Home / Work of the Church / Resource Handbook
An Orthodox vision of aging.
Senior issues.
Ministry of seniors.
Parish and family ministry to the elderly.
Community services for the elderly.
Volume I - 1989
Senior citizens are growing in number, both in the general population and in our churches. Many are entering these years in good or fairly good health. Many find themselves living just as a couple again, the children having gone off to form families of their...Volume I - 1988
“Give rest, O Christ, to the soul of thy servant where there is neither sickness, nor sorrow, nor sighing, but life everlasting ...” For centuries these words have solaced and given strength to dying persons and their loved ones. Yet today, with the advent of medical...Volume I - 1986
Today a growing problem is the question of housing for the elderly. Some parishes might already have property which had been willed or donated, which is conveniently located near the church and which could be converted into “low-income” or “subsidized” housing. However, many people prefer...Volume I - 1986
Modern medicine has made it possible for people to live longer and fuller lives. But in many cases, persons who reach an advanced age outlive their friends and spouses and remain alone to complete their lives. Often, the only alternatives open to these people are...Volume I - 1984
This article deals with two fine Orthodox women confronting death. Iris, because of the circumstances of her life, learned how to find solace in her Christian faith; Zoya, though she was assertive and firm while healthy, was distressed and even resentful long before she died....Volume I - 1984
0 God from my youth You have taught me and I still proclaim Your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs 0 God do not forsake me, till I proclaim Your might to all the generations to come. (Psalm 71:17-18) The elderly and shut-ins...Volume I - 1983
The Orthodox parish can participate in an important Christian ministry by serving not only the spiritual but also the physical and practical needs of the aging. It is impossible to separate one from the other, they are so closely related. By providing practical assistance to...Volume I - 1983
The second stroke did not kill eighty-year old Peter Vorman, but it severely paralyzed him. He livedbut he needed care twenty-four hours a day. Someone had to be there all the time to feed him, bathe him, dress him, take him to the bathroom,...Volume I - 1983
Aging in our culture has been one of the last taboos. It’s something we are not supposed to talk about, and something we are not supposed to do. But the aging are not only the old. The aging are all of us. It’s...Volume I - 1983
A service of great value to the community can be offered by donating the space of an empty church hall when it is not being used by the parish. This is exactly what SS Peter and Paul Orthodox Church of Syracuse, New York has done...