CATECHESIS & DAILY INSPIRATION
The Hieromartyr Athenogenes, Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia
Reflections and Daily Inspiration
St. Justin Popovich on Being Orthodox

"To be Orthodox means to have the God-man Christ constantly in your soul, to live in Him, think in Him, feel in Him, act in Him. In other words, to be Orthodox means to be a Christ-bearer and a Spirit-bearer."

TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION
St. Isaac the Syrian and the Fullness of the Desert

Video about St. Isaac of Syria, a desert monastic who became the Bishop of Nineveh. The great luminary of the life of stillness, he became a monk at a young age. He was consecrated Bishop of Nineveh but after five months received permission to return to solitude. He spent many years far south of Nineveh in the mountainous regions of Beit Huzaye, and lastly at the Monastery of Rabban Shabur. He wrote his renowned and God-inspired Ascetical Homilies toward the end of his long life of monastic struggle, about the end of the seventh century. The fame of his Homilies grew quickly, and about one hundred years after their composition they were translated from Syriac into Greek by two monks of the Monastery of Mar Sabbas in Palestine, from which they spread throughout the monasteries of the Roman Empire and became a guide to the hesychasts of all generations thereafter.

Source: Trisagion Films
FROM THE NEWS
Why do we pray? 
What does prayer accomplish? 
How does prayer change us?
How can we fit prayer into our daily lives?

Join us for discussion with Elissa Bjeletich, podcaster and author of children's best selling book " Welcoming the Christ Child "
VIRTUAL CAMP ST. SAVA

Join us TODAY!
Wednesday, July 29

Rooted in Prayer:
Virtual Church Camp


Opening Prayer
Fr. Predrag Bojovic

Religious topic discussions with Elissa Bjeletich
at 11:00 am PT ( Grades 1-4 )

Zoom meeting details:




Stay tuned for Thursday's newsletter and new class with Elissa Bjeletich

Virtual Zabava on Saturday, August 1st at 6 pm
SAINT OF THE DAY

 JULY 29 / JULY 16
The Hieromartyr Athenogenes, Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia

Athenogenes lived in a monastery near the town of Sebaste with ten of his disciples. During the reign of Diocletian, Philomarchus, a cruel persecutor of Christians, came to Sebaste. He arrested and murdered many Christians in the town. When he saw Athenogenes and his disciples, he told the elder to offer a sacrifice to the idols so as not to perish, as had the other Christians. Athenogenes replied to him: “O persecutor, those whom you mention as having perished have not perished, but are in the heavens and are rejoicing with the angels.” Just then, a doe that the merciful Athenogenes usually fed with his own hand ran up to him and, seeing him in great jeopardy, began to shed tears. Even the wild beasts of the mountains had greater pity toward the martyrs of Christ than the heathens did! After cruel tortures, during which an angel of God comforted the martyrs, they were all beheaded, first the priests and all the fellow laborers of Athenogenes, and then Athenogenes himself. All were received into the heavenly homeland in the year 311.