Disclaimer: In some of our articles, especially under the Modern Issues section, we present readers with challenging issues to examine, reflect upon and research. The material is neither supported nor rejected by us, and no one is responsible for its content, other than the original source. Therefore readers are requested not to make any complaints, but to take time to reflect on the material from an Orthodox perspective.

Category Archives: Letters

305. Jan. 17/30, 1981 St. Anthony the Great

Dear John [Hudanish], May the blessing of the Lord be with you! I received your letter with its clear message: either we do things your way, or you kick us out! Of course, you view it differently: that you are standing up for correctness, Orthodoxy, etc., and this is your duty since the clergy don’t

304. Dec. 28/Jan. 10, 1981

Dear Brother and Sister in Christ, George and Margaret, May the blessing of the Lord be with you! Thank you for your letter, which we appreciate for its sincerity. While perhaps there are differences in our views, if we can express them sincerely, and with mutual love and forgiveness, these differences will not constitute an

303. Dec. 9/22, 1980 Conception of St. Anna

Right Rev. Bishop Gregory 75 E. 93rd St. New York, N.Y. 10028 Your Grace, Dear Vladika Gregory, Blagoslovite! Thank you for your kind letter and the Synod document regarding the “controversy” on life after death. While I find this document quite satisfactory as far as it goes, I was rather sorry to see that it

302. Dec. 7/20, 1980 St. Ambrose of Milan

St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood Platina, California 96076 Mrs. Irina Hay Russian Research Center Harvard University 1737 Cambridge, Mass. 02138 Dear Mrs. Hay, May the blessing of the Lord be with you! Thank you for your “open letter” of November 3 and your personal letter of November 4. I assure you that I found no

301. Nov. 23/Dec. 6, 1980B St. Alexander Nevsky

Dear Brother in Christ, Constantine, May the blessing of the Lord be with you! Many thanks for your letter and the check for $50. Your renewal for The Orthodox Word has been recorded, and The Soul After Death and 1981 Calendar will be sent shortly. I am replying for Father Herman, who has had a

300. Nov. 23/Dec. 6, 1980 St. Alexander Nevsky

Dear Father Demetrios, Christ is in our midst! Many, many thanks for your letter of concern over the latest outbreak of hostile feelings in our Church (Deacon Levs Open Letter). I certainly have no intention to reply to such a letter, which seems more like some kind of deliberate “provocation” than a serious or well-meaning

299. Nov. 22/Dec. 5, 1980 Apostle Philemon

Your Grace, Dear Vladika Gregory, Blagoslovite! Thank you very much for your letter of Nov. 9/22. Please be assured that I have no intention of replying to Deacon Levs “Open Letter,” which I regard more as a “provocation” than as a serious attempt to deal with theological issues. To the few priests who have inquired,

298. Nov. 14/27, 1980 Apostle Philip

(Thanksgiving Day) Dear Anna, Catechumen, May the blessing of the Lord be with you! I was happy to receive your letter—happy not because you are confused about the question that troubles you, but because your attitude reveals that in the truth of Orthodoxy to which you are drawn you wish to find room also for

297. Oct. 14/27, 1980B Elder Nazarius of Sarov

Dear Father Demetrios, Christ is in our midst! I have just written Fr. Photios, declining the invitation to speak at the 1981 Conference, I know that this will be a disappointment to you, but I hope that you will be able to understand my feelings and will not judge me. Officially, I am declining because

296. Oct. 14/27, 1980 Elder Nazarius of Sarov

Dear Father Photios, May the blessing of the Lord be with you! Thank you very much for the invitation of the Orthodox Conference to be a speaker at the 1981 Conference in Pennsylvania. I am honored and grateful. However, next summer will be a very busy one for me. At just about the same time

295. Sept. 3/16, 1980 Hieromartyr Anthimus

Dear John [Hudanish], May the blessing of the Lord be with you! A few words on a point or two of your recent letter; I was rather disappointed that you didn’t appreciate Fr. Roman’s letter. I read it again after reading your letter, and it’s obvious to me that his letter comes from the heart

294. Aug. 5/18, 1980B Hieromartyr Fabian of Rome

Dear Michael, May the blessing of the Lord be with you! Thank you for your long and informative letter on the Seattle conference and your own ideas on Fr. Dimitry Dudko. We were not at all offended by anything you wrote there; in our opinion it is quite possible to have differences of opinion on

293. August 5/18, 1980 St. Eusignius

Dear Rev. [Marion J. (Symeon)] Cardoza, May the blessing of the Lord be with you. I have received your second letter and am very touched by the urgency of your appeal to find the true roots of Christianity. Please forgive my delay in answering your first letter; we have been very busy these past few

292. July 19/Aug. 1, 1980 St. Seraphim of Sarov

Dear John [Hudanish], May the blessing of the Lord be with you. It was good to hear from you at such length. I will answer your questions as well as I can in the little time I have: Regarding Dr. [Stephen] Reynolds: no, we had not invited him to speak at our Pilgrimage nor did

291. June 25/July 8, 1980 Martyr Febronia

Dear Father Michael [Azkoul?], Christ is in our midst! I have read your letter to Father Herman, expressing your grief over the division which seems to be occurring in our Russian Church Abroad. You are certainly correct that the issue at stake is not the teaching of Deacon Lev Puhalo, nor is it the attitude

290. June 9/22, 1980 St. Cyril of Alexandria

Dear Fr. Demetrios, Christ is in our midst! We were glad to hear of your conference next summer; these conferences could be valuable supports for our difficult task of standing in the truth in these evil times. I hope you don’t mind if I have a suggestion or two for this conference: First, I think

289. June 2/15,1980 New Martyrs of the Turkish Yoke

St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood Platina, California 96076 AN OPEN LETTER TO FATHER NEKETAS PALASSIS Dear Father Neketas, Christ is in our midst! I wish to speak a word to you from the heart, and at the same time to explain to you and others why I feel unable to come to your Seattle conference

288. May 30/June 12, 1980 St. Isaac of the Dalmatian Monastery

Dear Father Hilarion, Christ is in our midst! I’ve wanted to write you so many times, but I seem to be constantly distracted, and now that I have a specific occasion to do so I cant remember the other things I wanted to talk to you about! Anyway, please remember us poor distracted ones in

287. May 23/June 5, 1980 St. Leontius of Rostov

Dear Father Demetrios, Christ is in our midst! Thank you very much for your letter with its concern over church harmony in connection with Fr. Herman’s going (or not going) to the Seattle conference next month. Several priests have contacted us in this same connection—some saying about the same thing you said, but others, on

286. May 14/27, 1980 St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

Dear Fr. Michael [Azkoul], Christ is in our midst! Thank you for your letter and its attempt to bring peace in the midst of the “debate” over the toll-houses, the “sleep” of the soul, and so forth. I very much appreciate your concern and kind words. I must say that for my part, although I

285. March 31 /April 13, 1980 Bright Saturday

Dear Fr. Neketas, CHRIST IS RISEN! We haven’t received any answer as yet to my letter to you of last October, but we have received several new issues of the Tlingit Herald, still published and distributed by you, and the insulting, arrogant series of attacks on what we have been defending as the Orthodox teaching

284. March 26/April 8, 1980

The Orthodox Word Saint Herman of Alaska Brotherhood Platina, California 96076 U.SA. Dear Maria [Kraft], CHRIST IS RISEN! May the blessing of the Lord be with you! We have received your letter, and Gleb has received one also, informing us of your wish that Gleb leave us immediately. Already several weeks before this, two representatives

283. March 13/26, 1980 St. Nicephorus of Constantinople

Dear John [Hudanish], May the blessing of the Lord be with you! I have received your letter with its news and its various accusations against Father Herman and myself. It is rather an insulting letter —something I don’t think you understand; you probably think you were just being “honest,” without seeing that an Orthodox Christian

282. Jan. 24/Feb. 6, 1980 Blessed Xenia of Petersburg

Dear Father Ambrose, Christ is in our midst! Father Herman has asked me to answer your inquiry about Fr. John Lewis. We have known him by correspondence for a number of years, and I know several people in the parishes where he served before becoming a monk (including my godfather, who was his chief help

281. Nov. 8/21, 1979 Archangel Michael

Dear Andrew [Bond], May the blessing of the Lord be with you! We were glad to hear from you, and we welcome your new publication News (or is it Orthodox News? It could be an important and encouraging publication, which is much needed in our days of gloom and negative thinking. Something better than the