Orthodox City Hermit

Yesterday I was asked to give a talk. The title had already been chosen for me: “Courage in Conflict: Saint Mary Magdalene the Myrrh-Bearer and Equal to the Apostles, and the Righteous Martyr Maria Skobtsova.” Their memory fell this week on this Monday 20/7 and this Wednesday 22/7 in the Antiochian calendar. At first, I approached the task as I usually do. I gathered books, reread familiar…

Pilgrimage and Nature Excursion In Honour of Saint Paisios Konitsa, Samarina and Metsovo 9–11 July 2026 On the occasion of the three-day celebrations in honour of our beloved Saint Paisios, we undertook a pilgrimage to Konitsa and the surrounding region, combining prayer and worship with the beauty of the mountains, rivers and historic villages of Epirus and Western Macedonia. Day…

Friday the 12th, part 2. Panorama monastery is very beautiful. Set up in the hills above Thessaloniki, one can see the bay. Indeed, we can see over to the place (1) where St. Paisios rests. We venerated Elder Symeon’s tomb (2). We had two hours of great wisdom. Followed by the blessing from the Hegumenos I. Our discussions were focused on the teachings of St. Simeon the New Theologian, sharing…

Friday the 12th of June, a morning of quiet and hesychia, praying for people and reflecting on the grace of God in St. Porphyrius’ flat. Prayer and quiet provide the nourishment for our souls. We need courage to do the will of God, not just to say “Thy will be done” and leave it there. The dynamic of the Holy Spirit is real, and if there is no movement, then there must be a threshold of…

Thursday the 11th, Part 2. In the evening we met with M at the restaurant. It was a joyful meal together with discussions about the Church and about Christ and His love. This brought us together in fellowship. And, of course, we must all do the work of Christ whilst it is still day. Or, as Father Seraphim Rose said: “Hasten to do the will of God, it is later than you think.” The little…

Thursday the 11th of June, the Feast of St. Luke Symferoupol and the revelation of Axion Estin by the angel Gabriel.  The journey to St. Kyriaki monastery was quite eventful. St. Kyriaki monastery* is where a number of our Antiochian nuns found themselves. At one point in the journey, engrossed as we were, in deep conversation and with the Paraklesis of St. Luke Symferoupol providing the…

“Dedication to Christ is the joy of life,” Mother Maria will answer me, instantly solving the questions about the smiling faces of the women in their cassocks. The thriving convent she now runs once languished with only two very old nuns. The Sisters found refuge from the war in Syria. An old bond brought them here I had heard a lot but I couldn’t separate the legend from the truth. I had to…

Atlanta GA has had a very rainy year; this is usually a dry stream bed, now flowing rapidly with recent rain run-off (Dec.09). Wednesday 10th, Part 2.  Even though it is is 31C, it is raining. One of our friends said, “you have brought the rain with you from Manchester.” Indeed, but I drank from the fountain of Christ’s Mercy. St Efraim the Syrian writes:  “Thanksgiving be to Him who caused a…

Wednesday 10th June. “Now the enemy’s philosophy is nothing more nor less than one confirmed attempt to evade this very obvious truth. He aims at a contradiction. The good of one’s self is to be the good of another. This impossibility he calls love. He is not content even himself to be a sheer arithmetical unity. He claims to be three as well as one, in order that this nonsense about love may…

Tuesday the 9th, the 2:15 alarm heralds a new day. Well, not quite because it was still dark outside, but my chauffeur arrived on time for the drive to Manchester Airport. Terminal 2. Terminal is such a sad word for the launch pad to new adventures. The 9th is St. Columba’s Day, and indeed, he launched many saints into the British Isles and the island from his runway on Little Iona. Such a…

Dear brothers and sisters, I am sure all/ most of you are familiar with Andrei Rublev’s Troitsa (Russian for Triune or Trinity). I have studied this icon in the past, this Trinitarian interpretation of Gen. 18:1-16, the episode in which “three men” visit Abraham and Sarah and promise them a son. Last week, however, I listened to a homily on Pentecost and the Holy Trinity in connection with this…

Holy Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos, Mikrokastro: a beacon of faith and tradition, offering spiritual guidance, hospitality, and hope to the faithful from all over the world. It remains a living centre of Orthodox Christianity, linking past and present through devotion and heritage. In the past, I have written several blog posts about this monastery and its blessed synodeia. This…

Conversion miracles, War/ Persecution miracles, Secret Christians We visited a monastery, where a young British man who wanted to become a catechumen “accidentally” met a British Orthodox priest who was visiting the same morning and “happened” to be a parish priest very near this young man’s hometown. Last but not least, they had booked the same return flight to the UK that Saturday! So, this…

Pilgrimage to Georgia – Day 2: Mtskheta and Jvari With God’s help, our group continues the pilgrimage to Georgia. The day began with a journey to the ancient capital of Mtskheta, a place sanctified by centuries of Christian witness and home to several of the most revered holy sites in the country. 1. Svetitskhoveli Cathedral – The Life-Giving Pillar The group first visited Svetitskhoveli…

Christ is Risen! With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan Oner, a group of 29 pilgrims from St George’s Cathedral, together with brothers and sisters from other Orthodox parishes in the UK, began a six day pilgrimage to Georgia, one of the most ancient Orthodox Christian lands. The group departed London on the evening of 30 April and arrived in Tbilisi in the early hours of Friday…

Christ is Risen! My recent five-day “pilgrimage“ to Thessaloniki was filled with blessings and holy encounters with friends on earth and friends in heaven. These meetings have brought me spiritual refreshment and renewed energy. Visits to monasteries, all-night vigils, meals with Orthodox families — such spiritual nourishment and Greek hospitality provide an excellent sufficiency for soul and…

My husband thinks I’m wasting my time! Every Wednesday morning, I drive to the Galini Nursing Home. I don’t have any people there; in fact, I didn’t know a soul when all this started. I just go there, sit in the common area, and knit. I’ve been doing this for four years. I’m 71 years old, a retired teacher, and time is the only thing I have in abundance. At first, the nurses were concerned.…