Special Announcement + St. Raphael of Brooklyn Story

☦️ Orthodox Sunday Sermons Coming to Barrel Aged Faith & More!

Dear Friends,

I am excited to announce that Barrel Aged Faith will be releasing regular Sunday Sermons with Orthodox Archpriest, Father Patrick Cardine! In his most recent homily, Fr. Patrick reminds us that now is the time to work, harvest, and reap and not to slumber and sleep. Just as Christ directed Peter to throw out his nets into deep waters for a catch of fish, our Lord calls us to go out into all the world making disciples of many nations.

Fr. Patrick will also be joining me for an interview on his profound experience of translating the relics of St. Raphael of Brooklyn this last week who was canonized a saint in 2000. If you want to learn more about St. Raphael, here is a great video on this saint of America!

Fr. Andrew Damick and many other priests joined Fr. Patrick at this wonderful event.

You read that right! “A sweet fragrance was apparent as soon as his coffin was opened.” This can occur at times when a person visits the opening of a saint’s tomb and has also been reported at the Holy Sepulchre (the tomb of Christ) in Jerusalem. The sweet fragrance is a work of the Holy Spirit to remind us of the saints’ particular holiness Miracles that occur from relics (read 2 Kings 13 on Elisha’s bones healing a dead man) also remind us that the saints are still very much alive and are awaiting the resurrection of their bodies at the Return of Christ when these bones will be transfigured at the command of our Lord! (read 1 Thessalonians 4)

Fr. Patrick told me over a phone call that he actually washed many of these bones. Again, this whole experience may seem strange to the modern ear, but this phenomenon is deeply Biblical. Think of the Israelites who carried the bones of St. Joseph of Egypt with them through the wilderness to the Promised Land. That translation actually lasted 40 years!

July 18th will now be “The Feast of the Translation of the Relics of St. Raphael” on the Antiochian calendar.

Stay tuned for this interview with Fr. Patrick and many others. I will also be interviewing Sister Anastasias soon on her book “You Are Mine.”

Thank you to all who support the work of Barrel Aged Faith. It could not continue without your generosity and prayers. If you want to keep the mission going, please prayerfully consider signing up for a paid subscription (only $5 a month!).