by Fr. John Whiteford Into the Spiritual Abyss Later in high school, I got a job in a bookstore, and because it was my job to check new books in, I acquired a number of new interests. For example, I began studying Japanese, because of a book that I ran across that explained how to […]
A Pilgrim’s Podvig: Part One
by Fr. John Whiteford One of the more ironic moments of my life occurred on May 20th, 2007. I was standing in front of the Kremlin in Moscow. I was by then a priest, and so was attired accordingly in the typical black riassa, pectoral cross, and skufia of a Russian Priest. A family from […]
New Converts Flocking To Ancient Christian Church
Like many of his parishioners, Father Richard Petranek came to the Orthodox church in search of the past. After 30 years as an Episcopalian priest, Petranek converted to the Antiochian Orthodox Church and leads a new but growing parish in west Houston, filled almost entirely with converts to the ancient faith. “Most people come for […]