If you have visited an Orthodox Church, you will have found that much is strange and different from other churches you may have attended. It is more than the language and service which may puzzle you, for the latter could be in any one of many languages, including English. What is this Church?
On Sunday, December 20, 2020, the hierarchs of North America gathered together at the Metropolitan Residence Church of the Icon of Our Lady of the Sign for the celebration of the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, during which Bishop-elect Nicholas (Wytish) was ordained to the episcopacy as Bishop of Edenborn, Vicar for the Archdiocese of North America & the Diaspora.
The symbolic importance of bread in the life of the Church and its worship is great. In this regard we hear the words of our Lord saying: I am the bread of life... I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever, and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I give for the life of the world. (John 6:51)