Stories of the lives of the people who come to St. John the Compassionate Mission, an apostolate of the Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese located in Toronto, Ontario.
St. John the Compassionate Mission and Ancient Faith Radio
Fr. Nicolaie shares stories that reflect on loneliness and our need for an encounter with Christ.
Fr. Nicolaie shares insights from the community on how God can use times of illness to touch all of us with His mercy.
Fr. Nicolaie shares the stories of myrrhbearers Sergei and Timothy who came to the mission this week bearing countenances reflecting the joy of the resurrection.
Fr. Nicolaie shares insights into Michael's baptism on Lazarus Saturday.
Brother Luke and Father Nicholaie share snippets of life at the mission, encouraging us to pray like a child, forgive as the Theotokos learned to do, and work towards peace.
Fr. Nicolaie looks at the role of faithful fasting and prayer in bringing healing.
Fr. Nicolaie shares experiences that are helping the community to "water the dying plants" in their midst, embracing resurrection instead of neglecting it.
The community explores the beauty of God's forgiveness as it meets us in our messiness.
Fr. Nicolaie explores the truth that hunger, if met with kindness, heals deep gulfs between us and creatively brings about unity.
Fr. Nicolaie encourages the community to be faithful to the work that God has prepared for them, specifically acts of mercy, and to do so with joy, unlike the older brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son.
Padre Roberto and Fr. Nicolaie encourage us to take this Triodion season to prepare our hearts to say YES! to Christ, just as members of the community are doing.
Father Nicolaie shares stories of the prayers of community members, and reflects on the value of their prayers for the entire community.
The community processes Zacchaeus' outcast status, observing how repentance first opened his home to Christ, then turned his heart to the poor; then considers how this relates to their own situations.
Fr. Nicolaie shares stories of community members who emulate the one leper who returns to give thanks.
Fr. Nicolaie shares the week's scriptures and how they are playing out in the community.
The community is becoming a witness of Theophany through the signs of healing it lives and experiences.
Fr. Nicolaie shares a reflection on new life and loss in the community, noting how both are part of the Nativity story.
Fr. Nicolaie shares glimpses at Nativity events in the community.
Fr. Nicolaie and Brother Luke reflect on fasting and Christmas in the context of the community.
A look at the Gospel reading of the woman who was bent over for many years, through the lens of community members' experiences.
John, a volunteer at the mission, is helping others to see Christ more clearly, even though he himself is legally blind.
Fr. Nicolaie tells stories from the community in the context of the week's Gospel readings, encouraging us to keep walking, because when we do so, we walk through the door that is Christ; a door that is already opened to us.
The icon of the small community who cares for all is the healing source of the modern soul today.
Father Nicolaie shares stories of community members finding the kind of comfort both in the chapel and amidst the community that is similar to Lazarus' experience in the bosom of Abraham.
Fr. Nicolaie invites us to join the community in looking into the eyes of the Theotokos from a humble position at the feet of her icon; and to live ascetically in a way that opens our own eyes to charity and mercy.
Brother Luke shares three stories from community life.
It is the cry of the poor who are in solidarity with those who suffer the most, today. The poor are not indifferent to the suffering, but lift it in prayer, with faith that God hears them.
A discussion of Saturday's gospel leads community members to search for Resurrection.
How can poverty, hunger, and mourning be considered "blessed?" Father Nicolai looks at the Beatitudes through the lens of the community, revealing the "Good Word," "Bene Dicere," or "Blessing" that is poured out in and through someone with a sincere heart.
In this Sunday's gospel, Jesus provides an abundance of life out of the abyss. The plentiful fish are a testimony of the authority that He has over the living and the dead, revealing that His mercy is deeper than the heart of the sea.
The church is called today to care for life, to offer an open space where the soul of man can pray and sing, and have an encounter with Christ, who listens to us from the cross.
Padre Roberto shares some new stories from the mission.
Brother Luke shares a collection of recent interactions and experiences from within the community.
Father Nicolai reflects on recent hopeful learnings in the community.
Notes from the community that offer a peek at how the community members are seeing God at work in and through each other.
Through Matthew's arrival at the community this week, we learn that communion makes us look for the one that is lost: Through the wounds of the poor, Christ pours out His grace.
Fr. Nicolaie tells how the faith of people who saw (and see) evil in the face of war is a faith that can guide those of us who live in a society tempted by the illusion of death.
Fr. Nicolaie tells how the faith of people who saw (and see) evil in the face of war is a faith that can guide those of us who live in a society tempted by the illusion of death.
Father Nicolae writes about how both the blind man in the Gospel reading, and Angela (a member of the community) have been changed by Christ to such an extent that they are nearly unrecognizable. This gives all of us hope of restoration through Christ.
Father Nicolae writes about how both the blind man in the Gospel reading, and Angela (a member of the community) have been changed by Christ to such an extent that they are nearly unrecognizable. This gives all of us hope of restoration through Christ.
Healing happens within the community in different ways, and at times it is given to us to witness little miracles. In the end it heals us all, in our heart. And this is the real miracle.
Healing happens within the community in different ways, and at times it is given to us to witness little miracles. In the end it heals us all, in our heart. And this is the real miracle.
Brother Luke reflects on Holy Week experiences in the community.
Brother Luke reflects on Holy Week experiences in the community.
Brother Luke reflects on some scenes from every day at the mission.
Brother Luke reflects on some scenes from every day at the mission.
A community member and Father Nicolaie each reflect on their experience with an aspect of the Gospel story of the young man who was possessed.
A community member and Father Nicolaie each reflect on their experience with an aspect of the Gospel story of the young man who was possessed.
It is always better to give than to receive. When we try to help other people, we tend to forget their need to also be able to give.
It is always better to give than to receive. When we try to help other people, we tend to forget their need to also be able to give.
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