Sunday, February 28, 2016
Impressive and very bright church! Lots of people and big choir too!
The Divine Liturgy was in English and Greek and there was coffee and sweets after the Service.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine is “an institution of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America … dedicated to the first colony of Greek people who came to America in 1768. The Shrine consists of exhibits depicting the life of early Greeks in America and the development of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, and the St. Photios Chapel.” (http://www.stphotios.org)
I really enjoyed the exhibits, the long story of Greeks in North America and the importance of the Church and the priests in the life of Greek-Americans. Something that stroke me was the debate about what language should be used in the Divine Liturgy, with those born and raised in the States sometimes preferring English over Greek. I also saw a very interesting and short documentary that you may enjoy watching too:
Sunday, February 21, 2016
A very big and beautiful church.
The divine liturgy was in English and Arabic.
I really enjoyed the chants in Arabic ( an example at 02:39:37 ) and also the company of my friend Majd who is the Youth director in St. George and hosted me in Jacksonville.
Sunday, February 2, 2016
Such a beautiful congregation! The Divine Liturgy was only in English. There was a nice choir at the back of the Church. The priest was very clear and focused on his words. Pure joy! Oh! I almost forgot how impressed I was by the order and the great participation in the Holy Communion! Line after line… Impressive for a Greek…
(I also enjoyed the coffee and the sweets after the Service, and all parishioners were very welcoming 🙂 )
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Magnificent church and Divine Liturgy (in Greek and English)!
Enjoy the wonderful Byzantine hymns in the audio below!
(I was in a very crucial point those days as I had a very intense pain in my knee and I was really worried as to what should I do.
Thank God, for the guidance He provided and the resolution from pain)
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
A beautiful Divine Liturgy, in Greek and English!
It was a great pleasure for me that my father saw me in the church during the Service as all of the services are broadcast via live-stream! You can listen to the audio track below the very nice chanting and also you can see this video to learn more about the Cathedral.
(You can also listen to the very nice, simple and to-the-point sermon on Theofaneia, at 01:11:48)
Friday, December 25, 2015 – Christmas!
Christmas!!!
The Divine Liturgy was mainly in Greek and I enjoyed it a lot, since there were months without attending a Service in Greek. Right after the Service there was coffee offered in a big hall under the church. There were exhibits and photos relative to the history of the parish.. There were also honoring plaques for Greek-american veterans and for the priests that had been previously serving the congregation.
What was of great pleasure for me was the fact that during the coffee time I met the Papadopoulos family and I was invited to participate in the Christmas lunch at their house.
It was an honor for me!
(The first is the Divine Liturgy, and the second is a little bit of chanting after the Service, which I recommend you to listen becuase it’s very beautiful)
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Well, there are no words to describe how blessed and fortunate I was those days.
It’s Friday night the 29th, I am at Ocracoke (Outer Banks, North Carolina) when I google “orthodox church near me”. I realise that the closest (and at my route) church is 230 km (143 miles) far…! Saturday the 30th, I have the longest ride of my life, covering 230 km, carrying 25 kg (55 pounds), without electric assistance (my bike is electric).
Thank God!
I found myself in this warm church, in this warmer congregation!
I spent the whole week in Wilmington and I have to say this week was the most intense I had in the States. It is really touching to feel that people care about you and help you without having to earn nothing from you.
For more on what happened right after the end of the Divine Liturgy read here (close to the end of the page).
The following is a “thank you message” I sent to the people of St. Nicholas and was published in the Monthly Newsletter among with their answer.
I suggest that you listen to the inspiring sermon below on Zaccheus’ great desire to meet Christ, at 01:03:10, by Deacon Thomas!
A.W.E.S.O.M.E 