Saints Peter and Paul Parish

06/16/2026

https://www.holyarchangelsorthodox.org/daily-lutergical-cycle?fbclid=IwY2xjawSeIPJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFzNkFZandEUlJSYncwVlFFc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHta9_qkQCifyvqCuJAmCf0FHgLYatEo4GYp7KITgjwLsrF8iWNlwvZq4l-EX_aem_ROTGlpEvy51HOT9NlZThpg

06/15/2026

06/14/2026

Homily for the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost
All Russian Saints Tone One Apostles’ Fast
June 14 / June 1 (Old Calendar), 2026
Beloved in Christ,
Today the Holy Church celebrates the Synaxis of All Russian Saints on the second Sunday after Pentecost. On this same day we also commemorate the venerable Fathers of the Holy Mount Athos, the venerable Fathers of Bulgaria, the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God, and many righteous ones from every land where Orthodoxy has taken root. We stand in the Apostles’ Fast, a season that calls us to mission, confession, and renewal, and the saints placed before us today reveal what it means to live the Gospel with apostolic courage.
In the Gospel reading, the Lord walks by the Sea of Galilee and calls the fishermen Peter and Andrew, James and John, saying, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” This same call was heard by the saints of Russia, by the martyrs of Rome, by the ascetics of Athos, by the confessors of Bulgaria, and by every righteous soul we honor today. They followed Christ without hesitation. Their lives proclaim that holiness is not an ornament but a vocation. It is not for the few, but for all who desire Christ.
In the Epistle, the Apostle Paul teaches that God will judge the secrets of men according to the Gospel. This reminds us that holiness is not measured by outward appearance but by the inner man. The saints of Russia were not perfect, but they were repentant. They were not strong, but they were faithful. They were not always wise, but they were obedient. Their holiness was the fruit of repentance, humility, and love, the same virtues to which we are called.
The saints of Russia form a living icon of the Kingdom of God. Among them shine the New Martyrs and Confessors who endured prisons, bullets, and camps with the joy of Christ; the monastic saints from St. Sergius of Radonezh to St. Seraphim of Sarov who renewed the spiritual life of the people; the missionary saints such as St. Herman and St. Innocent who brought the Gospel to Alaska; the righteous pastors like St. John of Kronstadt, glorified on this day, whose love embraced the suffering and the forgotten; and the ascetics of the Kiev Caves, including St. Agapitus the Unmercenary, who healed without payment and prayed without ceasing. Their lives reveal what grace can accomplish in a people who seek first the Kingdom of God.
But today’s feast extends beyond Russia. We honor the Fathers of Athos who preserved the flame of hesychasm, the Fathers of Bulgaria who defended Orthodoxy through centuries of trial, the Kaluga Icon which reminds us of the protection of the Mother of God, the martyrs of Rome with St. Justin the Philosopher who witnessed that truth is stronger than empire, and the Georgian martyrs of Gareji who kept the faith under the sword. Holiness is not confined to one land. It is the common inheritance of all who belong to Christ.
The Apostles’ Fast calls us to renew our mission, to confess Christ boldly, to strengthen our prayer, to purify our hearts, to serve our neighbor, and to seek first the Kingdom. The saints we honor today did not live in easy times, and neither do we. But they show us that every age is an age of salvation for those who cling to Christ.
The Gospel for the saints gives us the Beatitudes, the portrait of the Kingdom. Every saint is a living commentary on these words. The poor in spirit are the monks of the northern wilderness. The meek are the righteous pastors who bore the burdens of their flock. The pure in heart are the ascetics who saw God. The peacemakers are the hierarchs who reconciled enemies. The persecuted are the new martyrs who shone in the darkness of the twentieth century. The Beatitudes are not ideals; they are the pattern of holiness.
Beloved, the saints of Russia and all the saints we commemorate today stand before us not as distant figures but as living intercessors, teachers, and companions. They call us to repent with sincerity, to pray with attention, to fast with purpose, to love without calculation, to confess Christ without fear, and to live the Gospel without compromise. May their prayers strengthen us in this Apostles’ Fast, and may the Lord grant that we too may become, in our measure, fishers of men, bearers of light, and witnesses of the Kingdom.
Through the prayers of all the saints who shone forth in the Russian land, and of all the venerable fathers of Athos and Bulgaria, and of the Most Holy Theotokos, may Christ our God have mercy on us and save us.
ALL GLORY TO GOD
+Alexios

06/14/2026

HOMILY FOR THE APOSTLES’ FAST WITH PATRISTIC TEACHINGS AND PASTORAL ENCOURAGEMENT
Beloved in Christ,
As we enter the holy season of the Apostles’ Fast, the Church invites us to walk in the footsteps of those who first proclaimed the Gospel to the ends of the earth. This fast is ancient, apostolic, and deeply pastoral. It comes to us not as a burden, but as a gift — a time of renewal, clarity, and spiritual strengthening.
The Holy Fathers teach us that the Apostles’ Fast is the Church’s way of preserving the Pentecostal fire in our hearts. Saint Leo the Great says that after the joy of Pentecost, the Apostles “were inflamed with heavenly power and strengthened by fasting for the work of preaching.” Fasting, then, is not merely abstinence — it is fuel for mission, the nourishment of the soul, and the sharpening of the heart.
THE APOSTOLIC SPIRIT OF THE FAST
The Apostles began their ministry with prayer, fasting, and obedience to the Lord’s command. Saint Basil the Great teaches: “Fasting gives wings to prayer.” Saint John Chrysostom adds: “The Apostles conquered the world not by force, but by fasting and prayer.”
This fast is our opportunity to share in that same apostolic spirit. We may not travel to distant lands, but we can preach Christ by the way we live, the patience we show, the love we offer, and the faith we confess.
ENCOURAGEMENT IN THE STRUGGLE OF FASTING
Fasting is not always easy. The Fathers knew this well. Saint Isaac the Syrian reminds us: “Do not expect spiritual joy without struggle.”
If your fasting feels imperfect, do not be discouraged. If your schedule is heavy, do not lose heart. If your mind is distracted, do not give up.
The Lord receives even the smallest effort when it is offered with humility. Let this fast be a time of gentle perseverance. Do what you can. Offer what you have. Trust that God will multiply it.
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR DAILY LIFE
The Apostles’ Fast meets us in the middle of ordinary life — work, family, responsibilities, and burdens. This is not a monastic fast; it is a missionary fast.
So during this fast:
Be patient with your family. Be gentle with those who irritate you. Be slow to anger and quick to forgive. Offer your daily struggles to Christ.
These small acts are the apostolic work God has placed before you.
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR SCRIPTURE READING
Saint Jerome teaches: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”
During this fast, set aside even a few minutes each day to read a chapter of the Gospels, a Psalm, or the Epistle of the day. Let the Word of God become your food and your strength.
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR READING THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS
Saint John of Damascus says: “The memory of the saints is a call to imitation.”
Read even a short life each day. Their courage becomes our courage. Their endurance becomes our endurance.
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PRAYER
Saint Gregory the Theologian teaches: “We must remember God more often than we breathe.”
Renew your prayer life. Say the Jesus Prayer throughout the day. Keep a small morning and evening rule. Light a candle before your icons. Pray for your family, your parish, and the whole Church.
Prayer does not require long hours — only a willing heart.
CONCLUSION
Beloved, the Apostles’ Fast is a time to strengthen our faith, renew our prayer, deepen our patience, cleanse our hearts, and rekindle the apostolic spirit within us. May this fast purify our hearts, illumine our minds, and renew in us the zeal of the holy Apostles, so that we may confess Christ not only with our lips but with our lives.
Amen.
All glory to God.
Archbishop Alexios
Archangel Diocese
True Orthodox Church of the Diaspora
Weatherly, Pennsylvania

06/10/2026

HOMILY ON BURDEN BEARING AND THEOSIS
Beloved in Christ,
The Apostle commands us: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” This is not merely a moral instruction. It is the revelation of the very path of theosis, the way by which the human person is restored to the likeness of God.
For the life of God is self emptying love. The life of Christ is the bearing of the burdens of all. And the life of the Church is the communion of persons who carry one another into the Kingdom.
To bear the burdens of our brother is therefore not optional. It is the very mode of existence of the deified person.
Theosis is the restoration of communion. Sin isolates, but grace unites. The fallen man says, “His burden is his problem.” The renewed man says, “His burden is mine, for we are one Body.” Theosis is not the perfection of the isolated individual; it is the healing of communion, the restoration of the human person to the Trinitarian way of being.
Christ bears the burdens of all, and we share His life. He enters our wounds, our griefs, our sins, and our death. He carries the lost sheep on His shoulders because this is who God is. To bear another’s burden is not only to imitate Christ but to participate in His very life and work.
Burden bearing is the daily kenosis of the Christian. Theosis requires self emptying. Kenosis is not a feeling but the willingness to carry weight that is not ours. When we take on the burdens of another, we lay aside our self will and allow grace to reshape our hearts. Love is the measure of deification, and love is proven in sacrifice.
Theosis is always ecclesial. No one is saved alone. No one is deified alone. The Church is the place where we learn to carry one another: the strong lifting the weak, the joyful comforting the sorrowful, the repentant encouraging the fallen. As St. Silouan said, “My brother is my life.”
For the bishop, burden bearing is fatherhood and martyrdom. The shepherd of souls assumes the wounds of his clergy, the struggles of his flock, and the sorrows of his brother bishops. The episcopal throne is a cross, and on this cross the bishop is conformed to Christ and enters most deeply into the mystery of theosis.
Theosis is the transfiguration of suffering into glory. When we bear the burdens of others, we do not become less ourselves; we become more ourselves, because we become more like Christ. Theosis is not the removal of suffering but its transformation through love.
Beloved, let us therefore embrace this holy work. Let us bear one another’s burdens in patience, humility, forgiveness, prayer, and sacrificial love. In doing so, we fulfill the law of Christ and walk the path of theosis, the path that leads from the cross to the empty tomb, from self love to divine love, from the old Adam to the New.
May the Lord grant us strength to carry one another, that He may carry us all into His Kingdom.
Amen.
All glory to God.
✠ Archbishop Alexios
June 2026 (New Calendar) 27 May 2026 (Old Julian Calendar)

06/07/2026

Eve of the Apostles fast
Beloved in Christ,
As we stand on the eve of the Apostles’ Fast, the Church places before us the words of the Apostle Paul and the commandments of our Lord so that our hearts may be strengthened for the days ahead. The Epistle reminds us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, men and women who lived by faith, endured trials, conquered temptations, and remained steadfast even unto death. Their lives proclaim to us that faith is not an idea but a way of living, a way of enduring, a way of trusting God in all things. Therefore, the Apostle urges us to lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and to run with patience the race set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
The Apostles’ Fast is given to us for this very purpose. It is not a burden but an invitation to walk in the footsteps of the Apostles, to share in their spirit, and to renew within ourselves the zeal they had for Christ. We fast because they fasted. We pray because they prayed. We preach Christ because they preached Him to the ends of the earth. This fast calls us to remember that the Gospel was handed down to us through their labor, their tears, and their blood.
In the Gospel, the Lord speaks directly and without compromise: Whoever confesses Me before men, I will confess before My Father. Whoever denies Me before men, I will deny before My Father. And again He says that whoever loves father or mother, son or daughter more than Him is not worthy of Him, and that whoever does not take up his cross and follow Him is not worthy of Him. These are not words of rejection but words of invitation. Christ is calling us to place Him at the center of our lives, to measure all things by Him, and to love Him above all earthly attachments. To confess Christ is not only to speak His Name but to shape our lives around His commandments.
The Apostles’ Fast teaches us three things. First, it is a fast of mission. The Apostles did not keep the Gospel for themselves but carried it to nations, cities, islands, deserts, and prisons. We are called to renew our own apostolic mission by living the Gospel in our families, workplaces, and communities. Second, it is a fast of courage. The Apostles faced storms, rejection, persecution, and death. We face smaller storms, but the same Christ strengthens us. This fast teaches us to say no to ourselves so that we may say yes to God. Third, it is a fast of renewal. After Pentecost, the Apostles did not rest but immediately went forth to labor for the salvation of the world. Likewise, after the feast, the Church gives us this fast so that the fire of Pentecost may not fade but be purified and directed.
The Lord ends today’s Gospel with a word of comfort: The very hairs of your head are numbered. Nothing in your life is unseen by God. Every effort you make in this fast, every prayer, every act of restraint, every moment of repentance is known to Him and strengthened by Him. You do not fast alone. You fast with the Apostles. You fast with the whole Church. You fast with Christ Himself, who fasted forty days for our salvation.
As we begin the Apostles’ Fast, let us run with patience, confess Christ boldly, look to the Apostles whose footsteps we follow, and fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. May this fast purify our hearts, strengthen our confession, and renew in us the apostolic spirit, so that like Peter and Paul and all the Apostles, we may proclaim Christ not only with our lips but with our lives.
Amen. All glory to God.

+Archbishop Alexios

06/03/2026

https://www.holyarchangelsorthodox.org/

The Old Calendar Greek Orthodox church Archangels diocese, is committed to preserving the ancient traditions of the True Orthodox Church.

06/02/2026

“Who We Are”
We are the Archangel Diocese of the True Orthodox Church of the Diaspora.
A canonical Old Calendar Orthodox jurisdiction, we are committed to preserving the fullness of the Orthodox faith, the integrity of Holy Tradition, and the spiritual life of the faithful throughout the diaspora.
Rooted in the witness of the Holy Fathers and the New Martyrs, we uphold the ancient liturgical tradition, the Old Calendar, and the unbroken apostolic succession entrusted to our hierarchs. Our mission is simple and unwavering:
to proclaim the Gospel, to celebrate the Divine Mysteries with reverence, and to build communities grounded in prayer, charity, and the ascetical life of the Church.
Through our parishes, missions, and charitable ministries, we serve Christ by serving our neighbors—feeding the hungry, supporting families, and strengthening Orthodox Christian identity in a rapidly changing world.
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Under the archpastoral care of His Eminence, The Most Reverend Archbishop Alexios, the Archangel Diocese stands as a spiritual refuge for all who seek traditional, uncompromised Orthodoxy.
Faithful to Tradition.
Rooted in the Old Calendar.
Alive in the Diaspora.
With archpastoral blessing,
+ Archbishop Alexios
Archangel Diocese
True Orthodox Church of the Diaspora

05/31/2026

Homily for Holy Pentecost
Archangels Chapel, Weatherly PA
Beloved in Christ,
Today we stand before the great mystery of Pentecost, the day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles in the form of a mighty wind and tongues of fire. The same Spirit who moved over the waters at creation now renews the face of the earth by creating the Church.
In the Acts of the Apostles we heard that people from every nation under heaven each heard the Gospel in their own language. This is the miracle of Pentecost: the Spirit does not erase our differences, but He unites us in one faith, one Body, one Lord. What was scattered at the Tower of Babel through pride is gathered today through humility and grace.
In the Gospel, the Lord cries out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” He speaks of the living water of the Holy Spirit, the gift that would be poured out once He was glorified. This living water is not only for the Apostles. It is for every believer. It is for us today.
The Holy Spirit comes to make Christ present in our hearts. He gives courage where there is fear, clarity where there is confusion, unity where there is division, and life where there is dryness. He is the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, the Giver of Life.
Pentecost is not only a feast we remember. It is a reality we enter. The same Spirit who filled the Upper Room now fills the Church. The same fire that rested on the Apostles is given to us in the mysteries of the Church. The same breath that gave them boldness is breathed upon us.
Let us therefore open our hearts to the Spirit. Let us allow Him to burn away bitterness, to soften what has grown hard, to heal what is wounded, and to strengthen what is weak. Let us ask Him to make our lives a living witness to the wonderful works of God.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Where the Spirit is, there is light. Where the Spirit is, there is the Church. And where the Spirit is, there is Christ, the Light of the world and the Lover of mankind. All glory to God!
Amen.
+Alexios