Last night at the choir rehearsal we sang again the troparies for Saints Cosmas and Damian, because today we commemorate them. I liked how the voice came out on "Saints without silver", it seemed to fit better than last time. I arrived home late, but I went to bed peacefully, tomorrow morning I will take the boy with me to work.

The Romanian Orthodox Church has proclaimed Constantine Sârbu a new local saint, recognizing his steadfast witness during difficult years in the last century. In the same week the Serbian Orthodox Church marked the 25th anniversary of the consecration of St. Archangel Michael Parish with a full program of services and fellowship. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem saw Patriarch Damianos press the government to release the full text of an agreement concerning the Sinai monasteries. Meanwhile the Orthodox Church in America began its 2026 fall semester at both seminaries, with new students settling into daily chapel rhythm and classes. These scattered corners of church life show the same ordinary pattern: saints remembered, parishes keeping their feasts, leaders tending practical matters, and young people beginning formation. Small, steady steps that hold the tradition together. May these communities and their faithful be remembered in prayer today.

Holy Cross Monastery in West Virginia has launched a fundraising drive to build a new dormitory. The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia community there hopes the addition will ease overcrowding and let more men explore monastic life in the quiet hills. At the same time, the Romanian Orthodox Church’s Lower Danube Archdiocese marked thirty years since the relics of Saint Andrew the Apostle arrived in Galaţi, drawing large crowds for services and processions. In Indiana the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch consecrated and celebrated the centennial of St. George Church in Fishers with a full week of liturgies and gatherings. Meanwhile the Serbian Orthodox Church hosted a banquet in Ruti Hill to honor Patriarch Porfirio, underlining steady ties across dioceses. These practical steps show how each local church keeps finding ways to shelter faith, train clergy, and strengthen its people for the long haul.