Author: ht_pub

This year, Holy Trinity Publications participated in the 75th Annual Frankfurt Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany. The event lasted from Wednesday, October 18 to Sunday, October 22, 2023. Holy Trinity Publications has been exhibiting at this book fair since 2014, and this was the fifth time it had its own display. 

The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world’s largest and longest running trade show in the book industry. Though the modern iteration of the book fair has been running for seventy-five years, its history can be traced back all the way to the 12th century. This year, 326 agencies representing thirty-one different countries are exhibiting. In 2023, the book fair hosted a record total of 180,000 guests.

The event gave Holy Trinity Publications opportunities for face-to-face meetings with industry professionals from all over the world, and opened up exciting opportunities for wider distribution, as well as the sale of foreign-language publication rights. This year one particular topic of wide concern and discussion was the impact of artificial intelligence on the work of publishing.

On Friday, October 6th, Holy Trinity Publications hosted an event at a private club in Washington, DC to celebrate the release of Foundations of Russian Culture by Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann. This is the first work of Fr. Alexander Schmemann to be released by Holy Trinity Publications. Attending the event were thirty-nine distinguished guests, including Metropolitan Nicholas Olhovsky (First-Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad), Archpriest Victor Potapov (Rector of St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, DC), Archpriest Michael Meerson (Rector of Christ the Savior Orthodox Church in New York City), Archpriest Chad Hatfield (President of St. Vladimir’s Seminary), Archpriest Seraphim Gan (Chancellor of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Church Abroad and rector of St. Seraphim Memorial Church in Sea Cliff, NY), Fr. Nicholas Alford (Rector of St. Gregory the Great Orthodox Church in Washington, DC), Priest Nathan Williams (translator of the book and cleric of St. Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Church in Richmond, Maine), Dr. Nicolas Schidlovsky (Dean of Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary), Dr. Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie (Academic Dean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary), and Serge Schmemann, (Member of the Editorial Board of the New York Times, son of Fr. Alexander and author of the foreword to the book).

The guests gathered at 6pm to hear short presentations on the book. Speakers included Metropolitan Nicholas, Dean Nicolas Schidlovsky and Fr. Victor Potapov. After the speeches, Reader Nicholas Chapman, director of Holy Trinity Publications, joined in conversation with Serge Schmemann about Fr. Alexander’s understanding of Russian culture. The formal part of the evening then concluded with a brief presentation of the work of Religious Books for Russia (RBR) by Nicholas Sluchevsky.

^{© Sergei Chapnin}  

In his address, Metropolitan Nicholas noted that Fr. Alexander, as one of the most widely recognized voices of the Russian emigration, had an influence that penetrated the Iron Curtain and touched on themes that span many generations of the development of Russian culture, beginning with the maximalism of Orthodox Christian faith that became “one of the chief foundations of the new culture”, showing that the flowering of Russian culture cannot be separated from the “daily and never ending need to cultivate an authentic Christian Faith”.

In particular, he highlighted the poignant ending of Fr. Alexander’s final talk, “the eternal foundation of Russian culture… is more profound and more powerful than culture alone. This foundation is “the image of eternity,” which was “inborn” in Russia at the very outset of her history, and to which Russian culture remains faithful.”

A copy of the wonderworking Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God was present throughout the whole gathering. During his speech, Fr. Victor Potapov recalled visiting Fr. Alexander and Serge, and serving a moleben before the icon a few days before Fr. Alexander’s repose.

^{© Sergei Chapnin} 

Holy Trinity Publications is very grateful to Marilyn Swezey for making the event possible.

Following the presentations, the guests gathered for refreshments and shared fellowship.

A video of the event will be released in the coming weeks.

All images courtesy of photographer Sergei Chapnin

As we have just passed the midpoint of the forty day fast, we’d like to remind all our readers of a brand new title, released last fall, that holds special relevance for the somber days of Holy Week. One of the liturgical themes of Holy Tuesday is the sinful woman who anoints Christ’s feet with precious oil, or myrrh, in anticipation of his soon-to-be burial. The Church has over centuries expounded on this event through its patristic, homiletic, and liturgical traditions. In his new book, Rev. Priest Kevin J. Kalish brings together this ecclesial treasure-house to show how the Church tells stories with the aim of edifying and encouraging the faithful. 

Recently, Fr. Kevin was interviewed by Bobby Maddex of Ancient Faith Radio. Their conversation may be streamed on demand at AncientFaith.com or in the Ancient Faith Presents… podcast feed.

The annual directory of Bishops, Clergy, and Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia is now available as a free PDF download from this website.

Paperback copies may also be ordered via Lulu.

For the first time, Holy Trinity Publications will exhibit our books at the annual meetings of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature. The 2022 meetings will take place at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO. We look forward to meeting attendees at Booth 922 in the exhibit hall!

From July 17 – 22, Holy Trinity Publications displayed its newest and most popular titles at the 20th All-American Council of the Orthodox Church in America, held this year in Baltimore, MD. Among the books offered was a forthcoming title, She Who Loved Much: The Sinful Woman in St Ephrem the Syrian and the Orthodox Tradition. The book’s author is the Rev. Kevin J. Kalish, a priest of the OCA’s Diocese of New England.

An omission of several words in the Church Slavonic text of the priestly prayer at the Epiclesis has been brought to our attention.

On p. 184, the text of the priest’s prayer reads:

Сего ради, владыко пресвятый, и мы грешнiй, и недостойнiи раби твои, сподобльшiйся служити святому твоему жертвеннику, не ради милости твоея и щедрот твоихъ….

This text omits a key phrase, thereby reversing the meaning of the sentеnce. It also includes typographical errors in the words грешнiи and сподобльшiися. The correct text should read:

Сего ради, владыко пресвятый, и мы грешнiи, и недостойнiи раби твои, сподобльшiися служити святому твоему жертвеннику, не ради правдъ нашихъ, не бо сотворихомъ что благо на земли, но ради милости твоея и щедрот твоихъ….

We have prepared a sticker that can be placed over the page in question to correct the text. These will be mailed on demand to all customers upon request. Please write to our sales department to request replacement stickers for the page containing these errors. As an alternative, a PDF is available here that can be printed, trimmed, and taped or pasted into the book to replace the errant text.

We are working to correct remaining stock and resume sales of the book as quickly as possible.

We’re bringing back our popular tiered discounts through the end of May!

• Order any item in the Spring Sale, get 10% off

• Any 2 items, 20% off

• Any 3 items, 30% off

• Any 4 items, 40% off

• Any 5 or more items, 50% off!

Please note: The Spring Sale cannot be combined with wholesale, clergy, or monastic discounts. If your customer account is marked as one of these types, please log out and browse the sale as a “guest” in order to access the discounts.

His Eminence +HILARION, Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, reposed in the Lord on May 3/16, 2022 following a protracted illness. Our books have been published with his imprimatur since his election as primate of ROCOR in 2008.

A short biography and part one of a 2010 interview with His Eminence are available at Orthodox Life. The concluding portion of the interview will be published in the coming days.

The newly-reposed Metropolitan Hilarion will be laid to rest in the brotherhood cemetery of Holy Trinity Monastery on Sunday, May 9/22. Memory Eternal to this humble, loving archpastor in Christ!