"Faith is the path on which an encounter takes place between us and God. It is God who takes the first step: He fully and unconditionally believes in us and gives us a sign, an awareness of His presence. We hear the mysterious call of God, and our first step towards an encounter with Him is a response to this call."
Adopted from The Mystery of Faith by Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev, An Online Orthodox Catechism is available here.
The series "The Orthodox Faith" is intended to provide basic, comprehensive information on the faith and the life of the Orthodox Church for the average reader. The author, Fr. Thomas Hopko (March 28, 1939 – March 18, 2015), was Dean Emeritus of St. Vladimir's Seminary, Crestwood, NY from September 1992 until July 2002 and taught dogmatic theology there from 1968 until 2002. You can read the entire series here. To read about the worship cycle of the year specific to the feasts and fasts of the Orthodox Church, select from the dropdown menu.
"These Truths We Hold - The Holy Orthodox Church: Her Life and Teachings", a publication of St. Tikhon's Monastery, South Canaan, PA contains a wealth of information on the history and beliefs of the Orthodox. The compilation of this book is an effort to gather from an on-going tradition of piety that which is traditional, for many, reinforceing the familiar - but equally beneficial, familiarizing many with an Orthodox continuity of things commonly observed. You can access an online version of this series here
“Coffee with Sister Vassa”, a brief 10-minute program hosted by Sr. Dr. Vassa Larin, a nun of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and liturgiologist of the University of Vienna in Austria, offers an engaging reflection on the Orthodox Church calendar of the current week, including the lives of the saints, scriptural passages, the Orthodox liturgical tradition, and a light dose of humor. You can read more about Sr. Vassa here.
