Richmond Eastern Catholic Church
8700 Railway Avenue V7C 3K3 Richmond, BC, Canada

This is on our wish list..... ;-)

Armenian Christians in Karabakh are saying goodbye to their Land, their trees, their churches and their soil. Till they meet again It's located in those area... which must be tomorrow hand over to Azerbaijan as part of a deal to stop Azerbaijan from capturing the entire territory of Karabakh See more

God save her ("the real Mulan")

#weekinreview 1. Closed Churches Ordered to Be Sold, Rented, or Destroyed https://bitterwinter.org/closed-churches-ordered-to-be-sol/ 2. In Xinjiang, a Roll Ca...ll of Disappearances and Extrajudicial Incarcerations https://bitterwinter.org/in-xinjiang-a-roll-call-of-disapp/ 3. Falun Gong Banned in Khakassia, Liquidation Threatened in the Whole of Russia https://bitterwinter.org/falun-gong-banned-in-khakassia/ 4. Taoist Temples Demolished or Repurposed Across China https://bitterwinter.org/taoist-temples-demolished-or-repu/ 5. Residents Beaten for Protecting Their Temples https://bitterwinter.org/residents-beaten-for-protecting-t/ 6. A Village Surviving on Propaganda and Lies https://bitterwinter.org/a-village-surviving-on-propaganda/ See more

To help us enter into this time of preparation, here is an excerpt from Fr. Thomas Hopko's excellent book, 'Winter Pascha:' The Christmas-Epiphany season in the... Orthodox Church begins with a forty-day fasting period.When winter begins to make its way into the northern hemisphere, the Church of Christ begins to celebrate the feast of Christ’s Nativitycalled [Winter] Pascha. This emphasizes its close connection with the mystery of our salvation and deliverance from sin and death; the mystery which the holy Church proclaims in her dogmatic teachings and with which she brings us into direct spiritual contact in her liturgical services and sacraments. The liturgical services for Christmas, officially called The Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, are consciously patterned after the services for the festival of the Pascha of the Lord, the holy Resurrection. There are pre-feast preparations. There are the special royal hours with their prophecies, epistles, gospels, and hymns on the eve of the feast, followed by the vesperal liturgy of St Basil the Great. There is the solemn all-night vigil, crowned by the matin’s canon and hymns. And finally, after the eucharistic celebration of St John Chrysostom on the day of the feast itself, the celebration continues to its completion in the festival of The Meeting of the Lord in the Temple forty days later. At the center of the festal season remains the original Festival of Lights, the holy Epiphany, officially called in the Orthodox Church The Holy Theophany of Our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ. The liturgical verses and hymns for Christmas and Epiphany, the Pascha of Christ’s incarnation and manifestation in the flesh, repeat those of Easter, the Pascha of Christ’s death and resurrection. The Lord’s birth and baptism are directly connected to His dying and rising. He was born in order to die. He was baptized in order to be raised. The con-holy Epiphany, officially called in the Orthodox Church, The harmony between the events is overwhelming. The beauty of it is almost more than the believer can bear. Today He who hung the earth upon the waters is hung upon the tree. Today He who holds the whole creation in His hand is born of a virgin. The King of angels is decked with a crown of thorns. He whose essence none can touch is bound in swaddling-clothes as a mortal man. He who wraps the heavens in a cloud is wrapped in the purple of mockery. God who in the beginning fashioned the heavens lies in a manger. He who freed Adam in the Jordan is slapped in the face. He who rained manna on His people in the wilderness is fed on milk from His mother’s breast. The Bridegroom of the Church is affixed to the cross with nails. The Bridegroom of the Church summons the wise men. The Son of the Virgin is pierced with a spear. The Son the Virgin accepts their gifts. We worship Thy Passion, O Christ! We worship Thy Passion, O Christ! We worship Thy Passion, O Christ! We worship Thy Nativity, O Christ! We worship Thy Nativity, O Christ! We worship Thy Nativity, O Christ! Show us also Thy glorious Resurrection! Show us also Thy glorious Theophany! Jesus lay as an infant in the cavern in the reign of Caesar Augustus that He might lay in the tomb under Pontius Pilate. He was hounded by Herod that He might be caught by Caiaphas. He was buried in baptism that He might descend into death through the Cross. He was worshipped by wise men that the whole of creation might adore Him in His triumph over death. The Pascha of His Cross was prepared by the Pascha of His Coming. The Pascha of His Resurrection was begun by the Pascha of His Incarnation. The Pascha of His Glorification was foretold by the Pascha of His Baptism. This is what Christians celebrate each year in what Father Alexander Schmemann was the first to call the Winter Pascha. #NativityFast #winterpascha #philipsfast

#weekinreview 1. Churches Told to Worship the CCP or Face Closure https://bitterwinter.org/churches-told-to-worship-the-ccp-/ 2. Outdoor Buddhist Statues Destr...oyed in Temples and Scenic Areas https://bitterwinter.org/outdoor-buddhist-statues-destroye/ 3. Propaganda Bases Replace Religious Venues https://bitterwinter.org/propaganda-bases-replace-religiou/ 4. They Demolished a Temple and Put up a Parking Lot https://bitterwinter.org/they-demolished-a-temple-and-put-/ 5. Taoists Deprived of Temples, Customs, and Traditions https://bitterwinter.org/taoists-deprived-of-temples-custo/ 6. Buddhist, Taoist Temples and Statues Destroyed Nationwide https://bitterwinter.org/buddhist-taoist-temples-and-statu/ See more

A blessed name day to everyone who bears the name of St. Matthew! Here is "The Calling of St. Matthew" by Caravaggio. St. Matthew is centered behind his accounting table, pointing to himself.

Liberate Hong Kong the Revolution of our times (O God who created the swift flight of the osprey and his keeness of vision, Save your people, the works of your hands)

http://Pascal Bastien I don't want to weigh in (the article already does that) but I do wish to ask a question. What else can it mean for our Church to answer to Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you? If our understanding is that our particular Church -- steeped in a strong cultural heritage, built by a history replete with martyrdom and bearing the beautiful marks of Kyivan-Rus transformed by the Christian Faith -- isn't there to bring the Gospel do the world, then can I ask: what do we answer to the Lord about the Great Commission? And what are we here to do?// http://www.patriyarkhat.org.ua//phyletism-in-the-catholi/

10/ Cages may lock up our bodies, but never our unwavering souls. One day our indomitable will return and make us assemble again. 9/ We rejoice in our sufferin...gs, Romans 5:3-4 reads, knowing that suffering produces endurance. and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Once sown, seeds will one day sprout. Weary and distraught as some of you might feel, please have each others’ backs. 8/ Five years ago, after the Umbrella Movement, we all once believed mass movements were no longer possible. Nevertheless, it was the courage and resolution of each Hongkonger that have brought us through darkest valley and made the impossible possible. 7/ Hence, despite possible jail sentences ahead, it is my honour to stand with each of you from the very beginning, fight shoulder to shoulder, and bring our voices to the world. Nevertheless, whatever storm we might face, I always have my faith in my fellow Hongkongers. 6/ Ever since the outbreak of the movement last year, when the smell of tear gas has become our collective memory, I always remember what one of Hong Kong activists, @BrianLeungKP , said, More than language and values we share, what connects all the Hongkongers is the pain. 5/ Some of them were tortured, forced into exile, or even took their own lives after chanting protest slogans. That's the reason why, ever since my 1st release from prison, I have vowed to draw more public attention to prison justice, in particular those on political prisoners. 4/ Under the continuing onslaughts against the city’s dissents, generations of youths go from protests to prisons. To safeguard liberty for the place that we are born, all of them have made silent but regretless sacrifice. 3/ After consulting with lawyers, @chowtingagnes @ivanlamviiv and I will plead guilty, which implies that Mon’s hearing will skip trials and go straight into sentencing. Compare to with 2k HKers are prosecuted and 12 HKers detained in China, the charges that I face are minimal. 2/ Never have I underestimated the chance of imprisonment at the upcoming hearing on Mon, especially at the time when lawmakers were expelled, journalists were sued for mentioning police brutality, and universities were probed in the pretext of national security claims. See more

Unapproved Buddhist Books Confiscated and Burned Local authorities across China confiscate from temples and shops materials that are not sanctioned by the state and investigate their distribution channels.

Joshua Wong - facing prison & worse meditates on the Scriptures: We rejoice in our sufferings, Romans 5:3-4 reads, knowing that suffering produces endurance. and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Once sown, seeds will one day sprout. Weary and distraught as some of you might feel, please have each others’ backs.... https://twitter.com/joshuawongcf/status/1330504230617165829

All Creatures of our God and King....

Religious Weddings and Funerals Banned as Illegal Activities People of faith, Buddhists and Christians alike, are not allowed to celebrate life’s most significant moments according to religious traditions and rites.

God save us old sins of Canadian society yet perdures....

The Entrance of the Theotokos Into the Temple

Believers Forced to Renounce Faith for Social Benefits People of faith who receive subsistence allowances from the government face a hard decision to choose between religion and sustaining their livelihood.

Listen to Emmanuel on why we need to Fix The Definition of conversion therapy before the Government passes legislation banning it in Canada. Debate in Parliament begins today! Take action by signing the petition at https://fixthedefinition.ca/ https://fb.watch/1mP1V4_EIB/

Want to Keep Your Temple? Worship Mao Zedong Amid the nationwide crackdowns on religions, only the venues venerating Chairman Mao are protected from closures and demolitions.

Government Orders to Destroy Swedish Missionaries’ Gravestones Shanxi government desecrated the resting place of 20 missionaries, who worked and died in China nearly a century ago, and destroyed a house for visiting believers.

#PoliticalOppression #Vatican #Spy The Great Spy CCP Spied on the Vatican and Targeted Catholic Organisations ahead of the renewal of the landmark 2018 China-Va...tican provisional agreement. Source: https://www.recordedfuture.com/reddelta-targets-catholic-o/

For those who travel by sea, air, and land, for the sick, the suffering, the captive, and for their safety and salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

Наконец-то добавили новые квесты к молитвам

https://www.cardus.ca//mao-vs-god-state-control-of-church/

mindblowing & universes colliding

"Be in the world like Lot was in Sodom and Gomorrah, where everyone was living in sin and instead of following their example, he lived a life pleasing to God. You do the same, do not imitate what the evil world does." - St. Tikhon of Zadonsk.

Tiananmen Square Protest Supporters Punished for 30+ Years Activists and advocates of the 1989 student protest, which was violently crushed by the regime, continue to be monitored and suppressed to this day.

Burning incense before the idol of Xi-sar

https://www.facebook.com//a.25547692463/1640013229510840/

Member of our Church standing up for the Vulnerable

The US government on Wednesday said it had approved the sale of US$1 billion worth of advanced air-to-ground missiles to Taiwan as the island tries to shore up its defences against China.

A secretive 2018 agreement between Beijing and the Vatican is on the brink of renewal, despite strident US condemnation and warnings from underground Chinese priests loyal to Rome that they have only become more marginalised since it was signed.

"the Littlest Presbyter" (like "the Littlest Hobo" only with thuribles)