21 June 2015. A Little Bit of Russia in America… St Tikhon Monastery in South Canaan PA USA

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St Tikhon Zadonsky Monastery is the oldest Russian Orthodox monastery in the USA. St Tikhon Bellavin, who later became Patriarch of Moscow and all the Russias, founded it in 1905 as a monastery and orphanage when he was ruling bishop in the USA. It still exists today, but the orphanage no longer exists. However, a seminary opened on the grounds in 1938, which still operates. Every year, on the American Memorial Day weekend, there’s a monastery open house and pilgrimage that draws hundreds of believers from throughout the USA (but mostly from the Northeast, especially from NEPA).

BMD

30 January 2015. A Multimedia Presentation… The Great Blessing of the Waters at Epiphany

Blessing the Arkansas River

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Blessing the Susquehanna River

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20 August 2011. The Faces of the Church… It’s Rumoured that You Can Find Them in Pennsylvania, Too…

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Mr Potato Head-sky…

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Relics and icon of St Maksim Sandovich… many of the po-nashemu people in the Church are blood-kin to those repressed by the Hapsburgs and interwar Poles. The Uniates were the willing stooges and hangmen of their Catholic overlords (just as they were eager to do the bidding of the CIA in the 90s)… you should never forget that. The Uniates refuse to honour St Maksim Sandovich, St Aleksei Kabalyuk, and the Martyr Gavriil Kostelnik (killed by a Uniate fanatic). That’s the reality behind their smiles… 

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A letter written in 1914 from St John Maksimovich of San Francisco (then, a layman) to St Maksim Sandovich (who was to be murdered by the Hapsburg authorities later that year).

Correction 22.08.11:

The letter from St John was written to St Maksim’s son whilst he was in seminary… not to St Maksim.

Noted and posted… this came from one of my reliable sources… 

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These are cookies for St Herman’s feastday… spruce trees, dontcha know!

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Here’s the REAL Church… sometimes sublime, sometimes hutsky-klutsky, sometimes inspired, sometimes fumbling… but always the Church, and always the Holy Place. NEVER EVER forget that when you hear this-or-that about the latest escapade from the usual cast of suspects. God likes the Church as it is… He founded it , after all! Light a candle, say a prayer, confess, commune, and do whatever good that you can do… is that all? It’s ENOUGH… if it was good enough for baba n’ dede, it’s good enough for me!