Catechism – Church History I – Notes – v1.2

November 5, 2025 by Patrick Barnes

Catechism - Church History I - Notes - v1.2

The Grace of Ordination

On March 7 and 8, the Holy Orthodox Church—through the laying on of hands—will receive another vessel of divine grace: a priest of the Most High God. Ordination is a profound expression of our Lord’s love, because through this He will raise up another vessel of the grace of God—meaning that His grace will be further multiplied and disseminated ... [Read more]

Xenia’s (Eliana) Journey to Orthodoxy

I grew up in a Protestant family, attending an evangelical Quaker church and maintaining a fairly strong belief in the existence and goodness of God. However, during my senior year in highschool, the church (and the larger group of churches) I had spent most of my life going to ended up going through a messy split, and it prompted a lot of ... [Read more]

Elizabeth’s (Saige) Journey to Orthodoxy

I was originally baptized into the Roman Catholic Church when I was in the second grade with my aunt and uncle. I then moved in with my grandparents and was raised in a Protestant church. While attending the Protestant church I always used to ask questions to my grandparents about my salvation because I felt like there was always a piece missing ... [Read more]

Symeon’s (William) Journey to Orthodoxy

Growing up Lutheran, I drifted from faith in college but still had big spiritual questions. Believing Christianity was irrelevant, I dabbled in Eastern religions and dropped out of college to study meditation at an ashram in India. Returning to the U.S. after a year, I felt disoriented, and shelved my spiritual search. Mo and I met in Portland in ... [Read more]

Summer Watering

This year Presvytera and I are gardening more. We have planted a lot of perennial flowers and some vegetables—peas, kale, potatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes—and we have young fruit trees that are starting to produce fruit this year. So gardening is on my mind. Water is on my mind too. Each new plant and every garden bed needs water, and it ... [Read more]

Photini’s (Julie) Journey to Orthodoxy

I was born on the cusp of the 1960s. The youngest in the family with four older brothers, I grew up on the East Coast in an upper-middle-class Catholic family that was wounded by alcoholism. Going through some very difficult things as a child, I began to doubt God’s existence at age 13. My “prodigal” teenage years led me to dabble in the hippie ... [Read more]

Visiting the Sick Ward

Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2) How often we have heard that the Church is a hospital. What does this mean? Commonly we understand this to mean that the Church is a place of healing, where one can be restored to health. This is true. The Church has a great storehouse of medicines and treatments for our ... [Read more]

Matthew’s (Kellen) Journey to Orthodoxy

I want you to imagine coming home from college for the first time only to discover that most of your immediate family has converted to a new faith. I want you to imagine how you’d react to that, because that’s what happened to me! For as long as I remember, I attended the same non-denominational Protestant church. During my years in the High ... [Read more]

We, the Soul of the Nation

“Remember, Lord, this country and all those in public service whom you have allowed to govern on earth. Grant them profound and lasting peace. Speak to their hearts good things concerning your Church and all your people, that through the faithful conduct of their duties we may live peaceful and serene lives in all piety and holiness.” - From the ... [Read more]

True Teachings on the Love of God

Adapted from a homily given on June 7, 2024. As children of the West, we are in constant need of true Orthodox teachings on the love of God. We have been born into a culture in which God’s love is conditional: Only if you believe the right beliefs, only if you do the right and virtuous things, will you receive the love of God. If you don’t, then ... [Read more]

Ruth’s (Beverly) Journey to Orthodoxy

“Welcome Home.” I heard those beautiful words over and over again in the first few weeks after my baptism at St John’s in May 2021. I knew deep in my soul that I had finally arrived at the “Home” I had been searching for since I was a teenager in the late 60’s. I grew up in a Christian home attending the Quaker (a.k.a. Friends) Church. I had ... [Read more]

Anna’s (Leslie) Journey to Orthodoxy

I came into Orthodoxy with very little. One could say I came from a family of faith, but I had so little it might have well been none. There aren’t many Community of Christ (formally RLDS) churches around the country and we moved a great deal. Faith was private in our family so, even with a RLDS priesthood member as a father, I had little guidance ... [Read more]

Lenten Journey to Our New Parish Home

On February 25, with incredible joy and resolve, our parish voted unanimously to purchase the 5.9-acre property at 10050 NE Walker Road in Hillsboro, which, God willing, will become the permanent home of St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church! It is a blessing from our loving Lord to have received this property at a lower price, so that we ... [Read more]

Becoming Partakers in God

“Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐνηνθρώπισεν, ἵνα ἡμεῖς θεοποιηθῶμεν” “He became man, that we might be made god.” This is perhaps the most quoted sentence from any of the Church Fathers. It was written by St. Athanasius the Great, Patriarch of Alexandria, in the 4th Century, in his theological treatise, On the Incarnation. This month we commemorate St. Athanasius and ... [Read more]

Agape: Virtual Celebration of Love, hosted by the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco Philoptochos. This event is to benefit the Kids ‘n’ Cancer Ministry. FREE to all, but registration is required.

Holy Trinity Cathedral’s Philoptochos annually hosts Camp Agape, which, under normal years, provides a week-long camp for children afflicted with cancer and their families. Many of you have volunteered to help with this beautiful ministry. Due to the pandemic our Metropolis Philoptochos is hosting this virtual event to provide support in various ways to these children and their families.

St. John Orthodox Church