THE PARISH and PARISHIONERS – those who took the path of trust in the Church before you (we are not talking about believers – you can’t find them with fire in broad daylight), that is, they already (INTERESTED IN THE “ADVERTISEMENT”) began to test with their lives whether reality is really as the Orthodox Church testifies about it; those who are more experienced than you in spiritual (Eucharistic) life and will catechize you; those who are trying to create a parish, to become parishioners and then together with them to communicate with such interlocutors:
ANTONY OF SOUROZH, metropolitan.
ALEXANDER SCHMEMANN, protopresbyter.
ALEXEI OSIPOV, professor.
KALLISTOS WARE, bishop.
VLADIMIR LOSSKY, professor.
JOHN ZIZIOULAS, metropolitan.
CHRISTOS YANNARAS, professor.
SOPHRONY SAKHAROV, archimandrite, spiritual father of Metropolitan John Zizioulas.
Elder SILOUAN OF ATHOS.
St. PAISIOS OF THE HOLY MOUNTAIN.
ANDREI KURAEV, protodeacon.
SAINTS ANTONY THE GREAT, EPHREM THE SYRIAN, ABBA DOROTHEUS, MACARIUS THE GREAT, ST. JOHN CLIMACUS, ISAAC THE SYRIAN, SIMEON THE NEW THEOLOGIAN, AND OTHER FATHERS, AUTHORS OF THE PHILOKALIA…
Before them, it is desirable to communicate with:
HOLY HIERARCHS IGNATIUS BRIANCHANINOV AND THEOPHAN THE RECLUSE, JOHN OF KRONSTADT, VENERABLE OPTINA ELDERS.
After becoming acquainted with the holy fathers and mothers, we can get to know the apostles Paul, Peter, John, Mark, and other authors of the New Testament books of the Bible. To make it easier for you to find a common language with them, you can first communicate with experts on the books of the New and Old Testaments:
IANUARIUS IVLIEV, archimandrite.
GEORGY CHISTYAKOV, presbyter.
EVGENY AVDEENKO, professor.
BIBLE. All available translations.
(More about getting to know these Spirit-bearers, and why it is necessary to talk to them in such (logical and chronological) sequence – see in Part I, in the section “Recommended Reading”).