The shrine of St. Menas used to be for the Ancient Eastern Orthodox world what Lourdes is for Roman Catholics, a place where thousands of pilgrims would bring their prayers in distress and receive the grace of God in return, through the intercessions of the Holy Martyr.
Though the Shrine of Saint Menas was one of the most popular pilgrimage sites of the early Middle Ages, it fell into oblivion over the centuries with the Muslim occupation and was even believed by many scholars to be a myth. Following its discovery in 1905, the ruins of the fabled city of St. Menas were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 as one of the five most historically important… Continue reading
Questions and Answers about the Divine Liturgy #4’– Liturgy of the Faithful
1. Who are the faithful?
The faithful are all that have received the Baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity in the Orthodox Church and are found in good ecclesiastical order. As we saw previously the catechumens and the people that were not in good order were leaving the Nave after the Litany of the catechumens and staying in the Narthex Continue reading
Questions and Answers about the Divine Liturgy #3’– Liturgy of the Catechumens
1. What are the catechumens?
The catechumens are those that are preparing to become Christians.
2. Why during the first centuries the catechumens could not participate in the whole liturgy?
St. Cyril of Jerusalem explains the situations of the catechumens: „the divine words echoed outside of him; […] he was a listener of the Christian teachings but they were not penetrating Continue reading
Questions and answers about the Divine Liturgy #2’– About the Proskomidi
1. What is the Proskomidi?
The Proskomidi is the first part of the Divine Liturgy during which the Priest prepares mystically the gifts necessary for the Eucharistic Sacrifice of the Liturgy. It is performed in a special place in the Holy Altar called the Oblation table, Proskomidi or Prothesis. Continue reading
Questions and answers about the Divine Liturgy #1- About the Divine Liturgy in general
1. What is the meaning of the word Liturgy?
The word Liturgy comes from the Greek word leitourgia meaning service or public office. In the primary Church the word liturgy was referring not only to the Church services but to any services rendered to the Christian community Continue reading