Worship

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What is a catechumen?

Prayer

Why do we instinctively look “up” when we pray or think about God? Why does the priest say, “Let us lift up our hearts unto God” and then point upward to denote where Heaven is?

Church Attire

My wife and I will be visiting your church for “Friends and Family Day,” and would like to know what the appropriate attire is for the liturgy. Is formal clothing (suite and dress) typically worn?

prokeimenon

What is a Prokeimenon?

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I have a collection of blessed pussy willows from over the years and would like to dispose of them properly. How should I go about this?

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I know that we generally pray facing towards the east, yet how would one go about finding east in space?

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Why do the priests wear robes?

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What draws someone to become a monk or nun?

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Why are children baptized on or near the fortieth day after birth?

John Memorich

I have a Protestant friend who insists that we should not be addressing our priests as ‘Father.’ He quotes the following verse from St. Matthew’s gospel to support his view: “Call no man your father upon the earth: for one is Your Father Who is in heaven” (23:9). How did our tradition of calling a priest “Father” begin? And please, explain this verse.