People are calling the Cathedral asking questions like, How do I become Orthodox? How can I learn more about your Faith? We were raised in this or that faith (or, in one case, recently, in several faiths), or in no faith, and, seeing the Cathedral being built, we want to know more about you, as we may want to become a part of your community. When they call, we try to discern where they have been spiritually, and how we may guide them to the Lord in fellowship with His Apostolic Church. We direct them to the class we have, taught by Alex Kozak, aimed at introducing people to the Orthodox Faith. We provide Alex’s e mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We also direct them to the Archdiocese web site, www.goarch.org. Once they’re on the web site, we ask them to go to Library. Scroll down to Introduction to Orthodoxy. There, they will read: 1. an Introduction, which aims at introducing the non-Orthodox to Orthodox Christianity, 2. House of God, which describes the interior of the church building, 3. Worship, which discusses the form and characteristics of Orthodox worship, 4. Liturgy, which describes the meaning and celebration of the Eucharist, 5. Sacraments, which describes the meaning and importance of liturgical life, 6. Special Services and Blessings, which describes the non-sacramental services which contribute to spiritual life, 7. Teachings, which outlines the salient points of doctrine and basic creedal affirmations, 8. Spirituality, which discusses the meaning of theosis as the goal of Christian life, 9. History, which sketches the great epochs of Orthodoxy, and 10. The Church, which outlines the procedures for becoming a member of the Orthodox Church.
Becoming an Orthodox Christian is a process. There is no “one rule fits all” as for the time required and the amount of learning one must undergo to become a member of the Church. For some, it’s a matter of a few months; for others, a few years. But, the overwhelming consensus of those who join the Church is they feel fulfilment, they feel joy, they feel this Faith is the true Faith. The Faith we have inherited is a treasure, indeed, open to all who seek Truth. As St. Paul reminds us in his first letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 2:3-4), “God…desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” By the way, you don’t have to be non-Orthodox to benefit from Alex’s class or the articles available on www.goarch.org. Do you have a few minutes? Do you have access to the Internet? We invite you to log on. You will be glad you did.