A Son of the Church

This title, translated from Slavonic to English by Hieromonk German Ciuba, is arranged in 100 short chapters, and has been among the favorite reading material of Old Believers for generations. It was written about 400 years ago for a convert to Orthodoxy from Catholicism. Some English excerpts were included in the first edition of the Old Orthodox Prayer Book. Fr. German writes in his Preface:

“The little work is presented as a primer of piety, an antidote to ignorance and indifference. It is a concise manual of rules of piety in outward behavior, but at the same time it breathes a spirit of deep inward reverence and reflectiveness. It does not merely give directions for what to do, but impresses upon the reader the importance of acting with a clean heart and a right spirit. Although it is written for those new to the life of the Church, mature Christians would do well to review it and examine their own conduct against its simple, solid standards. When we are asked for practical advice by our children, we can humbly hand them this composition which has been preserved and handed down through the centuries, as a statement of those ideals towards which we are always striving, even if we ourselves fall short of them.”

This small paperback book, consisting of just 51 pages, was published by the Church of the Nativity in 2001.