The Orthodox Christian Fellowship @ McMaster is dedicated to sharing the timeless worship and teachings of the historic Christian Church.

Through weekly services, speakers, and the Desert Wisdom Coffee Talks, the Fellowship seeks to offer members a taste of desert Christianity, as a contrast to the passing spiritual trends of our times.

We pray, worship, teach, and believe the same way Orthodox Christians the world over have done for twenty centuries, and invite you to share it with us.

Ancient Christian Chant at the Orthodox Vespers Service takes place every Monday at 6:00pm in Room 224 (the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Room) of the Student Centre. The service follows the pattern used in desert monasteries since the fourth century, and still used by Orthodox Christians today. The service lasts about 45 minutes. All are welcomed.

The Desert Wisdom Coffee house will take place each Monday, following the Vespers Service, starting at about 7:00pm, also in Room 224 (the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Room) of the Student Centre.


Our Meetings & Speakers

OCF @ McMaster: 2009-10 Schedule
2009: September, October, November,
2010: January, February, March.

September 2009:
The Basics of Faith

• Monday, September 14th, 2009
Challenge Your Comfort:
A Guide to Historic Christianity - Part 1
   Ten things you thought you knew about the history of the Christian Church, and ten truths that Wikipedia won't tell you.

• SUNDAY, September 20th, 2009
Sundae Sunday: Campus Blessing Service
   Meeting at east parking gates at 2pm, we'll hold the annual Blessing of the Campus, followed by Ice Cream at Valentino's in Westdale.

• Monday, September 21st, 2009
Challenge Your Comfort:
A Guide to Historic Christianity - Part 2
   Ten things you thought you knew about Christian beliefs and behavior, and the reasons you can't believe everything you see on TV.

• Monday, September 28th, 2009
Challenge Your Comfort:
The Real Story of the Bible
   Contrary to popular misinformation, the Bible was not written by stuffy Puritans in the 16th century, neither by Italian politicians in the Renaissance. A talk for the mildly skeptical, the cautiously curious, and the painfully afflicted.


October 2009:
Challenges to Truth: Science & Atheism

• Monday, October 5th, 2009
Atheism on Trial:
False Science and Angry Atheism
   Dr. Linda Korz, MDAssociate Clinical Professor, McMaster Medical School.

• Monday, October 12th, 2009
   -----Thanksgiving Holiday-----

• FRIDAY, October 16th, 2009
OCFs Together - An off-campus event.
   Local OCF chapters will gather to share a service, potluck, and fellowship, followed by a spiritual talk.

• Monday, October 19th, 2009
The Disorder of the West and the Rise of Totalitarianism
   Daniel (Dushan) Kolundzic, PhD Cand. (Boston College) will join us to discuss the spiritual decay at the root of contemporary totalitarian states, and the response of Orthodox Christians.

• Monday, October 26th, 2009
An Orthodox Christian Survival Course
   Strategies for faithful people to survive - and thrive - in the academic world.


November 2009:
Living Faith

• Monday, November 2nd, 2009
Predicting Chance:
Living Faith in a Calculated World
   Dr. Linda Korz, MD and Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the McMaster Medical School will join us to discuss the rise of predictive sciences in the modern world, and their impact on the faith and thinking of Christians and others.

• Monday, November 9th, 2009
The Passions
   The modern world often view the passions (often called the feelings) as a fixed part of the character which invariably drive our behaviour. The mystical teachers of the Church view them entirely differently, as masters that can enslave us. Join us to learn the ancient Christian mystical teaching on the inner life.

• Monday, November 16th, 2009
Guarding the Senses
   How advertising, films, and videos have warped your mind and made it virtually impossible to succeed in the Christian life without doing something different.

• Monday, November 23th, 2009
Pre-Christmas OCF Dinner
(following Vespers Service at 6pm)
   Service of Blessing before Exams, and St Gregory Palamas Patron Saint Day Celebration. Join us for our annual pre-Christmas Dinner, at a location to be announced.


January 2010:
Defending Truth

• Monday, January 11th, 2010
Roman Catholicism and The Historic Church:
   An Orthodox Response to Roman Catholicism.

• Monday, January 18th, 2010
Protestant Innovation and Historic Christian Unity:
   An Orthodox Response to Protestantism.

• Monday, January 25th, 2010
Sensuality, Legalism and The Godman:
   An Orthodox Response to Islam.


February 2010:
True Love Revolution

• Monday, February 1st, 2010
Sexual Psychology vs. Spiritual Guides:
Emotional Bandaids vs. Preventative Medicine
   Medical professionals and clergy both deal with those struggling with the after-effects of sexual relationships and abuse. Yet the two vocations approach these important issues with widely differing assumptions. We'll discuss their approaches, and your options.

• Monday, February 8th, 2010
Porn Nation
   A discussion of the most pervasive passion of our time, the fuel for crime, abuse, and destroyed relationships, and options for finding freedom from the addiction of pornography.

----- Reading Week - February 15th-20th, 2010 -----

• Monday, February 22nd, 2010
Healing the Wounds of False Love
   A talk on the physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds of false relationships, and strategies for healing them for your friends, your family, and yourself.


March 2010:
Faith & Ethics

Sessions and services for each Monday in the remainder of March will be announced.

Got questions or ideas for a session?
Email the Chaplain at korzg@hotmail.com.