Many years ago, I was blessed to worship at Saturday Vespers with Metropolitan Anthony Bloom of blessed memory (1914-2003) when I spent two weeks in London toward the end of my collegiate studies.  He was an extraordinary spiritual master of the 20th century, with simple, profound writings well worth reading and living out. – Fr. Harry

Note photo of Kerry leading first ever married couples retreat at a large Greek Orthodox parish in the Detroit area.
February 16, 2024
What’s New This Week
In the day-to-day bustle of life, we may fail to pay attention to the “beauty” in our spouse, let alone express it. In the coming week “look” at your spouse more closely to see the “beauty” in him or her and find…read more.
What would our lives look like if we embraced our bodily limitations and understood that they could be offerings to the Lord? Dr. Aaron Haney and Brian Whirledge continue their conversation with Pres. Melanie on such a life – that of their friend Kevin McCarty. At Kevin’s funeral, Archbishop Paul of Chicago and the Midwest (OCA) of blessed memory who was then Kevin’s father confessor told those present, “In the lives of the Saints, we read about the Fools-for-Christ. God has granted us to know one personally in Kevin.” Listen to hear how Kevin’s unique life story is an inspiring witness of what a person can become when they “take up their cross and carry it” with the Lord.
Presvytera Melanie reads portions of the blog entry Blessed Kevin from the Arms Open Wide website throughout this podcast. LISTEN HERE.
Love was on the brain this past weekend and our staff members had a lot of fun leading couples in multiple marriage retreats!
Fr. Alex Goussetis led a marriage retreat at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Cincinnati, OH titled “Crowns of Glory and Honor,” while Pres. Kerry Pappas headed to St. John Greek Orthodox Church in Sterling
Heights, MI to lead a weekend longmarriage retreat followed by a presentation to their Philoptochos on Sunday following liturgy.
If you are interested in hosting a retreat at your parish contact us today!
This small group guide consists of six short clips taken from our webinar “Investing in Your Marriage,” featuring Dr. Ary Christofidis, a licensed clinical psychologist and director of the Orthodox Christian Counseling Institute in Chicago.
Each clip is accompanied by follow-up questions for couples to discuss. The clips focus on common challenges in marriage and offer wisdom from the life of the Church to restore and strengthen the marital bond.