by Michael Fiocca The Way We Are Meant to Be “The person who loves God values knowledge of God more than anything created by God, and pursues such knowledge ardently and ceaselessly.” -Saint Maximos the Confessor When we speak of something as being generic, it often stirs up thoughts of a product being “mediocre” or “less reliable.” I admit that I find my generic paper-towels to be less easy to rip, my generic bread crumbs to require some more spices, and my generic phone charger to burn out too quickly. In the same way, I found my generic form of faith and spirituality to be quickly running dry and barren. Like a brand name, it did … [Read more...]
I was a Catholic Priest: The Story of Fr. John Tanveer
March 7, 2018 By 4 Comments
by Fr. John Tanveer I was a Catholic priest. I was waiting for the opportunity to convert to Orthodoxy for fifteen years, and the opportunity to become an Orthodox priest - three more years. The Lord felt my desire. I belonged to the Catholic community and entered the seminary in 1974, and four years later I continued my studies at another institute, studied Holy Scripture, church and civil law, church history and ethics for six more years. I remember how I prayed: "Lord, you are my Father, if I am worthy to be a priest, Your servant, please grant me the courage to serve You and Your people." My journey to Orthodoxy began in 1990. … [Read more...]
Davenport, IL Priest Moves Fast to Join Russian Orthodox Church
February 16, 2018 By 4 Comments
After 15 years as an Anglican priest, including six years as the rector of Trinity Church in Rock Island, the Rev. Thomas Janikowski is converting to Russian Orthodoxy.By the time he and his wife, Shelly, get back from a New York trip, he will be an ordained deacon and priest in the Russian Orthodox church’s Western Rite Communities. He will celebrate the Liturgy of St. Gregory the Great on Sunday as a fully ordained priest of the St. Athanasius parish at 228 W. 15th St., Davenport. Sunday Matins will be sung at 8:15 a.m. with a Divine Liturgy at 9 followed by food and fellowship. The church — once a tattoo parlor named “Joe’s Garage” — is … [Read more...]
God Led Me Into His Church: Part 5
January 13, 2018 By Leave a Comment
by Fr. Geoff Harvey Finding the Orthodox Faith I knew we needed to join the Church. I’d learned from Peter Toon that Christ’s Church exists as a physical reality on this earth. I knew Christ had said the gates of hell would never prevail against it, so I knew that it existed. And I had learned from Michael Harper that the Anglican Communion was simply no longer the Church. As a Westerner, Roman Catholicism was the obvious choice. However, my dear mother said to me, when I explained my struggles, that she would support any decision I made, as long as I didn’t become a Roman Catholic! To be honest, I was shocked at her attitude, and put it … [Read more...]