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An evil faith and a false Church is arising."  

St. Theophan the Recluse
(often quoted by Archbishop Averky)

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Vladyka Agafangel Homily on Nativity of Theotokos

ROCOR: Patronal Feast at the Convent
Author: Metropolitan Agafangel. Date of publication: September 8/21, 2026. Category: ROCOR.
http://internetsobor.org/index.php/novosti/rptsz/rptsz-khramovyj-prazdnik-v-zhenskom-monastyre

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The Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos marks the patronal feast day of the convent (Abbess Alexandra). On this day, Metropolitan Agafangel celebrated the Divine Liturgy there, concelebrated by Hieromonk Iakov and Deacon Georgy Kucherenko. Following the service, a festive monastic meal was held.

A celebration of the spiritual dawn breaking over our land. A sermon by Metropolitan Agafangel delivered during the patronal feast of the convent in the village of Egorovka, near Odessa (Abbess Alexandra). The Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, September 8/21, 2026.

Nativity of Theotokos Homily
Vladyka Agafangel
2026

The Church praises the Mother of God, singing: "From you shone forth the Light to the world—Christ our God."  That is to say,

If Christ is often compared to the sun, then today’s feast can be compared to the dawn.  This is the first feast of the church year.  And the entire circle of our life begins with the dawn — at the moment the Mother of God was born. At last, the human race had awaited the one who would be worthy, so that Christ might be born of her.  Christ, of course, is the true sun—the spiritual sun.

We know that in the heavenly kingdom there will be no celestial luminaries.  The only light there will be the light of Christ.  That is to say, Christ will illuminate everything.  As for the present time, right now... the day has already passed, and the spiritual darkness of sin, apostasy, and unbelief is already thickening around us.

These are likely the final days — for given how faith has waned and sin has multiplied on earth, surely nothing like this has ever happened in history.  May God grant us the strength to withstand this darkness surrounding us.  

And that is why we must earnestly pray to the Mother of God, the Mother of Light, so that she will help us stand firm  ...so that the light of Christ may remain in our souls until our very last breath.  

May the Lord protect you all.  Amen.

Sermon taken from You Tube transcript and put through the Google machine translator.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up6dWkk8rzk

Note from Joanna:
     Just the opposite of world-orthodoxy, to which ROCOR-MP now clearly belongs, the historic true ROCOR has always obeyed Christ's command to watch.   Our ROCOR Fathers have always been keenly aware of the signs of the times, and never neglect to encourage us to be mindful of the times.  This is so unlike world-orthodoxy that not only neglects end times teachings, but even will ridicule you if you express an interest in it.   Once I pointed out something that Archbishop Averky had said about the end times to a newly-submitted ROCOR-MP priest.  He silenced me by abruptly scolding me, "Worry about your own end."  Apparently, ROCOR-MP Abp. Kyrill, Western Diocese, had instructed his priests to immediately squelch any interest in end times with this reminder.  Soon later, from a different newly-submitted ROCOR-MP priest, I found out the hard way that it is not ok to say anything that might imply a question about the new calendar.
     How comforting it is! how fortunate we are! to be in the historic ROCOR with our trusted Fathers, such as Archbishop Averky and Fr. Michael Pomazansky and Fr. Seraphim Rose.

Update in Joanna's Shared Library

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UPDATE TO 

Joanna's Shared Library 

In David's folder, the pdf of Journey Beyond Death has been updated in a 2nd version to include the last page which was missing in the 1st version

Another way to find updates is when you are in Shared Library, click on UPLOADED having the little arrow point down.  The most recent uploads are on then on the top of the list. 

The Wheat Grows with the Tares

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https://pokrovtruth.substack.com/p/the-holy-order-of-mans-cult-a-comprehensive

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Vl. Agafangel's Audio Sermons can be translated into machine English

I found a way to translate Vladyka's audio sermons:  Today's sermon: Sept 6, 2026 n.s.  Ven. Seraphim of Platina (transferred from Sept 2 n.s.).
Митрополит Агафангел: Только Бог знает избранных
http://internetsobor.org/index.php/stati/avtorskaya-kolonka/mitropolit-agafangel-tolko-bog-znaet-izbrannykh
Автор: Митрополит Агафангел. Дата публикации: 06 сентября 2026. Категория: Авторская колонка. 

 

— click on the video "Watch on You Tube" and a You Tube page opens up

— at the end of the video description,  click on "more..." 
     this description will be found below the video, but above the Comments.

— After the "more" opens up, look for and click on the button "Show transcript"
     this button also appears above the Comments

— Then top right corner of the screen opens a smaller window with the transcript in Russian

— Copy/paste the Russian transcript text into a translator (translate.google.com)

Мы знаем, что Господь часто говорил притчами. Он это делал для того, чтобы это было понятно вот всем людям. Он
0:08
8 seconds
старался говорить на понятном языке для всех людей. Ну вот сейчас уже даже вот
0:15
15 seconds
эти притчи, которые Господь говорил, нуждаются в изъяснении. Пир брачное, вот то, что мы сегодня слышали в Евангелии,
0:24
24 seconds
это небесное царство. А званное в это небесное царство, это вот священники, епископы, монахи, вот вот все, кто вот
0:33
33 seconds
как христиане, значит, вот они видят, все люди, что вот они христиане, что они вот в церкви и всё там стараются. Вот
0:41
41 seconds
вот они званные. И вот когда наступит время, оказывается, что вот эти званные,
0:49
49 seconds
они все не готовы. Оказывается, они все обременены какими-то своими земными житейскими делами, которые не дают им
0:57
57 seconds
войти в небесное царство. Казалось бы, по жизни он прямо такой вот христианин, а в действительности у него есть
1:05
1 minute, 5 seconds
какие-то житейские дела или какие-то там тайные грехи, которых он любит. И вот это вот не даёт им, вот этим званым,
1:14
1 minute, 14 seconds
войти в небесное царство. И Господь сказал, что соберите всех христиан, всех, у кого нет вот этой земной
1:21
1 minute, 21 seconds
привязанности и которые желают войти в царство небесное. Всех соберите, вот кто есть. И вот слуги, ангелы собирают всех
1:31
1 minute, 31 seconds
христиан. Конечно, они христиане, это не в брачй одежде. Если оних Христа не признавали при жизни, то, конечно, и они
1:39
1 minute, 39 seconds
не могут быть спасены и быть в небесном царстве. Вот. Соберите всех простых нищих духом. людей, пусть они заполнят
1:47
1 minute, 47 seconds
моё царство. Вот как Господь учит, что нельзя иметь никаких земных привязанностей, которые бы нас удержали
1:56
1 minute, 56 seconds
здесь на Земле и не дали нам возможности взойти в небесное царство. И вот мы тоже
2:04
2 minutes, 4 seconds
должны стараться это понимать. Конечно, житейские заботы, они есть, и никуда они не денутся. Мы должны их исполнять. Но
2:13
2 minutes, 13 seconds
самое главное для нас - это небесное царство. Брачный пир - это пир вечный, это упование со Христом. И вот это
2:20
2 minutes, 20 seconds
должно быть для нас самым главным в нашей жизни. И вот именно к этому должна стремиться наша душа.
2:27
2 minutes, 27 seconds
Ся

We know that the Lord often spoke in parables. He did this so that everyone could understand. 

He tried to speak in a language understandable to all people. 

Well, even now these parables that the Lord spoke need clarification. 


The wedding feast, that's what we heard in the Gospel today, is the heavenly kingdom. 

And those called to this heavenly kingdom are priests, bishops, monks, all those who as Christians, so they see, all the people, that they are Christians, that they are in church and doing their best there.

They are the called ones. 

And when the time comes, it turns out that these called ones, are not ready. 

It turns out they're all burdened by some earthly, everyday affairs that prevent them from entering the heavenly kingdom. 

It would seem that he's a perfect Christian in life, but in reality, he has some worldly affairs or some secret sins that he loves. 

And this prevents them, these invited ones, from entering the heavenly kingdom. 

And the Lord said, gather all Christians, all who have no earthly attachments and who desire to enter the kingdom of heaven. 

Gather them all, that's who they are. 

And so the servants, the angels, gather all Christians. 

Of course, they are Christians, not in wedding clothes. 

If they did not recognize Christ during his lifetime, then, of course, they cannot be saved and be in the heavenly kingdom. 
 
So.  Gather all the simple, poor in spirit, people, let them fill my kingdom. 

This is how the Lord teaches that we must not have any earthly attachments that would hold us here on Earth and prevent us from ascending to the heavenly kingdom. 

And so we, too must try to understand this. 

Of course, worldly concerns exist, and they will not go away. We must fulfill them. 

But the most important thing for us is the heavenly kingdom. 

The wedding feast is an eternal feast; it is hope with Christ. 

And this should be the most important thing in our lives. 

And this is precisely what our soul should strive for.

Xia

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Ven. Seraphim of Platina

Archbishop George: A Word on Fr. Seraphim (Rose)

  posted on Internet Sobor in 2025
  Author: Metropolitan Agafangel. Publication date: September 2, 2025. Category: Авторская колонка.

source:
  http://internetsobor.org/index.php/stati/avtorskaya-kolonka/arkhiepiskop-georgij-slovo-o-prep-serafime-rouz

Brothers and sisters!  Today, with prayerful reverence, we honor a saint close to our own time: the Venerable Seraphim of Platina, who shone forth within the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia during the terrible twentieth century.  We all know that the Orthodox Church recognizes certain holy servants of God known as *Venerable* — a title given to monastics.  These are monastics who, fully freely and consciously — while recognizing and mourning their own sinful brokenness — strove for holiness and sought to become like Jesus Christ.  They succeeded on this path by fulfilling, in humility and repentance, the vows of celibacy, obedience, and non-possessiveness.  In other words, they came to know through experience that Orthodoxy is a living communion between God and man, between the heavenly and the earthly, between the living and the departed.  They understood that becoming like God — the highest goal and essence of the spiritual life for any Orthodox Christian — means unfolding within oneself moral qualities and the image of God through the cooperation of Divine grace.  It is no coincidence that they taught that this possibility is granted only through living union with Christ in His Church.  "Without Me you can do nothing," as the Lord said (John 15:5).

St. Symeon the New Theologian wrote:  "He who has united his will with the Divine Spirit has become godlike; having received Christ into his heart, he has (truly) become a Christian from Christ, bearing within himself the image of the One Christ — Who is utterly beyond grasp and truly inaccessible to all created beings."

Among the ranks of the saints of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, the Venerable Seraphim (Rose) shines forth. Born on August 13, 1934, in San Diego, California, into a non-Orthodox environment, he sought the truth in this earthly life and found the living Truth — Christ — within His Holy Church, the Orthodox Church.  As a young man, Eugene became the spiritual son of the now globally venerated Saint John of San Francisco, a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.  In time, he embraced the monastic life and became a clergyman of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, serving as a hieromonk.  Through his monastic life — characterized by humility, repentance, and spiritual discernment — Venerable Seraphim strove for God-likeness through prayer, fasting, and labor.  He upheld the truth within the Russian Church, denouncing "Sergianism" — that pernicious and ungodly alliance between the Church organization and the God-fighting regime; he spoke of the Catacomb Church and the New Martyrs in the atheistic Soviet state; and he opposed the heresy of ecumenism, condemning the modern falling-away from Christ and the lukewarmness of Christians.  At the same time, he counseled against the dangerous extremes of spiritual life: indifference and zeal without understanding.  He led many to Christ and to union with the Orthodox Church. He eventually became widely known among the Orthodox faithful as a missionary and spiritual writer, the author of numerous works that have profoundly influenced Orthodox Christians in the United States and in our post-Soviet homeland.

Venerable Seraphim departed to the Lord at the age of 48 on September 2, 1982.  He was glorified among the Venerable Saints by the Council of Bishops of ROCOR — specifically, the part of ROCOR that did not enter into union with the Soviet pseudo-church — under the omophorion of First Hierarch Metropolitan Agafangel, on November 8/21, 2024, at the ROCOR Synodal Representation in Odessa.

As we know, for us Orthodox Christians, the saints are not distant, inaccessible, or "mythical" figures.  The Savior Himself said: "Have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?  God is not the God of the dead, but of the living" (Matthew 22:31–32).  The saints are our close spiritual brothers in the faith, friends, and mentors to whom we — still "sailing the stormy sea of ​​life" — turn with prayers for help, finding guidance in the example of their arduous lives of repentance.

"Like a merchant seeking fine pearls, you found Orthodoxy, 
preached the true faith, and called all to repentance. 
May the light of Christ shine within us through your prayers,
O Venerable Father Seraphim." 
(Troparion, Tone 8). 

Amen.
+ Архиепископ Георгий
20/02 сентября 2025 г.

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new 2026 professional digital photo files 

available for download in Joanna's Shared Library

see Fr. Seraphim's Folder

3 files named: 2026 Tom Glynn icon Seraphim 

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Sister Church Announcement of Fr. Seraphim Rose Glorification

November 2024 
Our SISTER CHURCH in Bulgaria makes this announcement on their official website:
https://bulgarian-orthodox-church.org/ch-life/official/message20241125.html

machine translation:

     By decision of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCC), during the divine service on the occasion of the patronal feast of the Odessa Church of St. Archangel Michael (November 21 /November 8, 2024), the church glorification of the well-known American missionary, ascetic and spiritual writer Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose) in the image of the venerable fathers was performed.  The Divine Liturgy was led by His Eminence Metropolitan Agathangel of New York and Eastern America, First Hierarch of the ROCC, in the service of Their Eminences Archbishop George of Chisinau and Moldova and Bishop Alexy of Chador-Lunga, with the participation of the Odessa clergy.

    The annual memory of Rev. Seraphim Platinsky will be celebrated on September 2 (August 20, 2024), the day of his death.  The short biography (in Russian) and the service in honor of the newly glorified venerable father are available on the Internet.

From the Office of the Synod of Bishops
of the Bulgarian Orthodox
Old Style Church

 Note:  We see here in the above announcement, our Sister Church puts the Church calendar date in parentheses after the world calendar date.  Our ROCOR has always put the Church Calendar date ahead of the world calendar date.  So, make a quick mental adjustment, so not to give Antichrist added delight for causing confusion.  Fr. Seraphim died during the afterfeast of Dormition.

Fr. Seraphim is loved all over the world, like St. John S&SF.  His books & writings continue to be translated into other languages.