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We have lots of singles, they’re just all male 😂 I don’t know how this can be done, but we need to encourage more women to join the Church. Some advice, attend an orthodox youth festival. You will meet a lot of singles that way, albeit from another city.
I would agree. The vast majority of parishners in Orthodox Churches are young kids, or their parents in their 30s and 40s. Or old men and women. An Orthodox Church is the last place I would go to find a wife.
@@thereccereport1172 There are Orthodox dating sites, or E-Harmony which will find you a compatible Orthodox woman. I’ve been putting it off until I can get out of my financial rut, but at the rate I’m going, I might as well become a monk if I can’t get out from under this by 45. I’ll take it as a sign.
It's unbelievable how this video has been uploaded now when I needed it most. I'm a 25 year old ex-Muslim from Algeria who recognized Christ about 8 months ago. The closest Orthodox parish to me is 5 hours away across the borders to Tunisia. And I suspect there's one in the capital Algiers but I couldn't find anyway to contact the parish to confirm with them. I know no Algerian Christian around here, let alone Orthodox Christians. I've received conflicting advice about streaming Liturgy and started feeling more and more in exile. And with the extent of my sinfulness that I'm only starting to recognize, I felt more and more helpless. Thank you for the encouragement, re-centering and refocus. May God grant me to join you brothers and sisters into His Body and Life soon ❤☦
I have found, personally, praying Typika can be a huge help if you cannot attend a church. And making a five hour trip (say once every 5-6 weeks) is still better than nothing. Though if it’s across international borders and carry’s a risk to your life, obviously use your discernment.
Welcome! I will pray God gives you discernment as to what information to believe and that while you wait, He brings Christians across your path to help you on your way. I’m sure your decision to walk away from Islam was not an easy one.
Look into Typika Services, read the lives of the saints, pray the Psalter too if possible. If you don't have a church around, try to make your home a "church". This might help getting a spiritual provisional routine. Prayers to you! 🙏
When I first encountered Orthodoxy, I lived on an island in the middle of the Pacific. The nearest accessible Orthodox Church to me was 1600 miles away by air. It took years writing to bishops and priests around the world for counsel. Eventually I was put in touch with a priest who received a blessing to catechize me by mail and internet. In total in took three years before I was invited to fly up and be baptized. For several years, I could afford to go to church once a year, and I got all I could then. Eventually I moved back to the states, and the nearest Orthodox Church was only 100 miles away. I went every week for ten or more years. Then a mission opened in my hometown only 25 minutes away. God is good, and He is faithful. For those still at a distance, be patient God will make a way for you in due season.
@roberthegwood3031 Greetings my Orthodox Christian brother In the Lord Jesus Christ. Wish you health happiness peace and whatever else your noble heart desires. We Orthodox Christians keep loving Jesus Christ till our last breath and receive the promised crown 👑.Glory be to God for all things. AMEN. ✝️. 🐊🌴🇵🇬
I have been struggling with mental illness and when I attended a Coptic Orthodox church the voices in my head went silent when the priest flicked holy water on my face I'm hoping to join the Coptic Orthodox soon. Pray for me friends.
I'm so blessed. I became interested in Orthodoxy online and looked for a local one, only to find it was 10 minutes from my house (I used to drive by it and I had no idea what it was). The people there were super welcoming and helpful on my journey and I was baptized last week. I pray for anyone who is less lucky than I, but take heart and have faith, the lord will provide.
A similar thing happened to me. When I started investigating orthodoxy I didn't expect to find anything nearby (I live in Norway). Turned out the nearest orthodox parish had just acquired a church not 20 km from where I live.
That was my situation. I lived on an island in the North Pacific and want to convert in 1995, but the nearest accessible parish was 1600 miles away by air, in Tokyo. I asked bishops and priests all around the world by both snail mail and the new email for help converting. I was eventually directed to an Orthodox missionary society in South Africa who gave me the contact information for an English speaking priest in Japan. He got permission from his bishop for long distance catechesis…which was very thorough and lasted over a year…but in May of 1998 I was invited to go to Tokyo to be received in zHoly baptism. For the next several years I could only afford to go to church once a year for a few days. But they were days in heaven for me. When I moved back to the states the nearest Orthodox Church was 100 miles away. I went every week for over 10 years. Now there is a parish in my home town, about 25 minutes from me. Not having a nearby parish is an inconvenience to adapt to. Not becoming Orthodox because the distances are difficult is not a good reason. Angels used to bring communion to certain of the desert fathers who lived very isolated lives. Such struggles are for our salvation. Let us embrace them. God is faithful and will make a way.
@@oscvrcc You will not be underage forever. Pray, reach out to priests nearer you for counsel. When you are able to go where there is a parish come having prepared your soul by learning what you can, enriching your life with a simple orthodox prayer rule. Ask the Theotokos to help,you. Read the lives of recent saints. Ask for there help. Do that and one day you will find a parish and a priest and the living experience of the faith you wish to follow. St Mary of Egypt lived over 40 years in the desert praying and preparing her soul. Take a page from her. It won’t be anything near 40 years before God shows you the way.
I really appreciated this video. I'm a catechumen due to be baptized in a few weeks, but I've been unable to attend Divine Liturgy because my boss won't give me Sundays off and I don't have the time or money to try and file an unfair labor practice claim. I'm leaving soon for a better job, and I knew the arrangement was always temporary, but I don't think I fully appreciated how lost I would feel without regularly attending divine liturgy. It forced me to confront my lackluster prayer life, my mediocre commitment to reading scripture, and actively think about how I'm living my life as a Christian. I'm ashamed to say I don't think I responded correctly and with haste, but I'm trying my best to correct that now. And videos like this are a really great way for people in a similar situation to think about how to be an Orthodox Christian.
My wife and I in the middle of America have always needed to drive 1+hrs each way. We relocated and it's the same here now in our new home. We're the only two Orthodox Christians in our County...for now.
Thank you for this! I think many Orthodox in Orthodox countries can't imagine that millions of people have never heard of Orthodoxy (or don't understand it even if they know the word) and have never even seen an Orthodox priest or church. (Then, sadly, some Orthodoxy consign all non-Orthodox to Hell for not believing in a faith the non-Ortho has never heard of and which may not even be available.) My closest church, here in Texas, USA, is a little over an hour away, and I count myself lucky. Still, for those with transportation problems, physical problems & sicknesses, etc, we simply need more churches/chapels and more priests. I think the harvest is ready; there just needs to be workers who have the ability to explain Orthodoxy in a way that Protestants and other non-Orthodox can understand. (It really IS a huge paradigm-shift.)
Went today for the very first time to Orthodox Church I was so nervous and sweating I didn’t know what to do when to pray when to sit or stand I was raised evangelical so everything was so new to me but aside from feeling a bit embarrassed and nervous I really felt happy to be there. I felt like a part of me that was missing for many years was coming back to me I was very devoted to god as a kid but when I came to the US I felt disconnected from evangelical churches and eventually stopped believing I haven’t prayed or been to a church in almost 8 years so you can imagine how fast my heart was beating today going back to god on Christmas Eve
Thank you so much for this video. I'm a South African teen who's getting confirmed soon at my Anglican school, however on my journey of faith, I've found the Orthodox Church and would love to join but are no Churches near and nobody knows what Orthodoxy is. Whenever I mention it people are confused because they've never heard of it. I was starting to feel a bit hopeless but this video helped remind me of what's truly important!
The Anglican Church has a close relationship with the Orthodox Church. In fact, I was taken aback when I saw huge Eastern Orthodox Icons displayed in the Anglican Church at the funeral for Queen Elizabeth. The closest Orthodox Church for me is 45 minutes away but it is a Ukrainian Orthodox Church and I don't know if I would be all that welcome not speaking Ukrainian (I will be calling them next week). An inclusive cultural Orthodox Church was recommended to me and I loved it but it is 3 hours away and in a really bad part of Toronto to be in at night. I wholeheartedly trust our Saviour, Jesus Christ and I am grateful for this prayer, Bojan, and I know and trust that I will be given the ways and means back home.
I thank God for this video. Hello, I’m an Anglican/ Protestant from Hong Kong and just started to learn about Orthodox Christianity a few months ago. And I feel so blessed, it’s like finding gems and treasures all the way. There are quite limited resources about Orthodoxy in HK, and my Protestant friends could not understand/ share my excitement in learning about Orthodoxy, so I’m grateful for all the internet access and I could purchase some related books online. Pray that I will meet some Orthodox Christians (online or in real person) and join the community soon. God bless!
If you still are fond of Anglican Culture, Saint Tikhon developed a Liturgy for Orthodox Converts from Anglicanism in particular. My primary parish, Saint Columba Orthodox features it in my videos. It might be preferable to use a Version of it in Hong Kong, if the ChiCom would allow it to be set up, but Orthodoxy isn’t as accommodating to their demands as Rome and Canterbury have been recently, which has probably contributed to your difficulties.
I would strongly suggest Ancient Faith Radio. It's available as a cell phone app for free and it's absolutely a life saver to shutins, hermits and the displaced. May God Grant you MANY YEARS! 🥰
When I discovered Orthodoxy I lived two hours away from the closest Orthodox Church. I got a few icons, a prayer book, and a psalter. I began daily prayers and learned as much as I could online and by reading Orthodox books. I did as much as I could in my situation. After doing this for a couple years, my whole life was uprooted and turned upside down. When the turmoil was over, I ended up in a different city far away from everyone and everything I had ever known. Now I live 15 minutes from an Orthodox Church and I am attending catechism there. The Lord will make a way.
as a convert baptized and anointed, my biggest woe is the one mentioned, total distance from my parish of origin. aside from that, it’s a regional unfamiliarity with what Orthodoxy really is. fortunately, a lot of people are coming to know and understand us, and Christian life is becoming more and more open and understood in my town :D
I live in The Bahamas. 40 yrs ago I started my Orthodox journey. I married in the New Calendar Church as an Anglican. The priest said I did not need Baptism (to convert). Later I discovered he was right, since the lifting of the mutual anathemas in 1965. I could not stay there. The all-seeing eye and chequered floor of the church showed me what foundation that stood on. With no Orthodox alternative I prayed. In 2011 God blessed my husband and I with our 6 children, daughter-in-law and grandson to be Baptized! Glory to God for all things ! “Hold fast….”
Thanks for this video. 3 years ago I began studying Orthodoxy and strongly desired to convert. Im in rural Ohio. It took my two years to find a parish. The parish I go to is a forty five minute drive from me. I think there needs to be more parishes in rural areas. In America and the West the vast majority of Orthodox parishes are located in cities with populations over 100,000. Leaving the bulk of the countryside without a parish. I think increasing availability of parishes in rural areas would help potential converts significantly.
My Archpriest Emeritus started a chapel out of his garage, and after his ordination, basically built a small parish from scratch. He wrote all the Icons, too. And he did all that after a long career as an art teacher and school principal prior to his conversion, Archpriest Lester Bundy. Alas, Parkinson’s has finally forced him to retire, as he just can’t confect the Eucharist without putting Him in danger of dropping Him anymore. He Still makes icons, but what took days now takes him months to finish. Pray for Him.
I finally made the 70 mile drive to a liturgy a few sundays back for the 1st time and it was wonderful. I planned on going back every other Sunday, which now has turned into a once in every 3 months voyage. I try to have the mindset of that Turkish martyr that pilgrimaged all the way to Greece to be Baptized in secret and hope for a more orthodox future.
Welcome back Bojan. You've been gone for a while. I saw in the news that there were violent clashes along the southern border of Serbia with Kosovo and I was worried you might have been caught up in that, whether directly or indirectly by being drafted into military service (can that still happen?) as a result but I'm glad to see you're okay. Stay safe.
Please don’t trust the media. The “violent clashes” never happened. Nor would any military from Serbia do anything, professional or drafted. Just can’t happen.
This was a wonderful and comforting video. I love the suggested prayers...Lord in due time....Thank you. I keep telling The Lord...Lord in my heart I am Orthodox please know this.
I met some people this weekend who drive 6 hours a day to get to their closest ROCOR church every Sunday. I was impressed by their dedication but hopefully they will one day have a parish in their own town.
My sister has basically made a section of her House into a chapel that a traveling Priest will say Divine Liturgy for her family and a few neighbors once a month. Thing is, they are not that far from a Greek parish, but my brother in law is very stubborn; he had no trouble accepting Orthodox theology but is determined to keep his family rooted in the Western Tradition as Western Rite Orthodox. Let ethnic Greeks be Grecian, and ethnic Irish remain Celtic, both Orthodox but distinct, seem to be his attitude. I introduced him to the Western Rite as I guessed he’d be this way. I’m comfortable with all Orthodox Liturgies, myself, but am glad to be able to attend Mass with them. It is a lovely service.
1:59 I almost broke down into tears. Do not fear. That makes sense, so I'm not sure why I've felt such anxiety about not having an Orthodox church near me.
Thank you for this video, I'm a catholic who has recently discovered orthodoxy and I'm in love with it. In fact, I've been thinking in converting to orthodoxy. This video gives me hope.
@@ricardooliveira9774 I was in a similar situation. You can start being orthodox without a nearby church. Start doing fasting, daily prayers and research the faith until you can get baptized/chrismated.
I am a Ghanaian living in america. I am also a teenager and a protestant. I love history and learning about religions. When I studied Christianity I found Eastern/Oriental Churches. I know that Orthodoxy is true and want to become Eastern Orthodox! I have one Orthodox Church In my area for miles however its greek and does not speak English at all. I really want to be in the liturgy but there are no English speaking Church near me.
Thank you for this video. I'm only 20mi from the nearest Parish, but transportation is out of my hands currently, so I've had worries about this part of coming to The Church. Learning about the Saints and thinking about stories from the OT, made it clear that a physical place wasn't always necessary, but I'm too... inexperienced, to know how I can use that information. This video has done me a great service in better understanding how to form that connection with The Church.
Yes i wanted to join Eastern Orthodox church in 2018 but I didn't know that there was a Greek Orthodox church in my country until 2023 when i met my friend who converted. Now I'm a catechumen
Thank you very much for this video, I live in the North of Chile were there ar not Orthodox churches, I was crismated in Santiago de Chile under the Antioch Patriarcate and I fell very blessed of this. It's quite difficult be maybe the only orthodox in my city (or at least maybe the second one), but it's worth it. Please pray for me
In America, most people live in suburbs. We have a neurotic need for a LOT of space with NO people. But we have lots of cute door mats and signs that say ‘welcome’. It’s quite ironic. I was very fortunate to live 3miles from an Orthodox Church when I began my conversion. God knew all along and was patiently waiting for me to show up and stop being a goof.
Thank you for this video. I am from Puerto Rico but we have next to no Orthodox Churches here. 3 at most assuming they are in service. I converted to Orthodoxy after meeting an Orthodox Priest some years ago when I was still and Agnostic atheist, but I have never attended a real church. I really wish I could attend one and I really want to be part of it. It is very hard to not have a church near me. I often struggle with the temptation to just attend the closest thing to Orthodoxy here which is a Catholic church but I don't want to be a hypocrite and go to a service that I do not believe in.
There are only 2 that I know of: the Antiochian parish in Carolina and San Juan Climaco (ROCOR) in San German. I do know that the one in San German regularly has services, but I had never visited the one in Carolina. The one called St. Spyridon has joined the Roman Catholics but they call themselves Russian Orthodox. I would stay away from them. Be strong!
I've got 3 churches in close proximity, 2 of those can be seen from my window. Each one has 2 buildings, with altar and all. I think we should start exporting them.
This is why as a Catholic I find EWTN is incredibly important. If the orthodox church wishes to grow and cement footholds in the world, I need the same type of funding and a similar Network
@@loverlei79 Yeah, but there’s been a bit too much questionable modernist content. ROCOR and Antioch need to collaborate to put up a proper answer to EWTN, but everyone seems too busy doing their own thing. Western Rite Radio is a fascinating resource for me, but is also very limited . We need to bring them all together.
As a former Roman turned Orthodox, I still value EWTN’s prolife news and programs and still watch the Chesterton and Sheen programs. But this pope has tainted the rest, however subtly, that I can’t stand it anymore.
@@eldermillennial8330 I can respect that. My father is a Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic. The level of freedom to eastern Catholic churches have versus Rome is quite nice. If there are any near you, you should check it out.
@@eldermillennial8330 Yeah...I came across some of that too... if i remember right it was some chick whinning about agency for females under the Philokia. I was like... how. Is. This. On. Here. 🤣 You have to be selective on podcasts. But the same can be said for all Christian networks. Search long enough, you will find dumb content.
I have an Orthodox parish that I have been attending for the past couple of months, but one thing that worries me sometimes is having to move eventually due to my profession, which is something that seems very probable. That bit on Adam having fallen in Paradise and Lot being saved in Sodom reminds me of something I think sometimes to give me hope, which is that having an Orthodox church nearby is not enough. How many people live close to one their entire lives and simply do not care about it? In my own life there is such an example: For the past 15 years that I lived in my current city I did not care about it, only in the past couple of months. The idea would be something like: Which is best, to live near a church and not care about it, or to live far from one but with longing for it?
This is godsend for me. I'm a former Protestant adherent to a Pentecostal Church of God as well as Messianic Judaism/Hebrew Roots. Yeah it was something else. I'm an inquirer that is on the fence between Catholicism and Orthodoxy with more of a leaning towards Orthodoxy. I still have a lot of prayer and research to do as I'm not gonna convert without tons of prayer and research for quite some time.
Same situation right here, I currently like both and go to both every Sunday. The only thing that sucks is that the Latin Mass is set during the time of the Greek Divine Liturgy.
Good to hear you again Bojan. It's been a long time since I saw one of your videos and I missed them. I also watch Father Spyridon from England and his teaching is very good too.
I am exactly in this dilemma right now. But if we look back people used to go on a pilgrimage to Rome. Have actually been thinking of walking this 240 km.
4:05 i speak serbo croatian,the talking in the phone is pretty funny,as she says "hey are you normal" and "Girl,are you baptized" Okay i went off theme
Thanks for this, Bojan. You introduced me to the greatest treasure of eastern Europe: Orthodoxy. And, slowly, I became more and more informed on orthodox theology. I found that, much of my beliefs are aligned with it.(I mean, Even as a Catholic I was sceptical of the Immaculate Conception.) Then, one day, I said to myself: ‘ Catholicism is fine; but why settle on “fine” if you can have something better?’ - that was the day I became Orthodox. I do have a few questions though: Is Catholic baptism considered valid? Do I have to be baptized again? Is Catholic communion considered valid? You see, the country I live in is an archipelago. It also has very few orthodox Christians. The closest orthodox church is located many miles north; I would gladly drive their every Sunday, but there's this thing called ‘The sea’ blocking my way. There are however an abundance of Catholic churches near me.(there's at least 7 in the small city I live in.) Which is why I'm asking if Catholic communion is valid.
Hi James, I made the switch a few years ago, this involved moving to Romania but I don't think you need to be so drastic! I may be in a good position to answer your questions. You are not Orthodox until an Orthodox priest says you are and has performed the necessary rite and you have made the necessary proclamations (1) You will need the 'permission' of your local Orthodox Bishop in order to convert and it is usually he, and or your spiritual father (a priest) who will decide whether to conditionally Baptize you or not. Accept their decision and don't feel put out if others had another proceedure. (2) Catholics consider Orthodox Eucharist valid and if there is absolutely no chance of a Catholic getting to a Catholic church any time soon, they are allowed as a Catholic to receive in an Orthodox Church. The Orthodox do not however return this, and it is somewhat frowned upon and you are likely to be refused. Be obedient to any decision given. As a Catholic you should continue to receive the Catholic sacraments until such time as you can't, and then you will no longer consider yourself a Catholic so you shouldn't be receiving their sacraments! This will be a dangerous time for you, be careful. Here are some thing which helped me before I was able to truly become Orthodox. (1) keep the fasts, (2) keep a simple prayer rule (at least morning prayer) and learn the key prayers of Orthodoxy (3) buy an Orthodox 'missal' and find an online Liturgy to follow on a Sunday (4) simplify your life as much as possible and offer everything as a sacrifice of praise - you are entering God's most sublime gift. (6) go out of your way to be kind and at peace with everyone (7) try to find a priest who can help you, I was unsuccessful for many years, it is a test of sorts, but you will get one (8) don't read too much, there is a real danger with converts from Catholicism that we treat Orthodoxy like Catholicism and look for intellectual brilliance (9) Visit an Orthodox country and see in happening 'warts and all'. Remember Orthodoxy is apophatic; embrace the negative experiences, the tragi-comedy, the hardship, the frustration and keep your peace, that is the mark of being Orthodox!! (10) continue to pray for the dead, only more so than as a Catholic
@@eldermillennial8330Yeah, I know. (You mean the realm of the dead, right? Hades in Greek, Sheol in Hebrew?) I shall pray for my love ones who had passed on as much as possible.
James, I didn't have the benefit of a religious upbringing and had to make a long search through the heterodox churches before I found out that the Orthodox Church is the ancient Church established by Christ and the apostles 2,000 years ago. The Latin Patriarchate was one of the five Patriarchates if the Church, along with the Mother Church of Jerusalem, plus Antioch, Alexandria and Constantinople. At the time of the Great Schism in 1054 AD, the Latin church was officially severed from Christ's continuing Church, and it remains outside the Church to this day. You should never partake of the Latin church's sacraments, for not only are they null and void and without grace, but they're harmful. In fact, the Holy Fathers taught that the sacraments of those groups outside the Church are the food of the devils. If it would help you, I wrote a book for a bishop of the ROCOR, and you can Google it: Steven Kovacevich, Apostolic Christianity and the 23,000 Western Churches. (I wrote it about 20 years ago when there were 23,000 Western churches, although their current number stands at 33,000.) I made my break with the Latin church without a backward glance once I learned about a Vatican-backed genocide of a million Serbs in Croatia during WW2. That church is also doing everything to usher in the new world order, the kingdom of the antichrist. If Christ were to return to the earth today, the current Marxist pope would have Him killed if He ever interfered with the Vatican's money-making racket. It's an incredibly evil operation, as most of the planet's non-Catholic population has come to understand. May God enlighten and help you on your journey, brother.
Thank you. My teen son and I want to become catchumens but cannot find any Orthodox Church near only very very far away. Two years... thank you and god bless you ☦
I know you've briefly discussed it on the hands channel, but please, PLEASE do a video on the western orthodox rite (and mabye some other sections within it, like the celtic and anglican rites.) Any way, I'm glad your posting again, God bless 🤗
Thank you so much! This lead me to contacting my bishop and he forwarded my email to the dean of my area! I will update this to talk about how far I’ve gone.
Nearest Orthodox chruch is 1hr away... I would love to attend as I am thinking about converting but I am quite scared to drive that distance by myself and I am the only one converting... Please pray for me
What happens when there is a church near you but you can’t go because the people close to won’t take you there I’m relatively young so I can’t transport myself
I agree that watching a livestream of the divine services is better than nothing. However, if you can find a good resource for practicing the reader’s typicon at home, that would be even better. It is what Christians have always done when they couldn’t attend church, and it turns your home into a microcosm of the Church even if you have never been to one. This is what we did during the pandemic when the churches were closed, and we found it much more beneficial than watching a livestream.
My biggest woe is that I am disabled. Even if there was a church next door to my house I could not go. I can't even do the "not real but better than nothing" thing of observing online services since I cannot stand.
The churches that only see a priest once every month or every other month are a fairly common situation among Australian Catholics living outside a city or large town. Most churches were built at a time when only a tiny fraction of the population would have identified as anything other than Christian, rural populations were larger, and there were more men following the call to priesthood (and the places we used to draw priests from, Ireland and Italy, haven't got enough to serve their own populations). Now there's fewer parishioners, fewer priests and the remaining priests have to cover greater distances but it really does help the remaining parishioners to still have the sacraments. I assume something could be set up in a non consecrated building similar to the bare minimum requirements if a priest was ministering to soldiers on a battlefield.
I'd contact to local priests and try to "negotiate" what to do anyway. If there's some difficulties, pray for them, be patient and take the whole situation as it's from the hand of God... Ethnical exclusiveness tends to be a problem (e.g. when most parishioners are immigrants in 1st or 2nd generation), but if more and more non-Greek start to visit the divine liturgy and vespers, it should be a sign for them that they must change their ecclesiastic life a bit. And you can think that participating in the divine liturgy, vespers and vigils in Greek is better than not participating at all - not ideal, but one step to better.
I want to become Orthodox, but there are only Protestant churches where I live. Should I still attend mass there or is it better not to until I can move? Thank you🙏
Would it be possible for you, if you are interested, to make a video about hierarchy and their objective and for example, how to become a deacon or priest or bishop? Great video btw.
i wanted to ask this. the closet orthodox church to me is around a hour away and i am unable to drive. i have been heading to a local Baptist church since its the closet available church. is it ok for a orthodoxy to not go to a orthodox church? the priest preaches very well and i enjoy going. but there's always the differences between orthodoxy belief and Baptist belief
There are even fewer orthodox churches here in the U.K.! I’m VERY fortunate in that my nearest is 15min drive away, but it appears more an ethnic cultural centre for local Greeks and the liturgy is mostly in Greek, although the local priest is excellent! So what I’m saying is that we need local orthodox communities using the local language becoming mission stations for the English speaking people. At the moment this is but a dream……
I can relate to this, I am going to convert to Orthodoxy once when I am 18 due to Catholic parents. While there are plenty of Orthodox parishes near me, the parish of my unofficial spiritual father is an hour away. Tho I can try out the parishes near me first but I want to go to the parish where I met my first priest that I viewed as a spiritual father.
A local body is better than no body. Especially in our digital age where you can still maintain contact with your mentor. A local body provides not only spiritual care, but physical and mental as well. If you have needs, it’s easier for a local church to notice and help.
I was thinking, maybe a person could make the catechism online and if it's very far, say one hour, you could go there once a month for the sacraments, or once every three or two months.
Bojan, I really appreciate this video, and I will likely share it on Reddit as the questions come up. But, I have to ask, in the last segment, why did you slip in the CIA and KGB (modern agency based on them?) pins on the Patriarchs?
What about grace through faith alone apart from works faith alone in Jesus Christ because he did it all for us we are not supposed to worry about Works to get us into heaven it's by his blood faith and him alone
Becoming Orthodox post-COVID may be shading my experience a lot. But outside the after liturgy coffee there is virtually no community life. Coming from an LDS background this is grand culture shock. I’ve tried talking to Orthodox people about their sense of Zion, but this reveals another problem. Orthodox people are actually afraid or at least uncomfortable talking about religion. They direct all their questions to priests who are generally also not great theologians. The lack of dialectic engagement almost boarders on intellectual dishonesty.
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I have a question, what avout the opposite, what if you live a walking distance away from a orthodox church?
Biggest woe to converts: there are no singles in your area, there never were singles in your area, singles are an urban legend.
What do you mean?! I have many advertisements telling me there are tons of singles in my area!
That means we should lead more to the flock!
We have lots of singles, they’re just all male 😂 I don’t know how this can be done, but we need to encourage more women to join the Church.
Some advice, attend an orthodox youth festival. You will meet a lot of singles that way, albeit from another city.
I would agree. The vast majority of parishners in Orthodox Churches are young kids, or their parents in their 30s and 40s. Or old men and women. An Orthodox Church is the last place I would go to find a wife.
@@thereccereport1172
There are Orthodox dating sites, or E-Harmony which will find you a compatible Orthodox woman. I’ve been putting it off until I can get out of my financial rut, but at the rate I’m going, I might as well become a monk if I can’t get out from under this by 45. I’ll take it as a sign.
It's unbelievable how this video has been uploaded now when I needed it most.
I'm a 25 year old ex-Muslim from Algeria who recognized Christ about 8 months ago.
The closest Orthodox parish to me is 5 hours away across the borders to Tunisia. And I suspect there's one in the capital Algiers but I couldn't find anyway to contact the parish to confirm with them.
I know no Algerian Christian around here, let alone Orthodox Christians. I've received conflicting advice about streaming Liturgy and started feeling more and more in exile. And with the extent of my sinfulness that I'm only starting to recognize, I felt more and more helpless.
Thank you for the encouragement, re-centering and refocus.
May God grant me to join you brothers and sisters into His Body and Life soon ❤☦
Welcome brother!
I have found, personally, praying Typika can be a huge help if you cannot attend a church. And making a five hour trip (say once every 5-6 weeks) is still better than nothing. Though if it’s across international borders and carry’s a risk to your life, obviously use your discernment.
Welcome! I will pray God gives you discernment as to what information to believe and that while you wait, He brings Christians across your path to help you on your way. I’m sure your decision to walk away from Islam was not an easy one.
Look into Typika Services, read the lives of the saints, pray the Psalter too if possible. If you don't have a church around, try to make your home a "church". This might help getting a spiritual provisional routine. Prayers to you! 🙏
@@thesampo thank you! I'm actually female but thank you so much for the kind welcome 🙏
When I first encountered Orthodoxy, I lived on an island in the middle of the Pacific. The nearest accessible Orthodox Church to me was 1600 miles away by air. It took years writing to bishops and priests around the world for counsel. Eventually I was put in touch with a priest who received a blessing to catechize me by mail and internet. In total in took three years before I was invited to fly up and be baptized. For several years, I could afford to go to church once a year, and I got all I could then. Eventually I moved back to the states, and the nearest Orthodox Church was only 100 miles away. I went every week for ten or more years. Then a mission opened in my hometown only 25 minutes away. God is good, and He is faithful. For those still at a distance, be patient God will make a way for you in due season.
This is such an amazing testimony! Thank you so much!
@roberthegwood3031 Greetings my Orthodox Christian brother In the Lord Jesus Christ. Wish you health happiness peace and whatever else your noble heart desires. We Orthodox Christians keep loving Jesus Christ till our last breath and receive the promised crown 👑.Glory be to God for all things. AMEN. ✝️. 🐊🌴🇵🇬
I have been struggling with mental illness and when I attended a Coptic Orthodox church the voices in my head went silent when the priest flicked holy water on my face I'm hoping to join the Coptic Orthodox soon. Pray for me friends.
I think they have popes
I'm so blessed. I became interested in Orthodoxy online and looked for a local one, only to find it was 10 minutes from my house (I used to drive by it and I had no idea what it was). The people there were super welcoming and helpful on my journey and I was baptized last week. I pray for anyone who is less lucky than I, but take heart and have faith, the lord will provide.
A similar thing happened to me. When I started investigating orthodoxy I didn't expect to find anything nearby (I live in Norway). Turned out the nearest orthodox parish had just acquired a church not 20 km from where I live.
That was my situation. I lived on an island in the North Pacific and want to convert in 1995, but the nearest accessible parish was 1600 miles away by air, in Tokyo. I asked bishops and priests all around the world by both snail mail and the new email for help converting. I was eventually directed to an Orthodox missionary society in South Africa who gave me the contact information for an English speaking priest in Japan. He got permission from his bishop for long distance catechesis…which was very thorough and lasted over a year…but in May of 1998 I was invited to go to Tokyo to be received in zHoly baptism. For the next several years I could only afford to go to church once a year for a few days. But they were days in heaven for me. When I moved back to the states the nearest Orthodox Church was 100 miles away. I went every week for over 10 years. Now there is a parish in my home town, about 25 minutes from me. Not having a nearby parish is an inconvenience to adapt to. Not becoming Orthodox because the distances are difficult is not a good reason. Angels used to bring communion to certain of the desert fathers who lived very isolated lives. Such struggles are for our salvation. Let us embrace them. God is faithful and will make a way.
Thank you! This gave me hope and encouragement.
i’m underage so i physically cannot do that
@@oscvrcc You will not be underage forever. Pray, reach out to priests nearer you for counsel. When you are able to go where there is a parish come having prepared your soul by learning what you can, enriching your life with a simple orthodox prayer rule. Ask the Theotokos to help,you. Read the lives of recent saints. Ask for there help. Do that and one day you will find a parish and a priest and the living experience of the faith you wish to follow. St Mary of Egypt lived over 40 years in the desert praying and preparing her soul. Take a page from her. It won’t be anything near 40 years before God shows you the way.
I really appreciated this video. I'm a catechumen due to be baptized in a few weeks, but I've been unable to attend Divine Liturgy because my boss won't give me Sundays off and I don't have the time or money to try and file an unfair labor practice claim. I'm leaving soon for a better job, and I knew the arrangement was always temporary, but I don't think I fully appreciated how lost I would feel without regularly attending divine liturgy. It forced me to confront my lackluster prayer life, my mediocre commitment to reading scripture, and actively think about how I'm living my life as a Christian. I'm ashamed to say I don't think I responded correctly and with haste, but I'm trying my best to correct that now. And videos like this are a really great way for people in a similar situation to think about how to be an Orthodox Christian.
Stay strong brother, and God bless! :)
My wife and I in the middle of America have always needed to drive 1+hrs each way. We relocated and it's the same here now in our new home. We're the only two Orthodox Christians in our County...for now.
Thank you for this! I think many Orthodox in Orthodox countries can't imagine that millions of people have never heard of Orthodoxy (or don't understand it even if they know the word) and have never even seen an Orthodox priest or church. (Then, sadly, some Orthodoxy consign all non-Orthodox to Hell for not believing in a faith the non-Ortho has never heard of and which may not even be available.) My closest church, here in Texas, USA, is a little over an hour away, and I count myself lucky. Still, for those with transportation problems, physical problems & sicknesses, etc, we simply need more churches/chapels and more priests. I think the harvest is ready; there just needs to be workers who have the ability to explain Orthodoxy in a way that Protestants and other non-Orthodox can understand. (It really IS a huge paradigm-shift.)
Went today for the very first time to Orthodox Church I was so nervous and sweating I didn’t know what to do when to pray when to sit or stand I was raised evangelical so everything was so new to me but aside from feeling a bit embarrassed and nervous I really felt happy to be there. I felt like a part of me that was missing for many years was coming back to me I was very devoted to god as a kid but when I came to the US I felt disconnected from evangelical churches and eventually stopped believing I haven’t prayed or been to a church in almost 8 years so you can imagine how fast my heart was beating today going back to god on Christmas Eve
Thank you so much for this video. I'm a South African teen who's getting confirmed soon at my Anglican school, however on my journey of faith, I've found the Orthodox Church and would love to join but are no Churches near and nobody knows what Orthodoxy is. Whenever I mention it people are confused because they've never heard of it. I was starting to feel a bit hopeless but this video helped remind me of what's truly important!
I'm in a similar boat 🥺 though I am already confirmed and luckily there are a few orthodox churches in cape town but it's still a far drive...
@@jennnyy It really is quite tough, especially because I'm too young to drive ;), but with God's grace everything will be okay.
The Anglican Church has a close relationship with the Orthodox Church. In fact, I was taken aback when I saw huge Eastern Orthodox Icons displayed in the Anglican Church at the funeral for Queen Elizabeth. The closest Orthodox Church for me is 45 minutes away but it is a Ukrainian Orthodox Church and I don't know if I would be all that welcome not speaking Ukrainian (I will be calling them next week). An inclusive cultural Orthodox Church was recommended to me and I loved it but it is 3 hours away and in a really bad part of Toronto to be in at night. I wholeheartedly trust our Saviour, Jesus Christ and I am grateful for this prayer, Bojan, and I know and trust that I will be given the ways and means back home.
I thank God for this video. Hello, I’m an Anglican/ Protestant from Hong Kong and just started to learn about Orthodox Christianity a few months ago. And I feel so blessed, it’s like finding gems and treasures all the way. There are quite limited resources about Orthodoxy in HK, and my Protestant friends could not understand/ share my excitement in learning about Orthodoxy, so I’m grateful for all the internet access and I could purchase some related books online. Pray that I will meet some Orthodox Christians (online or in real person) and join the community soon. God bless!
If you still are fond of Anglican Culture, Saint Tikhon developed a Liturgy for Orthodox Converts from Anglicanism in particular. My primary parish, Saint Columba Orthodox features it in my videos. It might be preferable to use a Version of it in Hong Kong, if the ChiCom would allow it to be set up, but Orthodoxy isn’t as accommodating to their demands as Rome and Canterbury have been recently, which has probably contributed to your difficulties.
弟兄/姊妹，你好呀，你而家係咪重對正教會有興趣呀?我今年年初先喺倫敦受浸成為希臘正教徒，有機會想認識多啲香港人正教徒😂
I would strongly suggest Ancient Faith Radio. It's available as a cell phone app for free and it's absolutely a life saver to shutins, hermits and the displaced.
May God Grant you MANY YEARS! 🥰
👍❤
When I discovered Orthodoxy I lived two hours away from the closest Orthodox Church. I got a few icons, a prayer book, and a psalter. I began daily prayers and learned as much as I could online and by reading Orthodox books. I did as much as I could in my situation. After doing this for a couple years, my whole life was uprooted and turned upside down. When the turmoil was over, I ended up in a different city far away from everyone and everything I had ever known. Now I live 15 minutes from an Orthodox Church and I am attending catechism there. The Lord will make a way.
as a convert baptized and anointed, my biggest woe is the one mentioned, total distance from my parish of origin. aside from that, it’s a regional unfamiliarity with what Orthodoxy really is. fortunately, a lot of people are coming to know and understand us, and Christian life is becoming more and more open and understood in my town :D
I live in The Bahamas. 40 yrs ago I started my Orthodox journey. I married in the New Calendar Church as an Anglican. The priest said I did not need Baptism (to convert). Later I discovered he was right, since the lifting of the mutual anathemas in 1965. I could not stay there. The all-seeing eye and chequered floor of the church showed me what foundation that stood on. With no Orthodox alternative I prayed. In 2011 God blessed my husband and I with our 6 children, daughter-in-law and grandson to be Baptized! Glory to God for all things ! “Hold fast….”
Thanks for this video. 3 years ago I began studying Orthodoxy and strongly desired to convert. Im in rural Ohio. It took my two years to find a parish. The parish I go to is a forty five minute drive from me. I think there needs to be more parishes in rural areas.
In America and the West the vast majority of Orthodox parishes are located in cities with populations over 100,000. Leaving the bulk of the countryside without a parish. I think increasing availability of parishes in rural areas would help potential converts significantly.
My Archpriest Emeritus started a chapel out of his garage, and after his ordination, basically built a small parish from scratch. He wrote all the Icons, too. And he did all that after a long career as an art teacher and school principal prior to his conversion, Archpriest Lester Bundy. Alas, Parkinson’s has finally forced him to retire, as he just can’t confect the Eucharist without putting Him in danger of dropping Him anymore. He Still makes icons, but what took days now takes him months to finish. Pray for Him.
only 45 minutes !! You're so lucky. May you be a blessing in Christ.
@@bonnie_gail Yes, I am grateful for my parish. I hope you are doing well.
I finally made the 70 mile drive to a liturgy a few sundays back for the 1st time and it was wonderful. I planned on going back every other Sunday, which now has turned into a once in every 3 months voyage. I try to have the mindset of that Turkish martyr that pilgrimaged all the way to Greece to be Baptized in secret and hope for a more orthodox future.
Welcome back Bojan.
You've been gone for a while. I saw in the news that there were violent clashes along the southern border of Serbia with Kosovo and I was worried you might have been caught up in that, whether directly or indirectly by being drafted into military service (can that still happen?) as a result but I'm glad to see you're okay.
Stay safe.
Please don’t trust the media. The “violent clashes” never happened. Nor would any military from Serbia do anything, professional or drafted. Just can’t happen.
This was a wonderful and comforting video. I love the suggested prayers...Lord in due time....Thank you. I keep telling The Lord...Lord in my heart I am Orthodox please know this.
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Frontier Orthodoxy and it's twin Closet Orthodoxy.
I met some people this weekend who drive 6 hours a day to get to their closest ROCOR church every Sunday. I was impressed by their dedication but hopefully they will one day have a parish in their own town.
My sister has basically made a section of her House into a chapel that a traveling Priest will say Divine Liturgy for her family and a few neighbors once a month. Thing is, they are not that far from a Greek parish, but my brother in law is very stubborn; he had no trouble accepting Orthodox theology but is determined to keep his family rooted in the Western Tradition as Western Rite Orthodox. Let ethnic Greeks be Grecian, and ethnic Irish remain Celtic, both Orthodox but distinct, seem to be his attitude. I introduced him to the Western Rite as I guessed he’d be this way. I’m comfortable with all Orthodox Liturgies, myself, but am glad to be able to attend Mass with them. It is a lovely service.
1:59 I almost broke down into tears. Do not fear. That makes sense, so I'm not sure why I've felt such anxiety about not having an Orthodox church near me.
Thank you for this video, I'm a catholic who has recently discovered orthodoxy and I'm in love with it. In fact, I've been thinking in converting to orthodoxy. This video gives me hope.
Hi I'm an ex catholic. I'd recommend getting in contact with your nearest orthodox priest and start the catechuemen process.
@@TsaristCossack Unfortunately the closest Orthodox Church here is one hour away, there's one very close but it's non-calcedonian. (Syrian)
@@ricardooliveira9774 I was in a similar situation. You can start being orthodox without a nearby church. Start doing fasting, daily prayers and research the faith until you can get baptized/chrismated.
I am a Ghanaian living in america. I am also a teenager and a protestant. I love history and learning about religions. When I studied Christianity I found Eastern/Oriental Churches. I know that Orthodoxy is true and want to become Eastern Orthodox! I have one Orthodox Church In my area for miles however its greek and does not speak English at all.
I really want to be in the liturgy but there are no English speaking Church near me.
Ah, I'm sure I will find this very helpful in the task of finding an orthodox church near me! Specifically, within my legume cubbard!
I have an Orthodox Church across the street from me, but no local priest. I'am learning and participating in the reader service.
Thank you for this video. I'm only 20mi from the nearest Parish, but transportation is out of my hands currently, so I've had worries about this part of coming to The Church. Learning about the Saints and thinking about stories from the OT, made it clear that a physical place wasn't always necessary, but I'm too... inexperienced, to know how I can use that information. This video has done me a great service in better understanding how to form that connection with The Church.
Yes i wanted to join Eastern Orthodox church in 2018 but I didn't know that there was a Greek Orthodox church in my country until 2023 when i met my friend who converted. Now I'm a catechumen
Thank you very much for this video, I live in the North of Chile were there ar not Orthodox churches, I was crismated in Santiago de Chile under the Antioch Patriarcate and I fell very blessed of this. It's quite difficult be maybe the only orthodox in my city (or at least maybe the second one), but it's worth it. Please pray for me
In America, most people live in suburbs. We have a neurotic need for a LOT of space with NO people. But we have lots of cute door mats and signs that say ‘welcome’. It’s quite ironic.
I was very fortunate to live 3miles from an Orthodox Church when I began my conversion. God knew all along and was patiently waiting for me to show up and stop being a goof.
I’m a simple man.
If BibleIlustrated uploads a video, I watch
Svidja mi se ovaj kanal.
Thank you for this video. I am from Puerto Rico but we have next to no Orthodox Churches here. 3 at most assuming they are in service. I converted to Orthodoxy after meeting an Orthodox Priest some years ago when I was still and Agnostic atheist, but I have never attended a real church. I really wish I could attend one and I really want to be part of it. It is very hard to not have a church near me. I often struggle with the temptation to just attend the closest thing to Orthodoxy here which is a Catholic church but I don't want to be a hypocrite and go to a service that I do not believe in.
There are only 2 that I know of: the Antiochian parish in Carolina and San Juan Climaco (ROCOR) in San German. I do know that the one in San German regularly has services, but I had never visited the one in Carolina. The one called St. Spyridon has joined the Roman Catholics but they call themselves Russian Orthodox. I would stay away from them. Be strong!
The parish in Carolina (St. George) is a lovely community and has regular services. I visited when I was in San Juan several months ago.
I've got 3 churches in close proximity, 2 of those can be seen from my window. Each one has 2 buildings, with altar and all. I think we should start exporting them.
This is why as a Catholic I find EWTN is incredibly important. If the orthodox church wishes to grow and cement footholds in the world, I need the same type of funding and a similar Network
Ancient Faith Radio is what we use in America. It has a free cell phone app and is a life saver to us hermits and shutins!
@@loverlei79
Yeah, but there’s been a bit too much questionable modernist content. ROCOR and Antioch need to collaborate to put up a proper answer to EWTN, but everyone seems too busy doing their own thing. Western Rite Radio is a fascinating resource for me, but is also very limited . We need to bring them all together.
As a former Roman turned Orthodox, I still value EWTN’s prolife news and programs and still watch the Chesterton and Sheen programs. But this pope has tainted the rest, however subtly, that I can’t stand it anymore.
@@eldermillennial8330 I can respect that. My father is a Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic. The level of freedom to eastern Catholic churches have versus Rome is quite nice. If there are any near you, you should check it out.
@@eldermillennial8330 Yeah...I came across some of that too... if i remember right it was some chick whinning about agency for females under the Philokia. I was like... how. Is. This. On. Here. 🤣
You have to be selective on podcasts. But the same can be said for all Christian networks. Search long enough, you will find dumb content.
Good to see a video on this channel as well, after so long away.
God bless you Bojan and Milos!
- P
I have an Orthodox parish that I have been attending for the past couple of months, but one thing that worries me sometimes is having to move eventually due to my profession, which is something that seems very probable. That bit on Adam having fallen in Paradise and Lot being saved in Sodom reminds me of something I think sometimes to give me hope, which is that having an Orthodox church nearby is not enough. How many people live close to one their entire lives and simply do not care about it? In my own life there is such an example: For the past 15 years that I lived in my current city I did not care about it, only in the past couple of months.
The idea would be something like: Which is best, to live near a church and not care about it, or to live far from one but with longing for it?
This is godsend for me. I'm a former Protestant adherent to a Pentecostal Church of God as well as Messianic Judaism/Hebrew Roots. Yeah it was something else. I'm an inquirer that is on the fence between Catholicism and Orthodoxy with more of a leaning towards Orthodoxy. I still have a lot of prayer and research to do as I'm not gonna convert without tons of prayer and research for quite some time.
Same situation right here, I currently like both and go to both every Sunday.
The only thing that sucks is that the Latin Mass is set during the time of the Greek Divine Liturgy.
Good to hear you again Bojan. It's been a long time since I saw one of your videos and I missed them. I also watch Father Spyridon from England and his teaching is very good too.
I am exactly in this dilemma right now. But if we look back people used to go on a pilgrimage to Rome. Have actually been thinking of walking this 240 km.
Adding the CIA and KGB badges to the bishops and the Serbian text on the phonecall was hilarious
Keep it up, Bojane! Amazing work as always
So nice to hear you guys again! We were getting worried. I have retired and hence, no $$ support. "A" will be retired in 3-4 years.
Happy retirement 🎉🎉🎉 🙏🏼
4:05 i speak serbo croatian,the talking in the phone is pretty funny,as she says "hey are you normal" and "Girl,are you baptized"
Okay i went off theme
Thanks for this, Bojan. You introduced me to the greatest treasure of eastern Europe: Orthodoxy. And, slowly, I became more and more informed on orthodox theology. I found that, much of my beliefs are aligned with it.(I mean, Even as a Catholic I was sceptical of the Immaculate Conception.)
Then, one day, I said to myself: ‘ Catholicism is fine; but why settle on “fine” if you can have something better?’ - that was the day I became Orthodox.
I do have a few questions though:
Is Catholic baptism considered valid? Do I have to be baptized again?
Is Catholic communion considered valid?
You see, the country I live in is an archipelago. It also has very few orthodox Christians. The closest orthodox church is located many miles north; I would gladly drive their every Sunday, but there's this thing called ‘The sea’ blocking my way.
There are however an abundance of Catholic churches near me.(there's at least 7 in the small city I live in.)
Which is why I'm asking if Catholic communion is valid.
Hi James, I made the switch a few years ago, this involved moving to Romania but I don't think you need to be so drastic! I may be in a good position to answer your questions. You are not Orthodox until an Orthodox priest says you are and has performed the necessary rite and you have made the necessary proclamations (1) You will need the 'permission' of your local Orthodox Bishop in order to convert and it is usually he, and or your spiritual father (a priest) who will decide whether to conditionally Baptize you or not. Accept their decision and don't feel put out if others had another proceedure. (2) Catholics consider Orthodox Eucharist valid and if there is absolutely no chance of a Catholic getting to a Catholic church any time soon, they are allowed as a Catholic to receive in an Orthodox Church. The Orthodox do not however return this, and it is somewhat frowned upon and you are likely to be refused. Be obedient to any decision given. As a Catholic you should continue to receive the Catholic sacraments until such time as you can't, and then you will no longer consider yourself a Catholic so you shouldn't be receiving their sacraments! This will be a dangerous time for you, be careful. Here are some thing which helped me before I was able to truly become Orthodox.
(1) keep the fasts,
(2) keep a simple prayer rule (at least morning prayer) and learn the key prayers of Orthodoxy
(3) buy an Orthodox 'missal' and find an online Liturgy to follow on a Sunday
(4) simplify your life as much as possible and offer everything as a sacrifice of praise - you are entering God's most sublime gift.
(6) go out of your way to be kind and at peace with everyone
(7) try to find a priest who can help you, I was unsuccessful for many years, it is a test of sorts, but you will get one
(8) don't read too much, there is a real danger with converts from Catholicism that we treat Orthodoxy like Catholicism and look for intellectual brilliance
(9) Visit an Orthodox country and see in happening 'warts and all'. Remember Orthodoxy is apophatic; embrace the negative experiences, the tragi-comedy, the hardship, the frustration and keep your peace, that is the mark of being Orthodox!!
(10) continue to pray for the dead, only more so than as a Catholic
@@gillianc6514 thanks for the answers!
I'll keep your advice to heart as best I can. : )
@@James-en1ob
Pray for the Dead, indeed, as while we don’t believe in “purgatory”, we DO believe in the early precursor to that Roman dogma.
@@eldermillennial8330Yeah, I know.
(You mean the realm of the dead, right? Hades in Greek, Sheol in Hebrew?)
I shall pray for my love ones who had passed on as much as possible.
James, I didn't have the benefit of a religious upbringing and had to make a long search through the heterodox churches before I found out that the Orthodox Church is the ancient Church established by Christ and the apostles 2,000 years ago. The Latin Patriarchate was one of the five Patriarchates if the Church, along with the Mother Church of Jerusalem, plus Antioch, Alexandria and Constantinople. At the time of the Great Schism in 1054 AD, the Latin church was officially severed from Christ's continuing Church, and it remains outside the Church to this day. You should never partake of the Latin church's sacraments, for not only are they null and void and without grace, but they're harmful. In fact, the Holy Fathers taught that the sacraments of those groups outside the Church are the food of the devils. If it would help you, I wrote a book for a bishop of the ROCOR, and you can Google it: Steven Kovacevich, Apostolic Christianity and the 23,000 Western Churches. (I wrote it about 20 years ago when there were 23,000 Western churches, although their current number stands at 33,000.) I made my break with the Latin church without a backward glance once I learned about a Vatican-backed genocide of a million Serbs in Croatia during WW2. That church is also doing everything to usher in the new world order, the kingdom of the antichrist. If Christ were to return to the earth today, the current Marxist pope would have Him killed if He ever interfered with the Vatican's money-making racket. It's an incredibly evil operation, as most of the planet's non-Catholic population has come to understand. May God enlighten and help you on your journey, brother.
This comes on time, I needed this 🥺
Thank you. My teen son and I want to become catchumens but cannot find any Orthodox Church near only very very far away. Two years...
thank you and god bless you
☦
I love the idea of an "outpost" church.
Thank you!
Thank you, yhank you, thank you. This was much needed.
Glad you liked it! :)
I know you've briefly discussed it on the hands channel, but please, PLEASE do a video on the western orthodox rite (and mabye some other sections within it, like the celtic and anglican rites.) Any way, I'm glad your posting again, God bless 🤗
As a Roman Catholic traying to find the "Latin mass" i can relate
Where are you from?
@@TheMountAndBladerX10 Buenos Aires
@@republicradio431 and theres no Latin Mass in reasonable reach?
@@TheMountAndBladerX10 no, not that i could find
There's one here but around 1 hour from my house, so I understand you, hermano.
Thank you for this video! I pray a parish will one day be near us so my family can become Orthodox 🙏🏼
Praise the Lord! I'm glad you're back, Bojan!
Thank you so much! This lead me to contacting my bishop and he forwarded my email to the dean of my area! I will update this to talk about how far I’ve gone.
Thanks!
Thank you so much!
Nearest Orthodox chruch is 1hr away... I would love to attend as I am thinking about converting but I am quite scared to drive that distance by myself and I am the only one converting... Please pray for me
I will, please take that step though, May The Lord be with you.
@@Mona_iskindaclueless Thank you so much 🙏
Hi Bojan,
What are your thoughts on Eastern Catholicism?
Eastern Catholic Churches
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churches
I like your sock puppets. They look very funny 😁
The Liturgy should be translated into more languages (ie. Oriental and middle eastern). This would help. Thanks.
It has been. Saint Maximovich preformed the Liturgy in Mandarin.
What happens when there is a church near you but you can’t go because the people close to won’t take you there I’m relatively young so I can’t transport myself
Travel the 6,7, or whatever hours to the closest Church, just do it less often.
Or, just move to a place with a Church close by.
I suppose, but most people can make 2-3 trips a year. Prioritization is key.
Any one who loves own country more than me is not worthy of me.
We have no OC
Thank you for sharing this video
I agree that watching a livestream of the divine services is better than nothing. However, if you can find a good resource for practicing the reader’s typicon at home, that would be even better. It is what Christians have always done when they couldn’t attend church, and it turns your home into a microcosm of the Church even if you have never been to one. This is what we did during the pandemic when the churches were closed, and we found it much more beneficial than watching a livestream.
Bojan is back! Yay
Glad to see you back. It had been a while since yours last video.
Thank you. I am looking around me and see no church here. I am currently looking to move because I want to find a church.
You are alive!
My biggest woe is that I am disabled. Even if there was a church next door to my house I could not go. I can't even do the "not real but better than nothing" thing of observing online services since I cannot stand.
You don't have to stand if you have an infirmity. It's not a sin, only if it was caused out of laziness or irreverence.
Good to see you both back!
Thank you for this video.
Always!
The churches that only see a priest once every month or every other month are a fairly common situation among Australian Catholics living outside a city or large town. Most churches were built at a time when only a tiny fraction of the population would have identified as anything other than Christian, rural populations were larger, and there were more men following the call to priesthood (and the places we used to draw priests from, Ireland and Italy, haven't got enough to serve their own populations). Now there's fewer parishioners, fewer priests and the remaining priests have to cover greater distances but it really does help the remaining parishioners to still have the sacraments.
I assume something could be set up in a non consecrated building similar to the bare minimum requirements if a priest was ministering to soldiers on a battlefield.
Very interesting video Bojan and Milos. Thank you.
What to do when you have an Orthodox Church semi near you (I'm from Germany)but they only speak Greek and generally behave ethnically exclusionary?
I'd contact to local priests and try to "negotiate" what to do anyway. If there's some difficulties, pray for them, be patient and take the whole situation as it's from the hand of God... Ethnical exclusiveness tends to be a problem (e.g. when most parishioners are immigrants in 1st or 2nd generation), but if more and more non-Greek start to visit the divine liturgy and vespers, it should be a sign for them that they must change their ecclesiastic life a bit. And you can think that participating in the divine liturgy, vespers and vigils in Greek is better than not participating at all - not ideal, but one step to better.
Wholesome and encouraging! Thank you, guys!
I want to become Orthodox, but there are only Protestant churches where I live. Should I still attend mass there or is it better not to until I can move? Thank you🙏
Would it be possible for you, if you are interested, to make a video about hierarchy and their objective and for example, how to become a deacon or priest or bishop?
Great video btw.
Thank you for your missionary work :)
Thank you for watching!
i wanted to ask this. the closet orthodox church to me is around a hour away and i am unable to drive. i have been heading to a local Baptist church since its the closet available church. is it ok for a orthodoxy to not go to a orthodox church? the priest preaches very well and i enjoy going. but there's always the differences between orthodoxy belief and Baptist belief
There are even fewer orthodox churches here in the U.K.! I’m VERY fortunate in that my nearest is 15min drive away, but it appears more an ethnic cultural centre for local Greeks and the liturgy is mostly in Greek, although the local priest is excellent! So what I’m saying is that we need local orthodox communities using the local language becoming mission stations for the English speaking people. At the moment this is but a dream……
I can relate to this, I am going to convert to Orthodoxy once when I am 18 due to Catholic parents. While there are plenty of Orthodox parishes near me, the parish of my unofficial spiritual father is an hour away. Tho I can try out the parishes near me first but I want to go to the parish where I met my first priest that I viewed as a spiritual father.
If I were you I would have gone to one nearest to me even if my spiritual father is far away. I hope I was helpful.
A local body is better than no body. Especially in our digital age where you can still maintain contact with your mentor. A local body provides not only spiritual care, but physical and mental as well. If you have needs, it’s easier for a local church to notice and help.
There’s only one within a 80 mile radius of me but they don’t teach in English or any of the other languages I know sadly
Bojan could you do a video on the stages of prayer in particular the jesus prayer
Excellent video guys, thank you.
Hey man do you think on day you could do a video on saint necktarios? He’s my patron saint.
Another woe I have is only speaking English, makes finding a church a bit of an experience
Antiochian Orthodox would be your best bet. All their services are in English. At least the ones in the states are, i can't say about oversees.
@@loverlei79 I’m in Australia, thank you for the advice, I’ll look into it :)
I was thinking, maybe a person could make the catechism online and if it's very far, say one hour, you could go there once a month for the sacraments, or once every three or two months.
Bojan, I really appreciate this video, and I will likely share it on Reddit as the questions come up. But, I have to ask, in the last segment, why did you slip in the CIA and KGB (modern agency based on them?) pins on the Patriarchs?
You will find out in the video I post after the next one :)
@@BibleIllustrated Ah that explains why there hasn't been a new video.
(joking, hope all is okay!)
My biggest struggle is to find an English Orthodox Church. All of the churches within reasonable distant are predominantly Ukrainian or Syrian Coptic.
Hey bojan why is the infancy gospel of james rejected and kept from being added to the ortho canon?
Please try to find community as much as you can with the nonorthodox Christians near you
Unfortunately in New Zealand Orthodoxy is not a very big thing, the closest Orthodox Church is 6 hour drive away 😢
@Reef where are you in New Zealand? Are you in contact with any other Orthodox Christians?.
What are your thoughts on prophecies of Elder Ephraim of Arizona, St Paisios, elder Joseph of vatopedi?
Only familiar with those of St. Paisios.
Generally not a fan of prophecies.
Are there any prayers I could use?
Where can i find all your bible illustrations?
Not the CIA and KGB pins on Bartholomew and Kirill! 🤣😂🤣😂
Sorry 😁😁😁
@@BibleIllustrated You just had to, I know. It got a really good chuckle out of me for sure.
Well done fellas.
What if you live in a different country and do not speak either language. I can barely speak the host nation language let alone Serbian or Greek.
What about grace through faith alone apart from works faith alone in Jesus Christ because he did it all for us we are not supposed to worry about Works to get us into heaven it's by his blood faith and him alone
Becoming Orthodox post-COVID may be shading my experience a lot. But outside the after liturgy coffee there is virtually no community life. Coming from an LDS background this is grand culture shock. I’ve tried talking to Orthodox people about their sense of Zion, but this reveals another problem. Orthodox people are actually afraid or at least uncomfortable talking about religion. They direct all their questions to priests who are generally also not great theologians. The lack of dialectic engagement almost boarders on intellectual dishonesty.