Facing East - by Frederica Mathewes-Green (Paperback)

About the Book

Guides readers through the icons, incense, and unfamiliar sacraments, rituals, and rites of the Eastern Church. In the tradition of Kathleen Norris's THE CLOISTER WALK, this luminous chronicle of one woman's encounter with the ancient faith of Eastern Orthodoxy lifts a veil to show its enduring grace and power.

Book Synopsis

The Classic Story of a Family's Pilgrimage
into the Orthodox Church

Veiled in the smoke of incense, the Eastern Orthodox Church has long been an enigma to the Western world. Yet, as Frederica Mathewes-Green discovered, it is a vital, living faith, rich in ritual beauty and steadfast in integrity. Utilizing the framework of the Orthodox calendar, Mathewes-Green chronicles a year in the life of her small Orthodox mission church, eloquently illustrating the joys and blessings an ancient faith can bring to the worshipers of today.

From the Back Cover

Frederica Mathewes-Green became an unexpected companion on her husband's pilgrimage into a faith that is as novel to us in the West as it is ancient in the East. Like many Americans seeking a deeper faith, Mathewes-Green and her family found in Eastern Orthodoxy a faith both demanding and offering more in true devotion and spirituality. In this luminous, affectionate, and deeply personal account of her pilgrimage, Mathewes-Green reveals a church strongly rooted in the teachings of its early fathers and a tradition of principle and great beauty that has endured throughout the centuries. Following the framework of the Orthodox calendar - from Lent to Pascha to Nativity, from Vespers to feasts to fasts - Mathewes-Green chronicles a year in the life of her small Orthodox mission church. Discovering the splendor and solemnity of Orthodox ritual, exploring the daunting majesty of Orthodox services and customs, and sharing their daily anxieties, disappointments, and delights, the Mathewes-Green family and the members of the Holy Cross Mission Church reveal both the intricacies of Orthodox belief and the deep joy they have found in their new faith. At once entertaining, hilarious, and reverent, Facing East is an unforgettable portrait of the human vitality and divine essence of Eastern Orthodoxy.

Review Quotes

"An illuminating glimpse of this piece of the contemporary American religious landscape...Writing with charm and humor..." -- Publishers Weekly

"A mine of information about the customs and spiritual life of the Orthodox church..." -- Kirkus Reviews

Mathewes-Green introduces the reader to the world of the Orthodox in the best possible way." -- Charleston Post and Courier

"An insider's view of Orthodox life and practice." -- Commonweal

"I predict Facing East will inspire many to investigate Orthodoxy." -- The Baltimore Sun