies, standing rather than kneeling during consecration came as a particular shock. So this week we will go through various postures of prayer and other prayerful actions during the Divine Liturgy, and why we do them. Standing During Divine Liturgy First of all, what does standing mean for us during …
Although there are many differences between the Eastern and Western Catholic Churches, the Eucharist remains central. However, the Byzantine Churches follow traditions about the Eucharist that are now unfamiliar in the West. Let’s explore these traditions in this week’s article. Receiving Communion in the Eastern Rite When I went to my first Divine Liturgy, what …
It is that time of year again… we are counting down to a new year in the Church! September 1st is the beginning of the new Church year for Byzantine Catholics. You can read about why this is in our previous article about the Church New Year here. In that article I also included some …
The Dormition Fast begins August 1st, and lasts through to the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God. The BadgerDad wrote an excellent article on the details of the Dormition Fast, which you can read here. In it there are various prayers poignant to this period, as well as a bit about the …
The Dormition of Saint Anna, Mother of the Most Holy God-bearer We celebrate the Dormition of Anna, the mother of the Theotokos, on July 25th. As the mother of the Theotokos, St. Anna (together with Joachim) held an important role in preparing Mary for her role in Salvation history. They taught their daughter to pray, …