Having grown up as a Protestant in the Methodist tradition, I had very little contact with either Catholic or Greek Orthodox churches. I consider that a detriment, since these two institutions contain two millennia of tradition, ritual, and thought.

For various reasons, many Protestant traditions have discarded things that could be beneficial to understanding the history of the faith. The traditions of these two great institutions are very different than the many Protestant traditions, and I believe have much to offer me personally.

I intend for this blog to be an extended writing exercise. By following both the Catholic and Greek Orthodox religious calendars, I intend to learn more about the many religious holidays that Protestants either do not observe or do not emphasize to the same degree that Catholic and Greek Orthodox congregations do. I will also write about the different saints that are remembered each day in both faiths, and either provide or link to a biography of these saints. (Do not be surprised if I explore larger themes as well, i.e. differences between G.O., "Protestant," & Catholic beliefs, varying views on sainthood, etc.)

Obviously, I do not write anything here as a member of either the Greek Orthodox or Catholic faith. I do adhere to the Nicene Creed, however, and in that respect have similar foundational beliefs. I do not mean any offense by exploring these things here, and have only the utmost respect for Greek Orthodox and Catholic traditions.

This is also a very web-friendly blog. I will state here that this blog is largely informal, and I will be referring to information made available online for everything I post. For the time being, the sources I will use for the Catholic saints is here, the Greek saints and holidays here, and the Catholic religious holidays here. If I update these sources, I will make a note of it.

New entries will begin tomorrow, and should be updated daily in the morning.