Meet Fr. William John Clark. He was ordained a deacon in 2001, and in 2003 at the tender age of 68 years was ordained to the Holy Priesthood. Now you might be tempted to say, "That's crazy! What could he possibly do for the Church at such an advanced age as a deacon, let alone as a … [Read more...]
Tentmaking Today: The Bi-Vocational Priest
by Fr. Anastasios Hudson When people meet me, they are usually surprised to learn that not only am I an Orthodox Christian priest, but that I also work as a Computer Network Consulting Engineer. The term for what I am is “bi-vocational.” It is not a term that I invented, or which was even created … [Read more...]
Am I Called To Be A Priest?
And how can I tell? These are the questions every future priest must ask. The first and most important thing is - you don't do it alone. You aren't sending yourself into the work of the Church. Your call must be tested. Confirmed. Validated. If a man believes that Christ is calling him, he owes … [Read more...]
The Three Degrees of Priesthood
by Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos From a study of the sources, chiefly patristic literature, it seems clear that the degrees of priesthood (deacon, priest, bishop) are closely connected with the three basic degrees of the spiritual life. This means that as a man progressed in healing he ascended … [Read more...]
Maybe Not Rock Stars
from the blog Breathing Exercises One of the very interesting things to me about Christian communities is that they are in some way meant to be a priesthood. Strange, when we’re used to thinking of priests as a specialized class of people, set apart for special duty within the church. It’s … [Read more...]
Man As Priest Of Creation
by Fr. Christopher Foley I came to discover Orthodoxy during a time in my life where I was very heavily involved in performing and writing music. Growing up as an Evangelical Christian and attending a small liberal arts Evangelical College in Northeast Georgia, I struggled for a number of years … [Read more...]
On The Holy Priesthood
by St. Symeon of Thessalonica St. Symeon's treatise on the Priesthood, is addressed to a newly ordained monk as “a word of reminder” (Λόγος ύπομνήσεως), of what the Priesthood is all about and of its importance in serving the saving Mystery of Christ to humanity. The Priesthood is, indeed, a basic … [Read more...]