More Books From My Shelf // KEEP READING!!

I really want to list & post here every book I have sitting on my shelves, and in stacks & piles surrounding me.  Mostly to let people know what I'm made of how I think, where I'm coming from, etc.  You absorb ideas, views, attitudes & mannerisms from the people you surround yourself with.  I completely believe the same is true with what you read (and watch, but I don't watch TV....maybe just too many "conspiracy theory" or "truther" YouTube videos).
Keep, keep reading!!  Paper books.  Real books. Hell, write a book!!  Yes, I have a Kindle & between my laptop & that device I have about a thousand digital books.  It's nice but there will never be an adequate 'replacement' for the printed book.  I'm not saying anything new.  Just keep reading.

"On the Road to Perfection"
  by G. Maloney



"The Hoax of the Twentieth Century"
 by Dr. Arthur Butz



"Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace"
 by Scott Hahn



"Satipatthana: The Direct Path To Realization"
 by Analayo



"Henry Ford & The Jews"
 by Neil Baldwin

"In the Heart of the Desert"
 by John Chryssavgis

"Hitler's Pope"
 by John Cornwell

"The Joy of Missing Out"
 by C. Crook

"The Arena"
 by Ignatius Brianchaninov

"The Unknown Pilgrim"
 by Rene Gothoni

"The Mystic Christ"
 "by Ethan Walker III

"Cave, Refectory, Road"
 by Ian Adams

"St. Mary of Egypt"
 trans. by Hugh Feiss

"Augustine on Prayer"
 by Thomas Hand

"Awareness: The Perils & Opportunities of Reality"
 by Anthony DeMello

"Biblical Demonology"
 by M.F. Unger

"Christian Mystics"
 by M. Fox

"Nothing in This Book is True, But It's Exactly How Things Are"
 by Bob Frissell

"Hinds' Feet on High Places"
 by Hannah Hurnard

"The Cross & the Kremlin"
 by T. Bremer

"The Tao of Inner Peace"
 by Diane Dreher

"Herzl's Vision"
 by Shlomo Avineri

"Travels in Siberia"
 by Ian Frazier

"Standing in God's Holy Fire"
 by J. Anthony McGuckin

"The Gospel Truth"
 by Alexander Holub, Ph.D.

"Bringing Jesus to the Desert"
 by Bradley Nassif

"The Purposeful Universe"
 by Carl Calleman, Ph.D.

"Understanding Iran"
 by William Polk

"Islamic Political Thought"
 ed. by Gerhard Bowering

"An Exorcist Tells His Story"
 by G. Amorth

"Man's Search for Meaning"
 by Viktor Frankl

"The Hermitess Photini"
 by Archimandrite Joachim Spetsieris

"Mysteries of the Virgin Mary"
 by Fr. Peter J. Cameron, O.P.

"The Desert Fathers"
 by Helen Waddell

"The Gurus, the Young Man, and Elder Paisios"
 by Dionysios Farasiotis

"The Desert Movement"
 by Alexander Ryrie

"Contemporary Ascetics of Mount Athos"
 by Archimandrite Cherubim

"The Yoga of Jesus"
 by Paramahansa Yogananda

"Keeping Mary Close"
 by Mike Aquilina & Dr. Fred Gruber

"What the Mystics Know"
 by Richard Rohr

"Reckless Rites"
 by Elliot Horowitz

"More Than Anyone Can Do: Zen Talks"
 by Ton Lathouwers

"The Urantia Book"
 by Urantia Foundation

"The Body & the Blood"
 by Charles M Sennott

"The Devil & The Jews"
 by J. Trachtenberg

"Growing Up Palestinian"
 by L. Bucaille

"The Second World War"
 by J.F.C. Fuller

"Facing East"
 by Frederica Matthewes-Green

"Chemtrails, HAARP, and the Full Spectrum Dominance of Earth"
 by Elana Freeland

"Dharma Road"
 by Brian Haycock

"We Are NOT Alone"
 by D. Schulze-Makuch & D. Darling

"Crazy John"
 by Dionysios A. Makris

"The Big Book of Reincarnation"
 by Roy Stemman

"The Art of Prayer"
 compiled by Igumen Chariton of Valamo

"Introduction to Serbian Orthodox Church History"
 by Bishop Nikolos Resource Center

"Reading the Bible as God's Own Story"
 by W.S. Kurz, SJ

"Zionism: The Real Enemy of the Jews"
 by Alan Hart

"Why Can the Dead Do Such Great Things?"
 by Robert Bartlett

"Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer"
 by Norris Chumley

"My Life In Christ"
 by St John of Kronstadt

"The Dhammapada"
 by K. Sri Dhammananda

"The Far Future Universe"
 ed by George F.R. Ellis

"The Station"
 by Robert Byron

"The American Orthodox Church"
 by George C. Michalopulos & Herb Ham

"Where We Got the Bible"
 by H.G. Graham

"Children of the Holocaust"
 by Arnost Lustig

"Amped: Notes From a Go-Nowhere Punk Band"
 by Jon Resh

"The Philokalia and the Inner Life"
 by C.H. Cook

"The Faith of the Saints"
 by Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic

"The Ancient Path: Old Lessons from the Church Fathers for a New Life Today"
 by John Michael Talbot

"The Other Gospels: Accounts of Jesus from Outside the New Testament"
 by Bart D. Ehrman & Zlatko Plese

"Pilgrims to Jerusalem in the Middle Ages"
 by Nicole Chareyron

"Rethinking Depression: How to Shed Mental Health Labels &
Create Personal Meaning"
 by Eric Maisel

"The Mindfulness Code: Keys for Overcoming Stress, Anxiety,
Fears, and Unhappiness"
 by Donald Altman

"The Magus of Strovolos: The Extraordinary World of a
Spiritual Healer"
 by Kyriacos C. Markides

"Weimar Germany: Promise and Tragedy"
 by Eric D. Weitz

"The Apocryphal Acts of Paul, Peter, John, Andrew and Thomas"
 by Bernhard Pick

"A Guide to St. Symeon the New Theologian"
 by Hannah Hunt

"Basil of Caesarea: A Guide to His Life & Doctrine"
 by Andrew Radde-Gallwitz

"The Young Elder: A Biography of Blessed Archimandrite
Ambrose of Milkovo"
 by Archbishop Antony Medvedev

"Saint Athansius the Great, Patriarch of Alexandria"
 ed. by Father Samuel Nedelsky

"Brainstorm: Harnessing the Power of Productive Obsessions"
 by Eric Maisel & Ann Maisel

"Abandonment to Divine Providence"
 by Jean-Pierre de Caussade

"You and Your Problems"
 by Ven. Dr. K Sri Dhammananda

"Dreamgates: Exploring the Worlds of Soul, Imagination, and
Life Beyond Death"
 by Robert Moss

"Awaken to the Buddha Within"
 by Ven. Shi Wuling

"Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations: Ancient
Philosophy for Modern Problems"
 by Jules Evans

"New Frontiers in Guadalupan Studies"
 ed. by V. Elizondo & T. Matovina

"A Night in the Desert of the Holy Mountain: Discussion with a
Hermit on the Jesus Prayer"
 by Met. of Nafpaktos Hierotheos

"Dreaming the Soul Back Home: Shamanic Dreaming for Healing
and Becoming Whole"
 by Robert Moss

"Active Dreaming: Journeying Beyond Self-Limitation to a Life
of Wild Freedom"
 by Robert Moss

"Wild Mind: A Field Guide to the Human Psyche"
 by Bill Plotkin

"The Ancient Path: Old Lessons from the Church Fathers for a
New Life Today"
 by John Michael Talbot

"Jesus the Magician: A Renowned Historian Reveals How Jesus
Was Viewed by the People of His Time"
 by Morton Smith

"The Secret History of the Gnostics: Their Scriptures, Beliefs
and Traditions"
 by Andrew Phillip Smith

"The Lost Teachings of the Cathars: Their Beliefs & Practices"
 by Andrew Phillip Smith

"The Noonday Devil: Acedia, the Unnamed Evil of Our Times"
 by Jean-Charles Nault, O.S.B.

"Jesus Wept: When Faith & Depression Meet"
 by Barbara C. Crafton

"The Purposeful Universe: How Quantum Theory and Mayan
Cosmology Explain the Origin and Evolution of Life"
 by Carl Johan Calleman, Ph.D.

"Our Lady, Undoer of Knots: A Living Novena"
 by Marge Fenelon

"Ten Series of Meditations on the Mysteries of the Rosary"
 by Rev. John Ferraro

A Few Videos//Documentaries About Monasticism, Eastern & Western Christianity

"A Comparison of Eastern Orthodoxy & Evangelicalism"

Borrowed from here with permission [link]

Introduction

Evangelicals claim their ancestry from the Apostles and the Early Church, although "early" is usually defined narrowly as the Church of the 1st century.  In reality Evangelicalism stems largely from the Protestant Reformation.  It is a river with many tributaries, including Lutheranism, Calvinism, Presbyterianism, the Baptists, Methodism, the Moravians, the Holiness Movement, Plymouth Brethren, Pentecostalism and the Independents, including the modern House Church Movement, to name some of the more prominent.  In addition most of the post-Reformation Churches have developed Evangelical parties within them, alongside liberals and, in the case of Anglicans, Anglo-Catholics.

Comparisons

What do all these Evangelicals have in common?  Most of them believe:

1. Salvation or Justification by faith alone, not by works.
2. That sound teaching is based on the Bible, Old and New Testament, some would say "sola Scriptura" – Scripture only.
3. That to be saved one needs a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This is often described as being "born again."That the Church means any gathering of Christians –
4.  and there is no such thing as the "true" or the "perfect Church". It is often said – "if there is a perfect Church, don’t join it, you will spoil it." Any gathering of two or more believing Christians is a Church.

Let us look at these from an Orthodox perspective:

1. St Paul never wrote that Justification is by faith alone. The Orthodox certainly believe in Justification by Faith, but also in works as the fruit and evidence of that Justification. The Orthodox see Salvation as a much broader concept; it includes what the Orthodox call "Theosis", which is the working out of holiness in the life of the believer. Yes, the believer is saved; but also "being saved."
2. The Bible never tells us that it is the basis of the truth. In fact St Paul tells us that it is "the church of the living God" which is the "bulwark of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15). Scripture does not interpret itself; it needs to be interpreted. If one only looks at the thousands of different interpretations Evangelicals have made – leading to hundreds of different denominations. The Orthodox believe that the Church not the individual has the overall sense and meaning of the Scriptures as being the community that brought the Scriptures together under God's guidance and inspiration.
3. The Orthodox agree in part that a personal relationship with Christ is necessary and to be born again, but do not leave it there. The Orthodox Church believes there is a corporate dimension to salvation. Salvation is in the Church, as Noah’s was in the ark.
4. Perhaps the greatest weakness in Evangelicalism is its doctrine of the Church. It is interesting that the Orthodox teaching on this was never a source of dispute until the Reformation. There was disagreement on the issue of the nature of Christ and the Trinity; but in the early centuries the Church stood united in its clear understanding of itself.

Recent Comings Together

Until recently there has been very little contact between Evangelicals and Orthodox, but it is much more common today. One important overlap is with Methodism, and there is a Methodist / Orthodox Society in the United States, and a number of books have been written about this.

John Wesley’s time at Oxford in the 18th Century coincided with a revival of the study of the Church Fathers. When this happens there is nearly always a re-discovery of Orthodoxy. There are some who have concluded that Wesley based his distinctive teaching, which was called "Entire Sanctification", on the Greek Fathers. In the Orthodox Church this is called "Theosis" and is at the heart of its mystical tradition. Others have challenged these conclusions. Certainly Wesley’s ministry was condemned by some of his contemporary Evangelicals, and a man called Walker banned him from preaching in Truro in Cornwall.

What has been lacking in the distant past, has been more than made up for in recent times.

In 1995 the World Council of Churches organised an Orthodox-Evangelical Consultation in Alexandria, Egypt. The published report was titled Proclaiming Christ Today. A little earlier Evangelicals and Orthodox shared together in Cyprus. Their report published in 1992 was called Turning Over a New Leaf: Protestant Missions and the Orthodox Churches of the Middle East.

The most dramatic example of this new coming together was the conversion of two thousand Evangelicals from the American Bible belt to the Antiochian Orthodox Church in the 80s. Some of their stories have been published in a book called Coming Home, edited by their leader, once a leader in the Campus Crusade for Christ movement, now a Priest in the Orthodox Church – Father Peter Gillquist.

Bibliography  

Turning over a New Leaf; Protestant Missions and the Orthodox Churches of the Middle East: (Interserve and Middle East Media – 1992)

John Wesley and Christian Antiquity: Ted A Campbell  (Kingswood Books 1991)

Coming Home: Why Protestant Clergy are becoming Orthodox: edited by Peter Gillquist  (Conciliar Press, 1992)

Orthodox and Wesleyan Spirituality: edited by S T Kimbrough  (St Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2002)

Three Views of Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism  (Zondervan, 2004)

Evangelicalism and the Orthodox Church  (Acute 2001)

Proclaiming Christ Today: Orthodox Evangelical Consultation 1995   (WCC and Syndesmos 1996)

Beyond Salvation – Eastern Orthodoxy and Classical Pentecostalism on Becoming like Christ: Edmund J. Rybarczyk (Paternoster 2004)

Internet Resources  

Evangelicals Becoming Orthodox

(1)  "From First Baptist to the First Century - a Spiritual Journey" by Clark Carlton

(2)  "From Evangelical to Orthodox" by Fr. Gregory Rogers

Evangelical - Orthodox Dialogue

(1)  "Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism:  The Status of an Emerging Global Dialogue" by  Bradley Nassif, Ph.D.

(2)  "The Many and the One: The Interface Between Orthodox and Evangelical Protestant Hermeneutics" by Grant R. Osborne

Orthodox Theology Contrasted

(1)  "What Christ Accomplished on the Cross" by Heiromonk Damascene

(2)  "Miles from the Truth" by Fr. John Whiteford and Patrick Barnes

(3)  "Salvation by Christ" by Carmen Fragapane

Creative Commons License

Many Books from My Library--Including Recently Received-- that I am Currently Reading [I Read About Ten Books at a Time!]

"Joseph Barnabas: His Life & Legacy" 

"Decoding the Heavens"
 by Jo Marchant




"Cocaine Kids"
 by Terry Williams



"Direct Action"
 by David Graber



"Death Dealer: Rudolf Hoss Autobiography"
 by Rudolf Hoss




"Marcus Aurelius"
 by FrankMcLynn



"You Don't Have to Fuck People Over to Survive"
 by Seth Tobocman


"The House of Rothschild: 1849 -
 by Niall Ferguson



"Synchronicity"
 by A. Combs & M. Holland



"Rommel's North Africa Campaign: Sept. 1940 - Nov. 1942"
 by Jack Greene & Alessandro Massignani



"Reborn in the West: The Reincarnation Masters"
  by Vicki Mackenzie



"The Many Faces of Christ: The Thousand Year Story of the Survival & Influence of the Lost Gospels"
 by Philip Jenkins



"God's Breath: Sacred Scriptures of the World"
 by J. Miller & A. Kenedi

"Reckless Rites: Purim and the Legacy of
Jewish Violence"
 by Elliot Horowitz

"Riding With the Lion: In Search of Mystical Christianity"
 by Kyriacos C. Markides

"Goering: Hitler's Iron Knight"
 by Richard Overy

"Holocaust™ Revisionism: The Arguments"
 by Juergen Graf & Bruno Montoriol

"The Zionist Factor: The Jewish Impact on Twentieth
Century History"
 by Ivor Benson

"Holocaust High Priest: Elie Wiesel,  Night, The Memory
Cult, And The Rise of Revisionism"
 by Warren B. Routledge

"Listen to the Desert: Secrets of Spiritual Maturity from
the Desert Fathers & Mothers"
 by G. Mayers

"Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God"
 by James Finley

"The Price of Whiteness: Jews Race, and American Identity"
 by E.L. Goldstein

"Big Gods: How Religion Transformed Cooperation and Conflict"
  by Ara Norenzayan

"Hitler, Germans, and the "Jewish Question""
  by Sarah Gordon

"One Nation Under Zion: Zionist Influence on America"
 by Peter Christian

"The Devil and the Jews: The Medieval Conception of the Jew and Its
Relation to Modern Anti-Semitism"
 by Joshua Trachtenberg

"The Desert Fathers"
 trans by Helen Waddell

"The Young Hitler I Knew: The Definitive Look at the Artist Who Became
a Monster"
 by August Kubizek

"Inside the Concentration Camps"
 by Maja Suderland

"Nazi Germany"
 by Alan F.Wilt

"Prayers From the East: Traditions of Eastern Christianity"
 ed. by Richard Marsh

"Becoming Eichmann: Rethinking the Life, Crimes, & Trial of a "Desk Murderer"
 by David Cesarani

"Auschwitz: The Final Count"
 by Vivian Bird

"My Life in Christ"
 by St John of Kronstadt

"The SS: Alibi of a Nation, 1922 - 1945"
 by Gerald Reitlinger

"A Short History of the Balfour Declaration"
 by The Barnes Review Journal

"Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini: Totalitarianism in the 
Twentieth Century"
 by B.F. Pauly

"Gobekli Tepe: Genesis of the Gods, the Temple of the 
Watchers & the Discovery of Eden"
 by Andrew Collins

"The Last Jews in Berlin"
 by Leonard Gross

"How to Pray Always"
 by Raoul Plus, S.J.

"Awareness: The Perils & Opportunities of Reality"
 by Anthony De Mello, S.J.

"Germany's Underground: The Anti-Nazi Resistance"
 by Allen Welsh Dulles

Prophesies of our Generation & WW3 Signs // Saint Kosmas

"The Practice of the Presence of God"

Some new books I've received over the past few weeks:

....this should keep me busy for a few weeks.  If I had life my way, the world would leave me the fuck alone and let me read 24/7!!!  Actually I DO have life my way....LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!  ESPECIALLY DUMB-ASS SKANKY, UGLY, NASTY, JUNKIE HOOKERS [D.C.]

"The Struggle forVirtue: Asceticism in a Modern Secular Society"  by Archbishop Averky (Taushev)

"The Monk"  by Matthew Lewis 

"The Curious World of Drugs & Their Friends: A Very Trippy Miscellany"  by I Nierman & A. Sack

"St Nikodim of the Holy Mountain: What God Has Done for Our Salvation"  by St. Nikodim

""The Icon of the Nevskaya Mother of God, Quick to Hear"   by Archpriest Gennady Belovolov

"My Life in Christ"  by  St. John Kronstadt

"Nazi Germany: Confronting the Myths"  by C. Epstein

"Living Without Hypocrisy: Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina Monastery "  trans. by Archimandrite George Schaefer

"On Suicide"  by Emile Durkheim

"Reset Your Inner Clock: The Drug Free Way to Your Best-Ever Sleep, Mood & Energy"  by M. Terman, Phd & I. McMahan, PhD

"The Body and the Blood: The Middle East's Vanishing Christians and the Possibility for Peace"  by C.M. Sennott

"Fire & Fury: The Allied Bombing of Germany, 1942 - 1945"  by R. Hansen  [NEVER forget Dresden, a holocaust inflicted on innocent Germans by America & her allies -ECM]

"A Concise History of Nazi Germany"  by J.W. Bendersky

"Germany, 1945: From War to Peace"  by Richard Bessel

"After the Reich: The Brutal History of the Allied Occupation"  by Giles MacDonogh  [Please learn as much as you can about the occupation of Germany from 1945 -1955 or so. Millions of innocent Germans were raped & killed by the "Allies", mostly the Red Russian scum!]

"The Urantia Book: Revealing the Mysteries of God, The Universe, World History, Jesus, and Ourselves"  by Unknown 

"Totally Wired: Postpunk Interviews & Overviews"  by Simon Reynolds 

"We Owe You Nothing: Punk Planet, the Collected Interviews"

"The Eichmann Trial Diary: An Eyewitness Account of the Trial the Revealed the holocaust"  by Sergio Minerbi

"Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk"  by L. McNeil & G. McCain

"The Young Hitler I Knew: The Definitive Inside Look at the Artist Who Became a Monster"  by August Kubizek

"Yoga: Immortality & Freedom"  by M. Eliade

"Why I am Still a Catholic"  various essays

"The Future of the Catholic Church With Pope Francis"  by Gary Willis

"Judaism for Dummies"  by Rabbi Ted Falcon, PhD & D. Blatner

"Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism"  by Timothy Keller "Goodbye, Good Men: How Liberals Brought Corruption into the Catholic Church"  by M.S. Rose 

"How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization" by T.E. Woods, Jr.

"Islamic Political Thought: An Introduction"  ed. by Gerhard Bowering  [Thinking of my sweetest friend Karin Friedemann]

"Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital"  by M. Andersen & M. Jenkins

"Seeds of Grace: A Nun's Reflections on the Spirituality of Alcoholics Anonymous"  by Sister Molly Monahan

"Nazis, Islamists, and the Making of the Modern Middle East"  by Barry Rubin & Wolfgang G. Schwanitz

"Apocalypticism in the Dead Sea Scrolls"  by John J. Collins

"The Nuremberg War Crimes Trial, 1945 - 1946"  by M.R. Marrus

"The Fruitful Darkness: A Journey Through Buddhist Practice and Tribal Wisdom"  by Joan Halifax

"As I Lay Dying: Meditation Upon Returning"  by Richard John Neuhaus

"The Heritage of the Bhikkhu"  by Walpola Rahula

"The Diamond That Cuts Through Illusion"  by Thich Nhat Hanh

"Finding Our True Home: Living in the Pure Land Here & Now"  by Thich Nhat Hanh

"Calming the Fearful Mind: A Zen Response to Terrorism"  by Thich Nhat Hanh

"My Master's Robe: Memories of a Novice Monk"  by Thich Nhat Hanh

"Jesus' Revelation to St. Faustina on Spiritual Warfare"

Jesus to St. Faustina on Spiritual Warfare: 25 Secrets [external link]

Byzantine Catholics [A Crash Course on One of the Many Eastern Catholic Churches]

(Borrowed without permission from The All Saints Byzantine Catholic Church in Ft. Myers, Florida....)

In the mountainous region of Carpatho-Rus, known also as Carpatho-Ruthenia, situated between present day Slovakia and Ukraine, there is a group of Eastern Christians. Evangelized in the ninth century by those equals-to-the-apostles, Saints Cyril and Methodius, this group received the Holy Gospel and Sacred Mysteries (Sacraments) from the Byzantine Church of Constantinople. Although Cyril and his brother, Methodius, were Greek (from Thessalonika), they promoted the use of the ancient Slavonic language in worship. This language, later known as Old Church Slavonic, would become the liturgical language of the Carpatho-Rusyns and all Slavonic Christians, both Orthodox and Catholic. In time, Cyril and Methodius brought their liturgical books to Rome to receive the blessings of Pope Hadrian, and he in turn blessed their mission of establishing the Greek (Byzantine) Catholic religion in the Carpathian mountains of Central Europe.

Over time, a rift grew between East and West; and, in 1054, estrangement was realized with the Great Schism of Constantinople and Rome. Being an Eastern Church, the Carpatho-Rusyns were eventually drawn into by this unfortunate break and became members of the Orthodox Church. This ecclesia sui iuris (self-governing church) of Mukachevo-Uzhorod in time sought reunion with the Church of Rome, re-establishing its Catholic faith while maintaining the spirituality, ceremonies, and discipline of the Eastern Church. On April 24, 1646, in Saint George Castle Garden in Uzhorod, a number of priests and faithful proclaimed vocally their reunion with the Catholic Church, re-establishing the unity that Christ so ardently prayed for. From this nucleus would grow a reborn church which the Empress Maria Theresa of Austro-Hungary would later call "The Greek Catholic Church" -- "Greek" in its ritual, theology and art; "Catholic" in union with the Bishop of Rome. In time, the reunion would spread to other areas of Europe, and new eparchies (dioceses) would be created in such places as Presov (Slovakia), Krizevci (Croatia), Hajdudorog and Miskolc (Hungary).

 

In the 1870’s, the first wave of Carpatho-Rusyn immigration brought significant numbers of Greek Catholics to the United States of America. The first parish they founded on these shores was Saint Michael's in Shanandoah, PA followed by an establishment in Freeland, PA. Others were established in places like Wilkes-barre and Kingston, PA, and in Jersey City and Passaic, NJ. 

The Greek Catholic Church in America continued to grow, and there was seen a growing need for hierarchial leadership. In 1905, Father Andrew Hodobay was sent by Rome as Apostolic Visitor to care for the immigrant church; but, being a Hungarian, he was not the proper leader for a predominantly Slavic church. Rome, then, in turn, sent two men to care for what would become two separate administrations for the American Greek Catholics: Father Peter Poniatishyn for the Ukrainians, and Father Gabriel Martyak for the Carpatho-Rusyns (Ruthenians). By this time parishes were springing up all over Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio and the Northeast. In 1924 Rome raised the status of the American Greek Catholic Ruthenian community to that of an Exarchate (Apostolic Vicariate) with Bishop Basil Takach as its first Exarch, establishing Saint John the Baptist Cathedral in Pittsburgh’s Homestead/Munhall neighborhood as its seat. Meanwhile, Greek Catholic immigration continued from Carpathia as well as Hungary and Croatia. Not only were parishes and priests being established and assigned, but the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great received a call from Bishop Takach to minister to the immigrant church, and they eventually settled in Uniontown, PA, after a number of temporary locations.

 

As the decades of the twentieth century progressed, missionary efforts led to the establishment of parishes in California, Florida and even in Alaska. The term "Greek Catholic" would change to "Byzantine Catholic," stressing that the church was not Hellenic (Greek) in nationality, and that the spirituality and liturgical services were of the Byzantine Rite; also, English, now the vernacular, became the dominant liturgical language. The church was then honored in its growth and permanence by the elevation of Pittsburgh as an Eparchy (diocese) in 1963, with Bishop Nicholas T. Elko as first Eparch, after serving as Exarch since 1955. In addition, the East Coast was given their own Eparchy, Passaic, NJ, with Bishop Stephen J. Kocisko as first Eparch, and with the church of Saint Michael the Archangel designated as the Cathedral. The Eparchy of Passaic would encompass the entire eastern sea coast of the United States, from Maine to Florida. In 1968, Bishop Stephen Kocisko was transferred to the Eparchy of Pittsburgh, and subsequently Bishop Michael Dudick was consecrated and enthroned as the second Eparch of Passaic. The crowning achievement of this near century of ecclesiastical growth would be the creation, in 1969 by Pope Paul VI, of a Metropolian Church ecclesia sui uris based in Pittsburgh. This Metropolia would have as its suffragan sees the Eparchy of Passaic (covering the East) and the newly-created Eparchy of Parma, OH, (in the Midwest) governed by Bishop Emil Mihalik as its first eparch. The church of Saint John the Baptist in Parma, OH, would serve as Cathedral for the new eparchy. Bishop Mihalik endeavored to establish more churches in the outer-most parts of his eparchy in places such as Las Vegas, NV, Albuquerque, NM, and Denver, CO. The growth of these Western missions and churches was acknowledged by Pope John Paul II through the erection of a fourth jurisdiction for Byzantine Catholics: the Eparchy of Van Nuys, CA; and, through the selection of Bishop Thomas V. Dolinay (then Auxiliary Eparch of Passaic) as its first Eparch. He shepherded the Eparchy from his seat at Holy Protection of the Mother of God Cathedral in Van Nuys until he was chosen, in 1991, to be Metropolitan of Pittsburgh, succeeding the ailing former shepherd, Archbishop Stephen J. Kocisko. Consequently, the auxiliary Eparch of Passaic, Bishop George Kuzma, was enthroned as the second Eparch of Van Nuys, and, in 1997, moved his seat of administration to Saint Stephen Protomartyr Pro-Cathedral in Phoenix, AZ. In 1996, Bishop Michael J. Dudick retired after a long and pastorally beneficial ministry in the Eparchy of Passaic. Upon his retirement, the Holy Father appointed Bishop Andrew Pataki (formerly Eparch of Parma), as the third Eparch of Passaic.

The spiritual life of the Byzantine Catholic Church was and continues to grow with assistance not only from the Basilians of Uniontown, but also from Monasteries for men and women, such as The Basilian Fathers of Mariapoch, Matawan, NJ, as well as from Holy Dormition Franciscan Monastery, Sybertsville, PA.

The Byzantine Catholic Church is an Eastern Church in union with Rome; Carpatho-Rusyn in background and flavor, but indeed an American Eastern Church celebrating the Gospel in words, symbols, and action. We are unique in our mystical theology, blending the colors of our many ikons with the congregational acapella chants; raising up our hands and our fragrant incense in prayer and inviting you to come and see who we are and what we are all about as part of the Eastern half of the Universal Church.

http://www.allsaintsbyzantinechurch.com/Site/Byzantine_Catholics.html

Video "Three Secrets of Fatima Documentary"

Eastern Christian Churches -- A Few Videos for Your Edification~

[Video] "Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer" Documentary about the Book of the Same Title

Several of the Things I'm reading today~

The Faithful Steward, issue 39  This is a 16 page newsletter of the Orthodox Church of N. America!  It has some short articles & interesting write-ups of Orthodox happenings & church issues.

The Biographies of the Prince of Martyrs, St. George the Roman, St. George the Alexandrian & St. George Al-Mozahem.  Edited by Ms. Amani Shawky

Voices: Women for Faith & Family.  --Pentecost Season 2011
  A beautiful looking magazine put together by some Catholic women's group.


Saint Nersess Theological Review, vol. 13 2008.  Journal of the Armenian Seminary
 Lots & lots of compact & heady articles.

30 Days Magazine .... several older issues a friend sent to me recently.  This is a Vatican magazine,
subtitled, "In the Church & in the World."   I love it.  One issue has a great article about the Orthodox Christians and the Holy Theotokos (birth-giver of God).

Immaculate Heart Messenger, Oct - Dec. 2011
Religious Life (from the Institute on Religious Life.)
The Catholic World Report
The American Conservative
The Word  (Orthodox Christian monthly magazine. Beautifully
put together & insightful to read!) 

Light...on a New World   Attractive 1/2 sized Protestant magazine from England.

Parabola   That informative & educational 'New - Age-ish' magazine. Lots & lots
of cool articles on Buddhism.

Adoremus Bulletin  Monthly newspaper published by The Society for the
Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy

Horizons  Newspaper of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma (Ohio)
Saudi Aramco World  Magazine published by the
oil company of the same name. Cool articles on what's happening in the Middle East.

The Melkite Handbook & A Guide for the Domestic Church   A couple of  large sized
books put out by the Melkite Church in MA.

The Journal of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives   This is really cool!  Just received this from a super cool Rev. at a Buddhist monastery in California.  Great articles & stories!  I can't wait to read more...I've got two thick issues.  Looks like a cut-n-paste punk 'zine!

Pure Land, Pure Mind   This great book is a collection of talks by a Buddhist monk of the
Pure Land sect of Buddhism.  You didn't know there were different sects within Biddhism?
Neither did I until I started exploring that religion.  I obtained about twenty books from these
monks in Taiwan.  All free of charge, of course. Buddhists are just like that!

Video: "Watchmen of the Night: The monks of Saint Mary Magdalene Monastery in Le Barroux"

Amazing documentary "The Missing History of Jesus"

This is one of the best documentaries on the search for Jesus (Issa), during His so-called 'missing years', that I have ever watched!!
 

Video: "Shadow of the Templars" by Henry Lincoln

"Glory to God for All Things" [Excellent Eastern Orthodox Blog!!] ♥♥♥

"Glory to God for All Things Blog" [link]

"The Treblinka Archaeology Hoax" [Excellent New Revisionist Documentary!]

Greek Orthodox Chant (You've Got to Hear These Beautiful Hymns! Amazing!!♥)

Some More of the Books I've Received [pt.2]

Here they are, in no particular order:

"A Life Together: Wisdom of Community from the Christian East"
  --by Bishop Seraphim Sigrist

"Confession of Faith, of our Righteous God-bearing Father Nikodemos the Hagiorite"
  --trans by Fr. George Dokos

"Thinking About Suicide: Contemplating and Comprehending the Urge to Die"
  --by D. Webb

"The Jesuits: The Society of Jesus and the Betrayal of the Roman Catholic Church"
  --by M. Martin

"On the Edge of Reality: Hidden Technology, Powers of the Mind, Quantum Physics, Paranormal Phenomena, Orbs, UFOs, Harmonic Transmissions, and Crop Circles"
  --by C. Andrews & S. Andrews

"The Columbia History of Jews & Judaism in America"
  --ed. by Marc Lee Raphael

"Consciousness Reconsidered"
  --by O. Flanagan

"The Coptic Christian Heritage: History, Faith, and Culture"
  --ed. by L.M. Farag

"Mankind Beyond Earth: The History, Science, and Future of Human Space Exploration"
  --by C.A. Piantadosi

"Worlds Without End: The Many Lives of the Multiverse"
  -- by M.J. Rubenstein

"Love Without Conditions"
  --by P. Ferrini

"The Hidden Gospel: Decoding the Spiritual Message of the Aramaic Jesus"
  --by N.D. Klotz

"A New History of Early Christianity"
  --by C. Freeman

"Viral Mythology: How the Truth of the Ancients Was Encoded & Passed Down Through Legend, Art, & Architecture"
  --by M.D. Jones & L. Flaxman

"The Christ Connection: How the World Religions Prepared the Way for the Phenomenon of Jesus"
  --by R.A. Varghese

"Opium: Reality's Dark Dream"
  --by T. Dormandy

"This Sacred Earth: Religion, Nature, Environment"
  --ed. by R.S. Gottlieb

"Abba, Give Me a Word: The Path of Spiritual Direction"
  --by L.R. Owens

"The Origins of Jewish Mysticism"
  --by P. Schafer

"Fifty Key Christian Thinkers"
  --ed. by P. McEnhill & G. Newlands

"Fleeing Herod: A Journey Through Coptic Egypt with the Holy Family"
  --by J. Cowan

"The Other Gospels: Accounts of Jesus from Outside the New Testament"
  --ed. & trans. by B. Ehrman & Z. Plese

"Consciousness: An Introduction"
  --by S. Blackmore

"An Unconventional History of Western Philosophy: Conversations Between Men & Women Philosophers"
  --ed. by K.J. Warren

"Critically Reading the Theory and Methods of Archaeology, an Introductory Guide"
  --G. Gibbon

"Globalization: East & West"
  --by B.S. Turner & H.H. Khondker

"How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus' Divine Nature"
  --by Bird, Evans, Gathercole, Hill, and Tilling

"Zen and Psychotherapy"
  --by C.J. Mruk & J. Hartzell

"Philosophy of Dreams"
  --by C. Turcke

"In  Search of the Early Christians"
  --by W.A. Meeks

"New Testament & Christian Apocrypha"
  --by F. Bovon

"Introducing the Apocrypha: Message, Context, and Significance"
  --by David A. deSilva