An honored Roman commander in Tripoli of Phoenicia, he was described as being 'of great physical stature, powerful, strong and bold in battle'. When it was learned that he was a Christian and had given grain to the poor from the imperial storehouse, the governor Hadrian, a great persecutor of Christians, sent Hypatius, a military commander, and Theodoulus, a soldier, along with some others to arrest him. On the way Hypatius fell gravely ill with a fever, and the company had to delay its mission. One night an angel of the Lord appeared to Hypatius and said, 'If you desire to be healed, you and your soldiers must cry to heaven three times: "O God of Leontius, help me!"'. Hypatius told his comrades of his vision, and when they all cried out as instructed Hypatius was instantly healed. Hypatius and Theodoulos then went on ahead of the other soldiers and found Leontius. Leontius received them hospitably and offered them refreshment. As they rested in his house, he proclaimed his faith in Christ and their hearts began to burn within them. While Leontius was still speaking, a bright cloud descended upon the two soldiers and shed dew on them while Leontius said 'In the name of the All-holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.' Thus were they baptized by the Holy Spirit Himself.

"An actor, he first mocked at Christians before Julian the Apostate. On one occasion, when he was mimicking the Christian mystery of Baptism, he was dipped into the water, pronouncing the words: 'In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.' When he emerged from the water, he cried out: 'Now I am a Christian!' Everyone thought that this was in jest, as always, but he held firm to it, stopped mocking Christians and finally suffered for Christ. He was beheaded in 361, and entered into the Kingdom of Christ." (Prologue)   We rightly condemn worship that is purely external; but the life of St Porphyrius reminds us in a striking way that the 'externals' of the Faith have a power that can work to convert the heart of man. St Porphyrius used the words of Holy Baptism not only carelessly but mockingly, yet by God's grace he emerged from the waters truly renewed into Christ.

He was from Jerusalem. An orphan, he was adopted into the family of St John of Damascus (commemorated December 4). He became Bishop of Maiuma, a city on the coast of Palestine, which was later named Constantia. Like his adoptive brother he became a noted hymnographer: The Canon of the Cross (Sept. 14) and the Canon for Christ's Nativity, "Christ is born, give ye glory..." are his compositions.

Elder Paisios constantly stressed the power of positive thinking. In this episode, the listener will learn the effects of poor stress management on the body and how positive thinking is important for our health and weight management.

Eating disorders are on the rise, and we see them in both men and women. Negative thinking and depression due to an unhealthy body image are also very common. Rita discusses ways to develop a healthy relationship with our bodies in keeping with the Holy Orthodox Faith.

We all must embrace fasting with a willing heart. In addition, we need to nourish our bodies during the fast. Rita provides information about the nutritional value of various fasting foods, whether for children or adults. 

This will be the last podcast for quite some time as Rita takes a break to focus on conducting food and faith workshops. Here she reminds us of the importance of allowing the traditions of our church to be the basis for our health management.

Fr. Adrian and Chaplain Sarah help us understand what empathy is and how it enables us to be present with those who are suffering in healing ways.

Chaplain Sarah Byrne-Martelli interviews Dr. Daniel Henshaw on the topic of physician assisted suicide. (Part 1 of 2)

Chaplain Sarah Byrne-Martello continues her interview with Dr. Daniel Henshaw on the topic of physician assisted suicide. (Part 2 of 2)

On this Sunday, Fr. Andrew discusses the question, "Why do we talk about money in church?"

On this Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee, Fr. Andrew asks the simple, but complicated question, why are we here, why do we come to church?

On this Sunday of the Blind Man, Fr. Andrew discusses how all things are a gift from God meant for salvation—even blindness.

Framing his discussion with the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Fr. Andrew asks why the Orthodox parish exists and what that has to do with tithing.

On this dual feast of the Sunday after the Nativity and the Proto-martyr Stephen, Fr. Andrew draws parallels between the two stories.

In discussing the "earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" Paul talks about in 2 Cor. 1:22, Fr. Andrew asks what we do when we feel like we're the only ones around who actually have it.

Fr. Andrew summarizes and explains Orthodox Christology with the feast of the Sunday of the Fourth Ecumenical Council.

Connecting both St. Paul's command to 'walk worthy' of the calling we received with the Gospel account of the rich man who asks Jesus about eternal life, Fr. Andrew takes on the question of how we give to God in our churches.

Using St. Paul's image of putting on the whole armor of God in wrestling against spiritual powers of darkness, Fr. Andrew applies this to how we do ministry in church and in our own lives.

After His baptism, the Lord Jesus begins His preaching: 'Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,' and Fr. Andrew unpacks what that means for us. He also gives further comment and talks about his anticipation for going on a very special pilgrimage.

On the feast of All Saints, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick discusses what it means to be a saint, both for us and for those we usually think of as 'saints,' as well as why saints are actually critical to Christianity.

Fr. Timothy Hojnicki speaks at College Conference East, which took place from December 28-31, 2016, at Antiochian Village in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Timothy Patitsas speaks at College Conference East, which took place from December 28-31, 2016, at Antiochian Village in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.

Fr. Paul Abernathy of FOCUS speaks at OCF's College Conference East about what it actually means to lead a sacramental life. He asks what the word "sacrament" even means and shares personal stories from his ministry at FOCUS about the love and mercy of God.

Before we begin to talk about the physical buildings, we must first address the living stones. In his keynote address at College Conference East, Fr. Timothy Hojnicki asks what visitors will actually see when they come to an Orthodox parish.

Part 2 of Fr. Timothy's talk at College Conference East addresses what our life in Christ can look like when we participate in the Church and how we can begin the discussion of talking about the Christ and His Church.

Fr. Brendan and Caroline Mellekas use the lenten period to discuss the importance of fasting.

In today’s episode, Danielle and Fr. Timothy discuss the stories of the Canaanite Women and Zacchaeus. They talk about great faith and begin to elaborate on a main theme of lent: humility.

In her final episode as OCF’s Podcast Student Leader, Danielle was joined with Dn. Michael Hyatt. In their conversation about starting a new chapter, they discuss themes of work-life balance, boundaries, priorities, and authenticity. Congratulations to the Class of 2022!

Valentine's Day is almost here, and many people are thinking about the important relationships in their lives. Fr. Nicholas and Presvytera Roxanne chatted and took calls on Healthy Minds, Healthy Souls! "Healthy Connections" was the theme of this week's show. The second one is "Conflict Resolution", coming up on February 28.

In part 2 of their 2 part series on healthy relationships, Fr. Nick and Dr. Roxanne help us learn how to fight fairly. How do we best solve conflicts in our relationships?

What role do our thoughts play in being the people God wants us to be? Fr. Nicholas and Dr. Roxanne give some practical advise on controlling our thoughts and submitting them to Christ.

Continuing the theme during Great Lent, Fr. Nick and Dr. Roxanne talk about our deeds and unhealthy patterns of living. Several calls and a busy chatroom make this a great episode to listen to!

While Dr. Roxanne was out of town, Fr. Nicholas Louh continued from the last show talking about making our relationships more healthy.

Fr. John Oliver explores the four cycles or rhythms that are embedded in nature and in the Church.

Fr. John Oliver tells the story of the unsung hero of the Apollo 13 mission.

Fresh from the Antiochian Clergy Symposium on "Medicine, Theology, and Healing," Fr. Joseph shares his thoughts on Jesus' healing of the paralytic, and that which matters most.

Fools and their gold are soon parted.

Fr. Anthony interviews Fr. Gregory Jensen about the need for priests to know themselves.

This episode includes an interview with Benedict Sheehan, the Director of Music at St. Tikhon's Seminary and the author of The Music Stand blog with Ancient Faith. He shares his thoughts on the state of our music and makes suggestions on how to improve it.

Fr. Anthony ones again shares the idea of the pattern of the Logos as the mechanism of evangelism. This is the first part of a talk he gave at the 2018 Lenten Retreat in Bethlehem PA hosted by the Ukrainian Orthodox League (UOC-USA) and The American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony uses metaphors to help us understand what healthy parishes should and shouldn't look like. This is the second part of a talk he gave at the 2018 Lenten Retreat in Bethlehem PA hosted by the Ukrainian Orthodox League (UOC-USA) and The American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony reads the fourth chapter of St. John Chrysostom's On the Priesthood. The translation is by Rev. W. R. W. Stephens, M.A., (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church Volume IX, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D.), lightly edited to take out some of the archaicisms (the mispronunciations are all Fr. Anthony, though!). Enjoy the show!

St. Paul's first epistle to Timothy is full of pastoral and vocational wisdom. This is awesome. Even more awesome? Getting St. John Chrysostom's teaching on it! The version read is from The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, on the Epistles of St. Paul the Apostles to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon (The Oxford Translation, Edited, with Additional Notes, by Rev. Philip Schaff, D.D., LLD.).

St. Paul's first epistle to Timothy is full of pastoral and vocational wisdom. This is awesome. Even more awesome? Getting St. John Chrysostom's teaching on it! The version read is from The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, on the Epistles of St. Paul the Apostles to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon (The Oxford Translation, Edited, with Additional Notes, by Rev. Philip Schaff, D.D., LLD.). Poor pronunciations are all Fr. Anthony, though! This chapter has some difficult teachings about the role of women in the Church (to include exegesis on the Fall). Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Harry Linsinbigler and Fr. Anthony Perkins as they (mainly) talk about the actual formula decided on at Nicea, why it was important, and where we are now (hint: we are completely in compliance!). There's also a tangental gem on the Masoretic vs. Septuagint Old Testament. Fr. Harry has (mostly) recovered from his bout with COVID and he and Fr. Anthony are still basking in the Paschal Glow. Enjoy the show!

In this interview, Fr. Anthony and Dn Nicholas talk about the rhythms of Lent and how a gentle asceticism may cultivate more lasting changes than the most stringent fasting and an over-packed liturgical calendar. Along the way, Dn Nicholas shares wisdom on how this same general approach builds a lasting and self-propagating harmony (even among tenors who often sing flat). We hope you enjoy this calm and gentle conversation. Enjoy the show!

You may recognize Dn Timothy Kelleher from his appearances in NCIS, Independence Day, Thirteen Days and other movies and shows, but he has also published many thoughtful essays in First Things, Church Life Journal, and now the National Review (among others). In this episode, he and Fr. Anthony talk about Dn. Timothy's two most recent essays; "Memories of a Staten Island Childhood" and "A Nation of Sinners." You can read these essays and others at timkelleher.org. Enjoy the show!

Elissa offers some suggestions for teaching children about the purpose of fasting.

Elissa talks about the new hymnology program at her parish in Austih, TX, and then discusses the Cherubic Hymn.