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Public Orthodoxy

@publicorthodoxy.bsky.social

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Public Orthodoxy is the primary public-facing initiative of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University, featuring editorials and video series on issues of importance for the Orthodox Christian world. PublicOrthodoxy.Org

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Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 1d

What does it truly mean to be "Orthodox"? In a world where our most sacred words are often misused, how can we reclaim their true meaning and power?

We are thrilled to welcome the brilliant and beloved Sr. Vassa Larin back to Fordham for our annual Economos Orthodoxy in America Lecture!

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Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 1d

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Economos Orthodoxy in America Lecture 2025

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Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 1d

#BronxEvents #Catechesis #ChristianLecture #CoffeeWithSisterVassa #EcclesialVocabulary #Ecclesiology #FaithAndReason #Fordham #GreatHall #Liturgiology #McShaneCampusCenter #OrthodoxChristian #OrthodoxyInAmerica #PracticalTheology #ReclaimingOrthodoxy #Religion #RoseHill #SisterVassaLarin

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Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 1d

Go to the Orthodox Christian Studies Center’s website (linked below) to register NOW! Spots are limited.

Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 1d

Don't miss this opportunity for deep learning and community.

Wednesday, October 29

Reception: 5:00 p.m.
Lecture: 6:00 p.m.
Fordham University, Rose Hill Campus
The Great Hall, McShane Campus Center
(GPS: 2691 Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY 10458)

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Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 1d

Join us for an essential evening: "Reclaiming 'Orthodoxy': Clarifying Our Ecclesial Vocabulary." Sr. Vassa will illuminate foundational terms like ‘church,’ ‘catholic,’ and ‘canonicity,’ guiding us toward a clearer understanding of our common human vocation: to unite, not divide.

Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 1d

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Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 3d

publicorthodoxy.org/2025/09/10/g...

"Greek or Jew," "Male or Female," and the Reality of Incarnation

Last fall, a post by Paul Gavrilyuk on Facebook highly resonated with my own burning thoughts on the same issue. Gavrilyuk wrote, “Russia’s war crimes have two main aims: to crush the spirit of Ukrain...

publicorthodoxy.org

Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 3d

#CarrieFrost #ChristianIdentity #DrLidiyaLozova #EasternOrthodoxy #Eschatology #Ethnophyletism #FaithAndWar #Galatians328 #GenderAndTheology #IncarnationalTheology #NationalIdentity #OrthodoxWomen #OrthodoxyAndModernity #PublicOrthodoxy #ReligionAndCulture #RussianWorld #SocialEthos

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Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 3d

This is a call to bring our whole, embodied, and culturally-situated selves, with all our relationships and wounds, before God for healing, not elision.

Read the full, essential article on PublicOrthodoxy.org!

Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 3d

“One may also consider national belonging in the light of the Incarnation... what we call a ‘national identity’ may be not a simulacrum, but a fully meaningful reality.”

Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 3d

She proposes an "incarnational model" for understanding identity, drawing a parallel to theological debates on gender. This model acknowledges our national belonging as neither essentialist nor insignificant, but as an existentially meaningful reality—blessed by Christ being born a specific Jew.

Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 3d

Dr. Lozova, a Ukrainian scholar who fled the war, writes with profound clarity about the struggle to uphold a threatened Ukrainian identity within a church that often dismisses nationalism.

Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 3d

Published last month on PublicOrthodoxy, “’Greek or Jew,’ ‘Male or Female,’ and the Reality of Incarnation” is a crucial read.

Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 3d

Is our shared humanity in Christ meant to erase our national identities? In a powerful new article, Dr. Lidiya Lozova challenges a dominant theological narrative through the lens of the Incarnation.

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Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 7d

publicorthodoxy.org/2025/10/01/g...

Gazing at the Theotokos in Romanos's Kontakia and an Early Prayer Fragment

Considering the power of her spiritual presence and the efficacy of her prayer-life which undergirds much of Orthodox theology, descriptions of the Mother of God the Holy Theotokos, and images of her ...

publicorthodoxy.org

Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 7d

#AncientFaith #AnglicanTheology #ByzantineHistory #ChristianWomen #ChurchHistory #EarlyChurch #GodBearer #HolyMotherOfGod #Intercession #Kontakion #Mariology #MotherOfGod #OrthodoxTheology #Patristics #PrayerToTheotokos #PublicOrthodoxy #RomanosTheMelodist #RylandsPapyrus #SaintRomanos

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Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 7d

This article is a profound reminder that the Holy Mother of God has always been a foundation of our hope and a compassionate intercessor for her people.

Click the link in our bio to read “Gazing at the Theotokos” by VK McCarty on PublicOrthodoxy.org!

Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 7d

“Under your compassion, we flee for refuge...”

As a lecturer at General Theological Seminary and author, VK McCarty expertly guides us through these historical treasures, showing how they reveal the Theotokos as a vital "spokesperson for the Church" and a warrior of prayer from the very beginning.

Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 7d

— How, in Romanos’s hymns, the Virgin Mary is given a powerful voice of intercession, praying boldly for all humanity.
— A tiny, 3rd-century papyrus prayer—possibly the earliest evidence of praying to the Theotokos—that we still chant in Lenten Vespers today:

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Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 7d

In “Gazing at the Theotokos,” Anglican theologian VK McCarty takes us on a journey back to the early centuries of the Church. Discover:
— The incredible story of St. Romanos the Melodist and the Christmas Eve miracle that unlocked his voice to praise the Theotokos in his Kontakia

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Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 7d

Have you ever wondered how early Christians prayed to the Theotokos? A new article on PublicOrthodoxy reveals two astonishing, ancient witnesses to the vibrant devotion to the Mother of God—one found on a tiny papyrus fragment, and the other in the powerful, sung sermons of a beloved saint.

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Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 9d

publicorthodoxy.org/2025/09/29/o...

Ordination and Second Marriage: A Striking Change on a Forbidden Topic

A recent announcement out of the Metropolis of Boston possibly remains under the radar for most but arguably constitutes a monumental and momentous evolution in pastoral sensibility, canonical suscept...

publicorthodoxy.org

Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 9d

#Autocephaly #Boston #CanonLaw #ChristianCompassion #ChurchHistory #Clergy #Compassion #Divorce #EcumenicalPatriarchate #GreekOrthodox #HolyCross #Humanity #JohnChryssavgis #MetropolisOfBoston #ModernOrthodoxy #MtAthos #OrthodoxChurch #Orthodoxy #PastoralCare #PublicOrthodoxy #Remarriage #Sacrament

Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 9d

Ready to dive deeper into this compassionate and revolutionary shift?

Read the full article on PublicOrthodoxy.org!

Public Orthodoxy @publicorthodoxy.bsky.social · 9d

We need to articulate that clergy too are human, that clergy are all too human.”

This isn't simple policy change; it's a refreshing perception of clergy as humble servants. The author, renowned theologian and biographer of Patriarch Bartholomew, provides essential historical & theological context.