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We rarely tackle the topic of Holy Unction (Evxalion) in the Orthodox Church with teenagers and youth, so it is rather taken for granted when Holy Week comes along. However, holy oil can be used daily in your homes if you obtain a small jar of blessed oil from a kandili (vigil lamp) burning in front of relics or from your own personal icon corner. Each day as your family reads the morning prayers, complete the experience by eating a small piece of antidoro (blessed bread distributed at the end of Liturgy) and by receiving the sign of the cross with oil by a parent. It also is a good habit for children to kiss the hand of the parent who blesses them as this conveys a deeper respect for the hand that nourishes you.... ultimately reminding children that to receive the blessing of their parent for the day is crucial ....just as we ask the blessing of our parents for college choices, marriage, etc Download the HOLY UNCTION handout here on Scribd or here thru GoogleDocs Here is the link for...

Anyone with kids knows that Holy Week can be a challenging yet extremely rich experience!  Although the night services postpone bed time, we try to remember, it's just for one week, and nothing else quite seems to matter. Yes, the services can be long, so this post is dedicated to the "something special" in each night that makes it all worth it for young and old. Here's our list of things not to miss with your kids and teens ~ Palm Sunday Morning - Find the kids worshiping Christ in this icon and hold your palms proudly like them for the procession. How do we greet a King? Who is our King ?  RECITE: "Hosanna in the Highest. Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord" Palm Sunday Evening - ACTION: Kneel for the Procession of the icon of Christ as the Bridegroom when the priest brings Christ out from the Holy altar for the first time. Holy Monday - Light a candle in the dark serenity of  this service. ACTION: Bow down to make 3 full prostrations in ...

If you are looking for ways to keep "Christ" in your celebration of Easter, consider making an Orthodox Pascha Basket instead of the typical egg & candy overload! Each of the following traditional foods has a symbolic and spiritual significance . We focus on saying "Pascha" which encompasses our spiritual journey to the Resurrection of Christ , and is our "passage" from the Hebrew "pesche, or passover from death to life."   Each year, the Church follows the same sequence of events - and one can't happen without the next. I encourage you not to skip right to the Resurrection without going thru the Cross. Living each component in correct Orthodox theology is truly "Orthobiosi"   ...Christ raising Lazarus, Christ's Entry to Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), Christ's arrival to those anticipating Him (Bridegroom) the Passover (Christ's Mystical Last Supper on Holy Weds and His washing of the disciples feet) the Crucifixion, Bur...

Click below to watch this beautiful Orthodox video with English subtitles for your children and Church youth groups this year. Without spoiling the end, it is remarkable how a young girl, named Seraphima spreads the message that "Christ is Risen" among other girls at an orphanage in Communist Russia. It is sure to inspire every young person in their faith!  Here is the link

If you are looking for ideas for Holy Week in your parish, here are two of my favorites. 1) HOLY FIRE IN JERUSALEM Gather a collection of videos of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem.  That miracle is one many of our kids have never heard.. and the miracle continues each year! On the Eve of the Resurrection, inside the tomb of Christ in Jerusalem, the Holy Fire descends on the Patriarch of Jerusalem from within the Holy Sepulcher and believers pass the light around to all the faithful, who usually hold 33 candles bound together, to signify the 33 years of Christ's ministry on the Earth. The fire is miraculously given but also miraculous in nature, because it does not burn, just as Moses and the Burning bush. Believers have proved this by passing their hands through the fire, beards and faces...as many photos show. It's color is different than normal too, with more of a white-blue hue. The Holy Fire also bounces around like no light show ever manipulated by machines! Pilgrims ...

For all you creative folks out there, consider putting your talents to use to create a Holy Week Scrapbook for your family or parish. Fill it with fun icons, Scripture verses, symbols, various languages, or photos as the week progresses. Use this as a learning tool, or a memory keepsake for 2014.. Here are a few suggested "call outs" to use with the icons: Entry into Jerusalem: Can you find Zaccheus? Why is Christ seated side-ways on the donkey? Did you know in colder countries the faithful use pussy willows instead of palm branches? Washing the Disciples' Feet: How many disciples were present? Who asks Jesus to wash his whole body? What is so special about feet? Mystical Supper: Can you find St John resting on the bosom of Christ? How about Judas? He's usually the only one reaching for the food and is shown in profile, which signifies his two-faced betrayal. Christ on the Cross: What were the last words of our Lord? Can you find the blood and the water that spilled ...

In response to your requests, below are the audio files to learn the Jesus Prayer as a song with your teens and children. There are a few versions below: Two are slow, in English or Greek, and the third is a faster version to a slightly different melody that is especially great for road trips.You'd be surprised how the time passes quickly with everyone involved in prayer! Use this song to specifically pray for the poor, the hungry, the orphans, all monks and nuns, anyone by first name, etc... Although, if you are familiar with the theology behind the Jesus Prayer, you know that by praying this for yourself, you are essentially including all mankind and asking for God's great and abundant mercy to save us! The first is in English, and sung in rounds from the CD "Panaghia With Us All: Songs and Hymns with the Children of Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church" recorded with Father Monk Christodoulos. The second recording is simply the same melody in Greek: "Kyrie Is...