African Saints (from the Prolouge of Ohrid) Elias the Wonder-worker of Egypt (Jan. 8) 5th Century, Agatho (Jan. 8, Greek calendar) 5th Century, Egyptian monk Venerable Ammon (Jan. 10) 5th Century, A monk in Nitra, Egypt. He was known for overcoming his anger and knowledge of Holy Scripture. Venerable Mother Theodora of Alexandria (Jan. 12) … More Dispatch From The Desert: January 6th to 12th, 2020
It has been said among African-Americans that if you don’t know your past, you don’t know your future. If this proverb is true, then the black church is doomed to fail as we don’t have much of a clue of who our ancient heroes are. Most of us belong to churches that were founded in … More Dispatch from the Desert: Raising Awareness of Ancient African Saints
African Saints (from the Prolouge of Ohrid) Basil the Great (Jan. 1) 330-379 AD, Although not an African, this Cappedocian is listed among the Sayings of the Desert Fathers as he spent time in Egypt. He patterned his life after the monastics and was known for his generosity as well as his theological contributions … More Dispatch From The Desert: December 30th, 2019 to January 5th, 2020
It never ceases to amaze me how the Ancient Faith & Afro-American Conference brings us all together. So many of us have now been a part of these Brotherhood gatherings that we have made the event a family reunion and homecoming combined. It is the only time when one can see an African-American priest of … More 2019 St. Moses Conference: The Broader Scope of the Ancient Faith
Originally posted on A Beach Keeper's Journal:
I woke up today in great anticipation and humble expectations. Of my ten Teen SOYO members, I was only expecting a handful to show up. Most of them are involved in sports and had other activities planned before I came up with this idea. The ones who…
Originally posted on A Beach Keeper's Journal:
On the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos (Sunday, September 8th), I made this announcement at St. Basil the Great Orthodox Church: Brothers & Sisters in Christ Our Teen SOYO will kick-off what, I pray, will become a consistent Orthodox presence in the East End of…
Originally posted on A Beach Keeper's Journal:
At the very end of Jefferson Avenue in Newport News is a diamond. A place that shined with great spiritual hope for African-Americans during segregation. Pinkett’s Beach at King-Lincoln Park was one of few places black people could go and enjoy the water on a hot summer’s…
Originally posted on A Beach Keeper's Journal:
In the fourth century, many Christians fled to the deserts of northern Africa and the Middle East to escape worldly distractions and struggle against their temptations. Some were tired of the growing complacency that was creeping into the Church now that Christianity had become legal. Others had…
Originally posted on The Modern Monastic Order Of Saint Simon of Cyrene:
I had the privilege to speak at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Service at Mount Nebo Baptist Church on Sunday, January 20th at 7 pm. The event was sponsored by the West Point Ministers Association. For some reason or another, I was…
And now, things begin in earnest. I was ordained into the Holy Diaconate of the Orthodox Church by His Grace Bishop Thomas of the Antiochian Archdiocese of Charleston, Oakland, & the Mid Atlantic. This took place at my home parish, St. Basil Orthodox Church in Hampton, on December 9th. All praised due to God. About … More Ordained for Evangelism
Desert Fathers Dispatch 