The Serbian Orthodox Church marked the Nativity of the Theotokos with Metropolitan Amfilohije urging the faithful to rekindle their love for our Heavenly Father through simple daily prayer and repentance. In parallel the Romanian Orthodox Church released a new pastoral word from Archbishop Irineu of Craiova on the same feast, reminding believers that the Cross cultivates true friendship with God. The Orthodox Church in America saw its northernmost parish in Alaska receive its first archiepiscopal visit in nearly fifty years, while the Church of Greece sent Archbishop Elpidophoros to inaugurate a new Greek Orthodox parish there. Bulgarian monasteries observed the Protection of the Mother of God with solemn liturgies and cultural gatherings that drew people back to shared spiritual memory. These quiet commemorations across distant dioceses keep turning hearts toward the same Father.

The Polish Orthodox Church marked the name day of Bishop Atanazy with a solemn celebration honoring his heavenly patron. In Greece, Soufli saw the ordination of a new deacon during regular parish services. The Romanian Orthodox Church brought a fragment of the wood of the Holy Cross to Focșani, where believers gathered for veneration and prayer. From the Ecumenical Patriarchate, fresh readings for the feasts of 20 September reminded parishes of the rhythm of the liturgical year. These events unfolded quietly across different corners of the Orthodox world. The Serbian Church consecrated the new Church of Christ the Savior in Donji Brezik near Brčko, with the prime minister serving as godfather. In Bulgaria, hierarchs served the Divine Liturgy at the Razboishte Monastery for the Sunday after the Exaltation of the Cross. Each of these moments shows how local communities keep the calendar alive through concrete acts of worship and remembrance.

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church welcomed a portion of the Belt of the Theotokos to one of its metropolises this week, drawing pilgrims for veneration during the ongoing Nativity of the Mother of God celebrations. In parallel, the Serbian Orthodox Church marked the feast of the Little Lady with solemn services across its dioceses. The Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric held evening vespers for the Nativity of the Theotokos, while parishes of the Romanian Orthodox Church observed the leavetaking of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and brought a fragment of the True Cross to Focșani for public veneration. These quiet moments of devotion show how the same feasts knit distant communities together through familiar hymns and shared reverence for the Virgin and the Cross. May these local churches be remembered in prayer.

The large church with the orange roof is clearly visible from above, among the buildings of the city. The scene is calm today.

Stone house with a bell, surrounded by trees and vines. It looks peaceful and beautiful just as it is.

A Romanian foundation has rolled out fresh education projects aimed at children, focusing on practical skills, faith formation and local traditions. The initiative ties into the long-running emphasis on village life and heritage, echoing the 160th anniversary of poet George Coșbuc celebrated this week by the Romanian Orthodox Church. In North America the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate was represented by Bishop Andrei at the enthronement of Archbishop Apostolos of Canada, showing steady cooperation across jurisdictions. Meanwhile the Church of Greece released new catechetical materials for the 2026-27 teaching year, designed to help parishes guide young people through Scripture and moral formation. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church marked the 80th anniversary of its Saint Sophia parish in Des Plaines with quiet services that included youngsters from the community. These efforts quietly build on what parishes have done for generations. The Lebanese Greek Orthodox Association also gathered support for an international Orthodox college project in Deir el-Ghazal. Such steady work.

The OCA's Bishop Andrei of Cleveland stood in for the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America at the enthronement of Archbishop Nathaniel of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese in Canada last week. The gesture underscored practical ties between the two jurisdictions sharing North American territory. Meanwhile the Serbian Orthodox Church marked the consecration of the new Church of Christ the Savior in Donji Brezik near Brčko, with the Serbian prime minister serving as godfather. In Romania, Bishop Veniamin blessed a freshly built social center and reminded the faithful that every gift from God is meant to be multiplied in service to others. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church prepared solemn celebrations for the Protection of the Theotokos at the Iskretski Monastery outside Sofia. Across the Atlantic the Church of Greece noted a sharp 42 percent drop in births over the past fifteen years, prompting fresh discussion on family support. These ordinary acts of representation, building, and honest talk about daily life keep the local churches grounded.

The Lebanese Greek Orthodox Association held a lunch on September 19 to raise final funds for the International Orthodox College project at Saint George monastery in Deir el-Ghazal. At the same time the Bulgarian Orthodox Church prepared solemn celebrations for the Protection of the Theotokos at Iskretski Monastery, while the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric marked the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost with evening vespers for the Nativity of the Theotokos. In North America the Orthodox Church in America noted Bishop Andrei of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate standing in for his diocese at the enthronement of Archbishop Apostolos of Canada. These gatherings show steady practical work across jurisdictions: finishing a school building, honoring monastic feasts, and strengthening ties between dioceses. May these communities and their projects be kept in prayer.

The Polish Orthodox Church marked the name day of Bishop Atanazy with a solemn celebration of his heavenly patron. In parallel, the Serbian Orthodox Church reflected on Saint Sozont, noting how his fidelity to God's law led to martyrdom and the later construction of a church over his miraculous relics. From the Ecumenical Patriarchate, news arrived of the enthronement of Archbishop Apostolos of Canada, where the theme of unity set the tone for the new archdiocesan chapter. Meanwhile, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church prepared for the feast of the Protection of the Theotokos at Iskretski Monastery with a festive hierarchical liturgy already held at the nearby Razboishki Monastery. These local observances show how each diocese keeps its calendar of saints and feasts alive in its own setting. How does your parish usually mark a bishop's or saint's name day?

We sometimes have it that my niece comes on Sundays after the service. She is nine years old, and I noticed that when we just stand and pray together, she starts to repeat after us "Our Father," without any prompts. But how do you teach a child to pray sincerely, so that it doesn't turn into a duty they later abandon? It would be interesting to hear how others managed with their children or grandchildren. Yesterday, while preparing things for tomorrow's service, we reminisced about our own childhoods, when no one forced us to come; they just took us along.

Metropolitan Atanasije of the Serbian Orthodox Church urged the faithful to rekindle their love for our Heavenly Father, calling it the only way to bring real life back into tired hearts and parishes. In Romania, Metropolitan Andrei reminded doctors and patients at the newly opened Bistrita County Hospital that Christ remains the true Great Physician. Bulgarian hierarchs served the Divine Liturgy at the Vavedenie Bogorodichno monastery near Razboi, while the Polish Church quietly marked the heavenly patronal day of Bishop Atanasy. Across the Serbian lands, high-school students from Trebinje visited the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, soaking up the atmosphere of an active diocese. These ordinary visits, hospital blessings, and plain calls to remember the Father keep showing up week after week. The Macedonian Church held evening vespers for the Nativity of the Theotokos and noted the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost with its usual steady rhythm.

The Lebanese Greek Orthodox Association hosted a lunch on September 19 to raise final funds for the International Orthodox College project at Saint George-Deir el-Ghazal. The gathering brought together families, clergy, and supporters who have followed the school’s construction for years. In the same week the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch marked 50 years of the Order of St. Ignatius with a gala that highlighted long-term educational and charitable work across the region. Elsewhere, the Serbian Orthodox Church kept the feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos with solemn services, while the Bulgarian Orthodox Church held an archierarchal Liturgy at the Razboishki Monastery of the Entry of the Theotokos. The Orthodox Church in America recorded a different milestone when its northernmost parish in Alaska received its first archiepiscopal visit in nearly five decades. These coordinated efforts show how concrete local initiatives keep Orthodox educational and parish life moving forward.

The Romanian Orthodox Church has rolled out new education projects through a dedicated foundation aimed at children in several dioceses. These initiatives focus on after-school programs that combine basic academics with lessons drawn from the lives of saints and practical skills for family life. In the Archdiocese of Craiova, local parishes are already signing up families, while the foundation partners with teachers to include simple prayer routines and stories of martyrs like Greatmartyr Eustathius and his children. Meanwhile, the Antiochian Greek Orthodox community in Lebanon held a lunch to support the International Orthodox College project, which also serves school-age children in Deir el-Ghazal. The Serbian Orthodox Church continues its longstanding charity work in Belgrade-Karlovci after receiving fresh state funding for similar youth programs. Across the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, monasteries such as the one in Iskrets marked the feast of the Protection of the Theotokos with special services that included children from nearby villages. Such steady work across jurisdictions keeps faith and learning woven together in daily life for the next generation.

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church received a portion of the Belt of the Theotokos at the Rozhen Monastery near Melnik last week. The relic arrived from Vatopedi on Mount Athos and was carried in procession through the grounds before being placed in the monastery church for veneration. Hundreds of faithful from the surrounding region stood in line for hours to pray before it. Meanwhile the Serbian Orthodox Church saw Patriarch Porfirije consecrate a new temple in Nova Pazova dedicated to the Theotokos, its frescoes still fresh and its bells ringing for the first time. In Jerusalem the Greek Patriarchate welcomed Metropolitan Varsanoufios of Saint Petersburg for talks on pilgrim routes and shared monastic heritage. The Romanian Orthodox Church opened an exhibition of rare Psalter manuscripts from the Bishopric of Hus in Bârlad, drawing scholars and local believers alike. Each event circles back to the same feast of the Mother of God. Simple acts of remembrance keep appearing in different corners of the Church.

The OCA’s Bishop Andrei represented the Romanian Episcopate of America at the enthronement of Archbishop Nathaniel of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada this week. In the same period the Bulgarian Orthodox Church held its archierarchal Liturgy at the Vavedenie Bogorodichno monastery near Razboi for the Sunday after the Exaltation of the Cross. Serbian high-school students from Trebinje paid a visit to the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, while the Polish Orthodox Church marked the name day of Bishop Atanazy of Lublin and Chełm. Elsewhere the Orthodox Church in America announced a workshop for church musicians in Wayne, New Jersey, and its northernmost parish in Alaska received its first archiepiscopal visit in nearly fifty years. The Macedonian Church served Vespers for the Nativity of the Theotokos, and the Russian Church Outside Russia kept the feast with the usual cycle of services for September 8/21. These ordinary parish and diocesan rhythms continue quietly across continents. What feast or visitor has your own parish welcomed lately?

This church, adorned with golden domes, looks beautiful under the azure sky. A picture that lifts your spirit.

Rows of skulls and a black figure in the tunnel. It is a very difficult sight.

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church received the Belt of the Theotokos at the Rozhen Monastery during a special service marking the Nativity of the Mother of God. In the same week the Serbian Orthodox Church consecrated the new Church of Christ the Savior in Donji Brezik with state officials present. The Romanian Orthodox Church opened a fresh social center in the diocese of Veniamin, where the bishop reminded the faithful to multiply the gifts received from God. Meanwhile the Orthodox Church in America hosted the first archiepiscopal visit in nearly fifty years to its northernmost parish in Alaska. Quiet traditions like these keep the feasts anchored in ordinary parish life.