Dear visitor, allow me to explain what this group is. As many of you may know, during Lent some typika assign the reading of certain patristic texts, some even to be done in church during certain services. Of course, the practice has mostly been observed in monasteries, but, if a non-monastic will read these texts, it will be immediately obvious that there is much in them which is not exclusively for monastics. Rather, by and large these texts are of universal relevance. For example, it becomes immediately obvious to any reader that these texts are meant to bring back the reader to an ascetical manner of being, from any sideways he or she may have taken over time. A sort of re-focus on the soul after paying attention to other things. This purpose is also explained by the document with patristic quotes, “why these texts?” 

Therefore, my idea is to keep this traditional practice alive by forming online groups which, every Lent, go through such a list of readings. As already suggested, there are several of these reading "programs," as it were, although they all seem to share certain texts, such as St. John’s The Ladder. The list I compiled here, for our group, is mostly based on the practice at the monastery of Simonopetra. So this group, our group, is formed every Lent in order to share the readings with those interested. We read these texts on our own and meet once a week for mutual encouragement and for discussions.

Not all the readings in this program have been translated into English. Of course, they may still be found in other languages (or the original Greek), if one has access to them. For the purpose of our common meetings and discussions, we will only use English and therefore the traditional texts unavailable in English have been replaced with similar ones which exist in English translation. This practice, too, is traditional, since often the typika will say "or a similar text."

If you wish to join our reading group for the upcoming Lent, please email me (father.silviu@gmail.com) no later than the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee!