In my post, “You Don’t Have to Like Your Priest”, I built on Brother Patrick’s essay to describe some of the reasons that people don’t like their Orthodox priests, making the general point that all of his foibles pale in comparison to the One Thing Needful which He serves and shares. Another dynamic … [Read more...]
12 Reasons Why It Is Good To Be A Church Bully
Being a priest is a blessing, but it's not always easy. Rev. Erik Parker addresses one of the challenges of ministry: dealing with people who assert their fallen wills in unhealthy ways. I have no doubt there are such people in our parishes; the question is how to deal with it. They cannot be … [Read more...]
“I Want To Die As A Priest – Not A Clown”
by Dimitrios N. Kagaris We clergy are often reminded how few 'parish priests' inhabit our Church calendar. It almost seems as if martyrdom is our only chance. Men like Papa Dimitri show us clearly that this is not the case. He lived in Greece during the time when Communists were everywhere and … [Read more...]
The Role of the Priest in the Parish and in a Secularized Society
by V. Rev. Petar Jovanovich The service of the priest is compared to a shepherd in the Holy Bible. In the story of the good shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ teaches what is the nature of the pastor's service and what is the mission of the flock which the pastor serves. The shepherd who is … [Read more...]
