New Orthodox Press!

St. Innocent Press was founded in January, 2006 in Middlebury, Indiana with the blessing of His Grace, Bishop Peter of Cleveland (ROCOR) and with the goal of filling some of the gaps in English-language Orthodox Literature. As a convert to Orthodoxy, a father of two young children, a parish priest, and a graduate of a Russian-language seminary, it was clear to me that not only did many good books written in Russian need to be translated, but that the Orthodox Christian culture which permeates Russia (and Serbia, and Greece, and Georgia, and...) needed to be sown among English-speaking believers. We chose St. Innocent, Metropolitan of Moscow to be our heavenly protector due to his extraordinary missionary zeal. By his prayers, may the spiritual fruit of this press be bountiful!" For more information see: http://www.stinnocentpress.com/

Living Icons: Persons of Faith in the Eastern Church

"Living Icons presents an intimate portrait of holiness as exemplified in the lives and thoughts of ten people of faith in the Eastern Orthodox Church. In this inspiring volume, Michael P. Plekon introduces readers to a diverse and unusual group of men and women who strove to put the Gospel of Christ into action in their lives. The "living icons" Plekon describes were, among other things, priests, theologians, writers, and caregivers to the homeless and poor. One was an artist who became the greatest icon painter in this century; another was assassinated for his teachings in post-Soviet Russia. These remarkable people of faith lived through times of great suffering: forced emigration, the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War. Many of them were criticized, if not condemned, by ecclesiastical opponents and authorities. yet each demonstrate a unique pattern for holiness, illustrating that the path to sainthood is open to all. With the fall of state socialism, Eastern Orthodox churches and monasteries are being reopened and receiving renewed interest from believers and nonbelievers alike. Plekon calls to our attention people like Saint Seraphim of Sarov (1759-1832), a monk, mystic, counselor, healer, and visionary; Father Alexander Man (1935-1990), a Russian whose writings after Glasnost ultimately led to his tragic assassination; Mother Maria Skobtsova (1891-1945), a painter, poet, and political activist who was killed in a concentration camp for hiding her Jewish neighbors; and Father Lev Gillet (1893-1980), one of the twentieth century's greatest spiritual teachers. Living Icons, which includes a foreword by Lawrence S. Cunningham, brings to life the beautiful, and often unfamiliar, spirituality of the Eastern Orthodox Church through some of its most remarkable members. It shows with simplicity and clarity that Christ and the Gospel are often manifested in extraordinary ways in the lives of ordinary people. " See: http://undpress.nd.edu/book/P00777

The Heavenly Banquet: Understanding the Divine Liturgy

"The Divine Liturgy is a great mystery, but this does not justify the ignorance of the people concerning what is taking place in it, what is its purpose, what are the benefits derived from it, what should our participation be, etc. In the pages of The Heavenly Banquet (THB) one will find both concise and expanded answers to these and other important questions, the end result of which is a fuller, more rewarding and more meaningful participation in the Divine Liturgy. By reading the Introduction alone, one is introduced into the inexhaustible riches of the Divine Liturgy. But THB goes on, in its more than 300 dense pages that follow, to provide answers to a multiplicity of questions. Why do we pray for our armed forces? The question leads to a brief examination of the issue of war. The petition, For favorable weather leads to an exploration of the issue of God’s involvement in the world. Praying for the dead leads to a study on the souls, remembering the bishop leads to a brief study of the bishop’s role in the Church, calling God Father leads to an excursion on the first person of the Holy Trinity, and praying for healing leads to a study on miracles. Many other issues are addressed in a similar fashion, including suffering, grace, intercession and veneration of saints, inspiration, judgment, open communion, significance of dogma, and so on."

For more information on this unique book and its author, Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis,
see: http://www.orthodoxwitness.org/index.html