St. Vladimir’s Seminary to present “Mayan Orthodoxy: Explosion of Faith” May 18

Guatemalan Boy
An Orthodox boy smiles outside the church in Todos Santos, Guatemala.

Just four years ago, membership in the Orthodox Church numerically increased in Latin America when tens of thousands of Guatemalans of Mayan ancestry turned to the ancient faith. On Sunday, May 18, 2014 at 7:00 p.m., Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary here will host a public presentation, “Mayan Orthodoxy: Explosion of Faith,” to explain this striking and unprecedented phenomenon.

Jesse Brandow, SVOTS alumnus (‘13) and long-term missionary candidate to Guatemala, will give the free and public presentation in the Bashir Auditorium of the Metropolitan Leonty Education Building.  His talk will be recorded by Ancient Faith Radio and appear as a “Voices from St. Vladimir’s” podcast. His presentation is being sponsored by the seminary’s Student Council.

Mr. Brandow first traveled to Guatemala in 2009 as part of a short-term mission team. In 2012, he returned to Guatemala to spend the entire summer living and working in the Mayan Orthodox communities.

“In my presentation, I’ll explore the past triumphs and the future challenges of the Mayan communities that now have embraced the Orthodox Christian faith,” said Mr. Brandow. “I am constantly seeking new opportunities to build awareness by speaking in parishes and other places throughout the United States.

“I hope that the entire Orthodox world will stand in solidarity with the Mayan Church in Guatemala, and that Orthodoxy will blossom throughout the Spanish-speaking world,” he continued. “Guatemala could be just the beginning; I invite people to come and hear how Orthodoxy is bursting into Latin America.”

To learn more about Orthodoxy in Guatemala, and to access photos, videos, and updates from the numerous missionaries there, visit www.MayanOrthodoxy.com. To contact Mr. Brandow, send an e-mail to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).