Center for Family Care
February 24, 2020
The question I am asking and attempting to partly answer in this reflection is “Why?” What exactly is at the heart of the way we deem some human beings more valuable - more fully human - than others? Why do we despise certain groups and see them as threats to our wellbeing? Why do we see our own children as enemies waiting to steal our lives from us? Read More
Center for Family Care
January 1, 2020
The beginning of January, the first month of the civil calendar, is a traditional time in our society when countless people take something of an inventory of their lives, resolving to implement changes in the hope of bringing about the desired effect. Read More
Center for Family Care
August 25, 2019
On September 1, we celebrate the Ecclesiastical (Church) New Year. This day has also been set aside by the Ecumenical Patriarch as a special day of Read More
Center for Family Care
August 18, 2019
The significance of an Orthodox Christian’s regular participation in the sacrament of Holy Communion cannot be overstated. Having received the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are mystically united to Him and one another.also been set aside by the Ecumenical Patriarch as a special day of Protection for the Environment. During prayers this week, read Psalm 103 (104), which is read at the beginning of Vespers. Read More
Center for Family Care
August 11, 2019
As descendants of Adam and Eve, we have inherited the reality of a fallen world. One of the basic truths we accept as Orthodox Christians is that we are sinners. This is important to acknowledge. as “offering” and, as such, is a fitting name for the bread we bring to church for the Divine Liturgy. The making of prosphora in our homes is an opportunity for families to gather and participate in the life of the Church in a meaningful way. Read More
Center for Family Care
August 5, 2019
“Six or seven out of ten young people will leave the church in college and never return.” This quote, or others like it, has been used by anxious youth workers and campus ministers for at least the past decade. For parents who want their kids to stay connected to the Church, this sounds terrifying, and it is. Read More
Center for Family Care
August 4, 2019
The significance of an Orthodox Christian’s regular participation in the sacrament of Holy Communion cannot be overstated. Having received the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are mystically united to Him and one another. It is only God Who makes us worthy of such a wondrous gift. In His great mercy, we approach the chalice with fear, faith, and love—fully committed to lead holy, transfigured lives. Read More
Center for Family Care
August 1, 2019
Over the past several decades the external pressures and challenges associated with parenting teenagers have been varied. As Christian parents we recognize the importance of raising Godly-minded children and we must take appropriate steps to help them in their journey toward Him. Read More
Center for Family Care
July 28, 2019
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration. As a family, at home read the epistle and gospel for the feast at dinnertime. This feast has an afterfeast period of seven days. During these seven days, pray the festal hymns during your family prayer time. If you like, you can even learn how to chant them by listening online. Read More
Center for Family Care
July 21, 2019
As the month of July expires, our attention turns to the two-week fasting period (August 1–14) preceding the final great feast day of the ecclesiastical year, the Dormition of the Theotokos (August 15). At this time, it is customary for Orthodox Christian communities to gather and alternately pray the small and great Paraklesis (supplication) services to the Theotokos on most evenings during the fast. Read More
Center for Family Care
July 14, 2019
This week we would like you to pray for your parents every day during your family or individual prayer time. You can pray with words from your heart, or you can use the following prayer. Read More
Center for Family Care
July 7, 2019
The Church’s lectionary designates Scripture readings for every day of the year. The readings correspond to the particular ecclesiastical season in which the Church finds itself.And with good reason! In a concise manner, praying “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (or one of its variations) helps us to follow the Apostle Paul’s exhortation to “pray without ceasing” Read More
Center for Family Care
June 30, 2019
Make an effort to attend either an upcoming Vespers or Orthros before Divine Liturgy on Sunday. Encourage your family to pay attention to how we use our five senses to worship during church services. Read More
Center for Family Care
June 27, 2019
As a priest, there is nothing more depressing than seeing the joyous faces of our youth in Church one week, and then NOT seeing them the next simply because Sunday school has ended for the school year. There is no such thing as a ‘vacation’ from Church! Read More
Center for Family Care
June 23, 2019
On June 23, the Orthodox Church commemorates the Sunday of All Saints, which honors the eternal memory of every man, woman, and child, throughout the ages, that “finished the race” having “fought the good fight” and received “the crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:7–8). Read More
Center for Family Care
June 16, 2019
On Sunday, June 16, we celebrate Pentecost. Take time to learn to chant the apolytikion/troparion to sing during the feast and through the Apodosis (Leave-Taking) of Pentecost on Saturday, June 2. Read More
Center for Family Care
June 13, 2019
Our real, albeit mystical, union with God is what leads us to understand, or at least appreciate, the connection between family, church and heaven. When one is united to our Heavenly Father, one cannot help but discuss every aspect of life from the perspective of union with Him, whether fathers and their families are grilling in the back yard or receiving the Eucharist in Church on Sunday. Read More
Center for Family Care
June 11, 2019
Hi! My name is Fr. Sampson Kasapakis. My favorite color is blue. If I could become any superhero, I would be Batman. I am a new parent, and I am terrified about raising my children in the world today. I am even MORE terrified of the future world my three-year-old and two-year-old will have to experience as teenagers. Well, that escalated quickly, huh? Read More
Center for Family Care
June 9, 2019
This Saturday, June 15, is the fourth and final Saturday of Souls service. Praying for those who have departed this life is not something we should do on Saturday of the Souls or Memorial Services—rather it should be part of our regular prayer life. Read More
Center for Family Care
June 3, 2019
"I'm bored… there's nothing to do… are we there yet… play with me." These are the calls of our children during summer vacation. Rather than hearing these statements as pesky intruders, it is possible to think of them as voices crying out from the wilderness of the young soul, seeking activity, connection, and stimulation within the safe environment of the family vacation. Read More
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