Back when I was reading “Diary of a Russian Priest,” I happened on a thought by Fr. Elchaninov that one of the signs that a Christian society had become too nominal was a tendency to exaggerate the importance of morality.
It surprised me when I read it, because I had been mulling over some terrible news […]

On our short trip to Chicago, I managed to get to the Lincoln Park Zoo with the sketch book and the camera. I had in mind that I would sketch more and photograph less, but the animals didn’t cooperate much with that plan. All the same, I managed to get a couple goodies. Even slightly […]

Today is the commemoration day of St. Romanos the Melodist — also called St. Romanos the Sweet-singer. I think his story is near and dear to every chanter and choir-singer, and I’ll reprint it below (via the OCA site). By the way, if you ever wondered where the church hymns called “kontakia” (singular “kontakion”) originated, […]