Fall 2020 (#83)

The Book of Things Unknown
by Andrei Dîrlău

Taking Jorge Luis Borges’ famous story “The Zahir” as a reference or “hypotext,” The Book of Things Unknown offers a surprising variant. Set in the cultural framework of post-Communist Orthodox Romania, Simon Palamas’ love of books, his marriage, and his travels lead him on a spiritual and literary quest through diverse religious and literary traditions (Chinese mythology; Sufi, Hindu and Buddhist mysticism; and both Western and Eastern Orthodox Christianity), yielding an astonishing end to the journey.

Spring/Summer 2020 (#81-82)

Awakening to Faith in Soviet-Era Moscow
1961-1978

In this first of a three-part series, Protopriest Artemy Vladimirov, the Orthodox pastor of Moscow’s Church of All Saints at Krasnocelskaya, writes about his childhood, university years and coming to faith in an atheist society. This stirring first-hand account shows a side of Soviet-era Russia rarely glimpsed by Westerners: the sustaining relations of family and friends; the dignified integrity of the World War II generation; the heroic efforts of Russian Orthodox pastors; and the surprising ways in which believers and nonbelievers met beyond the barriers of ideology. A valuable lesson on finding grace in unexpected places.

A Moscow Childhood
Father Artemy Vladimirov’s Russian childhood: the warmth of family relations; awakening to the natural world; first experiences of Soviet society; and his youthful acceptance of God’s existence. A remarkable view of a vanished era.

University Years
Recalling his years as a philology student at Moscow State University, Fr. Artemy Vladimirov charts his attempts to negotiate the Soviet system with his newfound faith, and the professors, friends and pastors who led him to adulthood.

A Hidden Life of Grace
A moving account of the persecuted yet fruitful life of Hieromonk Pavel (Lysak), Fr. Artemy Vladimirov’s spiritual father.

Fall, 2019 / Winter, 2020 (#79-80)

A Matter of Grace: Building Strasbourg’s Russian Orthodox Church of All Saints
Archimandrite Philip Ryabykh of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) on the construction of the newly consecrated Church of All Saints in Strasbourg, France. A candid and revealing discussion of the trials, temptations, and successes of building what many consider to be among the most beautiful Orthodox churches in Europe.

Christianity in Alsace: A Common Heritage
An overview of Christianity in the Alsace region of France and the first-millennium history and saints shared by Orthodox and Catholics alike.

Three Saints of Alsace 
Archimandrite Philip Ryabykh and Sergiy Volosenko on the lives and veneration of three women saints – Odile of Alsace, Sophia of Rome, and Richarde of Andlau – whose influence rooted Christianity in eastern France. An armchair pilgrimage to Alsace and beyond.

Tous les Saints: An Immigrant Parish and the Momentum of Giving 
A remarkable interview with lawyer Sergiy Volosenko, assistant to the rector of the Church of All Saints in Strasbourg. Even as this immigrant community struggles with new languages and cultures, parishioners give time, energy, and prayer to build a grace-filled, self-sufficient parish. The results are astonishing.

Rights and Freedoms: Safeguarding Orthodox Christians in Europe 
Latvian Orthodox Kyrill Bystrov on his internship at the Church of All Saints in Strasbourg monitoring violations of the rights and freedoms of Orthodox Christians in Europe. A protective initiative that can be copied worldwide.

Summer, 2019 (#78)

Undiscovered Greece: Pilgrimages and Tours with Nicholas Karellos
An invitation to pilgrimage through Greece with Road to Emmaus Greek editor Nicholas Karellos. For over twenty years, Nicholas has translated for the journal’s on-site interviews, but few know that he also leads pilgrims and tourists on unforgettable adventures through Orthodox Greece. Now it’s time to share him and Pilgrim’s Way Tours with a larger audience.

Pilgrim’s Way Reviews: Travelling with Nicholas Karellos
Reviews from five pilgrims covering thirty years of touring with Pilgrim’s Way.

A Short History of Classical and Christian Athens
Athens is known to every schoolchild as the birthplace of Western civilization, and amidst the noise and press of the modern city remain exquisite and graceful landmarks of its Classical and Byzantine past – the first as curiosities in archeological sites and museums; the second living in the hearts and churches of its Orthodox Christians. 

A Walking Tour of Christian Athens
by Mother Nectaria McLees
Discover the spiritual treasures of central Athens as the saints did, on foot and up close. Discover holy sites from the first century of Christianity to the present. While this fascinating city is often passed over for more outlying locations, it’s intriguing Orthodox history and grace-filled churches, relics, and museums will engage and inspire.

Spring 2019 (#77)

The Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrimage to the Relics of St. James
An interview with Jorge Luque Martin on his youthful decision to find faith by walking the Camino or “Way of St. James” to Santiago de Compostela. His thousand-kilometer trek on foot through northern Spain is a revelation of what it means to take the Kingdom of Heaven by force.

“Straight Ways and Shining”: Medieval Pilgrimage Routes to Santiago de Compostela
While all roads lead to Rome, pilgrims in the Middle Ages more often followed them to a small town in northwestern Spain to pay homage to the relics of St. James. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims left home and family each year to venerate the apostle whose living presence had captured the hearts and piety of the medieval Christian world.

Pilgrimage Prayers and Blessings Along the Camino
The blessing service for pilgrims from the 1078 Missal of Vich Cathedral in Barcelona that is still used today to bless Christians setting out to Santiago de Compostela.

Santiago Appears to the Greek Bishop
This genial piece, one of many Spanish miracles attributed to the Apostle James, retells the tradition of the doubting Greek bishop who preferred to see the saint as a fisherman rather than a warrior. 

Saints of the Iberian Lands: The First Millenium
The Russian Orthodox Church has added eighty saints of the pre-schism Iberian Church to the church calendar. Here is a list of the first-millenium saints of Spain and Portugal that have been venerated through the centuries. 

Orthodox Parishes and Communities in Spain and Portugal 
An overview of contemporary Orthodoxy in southwestern Europe.

Companions on the Camino: From Brokenness to Brotherhood
The moving account of two American pilgrims finding forgiveness and grace on the Way of St. James.

Winter 2019 (#76)

A Miracle of Liturgical Art: The Church of the Protection of the Mother of God at Yasenevo
America’s premier Orthodox Christian church designer Andrew Gould introduces us to Moscow’s newly-built “Pokrov” Church, which he calls “nothing less than a miracle.”

“Don’t Pass by; Heaven is Here!” Raising Moscow’s Pokrov Church at Yasenevo  
After a decade as a hieromonk and econom in charge of restoring Russia’s famous Optina Monastery, Archimandrite Melchisedek (Artyukhin) was asked to organize the new Optina podvoriye at the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul in the south of Moscow. With tens of thousands of baptized Orthodox in the district and only one church, plans were laid to build what has become one of the world’s most beautiful Orthodox temples – the Church of the Protection of the Mother of God at Yasenevo, consecrated in 2015. The story of its dynamic construction will move every reader who loves good Orthodox architecture. 

Walls of Grace: A Pokrov Gallery
Archival photos of the construction and finished interior of Moscow’s Church of the Protection of the Mother of God at Yasenevo.

Summer/Fall 2018 (#74-75)

The Heliand: “A Beautiful Happiness”
Presenting Christ to the Early Medieval North
In a rich and fascinating interview, Rev. Fr. G. Ronald Murphy, S.J. discusses the little-known Christian epic, The Heliand. Composed for ninth-century Saxon tribes living along the North Sea coast of today’s Germany, this poetic version of the life of Christ taken from the Gospels was recited in mead-halls and monasteries throughout Saxony for centuries following the Christian conversion. Father Murphy has not only provided the epic’s first excellent English translation, but, uniquely in mission literature, has uncovered the fascinating cultural bridges used by The Heliand to help Northern Europeans move from their cherished and deep-rooted mythology to a living Christian faith. An unparalleled look at how a society and people made that change while remaining true to themselves.

Spring 2018 (#73)

Freeing the Soul: Reflections on Thirty Years as an Orthodox Confessor
An interview with Moscow Protopriest Artemy Vladimirov on his three decades as a Russian confessor. As rector of the Church of All Saints at the Novo-Alekseevksy Stavropegial Women’s Monastery in Moscow, Fr. Artemy often hears several hundred confessions a week, and in addition to having taught Slavonic and New Testament at Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Seminary and Theological Academy, he has mentored many young priests in their first years of service to the Church. The following interview is uniquely focused on questions submitted by North American Orthodox priests of varied jurisdictions and years of experience, and by Orthodox Christian laypeople.

Life Confessions and First Confessions

Priestly Approaches to Confession

Preparation for Holy Communion

Confessions Involving Carnal Falls

Prayer Rules, Penances, and Receiving Holy Communion

Confession and Confidentiality

Church Logistics: Attendance and Timing

Spiritual Health of the Confessor

Lay Concerns About Confession

Entertainment, Media, and Society

Confessing Children and Gift-Giving

Last Words

Winter 2018 (#72)

Orthodoxy in Greater China: Laying the Foundation for an International Orthodox Presence
Russian Archpriest Dionisy Pozdnyaev of the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, Hong Kong’s earliest Orthodox parish, recounts the recent history of Orthodoxy in China, the challenges faced by native Orthodox Christians on the mainland and the diaspora, and his hope for the future of Greater China.

Heirs of St. Seraphim’s Wonderful Revelation: The Moscow Descendants of Nikolai Motovilov 
Moscow descendants of Nikolai Motovilov, the beloved disciple of St. Seraphim of Sarov, offer insightful and poignant reflections on their family history and spiritual ties to their ancestor and his elder. 

The Motoviloffs in America: Tracking our Russian Roots
In an unexpected meeting, Road to Emmaus editors were introduced to a second family related to St. Seraphim’s disciple, this time in Madison, Wisconsin. Our spirited conversation over the afternoon mirrored the warm faithfulness towards St. Seraphim and the legacy of Nikolai Motovilov that we had already encountered in their distant Moscow cousins. 

As Bright as the Sun: Excerpts from “The Conversation of St. Seraphim and N.A. Motovilov”
A short collection of passages from the Russian spiritual classic.