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Articles On The Faith | American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America

July 6, 2026 · 1 min read

"Occupy yourself with reading with a calm spirit, so that your mind may be constantly raised up to contemplation of the wondrous acts of God, lifted, as it were, by some hand outstretched to it. " Abba Evagrius

The Orthodox Christian Church was born on Pentecost in AD 33 with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles (see Acts 2:2-4). Through the missionary labors and martyric witness of countless men and women, and through the unbroken handing-down of the pure apostolic faith, it spread to every corner of the world: first the Near East, then Europe, Africa, and Asia. Orthodoxy was planted in North America in the late 18th century by monastic missionaries from Russia. Today the worldwide Orthodox Church has more than 225 million members. Each national Church (Russian, Greek, Serbian, etc.) is independent and self-administering, but is united in faith and sacraments with all the others. Some five million Orthodox from diverse ethnic backgrounds now live in the United States and Canada.

Orthodoxy believes that the eternal truth of God's revelation in Jesus Christ is preserved in its full integrity in the living tradition of the Church, under the guidance and inspiration…

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Emily Young

That quote from Abba Evagrius hit me right away — I keep trying to read the lives of the saints with the girls before bed, but half the time my mind is still stuck on tax deadlines. Good reminder that the faith really did travel from Pentecost all the way to those Russian monks landing in Alaska. Makes our little parish feel less random.

رانيا معلوف

The quote from Abba Evagrius reminds me every time I open the Book of Saints after a shift in the hospital. My brain is tired and I think about the laundry I need to wash, but I try to read one page quietly, as he said. Thank you for the article. I liked the idea that faith reached us from the day of Pentecost to the Russian monks in America.

Rachel Miller

That Evagrius quote is spot on. I try to read a bit of the saints after my shift at the shop but my head's usually full of stock lists and whether I remembered to buy eggs for tomorrow's bake. Nice to be reminded the same faith that started at Pentecost reached those Russian monks who brought it here.

David Scott

That Evagrius line is spot on — I’ve caught myself reading the same page three times while mentally replaying yesterday’s lunch rush at the café. The Alaska connection always gets me too; those monks really brought the whole chain from Pentecost right to our doorstep. What saint are you and the girls on at the moment?

Росица Петрова

This quote from Abba Evagrius really got me - in the evening I try to read the lives of the saints with the children, and the notebooks for checking and what to buy at the market tomorrow are still spinning in my head. I like how it reminds me that the faith went all the way back to those Russian monks in Alaska. Who is your favorite saint of them, David?

نقولا صايغ

Rania, I also think of this quote every time I try to read after getting tired. After retirement, I sit in the garden in the morning and read a page from the lives of the saints while drinking my coffee, and it really lifts the mind a little. My question: Which book of saints do you like the most after work?

Mark Phillips

That Evagrius quote hits home—my mind wanders to the garden weeds halfway through a paragraph too. The girls and I just finished the life of St. Herman of Alaska last week; we're starting on St. Innocent now. What café do you work at, David?

هلا عبود

Rania, after a cooking shift in the restaurant I go to wash the dishes while my brain is like a sponge, but this quote makes me sit for a few minutes and read a page from the lives of the saints before I sleep. I liked that you mentioned the Russian monks who planted the faith there. Are you reading a certain book after work and no page comes up?

ميشيل حداد

The quote really sounds like a hand massaging you after a long shift in the hospital, Rania. I also try to read a page from the lives of the saints before I start preparing the children’s dinner, even if the laundry is piling up. Which saint do you find whose words calm the mind the most when the brain is tired?

Sarah Scott

That Evagrius quote is exactly why I switched our bedtime reading to just one short life a night instead of pushing through when my head’s still replaying the shop’s inventory mess. The Alaska monks part always makes me smile too; it’s wild how a handful of Russians rowing up to Kodiak in 1794 turned into our little OCA parish here in Chicago. What age are your girls now, Emily?

That Evagrius line hits home. After my own shift at the shop I’m usually replaying whether I rang up Mrs. Petro’s candles right or if the hiking boots I promised for the youth group trip are still in the back. The eggs-for-baking part made me smile; last week I forgot them too and ended up with flat prosphora. What saint are you reading right now?

سمير خوري

Yes, Michelle, this exact quote makes me feel like I have a hand that stretches after a long shift in the emergency department. I also read the lives of the saints, and I find the words of Saint John of Damascus calm the mind more when the brain is tired, especially when I think about it while walking home from the hospital. Have you tried reading anything specific to him?

Yes, Michelle, this quote really makes you feel like there is a hand holding your brain after a long shift. When I am tired in the kitchen, I read some of the words of Saint John Chrysostom, especially about patience, and it makes me able to knead bread more calmly. Have you tried reading something to him about constant prayer?

Yes, Samir, this is exactly the hand I feel when I come home from work and open a book about the lives of the saints. I tried reading St. John of Damascus's "Defense of Icons" on the way, and it made the traffic in Beirut calm down a little. What comforts you the most from his words?