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
Center for Family Care
June 3, 2019
In the Divine Liturgy, right before the Consecration, the priest holds up the gifts and prays, “Thine own of Thine own, we offer to you, on behalf of all and for all.” In other words, we offer back to God the gifts he gave us. Read More
Center for Family Care
May 27, 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
May 20, 2019
We are made in the image and likeness of God, which means we are made to be like God. As Trinity, God is three persons, meaning He Himself is in perfect relationship—with Himself. Since we are made to be like God, we are also called to have perfect relationships with each other and with God. We attain perfect relationships by loving each other. When we fail to act in love, we sin, and when we sin we have the opportunity to reconcile with God and each other through forgiveness. Read More
Center for Family Care
May 15, 2019
As we are filled with the radiant light of the Resurrection, we look forward and also look back. By looking back on our Lenten journey, we realize our family has grown in strength and endurance through the struggles we overcame together. As we look forward to the future, we strive to continue using the tools that Lent has given us to grow in spiritual maturity, together as a family, in our continued journey ahead. Read More
Center for Family Care
May 6, 2019
Saint John of the fourth century is a frequent source for reflection on family life in the twenty-first. His reverence for family rings clear across the centuries, and this is true especially in his appreciation for motherhood. Saint John elevated motherhood to something beyond the mundane, daily care of children and into the realm of spiritual significance. Directing his remarks at mothers, he said, “I mean, the children being born, provided they receive proper care and are brought up to virtue by your attention, prove a basis and occasion of complete salvation for you; and in addition to your own virtuous acts you will receive a great reward for your care of them” (Homily on Hannah, Old Testament Homilies by Robert Hill). Thus Chrysostom saw motherhood as a salvific opportunity, as a vocation that can lead to the heavenly reward. Read More
Center for Family Care
May 1, 2019
You are sitting in church during the Resurrection service. It is virtually pitch black; the most notable exception is a single flicker of light from the altar. The warm sound of hymns fills the air, and the anticipation is building. You have been waiting for this moment for almost seven weeks—maybe, all year. Now the priest emerges from the sanctuary with a lit candle, chanting “Come, receive the light…” The once-dark space rapidly becomes aglow as the faithful eagerly accept and pass on the light. Read More
Center for Family Care
April 15, 2019
IT’S SUMMER! We bask in this wonderful time for family, friends, relaxing, and fun. It's a time for vacations from work and school. But there is one vacation we shouldn’t consider this summer—and that is from Church. Church should be the center of our lives throughout the year, and summer is no exception! So join us this summer as we #soakuptheSON. Read More
Center for Family Care
February 4, 2019
Where can young people experience God's love better than in a Christ-centered home? We need the home environment that includes parents, grandparents, and relatives to manifest this love of God. Learn about what a Church in the Home looks like. Read More
Center for Family Care
January 18, 2019
In the traditional sense, family is composed of the parents and children in a household all brought together by divine grace—the “domestic church.” Additionally, it must be understood that the Church—the body of Christ—constitutes a broader dimension of family through the very real spiritual relationship established through the baptism and chrismation that unites all of its members. We are all one family in Christ! Read More
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