I am Fr. Antonios from central Java. I am a married priest with one wife: Presbytera Marina , and one son (Ireneus ) and two daughters (Paraskevi and Kyriaki). Ireneus and Paraskevi are in the university, while Kyriaki is still in the primary school. Before I tell my story, I think I should tell you [...]
I am the oldest son of four brothers and was born on April 24th, 1963, in the city of Boyolali, Central Java. They named me Wiyono, which means welfare and salvation. My parents were officially Muslims, but they leaned more to the “Javanese mystical tradition” (“Kebatinan”) in their religious practices than to official Islam. When [...]
Born in Vienna, Austria of both European and Slavic backgrounds, Father Seraphim, like most Austrians, was born into the Roman Catholic Church, and always considered the Orthodox Church another side of the same coin. As a young man he immigrated to Australia, eventually taking on the citizenship of his chosen homeland.
It was in this country [...]
Joseph Muzendi grew up in Papua, and was raised as a Baptist Christian. He had a successful career as a civil servant in the immigration office, something that is nearly impossible to attain in other provinces because of the societal discrimination against Christians. But over the years he began to feel a desire to minister [...]
I was born in the city of Nganjuk, East Java, on February 20, 1971. But I spent my childhood in Jombang City, not far from my birth place. I am the half brother of Fr. Daniel Byantoro; we have the same father but a different mother. I was born of our second mother, and Fr. [...]
The following is a recent article I wrote for the parish news letter at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Santa Fe.
I grew up in an evangelical family who attended the local Methodist church where I was taught that the Bible and prayer are necessary parts of one’s daily life. The spiritual grounding that I received [...]
Fr. Panteleimon was born into a devout Roman Catholic family on the island of Timor. After graduating from High School, he entered the Roman Catholic Seminary of the Diocese of Kupang, the capital city of West Timor Province (East Timor is separate country now). Here, in this Seminary, was the starting point of his search [...]
I am Fr. Irenaios, I was born into a Pentecostal Christian family in the village of Driyorejo in East Java, a predominantly Muslim area. My parents had converted from Islam to Christianity as young adults. In his childhood and youth he was steeped in Bible study and in the belief that Pentecostalism is the continuation [...]
New York Times Article
EASTERN ORTHODOX churches are opening their doors to a growing number of converts — former Roman Catholics, Jews, Protestants — any number of people apparently seeking a haven of stability in a society where traditional values often seem to be lost. Converts, including many members of the clergy, cite the beauty and [...]
At the risk of engaging the passions–not a good thing to do at any time, let alone Great and Holy Lent–I want to take on this notion going around the Protestant-convert-to-Orthodoxy blogosphere in which Protestant converts to Orthodoxy are criticizing fellow Protestant converts to Orthodoxy about things such converts are doing that just aren’t Orthodox [...]