St. Patrick and Orthodox Mission Today

Good evening. Welcome back to to the Orthodox Ethos. I'm Father Peter here. Tonight we're going to be talking about the great missionary to the people of Ireland. uh the great uh Patrick and the Orthodox mission today. Stay tuned. Well, the Orthodox Church is the one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, the universal church, and all the saints that have ever lived and that ever have glorified and pleased God of that one church.

Uh belong to Christ, belong to the church, belong to the memory and to the celebration of the faith of the faithful. And of the Orthodox Church worldwide. And it is uh especially important in these latter days that the Orthodox who find themselves in the formerly Orthodox Christian lands and the cultures and peoples of those lands, such as we have here in America, for the most part, America was founded by people from the British Isles and

uh b different parts of northern Europe. And there are many, many Orthodox saints in those parts of the world who deserve uh our veneration. who uh will are there for us, to intercede for us, to give us Heavenly intercessions and protection and inspiration. And one of the greatest of all is the great Saint Patrick. We love talking about Saint Patrick. We love reading about St. Patrick. He is such a thoroughly orthodox saint in every way in terms of the ethos and the phronema.

the m amazing miracles, but most of all the simplicity, the kenosis, we're gonna talk about kenosis tonight, the self emptying of the saint, the humility of the saint, and just the entire methodology of mission.

that he uh gives us that is common to all the great missionaries, including our contemporary missionaries. We're gonna talk a little bit about that at the end, comparing Saint Patrick a bit to the recently Uh glorified in heaven and earth, not glorified officially, but is a great missionary of our day, Father Cosmas of Grigoryu.

Who we have the had the pleasure of publishing a book about this great uh missionary. This is the book here, Apostle to Zaire, The Life and Legacy of Father Cosmaser Gregorio. And we have an article on our webpage. In fact, if you if you see our social media posts today, most of them should have the latest uh image and quote that is uh has a link at the bottom to the article that we have on our Orthodox Ethos.

page which is analyzing the and comparing uh the differences, uh but mostly the similarities, rather, the similarities between Saint Patrick and Father Cosmas. showing the continuity and the uh unity of all the missionaries, all the saints throughout the ages.

And so tonight we'll talk about the life. First and foremost, I'll talk about the life of the saint, point out some really important things for us today. We're all hopefully Understanding ourselves to be missionaries, if you are an Orthodox Christian, especially one who has come to the faith in adult age or recently, I think all the more you should feel intensely the need to share the faith.

to speak to others about the church, to share the treasures of the church with everyone around you, Roman Catholic, Protestant, uh monophysite, Nestorian, whatever it might be. atheist, communist, Marxist, whatever it might be, whoever it might be, it doesn't matter. We have a a uh a need uh with discernment, with humility, to be ready to give an account, to give an apology. Uh for the hope is as the Apostle Peter says, the hope that is within us.

So St. Patrick is a great example for us to meditate on, to reflect on. That's what we're gonna do tonight. Uh as I said, first and foremost, we're gonna look at the life per se. Then we're gonna go to um some images and some quotations from his confession.

Uh we'll look at a little bit of Father Cosmas and comparing him and then a little bit of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco and what he said about the how imperative is, and he gave the example many years ago, eighty years ago when he was in England.

um and in uh in in in in France, uh the need for us to venerate the saints uh of the places that we live, but also uh the cultures and the peoples uh that we um we belong to or we we we are we are the inherit we have the inheritance of th those peoples, the English peoples, the Irish people, the people from Gaul, uh, so forth and so on.

So let's talk about St. Patrick. Uh I'll put this on the screen just so you have an image here. We'll get in we're gonna go through this PDF here uh shortly. Uh we won't actually go for it through it as I talk about the saint, but that there should help you. Focus. But uh uh one once we get done with this short presentation, then we're gonna go through the PDF, uh, which I think is uh gonna help a lot.

So we're talking again about the great Saint Patrick, the great Saint Patrick, enlightener of Ireland. And he was born, of course, I think you should all know, he was not Irish. But who's more Irish today than St. Pat Patrick, right? And the feast day today. All around the world, the Irish people have celebrated and give speeches. Um, not irrelevant. The turmoil that is going on in the country of Ireland today because of the leadership mainly.

And the trajectory that they've taken with respect to immigration and all the rest, which is uh showing forth their own alienation from this great inheritance in terms of uh the veneration and love of of their own identity, history, the the Christian faith. Um w they've come full circle, as it were, in many ways. Um today, unfortunately, as is much mu much of Western Europe in terms of the apostasy from their own identity and history. Well, the only way forward.

The only salvation for the people of Western Europe is to return to their Orthodox roots, to go and venerate their Orthodox saints in an Orthodox manner, to come back to the church that the their saints in the first millennium belonged to, which is the Orthodox Church.

Listen to the saint, the life of the saint, which I'll go through and have in mind how much if you are familiar with the saints, how much he reminds us of all the Orthodox Saints, both of course in the first but also second millennium. So he was born in three hundred eighty three in Great Britain within a Romanized Celtic family. and had long been Christian. His father, Calprunius, a priest's son, a deacon himself, had the post uh had had at the same time the post of decurio.

That is an administration, uh local administrative position. And he was prosperous, and his fa his son spent his first years in frivolity, as he himself said. But by God's great providence, and this is so many lessons in the lives of the saints, he was taken captive by pirates in four hundred, so at the age of sixteen, basically.

He was taken and he was taken away from his family, his home, his people, and he was sold into slavery and and then sold to an Irish landowner who had him look after his flocks in the mountains. And for six years. For six years he in contact with nature, in contact with these pagan peoples. Had his heart turned toward God. In other words, he k he was taken out of his frivolity and the ease and luxury.

of prosperity, even though he was a Christian, and he understood then now in this time of trial, tribulation, and living a life of penitence, of repentance, spending his days in nights, uh his days greater greater part of his nights rather in prayer, his days in fasting, kneeling on the ground that was either frozen or it was sodden from the rain.

But he felt, as he says later, tremendous spiritual consolation and power, no discomfort, but divine consolation visited his soul. He looked back on it later in life with great nostalgia. Christ was protecting him because of the prayer and the vigil and the fasting and the prostrations. His heart turned to God. The Holy Spirit overshadowed him, kept him. And after six years, very important, right? The tribulation with tribulation and trial came these great bloodshed.

So if you are one of those who long after ease and comfort, know that that is not the path of the saints, that's not the path of salvation, that's not the path. That leads you closer to God. It's actually the opposite. It's when there's trials, tribulations, difficulties where you have to be rely on God and be patient. That's where the soul is purified and go draw draws near to God.

So he made his captivity a paradise of delights, spiritual delights. And one night he heard a voice and it said to him, You have done well to fast and to pray. God has heard your prayer. Go now back to your own land. Your boat is ready. This is in 406. He's now from age 16 to 20. two, a captive at twenty two, the voice comes to him, he's filled with confidence, and he sets off immediately, walking guessing, being led by God.

Two hundred miles he arrives at the port and sets sail with difficulty. They didn't want to take him, they wanted to reject him. But he prayed and they changed their mind. The pagan merchants took him on their boat. They were not Christians, they were suspect of it. After only three days, his boat is shipwrecked essentially. He uh sets off uh with them on a desert, deserted place, unknown land, and they set off to find habitation, but for days and days for nearly a month Now close to starvation.

They finally turned to Patrick, not having any help from their pagan gods, and asked him to pray. And while he's yet having his hands lifted up, the Lord said sends him a flock of pigs, they s they grab a number of them, they slaughter them, they eat, they come back to life because they were practically dead. Yeah. And they appease their hunger. And of course they now hold Patrick in esteem. After various tribulations further on, he goes back and succeeds in returning to his fatherland.

Now you might think, see, look what happened. The Lord brought him back to the Fatherland. All is well, that ends well. No, actually, he's again captured. Again, he is thrown into slavery by pirates, but almost immediately, comparatively in two months, he's freed, and this is a fulfillment of a prophecy that has been given to him, and he's freed after two months. You might say, Father, why would the Lord have him go back for another two months? I don't know, it's a mystery to me, but obviously

We do not understand, we cannot know the wisdom and of God in many ways, and so we have to say, let it be blessed. But it is, it is. Curious that six months was six years was not enough. Apparently he needed another two months. He comes back finally. He goes back to his home. He says he receives very soon after that a new vision. And this vision is going to change his entire life.

And it is a divine personage by the name of Victorious. He's holding a bundle of letters. And the first one, after it's opened, he reads: The voice of Ireland, you holy youth, we beg you to come and walk among us. And he believed that he could hear the voices of the men, the men in the forest of Foklut, where he had spent his years of captivity. Sensing in this a call from God.

He decided to prepare himself to evangelize these barbarians. And so he immediately sets off on his own back to the barbarian land. No, actually, that's not what happened. Why did I say that? Because that's what you would expect if you were a contemporary. Possibly some Protestant evangelicals, they would say, Well, God told them what does he need? Just needs to set off and do i imm immediately obey the voice. That's how it works.

That's not how it works in the church. The apostles, the word apostle in Greek is to be sent. And pay close attention now to the next paragraph or two because this shows you what it means to be a true apostle. It's one who is sent, not one who chooses, even if it is a vision from heaven.

He doesn't trust himself. He knows he has to prepare himself. Remember, he was frivolous up until age sixteen. He was a prisoner for six years. He's had no ecclesiastical formation whatsoever. And so he goes To f to find that and complete that ecclesiastical formation that he had neglected, he went to Gaul. He went to Gaul, crossed the city.

the channel and he goes to the various monastic centers. He doesn't go to a school of theology. He doesn't go to a missionary training center. He goes to a monastic center. Lerines, the famous place of monastic life in southern Gaul. And he passes how many years? Fifteen years. At the feet of Saint Germanos, who celebrated on the thirty first of July. at Auxir, if I'm saying it correctly. I'm sure I'm butchering the French. And this great saint, this great sh teacher

Ordains him a deacon. This is now four twenty-two. He was born in three hundred eighty-three. So he's almost what thirty-two, thirty s thirty-nine years old. He's not twenty-two, he's not twenty-five, he's not twenty-eight, he's not thirty, the age in which you can be ordained a priest. They didn't say, Oh, come on, after two years we'll make you a priest. Oh, after two years you'll go to seminary. Didn't do that. Sixteen years.

Even though he had a divine call to missionise the people in Ireland, he could have said to St. Germanos, Hey, you know I got this divine call. Like you need to be obedient to that divine call that I got. He didn't say that, was he? He was a monk, and a monk's in obedience. And in due time, in God's time, and God's

Time he knows when and how and where we need to be ordained to the priesthood. This is a good lesson for all of us, young ones and middle aged ones who think we know when and how is best for us to be ordained and serve the church. Sixteen years. He was not on his own. He was in obedience in a monastery. Remember this when you say, Oh, St. Patrick, the great missionary. What did he do to become a great missionary? He went through sixteen plus years. Actually it's more than that. As you'll see

In monastic obedience. So as soon as St. Germanos returns from his mission to England, he went on a mission to check out England, as well as of course Christians in England, where he had striven against the Pelagian heresy and the heretics in four twenty-nine. Remember this also. The saints are always struggling against heresy. They're always struggling against heretical ideas. It's just a part of the MO, it's a part of the

Job description. If you're not struggling against heresy, you're not on the path to sanctity. There always are heresies. They always exist. They're part of the fabric of the world. So they're struggling against the Pelagian heretics. He brought back news of the great need of missionaries for the land of Ireland. Well here didn't he already know that from the vision of St. Patrick? No, he went there himself and heard that. So now God confirms what he had the vision of.

So he waits again. Listen to how he has to wait again. Why? Because Saint Pelavius Yeah. six of July if you want to read his life. He's a deacon from Rome. He's not from the British Isles, he's not a British he's not he didn't spend any time in Ireland. Saint Patrick could have said, What are you doing? Why are you going to missionize Ireland? Saint Palladius, deacon from Rome, was then consecrated bishop by Pope Celestine I in four thirty one.

So 431. So Patrick at this say, how old is Patrick? 431 plus 17. He's 49. We're almost going on 49. You might say, well, when's he gonna start doing his missionary work? Why did they why are they not doing anything? Come on, get on with it already. No, he's sitting in the monastery and he sees Saint Palladios go, and he sends him to serve as governor and then to organize the scattered Christians of Ireland. Saint Palladios found himself at once in great difficulty.

He founded only three churches and were caught unaware by death after a few months. Hmm, that's interesting. Why did that happen like that? Who knows? Palladios dies after three months, but he's before Pat Patrick here he arrived and went, right? Before Patrick he did missionary works among the Irish. Saint Patrick then received the Episcopal consecration at the hands of Saint Girmanos. It doesn't say anywhere the sake of the Nose is a bishop. I don't remember that, but that's what it says.

Some say he was only ordained by one bishop, which is highly irregular. But in those days, perhaps there was no canon for that at all. With the commission to evangelize the barbarians of Ireland. He was well prepared for the task.

Not only through the call of God, but because he had good knowledge of the language and customs of the peoples, of course. This is one of the things you see in common with Father Cosmas of Gregory, that he went there and he got to know very well the people, very well the language. And that's a part of what it means to be a great missionary, is that the people and the language and the culture you respect and you get to know. And it helps you, of course, tremendously to spread spread the gospel.

Mindful of the sins of his youth, This is one of the great, let's say, advantages, but also great aspects of his soul, which is impressive. We'll talk about the kenosis in a minute, but mindful of the sins of his youth He hesitated to accept ordination. Who am I? When I was frivolous for the first six sixteen years of my life. But a new vision came to him and confirmed God's will. So now Apparently at the age of fifty or fifty one, he's finally made a priest, a bishop,

Made a bit. It doesn't say if he was made a priest in the uh in the monastery. He may have. I don't know. This this life is not as deep as the as his other lives. So I don't remember that when he was made a priest. But in any case, he's now made a bishop. He has a small group of clergy, he heads out to Ireland, he goes to the vac exact spot where Saint Palladius had lived, and without a g without delay, a great assembly was there from the time.

Immediately upon his arrival the great assembly of uh were there, the chiefs of the clans, and he preaches fearlessly Christ to these fierce warriors. And succeeds in converting a few of them, obtaining the conversion also of the people, their people and land. And on which the p to build churches and monasteries. So when you are out there fighting the good fight.

Remember you don't have to stand before warriors, fierce warriors. They were fierce warriors. They were terrorizing the farmers across the way. And they were taking them prisoner and they were stealing their ship. Okay, these were these are Pagan people. And he clashes especially during this time with the Druids, the religious leaders of the pagans.

He's able to convert the kings of Dublin and Munster and seven sons of the king of Conan. So he goes as is custom to the power centres and talks to the kings and king makers. Which is what we should also be doing today. Another methodology which we can follow today to go to the people who

There are no kings of course today. There are people who act like kings, want to be kings, but there are no kings. There are no princes and princesses, at least in this part of the world. And so who plays the role of major influencer throughout the country, throughout the nation, it is other people, a lot of people who are intellectual leaders or even social leaders and all the rest.

And so they now are what we would say the kings or the kingmakers, and it's important for the Orthodox Church to talk about how to help them become Orthodox and influence everyone else. He shows through many miracles, you read in the life of the saint, Saint Patrick, about the miracles and how he boldly challenges the druids. He doesn't fear. Anything. It's so helpful to him, the six years of his captivity and the miracles and the voice and all the rest that God's providence.

Is so so helpful to him in his mission. It was all by God's providence. And of course, as a monk, what does he do? He founds a monastery. He preaches in the kingdom of Orel, he founds the monastery of Armag. So when you're thinking about today, how do we do mission, Father? What's the Orthodox method of mission? It's impossible to imagine Orthodox mission without monastics, without monks. We don't have there were no mission centers back in fifth century.

Ireland, you know, like offices and budgets and stuff like that didn't exist. Right. There were no high-flutent theological schools where they get PhDs and none of that. None of that. St. Patrick had none of that. Not to say that those are bad necessarily, but let's not imagine that this is you know essential or even required.

The life is what's required. Twelve apostles. You'll see later that we have twelve apostles after Patrick. They call them the twelve apostles, the great missionary bishops. The Irish IRS people had that very similar outlook that you found in Asia Minor and Cappadocia, right, and Mount Athos today. Very great similarity. In fact, there's a book I should mention by

a higher monk from the monastery of Kududmusu Kudumusu on Mount Athos. Uh and uh I think it's maybe gonna be translated in English. I don't know. Chrysostomus, Father Chrysostomus Higher Monk, there's a book here. See if you guys can see it. It's in Greek of course. I'll s translate it. A meeting of Celtic and Byzantine Manassism lovers or those zealous for the kingdom.

And he compares the two and how many similarities we find. So the monastic center, this is going to be characteristic of the entire rest of the church in Ireland. The monastic center where the bishop will say, stay, actually. They will not stay. In the cities, but in the monasteries. Without any regard to himself, risking as he says himself many times, expecting assassination, expecting death.

And he puts no stock in his own personal capabilities, but also in always in God. He travels to all these places which are not hospitable to him. He leaves God to work and speak through him, trusting always in God. And he rejects the idea that he has to have eloquent speeches, right, with many quotations, blah, blah, blah. No, the divine presence and force of God.

in his soul that he lived constantly. Abba Father crying out from his soul talks about that. You can see very clearly the voice, you heard the voice in him even from the time of his captivity, he had the prayer. He had noetic prayer. It seems like that's what they're saying in the text without saying it. He had the Holy Spirit. crying out as Paul says, Abba Father, crying out to God and interceding for him. And so he with this divine force, he brings Christ to the people.

And he convinces the bards, the poets, which are very helpful. They become orthodox and they put to the service of the gospel and the beautiful hymns that are laid down. And of course, he is known for his great hymnography, his great prayers. Very simple prayers though, at the end of the day. And he ordains priests and bishops and he organizes a new church.

Why is he respecting the specific character of the Irish people? Very important methodology. I'm gonna stop every time we have a methodology. Listen, let's pay attention. He respects the specific character of the Irish people. That's what we have to do as well in mission work. We have to look at the people that are in front of us, whether they be Americans or Spanish or whatever it might be.

We have to respect, not disrespect, not disdain, not have a high flutant attitude, not be disdainful, right, of the particular character of the people that are with us. His bishops did not generally have their seats in the cities, but in the monasteries. Again, another method. Very important. May it be blessed that in the near future.

All of the bishops will be from the monasteries and live in the monasteries. May that be blessed for the for the people in the West, for the Americans and the Canadians and the all the people listening to me in the English speaking world. May it be blessed. My prayer and your prayer should be that the The bishops will come from the monasteries, and the monasteries will become the bishopric, the bishop's seat, and we'll stop this.

Terrible westernization of our clergy where we think it's important for them to be administrators, for them to be academics, for them to be that this is what it really means to be a bishop. You gotta be well educated in some uh PhD in some liturgical or canonical problem of the 15th century, the 8th century, whatever it is. I I was in the University of Thessaloniki from ninety eight. Eight. to twenty twelve, fourteen years.

Glory to God for all things, but that's not what's gonna make me or anybody else into a good priest or a good bishop. No, it's not bad. It'll help. There were many things that helped because Of course, the teacher is the most important thing who's teaching you. And I had wonderful teachers. But I'm just saying systematically, as a system, as a way of understanding, they were in the monasteries. The monasteries were the seats. They had considerable, it says here, flowering

And under the succeeding generations the monasteries brought forth such great fruit. It says here, Father Marcadius, in the life I'm reading from Ireland Ireland became a new Thebad. Ireland became a new Thebed, from which there came a number of monks and intrepid missionaries, indefatigable travelers, who contributed greatly to the revan re evangelization of Europe, not just Europe.

Ireland and England and the British Isles, but Europe after barbarian invasions. In fact, the Irish Church became extremely dynamic in terms of missionary work. And they were Traveling continually around uh that was kind of a way of life. So they Would stay at these m episcopal monasteries on their journeys, even so they would never omit the daily prayer rule. Another key method, number four or five, whatever it is now, methods that I've mentioned.

Key for us, because we unfortunately, I first easily am tricked into abandoning or speeding through. The foundation of my very life and my my ability to actually be of any service to anyone else. And that is the daily prayer rule, the rule of prayer. And his rule of prayer was the following: recitation of the entire Psalter. That's amazing. The entire Psalter he read through every day. I don't know.

With all the Old Testament canticles and other inspired texts such as the Revelation of St. John, he would read the Revelation of St. John. This is the fifth century. People say the Revelation of St. John, that's kind of a suspect text. I don't know about that. Should we read that? St. Patrick was reading it. One of the texts he would read often, the revelation of St. John, of course, the apocalypse, right? He made the sign of the cross 100 times at each hour of the day.

Kind of amazing. Can you imagine stopping? Excuse me, just one moment. I need to make the sign of the cross 100 times. 30, 50s, whatever minutes later. Excuse me, I'm gonna stop. I need to make the sign of the cross 100 times. Of course, you probably say the Jesus prayer or something akin to it with the sign of the cross. It wasn't mechanical, right? It was prayerful.

And whenever he encountered the cross on the path, he would venerate it. He loved the cross of the Lord. Of course, all around Ireland you see these wonderful crosses that dot the landscape. During one of his missionary journeys, he was almost more than once he was almost killed by his opponents. He said, I expected assassination and death all the time. Of course, the Lord preserved him for the sake of the people. There was many trials, many, many trials.

And there was one particular Korotikas who he excommunicated, he was supposedly a Christian. He was the chief of the Breton Horde who was awful. He was a barbarian, didn't become a Christian. And he killed and slaughtered innocent people. And this unfortunately, because he had no obedience or humility. He was smitten with mental derangement and died in despair after his life of iniquity.

Everybody should know or knows if you're love St. Patrick about his confession, his prayers, but also his confession. We're gonna read a little bit about his confession here, just an excerpt. But keep in mind that he was a bishop for thirty years. For thirty years. This is seems like almost uh common. You see Saint uh Nikolai of Japan, I think it was thirty years. I think uh Father Kosmas was only twenty years really.

Um not not 50, 60, 80 years, not an entire life of missionary work. And yet we're talking about tens of thousands of baptisms, probably. Thousands upon thousands, he says. That's what he says. 30 years, from 50 to 80, he served the church, building the Church of Ireland. First and foremost, what does he say in his confession? It's very basic, very important. Of course, every Orthodox Christian should know this and live by it.

I have kept the faith. I have kept the faith. Basic, foundational. Without it, there's nothing. There's nothing. If you can't keep the faith and avoid the heresies and teach the faith aright, you've done nothing. You've achieved nothing. He says about the Lord, he was all he who was so often for uh who has so often forgiven my stupidity and my negligence in responding to that which the Spirit has breathed into me. So he

He kept the faith. He lived the presence of the Holy Spirit. He lived the presence within him of the Holy Spirit. Had has had pity on me for the good of thousands upon thousands of men that he baptized. Because he saw that I was at his service. And so he had this tremendous faith that if I serve the Lord with all my heart, soul, and mind, he will serve the salvation of my neighbors. And that's why he did it. He did it always for salvation of the neighbor.

That all of his disciples would surpass him. That's one of his prayers. Surpass me in the greatest works. As the Lord did, right? He said, You will do greater things. You will see greater things after my departure. That's what St. Patrick said as well. And of course it happened. Uh we'll talk about that perhaps a little bit later. How many disciples came after him and in his wake and the next hundred, two hundred years is the flowering of Ireland and countless amazing saints.

uh that carried the faith like Saint Columba of Iona or Saint Columbanas of Luxwill Luxuel Sal I don't know how to say it actually. I'm butchering. And he would go to all kinds of places, even places where people he said did not come forward for baptism. He was preaching the gospel, even in those places. So we often say, well, you know, what should we do for our neighbor? What's our role?

Well, he didn't set out with some kind of plan where he's gonna avoid these neighborhoods and be with these kind of people and only go for coffee with these kind of people. That's I think a key thing is you're not a respecter of persons. You don't put your own Ideas forward, that's certainly not what he was doing. He was led by God in the places even where no one came forward, he says, for baptism. Another question of methodology.

He says, I have done by the grace of God all these things with vigilance and great heartedness. That sounds like philotimo, the Greek philotimo, big heartedness. So another aspect of why he's an Orthodox saint, right? Because we already see how much he resembles all the great Philotomy saints.

And he does it all for their salvation. Just as our Lord did everything for our salvation. There was nothing done that wasn't for our salvation. That's what happens with these great saints, these great elders, these great missionaries. They live for one reason, their neighbor and his salvation. And that's what he says here.

He expected, as I said, to be assassinated, to be killed, to be entrapped, to be enslaved constantly. But he also knew, and he had no fear, is he also knew that the Lord God Almighty was guiding his steps. Everything he said that was done was a gift of God. So let's bring this part of our presentation to an end by saying that he lived to 79, 80 years of age. He was told by an angel that he would judge

the people of Ireland on the last day. And I think what that means, first and foremost, it means perhaps more than this, but first and foremost it means that he set the standard and they had to live up to him. They had to look to him, they had to love him, they had to follow him. And if they didn't, they will be judged by it. If they did they would be his friends in the kingdom.

So after him, as we'll see, came a great host and a great cloud of witnesses, and they venerated him as their pr their the principal protector. And more than 200 churches, I don't know when this was, probably to this day, are dedicated to St. Patrick. 200 churches all over Ireland. All right, so let's bring in our Our good coworker and son and brother in Christ, uh Gregory here's who's gonna help us. go through the PDF today and who has an especial love for all the saints. Good evening.

Good evening. Your blessing, Father. All right, so Gregory, let's uh let's have you help us walk through the documentation, the pictures, the images and the rest of our presentation. We're gonna be going through aspects of his mission. Which are very important to us today, how it connects to our mission today as Orthodox Christians. We're going to talk a little about his his spiritual inheritance and forerunners.

and how important that is as an Orthodox Saint. We're going to be talking about Father Cosmas and Contemporary Orthodox missionary in Saint John of Shanghai in San Francisco. So let's open it up with This PDF. We'll put ourselves over here. There we go. And I have control over the PDF, so let me know. But uh I'll let you uh guide us through what we see here. Hang on one second. Let me put that on the screen.

So here we have a little bit of our historical background. Let's talk about this. The Empire in 395. Now, why is 395 important? We have the birth of Saint Patrick in 383. Uh and so he would have been he would have been born up there in uh Parts of Britain. Yes. Yeah. I'll try to keep it brief. Uh so Britain was a province of the Roman Empire for roughly four hundred years, ever since Ju uh well Julius Caesar landed famously, but didn't conquer it.

But uh a few decades later, I think it was Claudius who conquered Britain. So from the first century during the lifetime of Christ, I believe it was And up until 410, so for almost 400 years, Britain was a part of the Roman Empire. There were Roman cities, Roman roads. Um and Roman civilization infrastructure, yes, please. Great, that's great, as we mean. And uh of course the previous inhabitants were the K Celtic peoples or Britons, hence Brit Britain, the island, Irel I uh Island. Um

So th many of them were Romanized, is many of them spoke Latin or a local you know, with a with a local accent or a local dialect of it probably. And uh Saint Patrick's father was a Christian deacon, so and Saint Patrick's name is Latin, Patricius, which means a patrician, a rist nobleman. So his family in all likelihood was part of the Romanized Britons.

Uh the one of the the life that I read says that he was born in the northwestern uh edge, so in Cumbria. Yeah, uh yeah, n northwestern shore, so a little to the west. Yeah, there. Right there. I think that's Cumberland. And uh at least according to the life of Mer Mercu, if I'm not sure how to pronounce it.

So um and then he was captured by the Irish pirates pirates because Ireland was never conquered, neither was Scotland, and so these two lands, as well as Saxony on the other side, if you move your map a little to the right. Sax, you can see Sax Saxony, Saxons. Um so from these three lands, pi pirates would come occasionally and attack, and one of these raids. was when Patrick was captured and taken over to Ireland. In my um yes, so in four ten the Roman all the Roman army left.

There's not a lot of sources, but from what we do know is the Roman army had to move over, uh was their general led them into Gaul, into what is now France. in the the yellow land to to fight against barbarians because in four in four oh six the the Rhine froze over the Rhine River which is the border And several Germanic tribes invaded, essentially, you know, like mass immigration, so to speak, in for uh in old style, and they were causing chaos uh in France. And so the general uh the leader of

Of Britain took all his troops and marched into France. He was declared emperor, then he died in battle and he never returned. So Britain. was effectively governmentless and soldierless and it devolved into a a chaos of of tiny little uh micro states and city states. So that's how it was for m for most of St. Patrick's lifetime. It wasn't it was still independent, so to speak.

It with varying degrees of Roman civilization lingering on and varying degrees of Celtic uh you know, rustic Celticness reviving. But um yeah that that's the world in which St. Patrick lived. And shortly after shortly after um the reason it says Scott in Ireland is because uh Ireland and Scotland so to speak, swapped. So the original inhabitants of S Ireland were called Scots, and then they moved over to Scotland and then Scotland called Scotland anyway.

Hibernia? What's that what's that uh why is it called Hibernia here? Hibernia is the Latinized version of the native name, which is uh I think in old Irish it's Something like uh iwe iwe iveria or iwer, which then becomes um erin. You know the heart of A. Aaron? Or Anglicized Ir Ireland, Erin Erinland. So that's the original name. And I have I've read two etymologies for the Hibernia or Aaron.

Or which is Ir Ireland. One is uh that Erin means uh Iweriu the original name meant land, so they just called them their land land. The other uh theory is that it's Uh Aaron is from Aryan, which is what their ancestors called themselves, because the Irish just like The Germans, the Greeks, the Italians, the Russians are c are from this Aryan or Proto Indo European ancient uh race. Yes. Um anything else about uh the world of St. Patrick?

Um no, I think that's the important thing is i with regard to his uh his uh taking uh been taking into slavery. And then to be released and then to come across and be trained here further. Do you wanna talk about his monastic uh life and where would this have been? Do we know where this is uh would have been in in uh Gaul? the monastery of Lerines would have been down here on the coast, would it not? Yes, I believe I do believe Larines is on the coast. Um

Not in southern in southern Gaul. So he spent sixteen years uh there as a monk under Saint Girmanos. And so there was an affinity here from the beginning between the people of Gaul and the do you want to talk about the ancient history with regard to The people uh who became known as Celts and they were screw screw screwed across

Yes, yes. Uh before I do that, let me uh briefly answer Father Timothy in the in the comments that yes, um there was a brief Scottish-Irish nation that spanned both sides of the sea. It was called Dalriata. It was in the in south western Scotland and And northeastern Ireland. And yeah, those were the Scots. And then from them, from the Delriata, the Scots uh Scotland became called Scotland. Before that it was also called Pictland because it's not the same. But these are all related peoples, so

Yes, father. Um To do a a very brief synopsis of the history of the the genetic history of the British Isles, so to speak. Um the first inhabitants to my knowledge that to come to I've I've tried to research this m topic out of personal interest. Uh but the first people to come to the British Isles were uh um a mixture of Western hunter-gatherers and early farmers. If you know what that means, good for you. If not, don't worry about it.

And but basically they were the the two of th these two were some of the earliest inhabitants of Europe and these two populations together, mixed together are the are the ones who built the great the megaliths like Stonehenge. And this is uh a thous uh two thousand years or more, three thousand years before Christ, depending on the chronology of course. And then uh the Celts, Father, can you go to Austria? I'm sorry.

Can you go to the Alps? The w what we w what we call the Celtic culture started here in the Alps. So the archaeologists I identify it based on the on the various finds. And there's uh there's the Laten and I forgot the other one. But the early Celtic culture started here in the Alps and then they spread. And

There was a spread of um there probably actual genetic spread, so people actually moved, but there was also a cultural spread. So Celtic it was also Celtic culture uh spreading. But uh In any case then these uh Celts and their culture entered the entered Britain and predominated their languages and their culture, predominated uh the previous inhabitants. of Britain. Uh

So let me ask you a question. And so the the fact that St. Patrick would was not from Ireland, he would not have known the language of the people, maybe he learned it during his captivity, I suppose. Uh but w do we know anything about the language differences at that time between the two islands? Well

the ancestor of Welsh. So it would have been something like Proto-Welsh. But Saint Patrick would have s would have spoken probably Latin too. So I don't know if St. Patrick spoke Both Latin and Proto Welsh. Or um we I don't think we know that. But if he did speak Proto-Welsh, that's not too different from from old Irish. in my understanding. They're both Celtic languages. So there would have been um some some uh similarities between the two languages.

Okay. If that's sufficient, we'll move on to this. Uh do you want to I think you were I think you were thinking of the Galatians. Is that why you were zooming into it? Yes, yes, yes, yes. Let's talk about it very quickly, though. We need to move on about the collation. So I'll just say this. So the Celtic culture that started in in the Alps spread throughout Europe, uh throughout Central Europe, France, even to Spain, the British Isles, southern Germany.

the Balkans and uh one group tr after fa uh after a failed invasion of southern Greece. ended up in Asia Minor and they settled there. They were defeated by the Hellenistic kings of that time and they settled in Central Asia Minor around Ankira. You you see here the city of Ankira. And uh and that that they they are the Galatians. Now over time they were Romanized and Hellenized, but originally they were Celts and they spoke a Celtic language and they were a distinct people. Over time

It it would it just became a regional name. So but the Galatians Galatians, Gaul and Celts are all uh ethnically related. Okay. Is that the main takeaway? Yeah. That's the takeaway, yes. All right. Let's move on. Excuse me. I'll get there. There we go.

Yes, this slide, uh I just I just wanted to m to include it, not because it had any direct um relevance with Saint Patrick, because this happened mostly after Saint Patrick's death, but because pe uh some people get confused and say, Well, Saint Patrick was from England, so he was English. So England didn't exist when Saint Patrick lived, or rather England was in Denmark. In other words, the England is the land of the Angles, and the Angles

W during St. Patrick's lifetime were still in Denmark. So at around the time when St. Patrick was old, or after he died, is when this migration happened. And the Angles and the Saxons with some Jutes. So Saint Patrick's old homeland is now in England, but Saint Patrick, just like Saint Alban, were not English. They were they were British or Roman or Britons. Or Romans of Britain, but uh yeah, England the English came later, so to speak. What are we looking at here?

This is the the hill, which is traditionally the place where Saint Patrick uh passed his time as a sl as a slave when he was a young boy, uh sixteen to uh uh twenty something. This is where he herd uh sheep. Yes. Did you read this did you read this quote, Father? Let's do it. Let me read it. Let me read it. So this is from his confession. I don't think I read uh this por portion. If I did, it's okay to repeat.

a day I prayed, the love of God and his fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened, and my spirit was moved so that as sit not at Single day, I would say as many as a hundred prayers. and almost as many in the night, and this even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountains, and I used to get up for prayer before daylight, through snow, through frost, through rain, and I felt no harm, and there was no sloth in me.

as I now see, because the spirit within me was then fervent. So this is something characteristic in all his um his language is just how humbly is in recognizing his poverty but the Lord's greatness and also how tangible the spirit of God was to him. Any any comments on that before we go ahead? Well it's impressive that from already from from that early time, he was he was spiritually very advanced.

He wouldn't know how many of us can can stand up in prayer and r rise and pray before daylight in snow and frost and rain and feel no harm and have no sloth in us. So St. Patrick even as a He he may have started a little late at at 16, but he just like Mary of Egypt, he started a little late, but he really took off fast.

Hm, indeed. And again I saw him praying in me, and I was as it were within my body, and I heard him above me, that is, over the inward man, and there he prayed mightily with groanings. Let me stop and just say a word or two here because it's very important. Two things, two things, two or three things from scripture that come to mind. When he says, praying in me.

Uh not only do we have this in some of our prayers, but the Lord Himself talks about, and this is important because I think we have a different we might have a different understanding of confession, what it means to confess. We call we call this his confession. So uh Paul ta uh the Lord talks about those who confess in me.

Any me in Greek, right? So that's not translated in the King James, just says confess me. But actually there's an in. And this is not accidental because it's pointing to the in the inhabitation and the dwelling, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. So he's basically saying not that you do some work on your own or some righteousness that you have acquired or something you do that I find pleasing. No, he's saying that.

the he's talking about the synergy of man and confession can only happen in synergy only with God's presence within us and it's actually God in us that is crying out that is confessing that is standing that is uh resisting the the temptations of the enemy. And then he talks again about I heard him above me, that is, over the inward man, and there he prayed mightily with groanings. And that reminds must remind us of the Apostle Paul, where he talks about

Abba Father crying out. This is the noetic prayer of the inner man in the heart. This is the prayer that all the ascetics are after, right? So he has this already in his uh throughout his life, but in his times of trial. Uh very, very impressive, but also very uh very important for us. But this is the state of a great missionary, right? So another aspect of m modern Orthodox mission has to be

Not five year plans, not smart ideas on social media. No, what we need is St. Patrick. We need the Holy Spirit indwelling within us. And the great humility that he had is what is what really uh attracts uh the spirit of God to dwell within us. And going on he says, and all the time I was astonished and wondered and thought within with with myself who it could be. That prayed in me.

It's amazing really to think about his having this experience and not understanding his experience at this early stage. But at the end of the prayer he spoke, saying that he was the spirit. And so I woke up. And remembered the apostle saying, The Spirit helps the infirmities of our prayer, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself asked for us with unspeakable groanings.

Which cannot be expressed in words. And again, the Lord our advocate asks for us. So he realizes that this is what it means to have true in inward prayer. Greg Gregory, any thoughts before we go on? This reminds me of a a short book I translated, I believe it was ten years ago, the first book I ever translated.

Uh noetic prayer is the basis of mission in the struggle against heresy. And Father Ephraim Trindophilopoulos, the author there, uh says precisely what you just said, Father, that Noetic prayer is not just uh something that we do for our own benefit, but it's the it's the most ideal tool for missionary work. to to cultivate this inside of the mi for the missionary to cultivate this inside of himself.

And to inwardly pray for himself to be enlightened, but also for the his his um interlo interlocutor, that God may enlighten him and bring him to knowledge of the truth. That is the most valuable thing that any of us can do for our fellow man, whether that fellow man be our brother, our family members, our friends, our co-workers, or in the missionary field, the whoever whoever we're having a theological conversation with. I mean, go ahead and talk about this.

So according to the life, uh w when Saint when St. Patrick returned to Ireland, uh he wanted to go and find his old master

and r and r ran some redeem himself for having ran run away and also bring his old master to knowledge of the truth. It turns out his old master was a local chieftain. But on the way there, uh he he comes across this place Uh Uh this other chieftain and who keeps him there for a for a while and and this other chieftain turns to be the first uh I believe his name was Dickyu or something like that. Uh uh I

I don't not sure how to pronounce the Irish disclaimer. But in any in any case, this was the first uh the first convert, St. Patrick's first convert. And the first little church that he built was in this place in in Ireland, uh called Saul, which in in Irish means a stable, the stable of Saint uh the stable of Saint Patrick.

in County Down. And that yes, so this is obviously a later church, but you can see the very characteristic stonework and also very characteristic uh I think it's is that a bell tower, but very characteristic con con conical tower. Yes. So have we do we have any idea about this actual structure we're looking at? Is that a mid medieval structure? It's probably I don't know, a few centuries later, it may be late medieval, yes. And do we know where County Down is? Can we tell people on the map or

County Down is actually in what is now Northern Ireland. So it's the part of Ireland that's still part of the United Kingdom. Uh and I believe it's Yeah, if you zoom in, uh uh if you zoom in, I I just saw I just checked it out. But we have a I think we have a few Irish in our in our chat who can probably like. Better, but I do believe it's the uh go to the right, go to the right, and uh right, up, up the coast, up the coast, uh right. I do believe it's right that that corner right there.

Is it in Northern Ireland today? No, Northern Ireland is further up. No, or Northern Irel Ireland is this corner, this uh top right hand little corner here. So it is it is the southernmost part of Northern Ireland. And aga uh Dr. Crispy, uh correct me, or any Irish we have in the chat, please correct me if I'm wrong. That's my We should have had a a contemporary Irish map for tonight, but we didn't. Yeah. Talks about this. This is also in county down. I should be very close.

should be very close to uh the previous image and uh this is a large statue of Saint Patrick. So because Ireland is still mostly uh Catholic, they still have crucifixes and of course statues. Uh and that is a pretty large statue of Saint Patrick as a bishop. So uh but if you think about it it's it's a imposing structure. So if you if you go there the it's it's very uh clear that this is a Christian country.

And and it's clear who the who the uh who the people revere and who who their patrons are. Mm-hmm. And this is This is um ruins of a church and a cemetery in on the hill a slain, where according to the life, this was where uh on Saint Patrick uh uh on the first Posca that Saint Patrick and his

uh entourage, his a com his company, uh the f their first Posca on Ireland. They said, Where should we spend our first Posca? Where should we celebrate the resurrection? And Saint Patrick said, Let's go to this hill, which is within site of the the the hill of the high king. Ireland was was divided into small chiefs small tribal chiefdoms. But th the the high king of the whole island, uh w on this which w they had their own big feast would have been the pagan equivalent of Easter.

And uh all the chief member all the chief um leading tribal leaders of Ireland were gathering together on a hill opposite of this. And St. Patrick, uh, according to the life, Which of course the secular scholars always w want to cast out and ruin all the good stories and the amazing miracles with their skepticism, but according to the life, Saint Patrick lit a great fire on this hill.

And it was it was uh unlawful. The law was that until the king lights his great fire in his hill, the hill of Terra, no one is allowed on pain of death to light a fire. As St. Patrick did. And because the light of the because it was symbolic of the light of the resurrection, the light of of the risen Christ shining through the darkness of pagan and defying the the laws of heathenry. That's probably my mo that's probably my my favorite episode of his of his whole life. the boldness and the faith.

Crow? Patrick m in uh in county mail. I'm not sure where that is, to be honest. Uh and it is claimed that Saint Patrick climbed this mountain and fasted on its summit for the forty days of Lent. It's i quite a quite a mountain. Um usually when we think of Ireland, I I don't think of mountains, I think of green fields. But uh at the summit of this mountain on the next slide is a a small chapel that has been built.

And it made an impression on me because it says here as you can see that every year thousands of pilgrims, Catholic mostly, but there are some Orthodox according to Ortho Christian um Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. climb this mountain and to venerate this chapel at the top at the top. And and they do this on the last Sunday of July. And this made an impression on me because back back in Greece, for the beauty of course you remember that

And the last Saturday of July, we had our own little mountaintop chapel dedicated to Prophet Elias. And we would go and serve liturgy on that little mountaintop chapel, which wasn't was of course smaller, but it wasn't very it wasn't very different from this mountaintop. So the the Orthodox traditions of um the Orthodox Christian traditions uh die hard in Ireland. 아멘

Now this is an Armah I think so Armah it was the principal was the Episcopal see of Ireland. It was one of the St. Patrick founded many churches, but one of them one of them which was under that cathedral, yes.

the seat of the Archbishop of the island. And th so this is built later, but this cathedral is built on the foundations laid by St. Patrick. What happened is that when the Anglicans split away from Rome, They they claimed of course they had the the king the king of England on their side so they they claimed the old cathedral and then later the k the papists the Roman Catholics built their own new cathedral on another hill

farther down. So the the Pape the Papist Cathedral is on the right, the Anglican is on the left. Okay. And they're both dedicated to St. Patrick. So this is uh this is not near uh County Down, or we don't know actually. Anybody know? I believe uh from I believe most of the sites associated with St Patrick are in Northern Ireland. Uh and yes, Arma is close to county down. Okay. This is where he had his first monastery as well. According to the likes that I've read.

Oh okay. Uh one second. And count county mayo is Count the County Maya with a mountain is in the western side of Ireland. But uh most of the sites associated with St. Patrick are in the Actually northeast. And again, this is a closer image of a picture of the of the uh old cathedral, which is the art which was the episcopal seat, the the ecclesiastical capital of the whole island. Now it's Anglican of course. God maybe one day, God willing can be Orthodox once once again.

Unfortunately, uh putting all kinds of churches up for sale. In fact, I ran into somebody on X who is buying them up, a young man who's a businessman. And I remember back about twenty years ago we had a good friend in the Orthodox man who was buying them up or back then and they were there was less for sale then than there is today. Uh the problem was that the at that time the English the the Anglican establishment was still clean uh and you know

the status quo, I think less and less today. So I think there will be increasing opportunities for the Orthodox if they can muster their resources to obtain some of these great old churches. In fact, the monastery of uh uh of Saint John the Baptist, where Elder Sophroni uh wa uh lived and uh and they founded their monastery of St. John the Baptist is

They down the street from uh the main monastery is a old pre schism church that the monastery has either bought or has control of, and they serve divine liturgy there quite often. And uh

I think that made the Orthodox especially um very happy. But that was acquired long ago. It was of course not being used by anyone and uh that was decades and decades ago. So yeah, there is uh It's not unlikely that there will be a return of some of these ancient buildings of the Orthodox faith because orthodoxy is growing and Fortunately, uh the English people have abandoned Christ in many ways.

So and it's interesting the architecture is not that far from even an Orthodox cathedral, having the except instead of a The dome in the middle, they have this uh castle-like looking. Yeah, it's cruciform, it's in the form of a cross. Well Father, um I do b I do hope that the local Orthodox um have have this mindset and and do do um uh do whatever is in their power to obtain these sacred sites because if they don't, the Muslims will. You know, there's there's a number of

a number of old churches, centuries old churches that have been converted into mosques. Uh I learned to my horror. So if the Anglicans don't wanna keep them, then at least let them sell into the Orthodox. And I think I I think there are Orthodox from across the Anglo Sphere who would or even the world who would donate uh to to help an Orthodox parish purchase. I would definitely donate if there was an Orthodox parish that was trying to purchase an old

We should start to stump something up for saving uh Orthodox heritage in uh the British Isles. Um there's uh oh what was I gonna say? There is um Oh just escaped me. I was just gonna say something about Uh well in in Ireland itself, there's quite uh i I mean I would say uh you know, comparatively to to twenty years ago. There's a huge upswing in terms of orthodoxy. You know, obviously there's still much, much to do, but comparatively there's a huge upswing in terms of orthodoxy. I don't know

uh what's happening. I think Ireland is better off in terms of of um preserving their monuments than than in than England is. But nonetheless you have the new leadership there, the new um What is it, President? Is she called Prime Minister? Prime Minister. And doesn't seem to be all that committed to uh the Irish. Christian identity. So What do we have here? This is a pa uh a particular icon that you wanted to to talk about.

Uh no it's uh I was just collecting Orthodox icons. This is an or another orthodox icon. in uh West Virginia of St. Patrick. There's a few more. Oh, um I wanted to show this. This is my Orthodox icon of St. Patrick. And it was gifted to me uh Unfortunately, unfortunately with your background it now it comes out better. Put it up put it on your person and then we can see. Okay, there we go. That is my Orthodox icon of Saint Patrick's.

And it was g it was gifted to me. There's the snakes. He's stamping on the stake stamping on the snakes that he drove out. And he the his scroll says, Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me. And this icon was gifted to me a few years ago. Uh by our dear friend who I believe is here with us, Orthodox Boomer Grandma. Uh thank you very much.

Very much OBG for this k beautiful gift. I ha I've have had it in my bedroom ever since and prayed prayed to him. Uh and and uh especially was it two years ago when there was um There was uh some unrest and uh with the migrant situation and the Irish were protesting. Uh I was definitely praying to St. Patrick during that that time for them. Uh so yeah. That's my idea. 감사합니다.

Also um since I'm doing show and tell, this is a great book. This is the confession that you read from Father, the Confession of Saint Patrick, uh republished by Saint Anthony's Monastery. But this is a great this is a great text. It's very short, but I would encourage everyone who loves St. Patrick to read it. And uh uh the thing that made the m the greatest impression on me when I read this is his utter simplicity and humility and uh and his his um

S so um you know so so simple heart so simply and honestly uh opening his heart and sha saying because he was attacked in his lifetime, not just by the pagans, but by other Christians. He was slandered.

And this is a great great reminder that today all of Ireland except except for the president apparently uh sing his praises, uh and and honor him, even if they don't really know much about him, even if he's only a uh Saint Patrick's Day just because He's still honored, but in his own life he was persecuted, in his own life he was uh not just by pagans but also by fellow Christians.

Yes, as is the case with every saint, really. And it's the lot of all the saints. And um, is it uh it's important to also talk about and stress. uh that he is Orthodox and not a papal Protestant or Reformed Protestant. And so when I read his life and all everything about him, there's absolutely nothing, not one little thing that reminds me of papalism. or ro uh the Latin uh ethos.

I don't see any f self-flagellation going on. I don't see any super hyper legalism or moralism. Uh everything reminds me of all the other saints in the Orthodox Church. I do I I I wanna I want to make that case ever so you know briefly, uh, because we did put on our thumbnail he uh Saint Patrick was Orthodox.

Uh but less less our papal Protestant friends uh w want to claim him. Uh th it is the Orthodox, even in the British Isles today, who most uh let's say zealously, according to people there who I've talked to, are running to preserve and to protect and to and to venerate the holy places, the relics and all the rest, i and and their um not just in their terms of their piety, but in their phronema, they understand they they they um

proclaim the same faith and the same ethos of of St. Patrick Patrick. If you want to add anything to that before we go on to the next image, go for it. Yes, one thing as I I was researching this um tonight's topic, I came across uh a stained glass window no, I think it was a uh fresco somewhere, somewhere in uh Ireland, depicting the Pope blessing Saint Patrick and sending him to Ireland, which of course is a fiction because in his life he is sent by Saint Germanus and the bishops of Gaul.

He never actually made it to Rome. He he said he he did want to go to Rome originally, but he never actually visited Rome. So Uh that's i I guess we can add that to uh to the errors of the Latins to uh their um their long list of of um fabric fabrications perhaps. But I Ireland in general is is famous for and the Celtic saints are famous for not being saints in the traditional, you know, Catholic

Since the Pope never glorified, never canonized hardly any of them. They were all locally honored and locally recognized. And uh and they didn't have very much connection with with Rome. In fact, they had much more of a connection with with the the Eastern uh hermits and ascetics. And uh I what want to mention this other book here, which is also a great resource, the let me see. There the Egyptian despite desert in the Irish Bogs, the Byzantine character of early Celtic monastic.

Who's the publisher? It's the Center for Traditionalist Orthodox Studies. I do believe you're schismatic, but regardless, it's a good book, it's a good book. İzlediğiniz için teşekkür ederim. Father Gregory Telepneffe. He's very good on those topics. So that and then this chapter this uh book goes uh through um various um topics.

Uh chapter one introduction The Era of Saint Patrick Eastern Forms of Monasticism Daily Monastic Life Travel and Language, Art and Architecture, Liturgics, Particulars of the Celtic Eucharist.

Conclusion. So uh they go through various aspects of the Celtic monastic life and compare it to uh what we know of the Egyptian or uh Palestinian uh ancient monastic are striking, which shows that Uh even though travel was of course much harder than it is today and the distance was very great, despite that there were pilgrims who would go uh monks who would travel from uh from Ireland or or or Irish outposts in Gaul to Egypt or or the the the Christian Near East and then back again.

And um and and and there was communication and there was uh s a certain uh back and forth of of monastic influence. And the bo just like the book you've mentioned, Father, The Lovers of the Kingdom, which um shows the the similarities in their sp spiritual life. So Ireland is much closer to Egypt than it is to Rome.

So we have a from Dr. Crispy. The Pope granted England to William the Bastard, and a hundred years later, Pope Adrian, the one and only English Norman Pope, granted Ireland to the English crown, the Celtic monks from Iona walked. Thank you very much, Doctor Crispy, for that. And our good friend a friend here who is visiting apparently

He may be of the papal Protestant background. He says Catholicism rent lives rent free in your head. And that my response was, unfortunately, it's very costly. It's not free at all. And it's cost us so many millions of people the true faith. But don't worry, it's all coming to an end. Um, in a good way. So this is the English Desert and the Irish Bogs, The Byzantine Character of Early Celtic Ministry by Father Gregory, for those who are interested. Let's keep going with the

uh text here. Uh tell us about what we see here, Gregory. So on the left is a Uh it's a shrine, it's a reliquary containing uh what is called the Bell of St. Patrick. So according to one of the uh medieval texts. Uh column kill, which I believe is St. Columba, uh years after St. Patrick's repose, he opened the grave and took out three items that were interred together with St. Patrick.

And and and took him out and sent them to ve different places to be had as to be venerated as relics, uh as blessings uh from Saint Patrick's grave. And one was th this this is one of them. It's it's a bell I couldn't find the story uh associated with it, but it was in St. Patrick's grave. And it's a I mean it's a beautiful. Just look at it. It's a beautiful piece of of workmanship. Uh very exquisite. Uh the other two were the one was the uh a beautiful manuscript. And the third was

I forget what the third one was. But um speaking of manuscripts, if you look at my at my uh bac digital background, this little act is of course famous uh detail from the Book of Kells, which is f also also from Ireland, although a little later after St. Patrick, but is a a great example of the famous Irish um illuminated manuscripts in their beautiful art, just like the the Celtic knots are in the this bell Bel Rillaquary. On the other hand, on the right side

is a stone ha has a cross. You can't really see it, but there's a cross there. And then below it says Patrick Pat Patricius or Patrick. Uh and it's it's uh in County Down, it's it's reputed to be the burial place of Saint Patrick in in Downpatrick. Uh and there is of course some debate about where his his um where his tomb actually is. I don't think there are any relics. Correct me if I'm wrong. Um I've never heard of the rounds. I don't know what happened to the rounds.

I it may have been destroyed by some some nefarious fe uh players, but uh I have not heard of that. I don't know. Strange, isn't it? Thank you. You would think such a great saint. You would have relics. But Maybe someone who has knows more can tell us. So this is the idea of kenosis. We want to chant chat just about a minute. And Gregory, I'll I'll read it and talk about it, then you can chime in and then we'll go on to the next slide.

It's let's quote from his confession It was not grace of mine own, but God who is strong in me and resists them all, as he had done. As he had done when I came to the people of Ireland to preach the gospel and to suffer insult from the unbelievers, hearing the reproach of my going abroad and many persecutions even under bonds.

and to give me free birth for the benefit of others. And should I be worthy, I am prepared to give even my life without hesitation, and most gladly for his name, and is there. It is there that I wish to spend it until I die, if the Lord would grant it to me. And so the course canosis is the Greek word for self emptying or emptying out. And we talk about that in relation to the incarnation that God

Kinnothica, he he emptied himself and became man, took on our human nature. And this is the this is the the scent of every saint is they have to uh empty themselves to be filled with Christ and not so they can say with Paul, not I, but Christ who lives in me. They have to empty empty their desires, their plans, their ideas. their anxieties, they have to totally and utterly trust God, uh and and then he becomes

the one who wars and and and and protects. Like we see even in the Old Testament, how many examples we have of David and against Goliath and all the rest, all of that is a a testimony to their kenosis, their self emptying, so that God could be all in all. Go ahead, Gregory, if you have any thoughts on that.

And as I said, the most touching thing about reading St. Patrick's Confession was that Um along with humility of course, because they go together is this Extreme kenosis, his self self sacrifice, self emptying of himself and later he says it repeatedly, this was just the most characteristic excerpt. He accepts that he wishes to die, if possible, to give his life even, uh shed his blood for for for his uh spiritual children and uh and and even you know be torn apart by wild animals.

uh if if God allowed, which which he didn't. But it's um It it show uh for to m to me Saint uh Saint Patrick reminds me of Saint Paul in many ways. In this in if you think of the excerpts of Saint Paul's Epistles where he um Where he talks about himself, everything he went through and then he says um

Um th those very beautiful words. Of course Paul is m is much more eloquent and rhetorical in many ways, but this um I think you see similar similar canosis in St. Paul. And I I think I I I also have to mention this. When I first read this this short book. It was I was actually staying at Xiroputamu, it was the summer of Two thousand nineteen or I think it was nineteen, maybe maybe twenty. Um and I think it was twenty maybe twenty. And

I was staying at at the Mount Mount Athos except Monasti for about a month and I read this book. Very beautiful experience, reading it quietly in this balcony overlooking the sea. But the person it reminded me most At that time was our friend Father Hermolos in in in Malawi, the missionary who has since passed away and to whom we dedicated.

uh our are our two books, The Miracles and Revelations during the Divine Liturgy and the Appearances of Miracles of the Mother of God. Because Father Amolo was just like Saint Patrick and and Saint Paul in some ways was a very humble soul, very simple man. Especially you especially reminded me of Saint Patrick, uh very simple man, uh n no pretension, no arrogance, no no I no uh conceit that he was some great Great man.

Yeah We dedicated we dedicated those two books that we published recently in the beginning to Father Immorlaus, the great missionary, married man's rare among the great missionaries in our day. And uh so if you want to learn a little bit more about him, he originally translated the Miracles of Divine Liturgy and the Miracles of the Mother of God, the two new books from Uncle Mountain Press.

And we dedicated those volumes to him. Uh he reposed uh in the mission field alone, uh doing uh tremendous work in um the country of Oh he reposed in Liberia. Liberia, forgive me I yes. But he worked in Malawi and then in um Tanzania, but mostly in Malawi. Most of his life. But yeah, that's a good connection. We're gonna talk about Father Cosmas now. Let's talk about Father Cosmas. And by the way, do we have a c let me get a copy here of

Well Father Kosmas is famous for saying that the missionary must must resolve within himself to leave his bones among the natives. And that's what Father Kosmas did. That's what Uh Father Imolos did essentially, and that's what Saint Patrick did. And that all requires a total negation of yourself, a total denial of yourself.

He Saint Patrick also says in his um confession that he wanted to go back to Britain and visit his family. He wanted to go back to Gaul and visit the the saints, he says, the the holy elders and and bishops of Gaul. who were his mentors, but he he didn't because he had given himself wholly to to the missionary work and and cut off his own will, even for something blessed, like visiting holy uh you know, holy bishops.

Truly, truly. And Father Father Kozmas, here's the book that's you can get it from uh Uncar Mountain Press, Apostle to Zaire. And uh this is uh the new version. This is the older version. You might have seen the older version, the initial version. In any case, Father Kozmas, um phenomenal missionary, uh like you said, uh the total and utter commitment to die among the natives. And to be um

uh to give himself entirely for the sake uh uh of of the missionary uh of building the missionary church. And he liked Saint um Um Patrick he baptized in his short missionary journeys, and we're talking one third uh or or more of the of the years of Saint Patrick, he baptized uh I think over ten thousand uh people in the Congo. And many, many miracles are recounted in this life, uh, both before and after his life, uh, his great uh missionary spirit, his missionary outlook.

his um battle with uh um black magic and or magic generally and sorcery and his confession of faith uh his uh commitment to the uh athanite tradition and many other things. If you don't have this and you want to read an inspiring missionary life in the twentieth century, then this is the book

I highly recommend it and you'll be uh greatly edified. But um let's talk a little about our parallels here. You want to talk uh quickly as you you are more familiar with the uh article, having read it recently. Yes. Uh well, the article consists of excerpts from the first time. Thank you. Same from from uh primary sources about Saint Patrick, whether it's the confession or the life of Murcue or or a few other texts.

And uh compared with excerpts from the Apostle Deze or the book for the Piggest mentioned And and i I won't go into details because they're fascinating accounts. Both Saint Patrick, for example, confronting the Druids and Saint uh and El Father Kosmas confronting the uh the magicians or the uh the the various conditions in in Africa. So uh but uh but in the article you can find examples comparing in both St. Patrick and Father Gosmans.

their asceticism, their confrontation with the pagan magicians or slash Jewish, uh their ma their performance of mass baptisms, of course, they they both built churches, they both engaged in with local leadership. And they were very uh friend friends of man, as we say in the services, uh philanthropic, very merciful. Of course, they both sacrificed themselves themselves, and Saint Patrick raised some some dead. Saint Father Gosmas did not directly raise.

the dead, but uh w in one of the churches that he built, Saint this to Saints Theodore's raised a dead girl. and they both endured slander, as we said, and Saint Patrick of course also and Father Cosmas. And and same and they both had a premonition of their of their death. St Patrick had a clear uh warning from an angel. Father Kosmas if he did he didn't tell anyone. But but shortly before his his death, Padre Kosmas would

ask forgiveness from all those around him. And in his humblest he would speak of he would speak of themes like death and the afterlife. And so it was clear that Regardless of whether or not Falcons explicitly knew I will die that day, he had a f uh premonition that he was shortly about to die. So there's no self glagulation in either either of these saints. I just want to make sure. No, neither of them.

Neither of them are so flagellating. Okay. And there's no uh overt and gross legalism or moralism? No. Okay. All right. So just wanna make sure. So we're on the same page in terms of orthodox uh outlook and orthodox phronema and orthodox ethos. Um so h this is uh g I think uh one more great testimony to the continuity, universality, the um

uh timelessness of the uh orthodox way and the orthodox life. Uh as as you can see in the great ascetics of old and in the contemporary ascetics, or the great missionaries of old and the great missionaries of today. There there's no need to recover something lost. There's no need for reformation. There's no need for a new Vatican II. None of that is necessary. It's all right here in the church. All we need is people who love Christ and are ready to sacrifice enormously for Christ.

Uh so uh check out Father Cosmas. Let's go to Saint John and we'll c lap wrap it up and open it up to questions for everybody tonight. St. John and the veneration of the Western Saints. Of course, everybody who loves Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco know about this veneration, but let's hear from Saint John himself. This is a report he made to the Holy Synod. And what year is this? About the forties, thirties, or no, but it would have been late forties, probably, right?

It's in the next slide. I think it was in the fifty early fifties, fifty two. Let's see. Does it have a date? Uh the one after that. Fifty three. All right, so early fifties. Go ahead and read that. So this is from a more extensive uh address that Saint John delivered to the synod, which you can find at the link. But I I this is the extra that I chose. 감사합니다.

It was necessary to point out to those now living near the places of their exploits, the exploits of the ancient martyrs and saints of France in this case, and the remains of their holy relics. to point out to to those now living near these places, uh these priceless spiritual treasures, and to call on the Orthodox flock to venerate them. The West is full of such martyrs.

and saints. Even in the first decades of our exile, the exile of the Russian emigres, private pilgrimages to local shrines began, but many are still unknown to this day, although other sites are well known. And Father, I would I would like to to comment and and say that it's very admirable how Saint John, who was Bishop of Western Europe, uh even though he was he was Russian, so he he could have said I don't know what you're saying I know since RFM, I know since your methods.

That's enough for me. Why should I venerate St. Martin of Tours? But as a true saint, he had great love for all saints and great zeal in honoring them. And and he wanted to honor the local saints. And he he says and he organized uh they organized private pilgrimages in these shrines. Uh so and these are the Russians, the Russian uh the Russian World Churches outside of Russia who are doing who are doing this. How much more?

The the the ac the the ethnic French Orthodox or English Orthodox or Irish Orthodox or American or Australian Orthodox. honor these saints because they're they are their own of their own people. If if if a Russian hierarch is so keen and zealous to honor Saint Martin and Saint Irenaeus and uh Saint Vincent, how much more should a French Orthodox do the same?

Indeed. Indeed. So all of us have have a a a sacred responsibility, sacred duty to follow Saint John in his example. If we want to see both the local quote unquote Western saints But also the people who live here and also their uh the two of them to be united and their intercessions to be heard and all of it. It all goes together. There needs to be synergy. So we all need to follow St. John and his example. He also has this to say.

This is at the very end of his address, and he ends with mentioning Saint An Anscar, who's the enlightener of Germany and Scandinavia, but this of course the same applies to all Western saints and of course to St. Patrick. He says Saint Anscar served not political ends but Christ, and the seal of his apostolate is the countries that he brought to Christ. This is what Saint Paul says to the Corinthians believe you are the seal of my apostolate.

You who are brought to Christ. And of course the seal of St. Patrick's apostolate is the Irish. Their later apostasy does not diminish the saints' service. Just as the apostasy of Moravia and Pannonia for many centuries does not diminish the work of Saint Methodius.

The enlighteners of the Slavs. In various places across the world or universe, the righteous of Christ labored for the one God, were guided by the one spirit, and were collectively glorified by him. The wave of revolution and reformation destroyed their relics in the West. Just as, having reached our fatherland, Russia, it blasphemously touched Russian hoists. It attempted to obliterate their memory just as Julian the apostate burnt the holy relics of the saints.

But they rejoice in the heavenly church, and we must glorify their labors even more, thereby glorifying God who works miracles through them. Yeah, it's beautiful. So it's a mo it's great great combination showing uh the same spiritual struggle at at work in both then and now, Russia and the uh pre schiz uh the the the pre previous uh time of the Western Church. So very good, very beautiful words from St. John.

And this is the decree from Rokor in nineteen fifty three about the veneration of ancient saints in the West, and it says living in the diospering country where holy men and women venerated by the Orthodox Church of Christ since ancient times once lived.

and became famous for their sufferings or other feats, it is fitting for us to honor them and turn to them, without At the same time losing our devotion to the holy men and women of God to whom we have restored resorted to prayer in prayer before.

In various places in ancient Gaul, now France and other countries of Western Europe, the sacred remains of the monarch martyrs of the first centuries and subsequent centuries who are confessors of the Orthodox faith have been preserved to this day. We call upon the clergy and commemorate during divine services, litanies and prayers. The saints who are the patrons of the place or country where the service is held.

And those who are especially venerated also during the liturgy. The flock should be encouraged to honor these saints. And I would say it's almost incumbent upon us if we want to see Orthodox mission really flourish. that we venerate them and we encourage everybody else to venerate them and we have icons of them in our temples and we know that we learn their lives, we love them, we, we, we publish their lives and everything else.

about what is expected of all the saints. If we're going to do that in the West, the so called West, because I mean today the the West is the whole world in some ways culturally it's Uh but I mean we're talking about places as far away as Australia or South Africa or whatever it might be. So Around the world, English speaking or uh Western uh you know, lands that have been in the diaspora need to uh venerate the saints that have come before us. It's essential.

For Orthodox mission. So that's another aspect of our topic tonight. We're talking about St. Patrick and Orthodox mission today. And so Orthodox mission today, if it's going to be in the spirit and in the methodology of Saint uh Patrick and has to um actively venerate Saint Patrick and all the other saints that came after him. Let's talk very briefly about two words about those who came before

St. Patrick, did we skip that slide or we just we you removed it? We had a slight slide. You want to say a word or two about that? And then also what came after St. Patrick, and then we'll open it up to questions. Yes. Specifically about Gaul, Gaul has a uh remarkable uh uh sa saintly lineage. Um because Saint Irenaeus, who was the bishop of Lyon in in France, in Gaul, very early on, I believe it was in the second century after Christ.

He was the disciple of St. Paul de Carpos Myrna, who was the disciple of St. John Theologian. So uh in Saint Irenaeus of Leon is uh famous as one of the earliest theologians and he was major minor. He moved to um became bishop in f in Gaul and and wrote many theological works there. And uh he I remember reading that in in that city there he had Latin speakers, of course. Uh it was a Roman colony, but also many Greek speakers who

uh had moved there for business and also many uh Celtic Celtic people, Celtic speakers because who were from the local countryside. So uh the the uh the

the author, the Christianity of Asia Minor, which is Asia Minor is in many ways a cradle of saints, uh was transplanted through Saint Irenaeus into Gaul. And then later on you have you have Saint Martin, the great um the great monastic saint uh in tours and saint germinus uh who i believe was connected with saint martin saint germinus is the teacher of of saint patrick so we mentioned that the irish saints were very connected with egypt And uh in fact

spiritually even though she never went to Syria, but Saint Genevieve of Paris Paris, uh was sp spiritually communicating with Saint Simeon the Silite because there's a episode where Saint Simeon a Silite says to pilgrims from Gaul, so there were pilgrims going there, uh give my greetings to the this holy woman. And we know that there were pilgrims uh from Gaul going to St. Demetrius in the Saloniki every year for his feast.

So uh the the the Orthodoxy, the Christianity, uh the church in Gaul was a very very um uh very strong and and very rooted and connected with Asia Minor in the East. Uh of course the the Franks who came in later were not quite as rooted and l over time there were problems. Uh as for the things who came later, uh I wanted to make a I wanted to make a little timeline.

showing their comparative lifespans of these saints and and how they overlapped and who c who talked with whom. Uh I w I didn't wasn't able to finish that this time. But when I do, uh perhaps we can post it on on our uh social media. Though I think that'd be a pretty interesting little Could just bring it up, you know, the pro the the very simple timeline that one can find with AI and then and then just uh you know, it's not it's not perfect.

Yes. Let's see how did I search for or time I'm of Orthodox Saints in Ireland. Let's see if it brings anything up here. Um yeah, it gives us something pretty basic to go on. So let's talk about that real quick. Because I think it's important for people to see what came after. What came after. Um And bring it up here. There it is. Here you go. Put it on the screen. Thank you. Pilates as we mentioned was the first to go, but it was there very short. He was re and then he was uh

Uh uh these dates if they're if they're off, remind me, I think that's correct. That is correct from what I can remember. And then we have Saint Patrick at in the age of fifty. He was born in three eighty three. I think that's a little off. I think you were going to be able to do that. Yeah, there's probably different dates given by different Yeah, he he reports in eighty three and he was fifty one, four fifty one I think. No, he's fifty one years old when he began as No.

Uh four not that those are way off actually the more I think about it. It's having him repose here in four sixty one. So these dates, uh AI is not giving us good dates here. In 61, he's actually uh said to have proposed. Not I don't know why they have four ninety-three here. In any case, uh first half of the fifth century. Um and then we have the gr probably the greatest. immediate successor to St. Patrick was St. Brig Bridget of Kildare. Yes.

From what I c the little I've seen. They don't mention Saint Ninian, who we talked about earlier today, Gregory. Yes, Saint Indian who was uh who was the enlightener of Scotland for I think he was from Britain but he he uh went to go to Gaul and there he uh He soaked up the tradition and then went back and f uh from Saint Martin and founded a church in dedicated to Saint Martin in

Yes. Oh, that's also who's missing here. Saint Martin, who was instrumental and and and knew Saint Ninian and sent him. Uh and so the connection of uh of St. Ninian, Saint Nin Saint Martin's Ninian, and then St. Patrick. And the successors uh cause Saint Ninian was I think with this saint here. If I'm not mistaken, Saint Ed Ed Enda. And he became his monastery became a a fountainhead of many saints to come. And in particular, uh the twelve so-called twelve apostles of Ireland.

Uh among the most famous were Saint Columbanas and Saint Columba. Of course, Brandon Navigator, very famous. Uh but in any case you have a major flowering in the over the next two centuries you have this massive flowering of Orthodox monastic life throughout the British uh uh without the Ireland and Scotland especially, but also Northern England. And uh a great just a great um immense amount of sanctity.

And that's if we forget if we f if we remember anything tonight, rem remember what it what what what was it that gave Saint Patrick or or Lord may allowed the Lord to work so powerfully through Saint Patrick? It was his humility, his kenosis, his um his his uh determination and love. Uh first, um, to repent, second to love his neighbor. Uh sometimes we get carried away with externals, we get carried away with Practices we get carried away with

liturgical rubrics or whatever it might be, we miss that all of that's supposed to serve this purification, illumination, and glorification of the human person to become like Saint Patrick. Last words before we open it up to questions. No pressure. If there's no last words, we've said a lot. We can just open up. I think I've said I think I've said more or less All right. Everything I was thinking of.

All right. Wonderful. So let's thank first of all some new members. Thank you for joining us, Joshua. And also Jesus is Lord. That's a good uh Good as any uh have joined us. Thank you very much. And our first donation here and Super chat that Theopokos died after Christ came, even after living a sinless life, whereas Enoch walked with God, but we assume he wasn't sinless. Why did she die?

That's a that's a good question. I think that's a legitimate question. Um so why did the Lord die? Um the Lord died, his mother followed him in that, but was as we teach in the Orthodox Church, was um transferred. She had her own resurrection transferred into heaven as a bodily uh in heaven. There is no relic anywhere and there will there has never been even the slightest claim that there are relics available of the most holy Theotokos, the mother of God.

So that is actually not what has happened to Enoch and Elijah. They are not in heaven. They're not bodily uh like the Panagia and Christ in heaven. It's as if into heaven it says, as if. Just like the os we use um in other places does not mean uh never again. Uh does not mean an absolute it's as if.

He was into heaven. So we don't know the mystery of Enoch and Elijah. We don't know exactly what or how or where, but we know that they're not in heaven. They did not ascend because only one ascended into heaven. And that's uh the Lord. And then of course his mother was brought up into heaven, was transferred into heaven as the first fruits of humanity after our Lord. That's the teaching of the saints and the celebration of the feast in the Orthodox Church.

attest to that teaching. So Enoch is not um was not a sinless life, and he also is not in heaven. He will come again, he will be slaughtered, he will be killed, according to the prophetic utterances, along with Elijah, by the Antichrist. He will die, a physical death. He will be buried. Any uh any thoughts on that, Gregor, before we move on?

I've heard it said that since her son and God uh died, submitted himself to the fate of of all mortals and died, even though he He didn't have to because he didn't sin, uh so too his mother underwent that same uh pass through that same path. Following her son. What's the difference between Orthodox, Western Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox? Um, I don't know what you are exactly referring to when you say Western Orthodox, except that maybe you'd mean the Western right Orthodox?

Uh or you could mean the Orthodox who live in the West. In that sense, there's no difference between the Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox and the Western Orthodox. It's just a geographical um determinate. And so uh if you know, there's n one church, doesn't matter where you are on the face of the earth, what culture or history or background, you're in the one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. The Oriental, so called Oriental Orthodox, unfortunately

Are not in the one holy Catholic Apostolic Church. They're not in communion with the church. They have been out and f and and alienated from the Orthodox Church, unfortunately, since the essentially the fifth or early sixth century when the the schism was finalized and they the various uh orthodox councils uh responded to the various provocations coming from the the the theological problems and errors associated with

either the monophysites per se or the those who tried to reconcile the monophysites and created other problems like the monothelites or the or the um the others. So Uh, they're not Orthodox. They're not properly speaking Orthodox Christians in the Orthodox Church, the one holy Catholic absolute church, and that's just a fact. It's not Father Peter saying I don't like them. I think they're wonderful.

It's not Father Peter saying that um some kind of bias. It's a fact that they're not in the church. Th we don't have communion. We have not had communion for Fifteen hundred years basically. So it it it should not be controversial to say that. It's controversial today because of great ignorance or great agenda. to rush to embrace um and to turn our back on all the saints from the fifth to the twentieth century who've said, No, we don't have the same faith, unfortunately.

And we're actually working on a a massive film and there's another book coming out that will address all these issues in the near future. I recommend a live stream that just came out by Craig Patrick Chulia talking about the problem with the the Um What's the what's the phrase? Uh the orders, the holy orders or the

the legitimacy, this the canonicity of the the ordinations. Uh he has done historical research, gone back and examined on the basis of both Orthodox and non-orthodox sources, uh, the whole history of what how the schism developed and how it uh was solidified and then of what happened to those those hierarchs. It's very interesting. Just came out of I think last week. And so if you're interested in learning more about that, go over to Orthodox Christian Theology.

Craig Patrick Trulia, T-R-U-G-L-I-A. And we recommended that uh on social media recently. It talks about the history of that problem of that schism. And then eventually the heresy that developed. It is is it a problem if the Orthodox Church uh uh has I have access to only baptized by sprinkling? I have another where it does the proper right, but I have much better trust and spiritual relation with the first.

Well, I don't I obviously I have no idea who you're talking about. I can't tell you and can't counsel you on what to do with those particular parishes, but you're the basic question is it a problem to sprinkle? It's absolutely a problem to sprinkle or pour when there's no pastoral imperative. There's no pastoral need. There's no

basis for that economia. We have a krivia, we have exactitude, we have what the gospel teaches. That's what we s cling to. That's what the saints cling to. When I say cling, I mean they cling to it with all their heart, soul, and mind. And only when there's a clear reason a clear need and presuppositions are met, would they ever depart from that?

And that would be the case with any of the holy mysteries. If we're talking about the Holy Eucharist or something, and we're in a prison setting and there's no way we can properly bake proshvara, or there's no way we can properly

I don't know, have a holy chalice, uh, or or or whatever it might be. Of course there's gonna be economia, uh there's gonna be an economy there, there's gonna be a uh dispensation it whatever you want to call it but there is no need there's there's absolutely zero reason and so we have a we may have a problem with the

laziness, we may have a problem with ignorance, maybe a problem with actually a dogmatic consciousness that does not speak well. And we have an idea about baptism which is erroneous or heterodox. And so we should never continence consciously becoming indifferent to that which God has laid down very clearly. He's very very clearly laid down, and the church is very clearly laid down in his canons and his fathers, that baptism means immersion.

Triple immersion and immersion, immersion, immersion, right? You go three times in, three times out. This is basic dogmatic theology. This is not rocket science. If we can't stick to this and do it and get a big enough horse trough or whatever it might be, go down to the river, then we got problems as Orthodox. Like we're we're gonna pay the spiritual price. So I could never contend if somebody comes to me and said, Father, does it matter? Can I just sprinkle? So why?

What's the pastoral imperative? There is no pastoral imperative. There's no need. They just prefer that. So well there's no need there's no way you could that can be blessed. That's not blessable. We don't intentionally, consciously, systematically depart from what the church teaches and has done for two thousand years. If we're ignorant, then we need to become educated. If we're lazy, we need to become disciplined. That's the w path of virtue.

So I could never say to you, go and doesn't matter, do what you like, do what does it matter, nothing matters. This is the spirit of the world. As far as the parishes and who you can trust and not trust, I can't speak to that. Uh G. Navarro says, Are they father and son? Indeed. Gregory is my oldest son. We have five children and Gregory is very much um

involved in all the work here as a graduate from theological school and University of Thessaloniki. Banavan Wales, maybe I'm not sure what that's referring to. It's all that Father Timothy, that's probably not. I think he means the uh the hometown of of uh Saint Patrick, which would have been I don't know the exact location. I think it's disputed, but if not Wales, it's close to Wales. We are taking questions tonight. So that was a question for us. Here we are. We're doing it.

Speaking of missions, thanks for interviewing director Elena Popovich about her new Moses the Black film. Yeah, it is on all streaming platforms now or most streaming platforms now. Everybody should go out and purchase it, even if you don't want to watch it because Well there is profanity in it because it's A film based in the inner city. And unfortunately that's how...

things people roll there, as they say. Uh but you should support the filmmaker because there's not that many Orthodox filmmakers out there. We need every single one. to make progress so we can do uh more and better uh films is uh you know in the future. So Christianity's updates. Yeah, we're we're we're uh getting close to a new update because we're getting close to a new a new kind of uh let's say a new launch, so to speak. We've w gone through various struggles and problems.

And we're hoping to get close to something that will come out soon as a kind of new launch, but we'll we'll keep you posted. There is a lot of work going on in the background. And I think there's a really positive spin coming up. It's positive development, so to speak. So hang in there and we'll get the announcement hopefully soon. Gregory, somebody wants your email. That's the Boomer Grandma. We can do that. We can give that to her Yeah.

What are invalid reasons for a priest to delay baptism or even withhold baptism? Invalid reasons. I mean, If somebody has been preparing, faithfully attending, is ready to be baptized. Uh of course the priest has to determine that. It's it's a somewhat subjective thing, right? Uh but if they've done that for a considerable amount of time. Um they're not the r you know fairly subjective thing. I don't think I can give you some kind of canonical reasons except

If there's some but obviously a bias, there's some kind of economic or some kind of political reason they won't baptize, obviously that's invalid. Um anything you can imagine that would not be uh consistent with the Orthodox imperative to catechize and to baptize. Uh, if they don't want to, because of some humanistic perception of the church, as if baptism can exist autonomously among the heterodox and

Uh people can be baptized outside the church just like you know, maybe they can receive the communion outside the church. Obviously nobody believes that. So where do they get the ideas? That could be a problem. That could be an invalid reason if somebody is pushing a theory, an ecumenistic theory, or a just a very mistaken idea about the boundaries and the identity of the church.

And they're pushing this as if it was patristic teaching and therefore they're saying, I will not baptize you ever. I'll only charismate you. That's a problem. If s no if there's no pastoral reason not to baptize, if there is the presuppositions are met. Then why wouldn't somebody baptize? So um

You can ask me privately if you want more specifics. I don't know what else what else to say about that. How do you know Joseph was an old man? It's not in the Bible how he walked to Egypt as an old man. Okay, so I I had commented uh because somebody had said that uh the Orthodox present or should present Mary and Joseph and the and the Christ as the full family, a perfect family, something like this. And I mentioned that in the Orthodox Church, the Orthodox teaching

St. Joseph is an old man. He's giv he's he he's uh uh his wife is reposed and he has older children, and the he takes on the m the very young Justine um Mariam, mother of God, and protects her and and and and of course uh we know the rest of the history.

Uh that's the Orthodox tradition teaching coming down to us in the patristic texts, in the life of the Mother of God, in the apocryphal texts, et cetera, et cetera. The whole no one anywhere ever in the that to my knowledge in the Orthodox Church. has supposed that he was a young man, a twenty something man, and they were like a young family that we can now, you know, and they they grow old together or something. No.

That's not the Orthodox teaching never has been. And so your question is how do we know? We know because we we're the church. We know because the holy tradition has been passed down to us. We know because The holy fathers speak about this and they're as they're as trustworthy as the holy scriptures because the whole the same spirit

of God as guided them and the church uh as has guided the apostles to write the scriptures to begin with. There's not some some um some reason or any reason for us to doubt. That which has come down to rather we should doubt our own doubting, we should doubt our own l rationalism, we should doubt our own contemporary academics. That's who we should doubt because they're they're baseless in many ways, uh, standing two thousand years later and and acting as if there's some experts.

Uh n you know, they don't know what they don't know, right? And there's a lot that they don't know. So keep that in mind. Uh next question. Normally, one should be a catechumen for a period of time. As a priest monk, I expect the catechumen to live through at least one paschal period. I d I don't know if this was a question for me, but I totally agree with that. There needs to be thorough catechism today. Do not rush church initiation at least a year.

uh for people and they need to learn learn to live and change their way of life, change their whole habits and rhythm and everything and acquire and live the Orthodox faith before they're baptized, right? So they can properly be initiated. I'll let you ask this question and answer it, Gregory. Go for it. Uh your mic is off. Your mic is off. There you go.

Airborne Langinus asks, When did Ireland become Roman Catholic and left the Orthodox tradition? I've heard that the Norman invasion was partially necessary for the Papists to get all of the British island.

Isles maybe? Under the Pope. Of course there's uh it's not a clear cut there's no clear answer because it is a matter of interpretation to a certain degree. Yes, British I British Isles. Thank you. Um it is a matter of interpretation to a certain degree because The Irish and the and the Anglo Saxons didn't didn't self describe themselves as Irish Orthodox. Of course the the schism had just happened. Uh these d distinctions didn't consolidate until uh the Fourth Crusade, more or less.

Uh it was a process of course. But um from our of course we would say that Uh for England it was the Norman invasion of ten sixty six, which was very uh violent. And in fact, uh large swaths of England were subjected to genocide. The uh the harrowing of the north, for example, in the years following the Norman conquest, and the entire upper echelon of Anglo Saxon society was replaced, including the bishops and the pre and many priests.

and the Normans didn't want to honor the Anglo Saxon Saints. So uh if you couple that with the fact that the Archbishop of Canterbury F although was for not for a dogmatic reason, it was more for a uh a question of order, uh ecclesiastical order. Uh but in any case the Archbishop Canterbury had not been uh in communion. Uh 14 years or or twenty, I forget, uh pr prior to the Norman conquest. So when the Great Schism happened. The Pope was or rather

uh the West generally was anathematized. I think it was uh the Cardinal and those with him. uh anathematized by the Pager of Constantinople Constantinople, the Archbishop of Canterbury was not in communion with the Pope, so he was not under anathema. So

Uh anyway, it's inter all very interesting and but it is a matter of interpretation to a certain degree because they w uh in from what I've read, they probably were using the filioque in at least parts of England. Uh but in Ireland now is um Ireland did not come under the Normans until a century later, until the eleventh century, I forget the date.

But it's in our book. It's in our orthodox patristic witness concerning Catholicism, the fattest book, the biggest book we've ever produced. Father Peter, maybe you can put up the banner for that. And there we have uh two pages on the Norman conquest and uh another page two pages or page and a half on the Norman conquest of Ireland, which is also, from what I remember, uh quite uh a bit violent and

was accompanied by similar ecclesiastical uh changes. Uh one second actually, let me just grab the book. No, you're talking about this book here. Yes? Yes, yes. Uh here it is. Uh there. And th this is page uh one fifty six, one hundred fifty seven. Uh the year is uh the Norman invasion of England uh sorry, the Norman invasion of Ireland under Henry the Second in eleven sixty nine to eleven seventy one. And um

So there w yeah that that would have been if there was a cutoff point that would have been it. Uh but I again this is more of a d just as with the schism itself, the gracism itself, it's not a it's not a light switch situation that one day you're you know, you're fully

And then fully Orthodox and the next day suddenly you wake up uh Catholic, papist It's uh I think it's more of a pr a process, it's a question of uh spiritual the spiritual state of the whole body of the church, the spiritual state of the layman, the spiritual state of the Of the priests. These um cataclysmic events that that consolidate or uh set set their seal upon the situation, I would say. Uh Filipino, what what what would you say to that? Thank you. Uh huh.

Yeah, that's perfectly yeah. I agree with what you said. I don't have anything to add to that. Yeah. When did the new idea of Joseph being a young unmarried man before being betrothed to marry come from? When why was the story changed after information? It's a good question. I don't know. I don't know the answer in how it developed in the West. I think it's just ignorance. And uh m like many things in the West, they just uh people just innovated. There's a lot of innovation, but

I don't know. I'm maybe there's maybe there's some strand in the West that goes back and they're they think it's legitimate because there is that idea. At some point or some person in the first millennium, but the consensus of the fathers and the tradition of the church l uh liturgically is is clear.

Yes, I think this is where we are. You have told us that we do not do prostrations on Sunday, but forgiveness Sunday and the Sunday of the cross involves prostrations. And I'm told the clergy always prostrate during the Napra. Um so there are exceptions to every rule. Uh the church does that. It's not strange. As a rule, we never prostrate.

Uh, but there is Forgiveness Sunday. Well, Forgiveness Sunday actually is Vespers of Forgiveness Sunday, right? So we're talking about Vespers for Holy M for Monday of Clean Week. And so the prostrations are done actually at the end of after Vespers liturgically is over. Uh and um

Sunday is over. So that doesn't really apply. But the Sunday of the cross definitely we do as we did, you know, a couple of days ago, venerate the cross and we venerate and we bow down. So there are exceptions to the rule. As far as close your eyes prostrate before the anafora, no, that's not the case. Not in not everywhere. Some some do, some don't. That's not a universal practice in my experience.

Father, can lay people today have Nordic prayer? Absolutely. And there are there are laymen who do. No doubt about it. I feel like I've missed some questions. I need to go back up. I jumped somehow. Here is where we were. What would a catechist catechis a catechesis? look like for someone in Ireland in the time of St. Patrick who may be converted from paganism or something, thank you, Father. I'll let Gregory s take a stab first and I'll see what uh I'll I'll say something after that. Gregory?

Well, the that's a good question. Uh I don't know, really. But I imagine it would it would emphasize more the basic tenets of the Christian faith as opposed to when someone is coming from a Christian heresy we f we also we emphasize the differences with that heresy, of course, naturally. But if someone is coming from paganism You would uh emphasize other things. So actually in the confession

There is a paragraph that is, in a sense, a catechism. It's a uh it's it's a a for a form of symbol of faith. Uh father, uh I can I can I can read it, Father Mm-hmm. So this is at the very beginning of the confession, the second page, he says in Patrick writes For there is no other God, nor ever was, nor shall be hereafter, except the Lord, the unbegotten Father, without beginning, by whom all things have have their being.

who upholds all things, as we have said, and his Son, Jesus Christ, whom together with the Father, we testify to have always existed before the origin of the world, spiritually with the Father, ineffably begotten before every beginning. And by him were all visible things made, and he was made man, death being overthrown, and is in heaven. And God hath given him all power over every name of things, in heaven and earth and hell, hell mean the netherworld.

that every tongue should confess to him that Jesus Christ is Lord, and whose coming we expect before long to judge the living and the dead, who will render to everyone according to his works, who hath poured forth abundantly on us both the gift of his Spirit and the pledge of immortality, who makes the faithful and obedient, to become the sons of God and co heirs with Christ, whom we confess and adore, one God, in Trinity of the Holy Name. For he himself has said by the prophet,

Call upon me in the day of thy trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt magnify me. And again he says it is honourable to revealing in Christ the works of God. So If this is a sample of his catechism, you see an emphasis on there being only one God. that there only ever was one God and and uh even greater emphasis on Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as you know the incarnation, the economy of salvation, the coming judgment, the resurrection, the Holy Spirit, briefly.

uh and uh theosis, you know, the pledge of immortality. Uh but i it's similar in a sense to the the the Nicene Creed, but just less emphasis on on minute uh the on minute uh uh theological uh terms like homousios as well. Given the connection to the East uh that was strong in the Brit in among the um Gaul Galacians Gaul in Gaul and among the Celts, I would think that

What we see in the Eastern catechisms of the fourth four hundreds, a hundred years before the time of the the uh the St. Patrick would probably not be much different than what St. Patrick would have done. And so you had a three year catechesis. Um i ideally, but maybe that wasn't held in stone. And you had an emphasis on a change of life.

And not just an adoption of w a lot of people would have been illiterate probably, right? They wouldn't have been well educated. So talking about a way of life, that would be the most important thing and adopting Prayer, the fasting and the and the the uh You see him making priests, bishops with him, starting monasteries. So everything that you would expect from the monastic life in

Major minor, I think you can expect in St. Patrick. I don't see any reason why you would have some major chasm. Sure, maybe di small differences, but nothing major. Yes. Where are Enoch and Elijah now though? In heaven, in spirit or on earth? We don't know. It's where God determined. There's no no there's no evidence that they're they're not in heaven in the sense of they've passed over into the next world, into the next life. They haven't died.

And so Saint Elder Athanas Matileno says they're in they're they're where God knows them to be. We don't know. But they're They're not gonna come from the grave. They haven't haven't died and they are and they're not g they're not ascended like the Lord ascended into heaven and sit at the right hand of God the Father. So somewhere in the in in between. Yeah. We've already answered that. Father, uh what do you think of St. Patrick?

would have thought about the schism. Do you think he would have gone to the Catholic side or tried to fight the for the true church? Well, I think that I've already answered that by saying he was Orthodox, and so I don't think he would have I don't think he would have embraced the papal supremacy and fallibility. I mean the Celtic the Celtic Church was against In many ways stood against the

in their own way, the Roman uh imperialism in terms of the date of Pasca. Right, Gregory? I mean you wanna maybe say a word or two about that if you're familiar with the history?

Well yes, very briefly. Uh and this was um mostly um a debate a dispute in Britain in in England, uh because the the the mission of Saint Augustine who came from Italy, from Rome Uh they had a different date for Posca and the the Celtic Church had a different date for Posca, which they claimed was from uh the tradition the Asia Minor tradition, as we said earlier.

And we know in ancient times there was a difference in possibly between the Asia Minor tradition of St. Polycarp and Saint John Theologian and that found in Rome and other places. Uh so Uh eventually the rest of the Roman Empire consolidated and they all at the first ecumenical they all decided on one date, and one system for finding Posca.

But um but the ki the uh British Isles being so remote never caught on and so there was a dispute and eventually they had a council a council of uh man my Yeah. And eventually um they decided to go with the ecumenical. cause uh custom, the communical way of the whole Christian world used this. Uh but um th many resisted. Many many uh Mm many h held on to their own traditions in in in their remote monasteries like Iona and didn't want to change.

Because they felt they they said this was what what we received from our Holy Father. And this would have been about what, a hundred years after St. Patrick? Five hundreds? I think more than that. Six hundreds? Six hundreds. Yeah. Council of Whitby was in uh sixth seventh, seventh century. So It's right. Two hundred years after. So I think that the the you know, the Celts and St. Patrick I don't think they would have been uh inclined to adopt uh a sectarian uh

uh position, which is what the papal position was. If you understand it properly in this kind in the in the context of the church at the time, you had one small smallish part of the church, because the church was The five patriarchates. So you have one of the five patriarchates. uh succumbing to the Franks and their political pressure to adopt the Filioque, which the Franks had adopted long ago. And so you have essentially a political and a religious takeover of Rome by the Franks.

And so this would not have been embraced uh by Orthodox saints and orthodox minded people. They resisted it in England. uh, you know, decades later. Uh and that we have people who are thrown into jail for not accepting the filioque. So so I don't I don't see why anybody would think that

he would have been unorthodox in terms of such a basic teaching on the Holy Trinity and then such a basic teaching about Orthodox conciliarity. Uh he was a great ascetic and from the monastic tradition and not uh You know, I don't think you would have been inclined to do that.

Dear father, can you do an episode on the paint particular issue of evangelical Zionism? And would it be so cool if you could talk to Tucker again? Yeah, well, I have that in mind actually, believe it or not. And I had both of those things in mind, and I may do that. That would not be a bad idea at all. Seems to be very imperative now. There is we've we've arrived at such a low level of of so called Christian ideas that were politically being driven by people who have lost their mind.

And they have no clue what Christianity is about. This is the tragedy. Um, it never again ever think if you have or say if you've ha if you've said Oh, these religious ideas, they don't matter that are adopted by these various heterodox. No, look at what what how these are being implied. Leading us to World War Three in many ways. The insanity of uh these uh polar white, you know, type of uh of of heretics. That she's out and right

heretic and she teaches and she's deluded and she's delusional and she's got the ear of uh of the president which is unbelievable. So uh how important is that, right? That we actually have Orthodox faith with regard to the eschaton. You never would have thought that the whole of of America would be taken over by such heretics in terms of the leadership in the White House running our political

uh foreign policy and all the rest. When did the new idea of Joseph being a young man unmarried come from after we already answered that? Somehow that was answered twice. If you missed it, here is the link for the video. Thank you for posting that, Gregory was in the chat. And over there uh on holy orders, I guess it's posted twice for some reason. Any case, check those out. And um we have what is the slide before behind your head, Gregory? Could you please tell

Oh Orthodox Bummer Grandma is asking. Uh this was a poster that I m I made with some help uh for a a class that I taught. uh two years ago. Yeah, yes, a year and a half ago. Uh it was the called The History of the First Millennium. And the the various sli the various images are things are topics that I covered.

Uh including of course uh the Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, East Roman Empire, Ireland, Islamic expansion, Nikhoros Focus, Ish again Israel Empire, Vikings, Sincerely Methodius, enlightening the Slavs, Anglo Saxons, Um the Franks, Charles the Hammer and Charlemagne. And in the bottom there were more slides including um including forget but um uh There was, anyway, there was more than I thought. Yeah, so that's what it is, yeah.

Doctor Crispy says, Imagine Saint Columba of Iona being a follower of Simon Magus. That's what the Romans claimed the descendant of would be. Lord of mercy. That's crazy. All right. Uh We're getting we've got five, six more questions. I personally do prostrations, my daily prayers, even on Sundays. Is the is the proper way to skip them on Sundays may just substitute them with a bow? That is correct.

That is correct. My understanding is that we do not do any prostrations, neither in church nor in our private prayer rule on Sundays. Did we talk about the breastplate of St. Patrick yet? Forgive me if I missed it. No, we didn't. Do you want to talk about that at all? The breastplate's a great prayer. Uh I was thinking maybe we can I was thinking maybe maybe we can read it uh in closing.

Yeah, that's a good idea. Yeah, I'll bring it up as we answered the last question, but I'll bring it up and we'll we'll address it. Thanks for the question, John. Uh I'm a catechumen. I attempt to bring my kids to every service I go to. I have some struggles with keeping them inside during service. Is this a common occurrence with converts? With kids. You bet it is. Yes, it is. It's a common occurrence. But just do your best ask.

around, look at what other people are doing, do your best. Uh you don't want to be excessively uh noisy, obviously, but you but we do love kids and there is a certain Tolerance, but you don't want to overdo it, right? So if there's a consistent, annoying noise or something that is going on, then you should depart.

uh for the sake of the prayers of all the people involved. But if it's very minor and it's manageable in the corner, uh, you know, as long as that's the case, then probably not a big issue. But don't worry about it. It's not in your control. You're not willfully leaving. You're doing a service to to to your children.

Say the Jesus prayer outside on the balcony. Come back in as soon as you can. And little by little by little, there'll be a cat you know, a pedagogy for the children to learn how to be in church. That's okay. There are no deserts in Ireland, but near me in the mountains there is a place name. Desert in Gallic, desert in English. Uh father, um that that reminds me that this was one of the similarities that were quoted in in the the Egyptian desert in the Irish bogs that the place names like that

W uh which is of course reminiscent of Mount Athos, where we s we talk about the desert at Mount Athos, even though it's not sand, but it's a wilderness. So I think that was uh one of the similarities that was cited between Brian Boru was the priestism high king of Ireland, died in ten fourteen. May we consider him an Orthodox king? I don't see why not. I mean uh that's Pretty much the year that Rome introduced the Filioque. I don't think England had adopted it, so in Ireland.

So I don't see why you couldn't. Father Peter, your thoughts on DPH promoting a Catholic book by Father John, I believe. Don't know anything about it. What is what's this referring to? A Catholic book by Father John. Father John what? I yet I have to look at it. I don't know what that's Yeah, I don't spend as as much time. I'm very, very extremely busy right now. I don't spend as nearly as much time online looking at all the the latest from so and so and so and so as I used to.

I do not I never really did, but uh more so in the past. I do not understand what you mean by that. Your mind is blanking, I don't think that recurs. That's not for me. And can you complete that class, Gregory? Can you replete that class? What's what's you? And uh the co the history of the first millennium and we have Gina Varro also asking if we can do a video series uh about the h history of the first millennium.

Well yes, all right. So I am working on a history book uh on that time period. It's it will be m uh so far it's m uh it's uh there's a rough draft of it and it's it is meant for middle school or upper elementary children. But uh once that one once that is out, which I think will be very helpful for for h orthodox homeschoolers, well I c I couldn't make I can make a Um up let's see a older a version for older readers.

Uh and we have we have thought before Peter we have we have had thoughts of doing some online online uh classes or online lectures like that, uh like a history, uh for example, Orthodox history uh course. Uh but uh so well yeah, we'll we'll let you know, of course. We're we're we're thinking about it and um God willing, some maybe sometime in the f near future we we may do that, yes. So stay tuned.

Okay, almost done with the questions. Then we'll go to the breastplate. And I think the last question is this one here. Uh what do you do when you want to live the angelic life of celibacy as the Saint John of Cronstadt and others, but you also really want children? Biologically, I don't see how one how one can have both. Um

No, no, and I don't think you want to get into into into new top techniques of child conception and all the rest which is not blessed. No, you have to choose one or the other and humble yourself, but this is a question for your spiritual father. And going to an elder or spiritual guide who can really um assist you. Um I don't think there's a third way. Uh if you want children, you get married. If you don't

And you want to be alone and live the angelic life, then you go and the angelic life is not just of celibacy, that's the monastic life. It's not of celibacy. You can be a celibate person and not live the angelic life. So it's not a question of abstention from sexual relations. That doesn't make you a monk.

It's one of the things you give up, but that doesn't make you something positive, right? So uh there's two different lives. That's what we have to focus on, not what you're giving up or not having, but how you're living. And in a way, the two different lives, but in another way, they're totally united. Right? Because there's one gospel. Uh there's one gospel and we're all called to prayer and fasting. We're all called to struggle. So I don't I don't I don't think there's a

Some ways they're totally different, some ways they're very much the same. And so make sure you understand each one on its own merits. Pray, attend, see if you can spend time in the monastery, and then it'll become apparent to you whether you have You know, the blessing is stay in the monastic life. If not, then you get married and you live that life, which is blessed. It's a blessed life. Okay, unless somebody's going to tell me what that last book is about.

We have one more question here. Let me put it on the screen. Do you have any recommendations for homeschool history resources? Just now joining the chat. I'll let Gregory answer that if you have any thoughts. If you don't, that's fine. Uh where was that? Any recommendations? Um not off the top of my head. Um the only thing that that uh comes to mind is as a systematic resource. I uh well what I used when I was in elementary school was Susan Weisbaur's um story of the world.

Uh which is good because it also has um two accompanying volumes with uh coloring pages and especially activities, which are very, very helpful. If you do the activities, then it's uh definitely worth it. And then there's also a volume with the quizzes if you if you're into that. But um of course Uh when it comes to Orthodox history she has major blind spots as a Western Protestant.

Uh and so her chapters on well, she doesn't really cover her her the only Byzant Byzantine history, quote unquote, is Justinian that she covers. And um anyway, so So it's less than ideal and and ev even for the Western Middle Ages she doesn't spend too much time on them. But that's uh until I finish my book, that's that's what I would recommend, yeah.

So according to Dr. Crisp, uh uh DPH did not promote a Catholic book. He showed a Catholic exorcist stream about demons. And I guess this is this father Chad who is on with uh The interviewer. That's not Father Jan, though. That's Jade, I think, isn't it? No. Ha ha. Yeah, I think that's who they're talking about, right? The one who was on with that uh well known interviewer recently. Yeah, I don't know much about that.

Um he says that DPH is the four stream commenting on Father Chad. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I've heard about him. I you know, seems like a serious man, but of course he's Yeah. He's not Orthodox, so what to do about that, not sure. Not my time is not that great. All right, I think that's it. Um I think that's we've run out of questions and

We're sorry if we missed any of your questions. Forgive us, but I think we had a good stream tonight until it let's what's the takeaway? Um my my uh what I would like to stress for everybody and the takeaway for tonight's live stream and the question answer session is gonna be to focus on those common aspects of the saints like St. Patrick and and the contemporary missionaries like Father Gosmas and others that we can then apply and as much as possible in our own life.

And understand that we're all missionaries. Every one of us uh has a role to play in the world people around us. And Father Saint Paisos told Father Cosmas when he went to Africa, he said Essentially, you you will not be doing the bulk of the mission work. It'll be the people who the first people who convert through you.

the priest, the future priest that convert through you. Then they become priest and then they go out and they are of the local community. So um Father Cosmas understood that it was going to be the entire community would be the missionaries, not just Father Cosmas. Not just St. Patrick, right? But all the people that converted to St. Patrick that be they become the missionaries. So that applies to all of you.

That applies to all of us, uh with our per particular parishes, with our particular communities, and it's more imperative than ever. uh that we share orthodoxy because everyone who comes into contact with it with a good disposition and humility uh sees immediately that this is the church that they never knew they always want. Uh so let's uh let's take the inspiration from St. Patrick today on his feast day and and follow in his footsteps and become ourselves.

uh followers of the saints. That's my two words. Um and let me know what you think, Gregory, and then we'll uh we'll we'll give an announcement or two and then we'll head out. Uh yes, I I'm I just remembered this and I'm very glad because I did want to mention it. Oh, we're gonna put the breastplate up as well. Forgive me. Go ahead. are are alive. They're alive in Christ. Of course

the souls of the departed don't die, they don't disintegrate. They're still alive, but we say they're asleep. But the saints are ali especially alive in Christ and and let's say awake in Christ and I heard this in a talk two years ago. had a conference I was at and stuck uh stuck with me that the saints are and our ancestors in general, but our s the saints are especially are part of our community, especially in the church. Where we commemorate the saints in the divine Eucharist.

Or Our church community is not just the the people who show up to the parish, but all the all the ones who participate in the heavenly l liturgy because there's one liturgy and both Both the Theotokos and the angels and the saints and ourselves participate in the same Eucharist. We're all one in in the liturgy. And and By commemorating the saints.

And by praying to them and asking for their help and honouring them in whichever way, whether it's by personal offerings, by candles, by by our private prayers, or as a community, by dedicating churches to their honour, or by naming our children in their honour. or publishing books or translating books in their honor, uh we we strengthen this bond with the heavenly members of our one community. And I think that is very important. And that that's uh my takeaway. I I um

I um preparing for this stream, I have come to know St. Patrick much better than I used to. I I love him even more and uh may may he pray for pray for me, pray for us. At Orthodox Heathers, may he pray for all of you, especially those who are celebrating names days today. Any Patrick's or Patricia's. We had and we have Kirkpatrick somewhere in here. Many years and may St. Patrick always pray for you and happy St. Patrick's Day.

I mean, I mean, I mean. All right, before we go to the last thing, which is the best plate, this is last one last one last question. Brother Peter, any thoughts on Iran prophecies and the recent events unfolding? Well, I did a live stream recently. We talked about that. So check out the live stream. Um yeah, I'm very interested in in what's unfolding. Obviously, we all should be. I think that it this is

quite different than what happened last year in J June or May or June or whatever it was. This is an a level and this has a backing and a I mean this is clearly another world for the Trumpians. Uh I think we're heading toward major events and I think we need to prepare. I think we need to prepare for an economic downturn of the of of monumental proportions. And we all need to start

Preparing for that as much as much as we can. I think there's going to be global uh repercussions. It doesn't I don't see any reason to think that. there's an there's an off ramp, at least not immediately. Uh everything I'm listening and talking to and seeing is that this is uh this is gonna get worse and worse. So God help us. Um we may be, you know

We never know time. Time is is in God's hands and in and in in our hands in a sense of whether we repent or not, meaning all of humanity, whether we're repenting. So you don't know times, but the signs are very, very much multiplying. And the um the likelihood of a of a global kind of covet economic turn d downturn and some kind of manufactured uh reason for

repri repression of uh uh first amendment rights, I think that's all very much on the table, uh if if things continue to spiral out of control. So let's let's be very prayerful. but also take steps uh on our in our own world, in our own life, just to be prepared for difficult days. All right. Let's also in that preparation and in that uh

spirit of watchfulness and mindfulness and trust in God, but also prayer and fasting. Let's read this beautiful. I just found this not the greatest version, but that's all right. Let's read this ver this beautiful prayer by St. Patrick. I rise today through the mighty strength strength invocation of the Trinity through belief in the threeness through confession of the oneness of the Creator of Creation. I rise today through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism.

To the strength of his crucifixion with his burial, to the strength of his resurrection with his ascension, to the strength of his descent with the judgment of doom. I rise today through the strength of the love of the cherubim, in obedience of angels, and the service of archangels, and the hope of the resurrection to meet with reward.

In the prayers of patriarchs, in the predictions of prophets, in the preaching of apostles, in the faith of confessors, in the innocence of holy virgins, in the deeds of righteous men. I rise today through the strength of heaven, the light of the sun, the radiance of the moon, the splendor of fire, the speed of lightning, sweetness swiftness of wind, the depth of the sea, the stability of the earth.

the firmness of rock. I rise to day Through God's strength to pilot me, through God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me. God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me, God's shield to protect me, God's host to save me. From snares of devils, from temptations of vices, from everyone who shall wish me ill afar and near. I summon today all the powers between me and those evils.

Ever against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and soul against incan incantations of false prophets, against black laws of pandemic. against pagan dumb, against false laws of heretics, against craft of idolatry, against spells of witches and smiths and wizards, against every knowledge that corrupts man's soul, body and soul. Christ to shield me today against poison, against burning, against drowning, against wounding, so that there may come to me.

An abundance of reward Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right hand, Christ at my left. Christ when I lay down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise. Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

Amen. All right, folks. Thank you for much for being with us tonight. A little chant and then we're out. We'll see you on Wednesday, on Thursday rather. On Thursday, we're going back to our lovely our beloved St. Hilarian. Troitsky, the new martyr. We're going back to uh look again at his beautiful writings. Let me tell you exactly the title for Thursday, Thursday nights. um lesson. It is. You can find this by the way on our social media, on our website.

Thursday nineteenth, Saint Hilarian on Holy Scripture in the Church. Great, great lecture for every single Protestant out there. Every single Protestant can just Just be overwhelmed by the truth of the church and the holy scripture. I'm saying Hilarian in two days' time. God bless everybody. Good to have you. Good to see you. Thanks for your participation. Keep us in your prayers, and we'll see you soon.