Hobrazian Orthodox Church

The Hobrazian Orthodox Church is a denomination that views itself as the continuation of the original Christian community established by Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, accepting the traditions unchanged by means of Apostolic Succession. The Church is co-state religion of Hobrazia along with Hobaism.

The Hobrazian Orthodox Church is organized five major diocese, one for each of Hobrazia's Constituencies. Other minor diocese are those of Utagia and Tinako in Luthori, Alkavon and Kozaria in Darnussia, and Walkunia and Itaki in Malivia. These minor diocese are rather small and mostly cater to Hobrazian expatriots. The head of the Church is the Archbishop of Astoria, who is currently Adolphus Vega.

Trinity
Orthodox Christians believe in a single God who is both three and one (triune): Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity is three unconfused, distinct, divine persons, with no overlap or modality among them, who share one divine essence- uncreated, immaterial and eternal. In discussing God's relationship to his creation a distinction is made between God's eternal essence and uncreated energies.

The Father is the eternal source of the Godhead, from whom the Son is begotten eternally and also from whom the Holy Spirit proceeds eternally. Hobrazian Orthodox doctrine regarding the Holy Trinity is summarized in the Nicene Creed.

Sin, salvation and the incarnation
Adam and Eve sinned when they disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, thus introducing into mankind the disease of sin. This event, the Fall of Man, altered the dynamic state of humanity's existence, making him prone to sin, which is an ontological separation from God. Although it is now possible for human beings to choose not to sin, their tendency is toward it. The consequence of the Fall is the introduction of death to humanity; it is death—and the fear of it—which is seen to be the progenitor of man's sins. All mankind is thus in need of salvation, which is the process of restoring man to the pure state in which he was created and growing him even beyond that toward perfection. This process is eternal and is the continual deepening of communion between God and man, a unification without fusion of the human person with the divine persons.

The second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, thus became genuine man in order to accomplish salvation for humanity, which is incapable of doing so on its own. Hobrazian Orthodox theology teaches that when the Son of God became the man Jesus Christ, he took on human nature while keeping his divine nature. He is thus one person with two natures. Hobrazian Orthodox soteriology is therefore aimed at the bringing of man by grace to become what Christ is by nature, that is, being holy. This process neither sacrifices monotheism nor the eternal distinction between the created and the uncreated, because it is eternal and there is no final arrival point.

Progress toward salvation is accomplished in the earthly life only by God's grace, with which man must freely cooperate. The free cooperation of man includes prayer, asceticism, participation in the sacraments, following the commandments of Christ, and above all, repentance of sin. Salvation is thus for the whole human person, involving both the body and the soul.

Resurrection
The Resurrection of Christ is the central event in the liturgical calendar of the Hobrazian Orthodox Church and is understood in literal terms as a real historical event. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was crucified and died, descended into Hell, rescued all the souls held there through man's original sin; and then, because Hell could not restrain the infinite God, rose from the dead, thus saving all mankind. Through these events, he released mankind from the bonds of Hell and then came back to the living as man and God. That each individual human may partake of this immortality, which would have been impossible without the Resurrection, is the main promise held out by God in his New Testament with mankind, according to Hobrazian Orthodox tradition.

Every holy day of the Hobrazian Orthodox liturgical year relates to the Resurrection directly or indirectly. Every Sunday of the year is dedicated to celebrating the Resurrection; Orthodox believers refrain from kneeling or prostrating on Sundays in observance thereof. In the liturgical commemorations of the Passion of Christ during Holy Week there are frequent allusions to the ultimate victory at its completion.

Bible, holy tradition, and the patristic consensus
The Hobrazian Orthodox Church considers itself to be the last true branch of the original Church founded by Christ and His apostles. The faith taught by Jesus to the apostles, given life by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and passed down to future generations uncorrupted, is known as Holy Tradition. The primary witness to Holy Tradition is the Bible, texts written or approved by the apostles to record revealed truth and the early history of the Church. Because of the Bible's apostolic origin, it is regarded as central to the life of the Church.

The Bible is always interpreted within the context of Holy Tradition, which gave birth to it and canonized it. Hobrazian Orthodox Christians maintain that belief in a doctrine of sola scriptura would be to take the Bible out of the world in which it arose. Hobrazian Orthodox Christians therefore believe that the only way to understand the Bible correctly is within the Hobrazian Orthodox Church.

Other witnesses to Holy Tradition include the liturgy of the Church, its iconography, and the writings of the Church Fathers. From the consensus of the Fathers (consensus patrum) one may enter more deeply and understand more fully the Church's life. Individual Fathers are not looked upon as infallible, but rather the whole consensus of them together will give one a proper understanding of the Bible and Christian doctrine.

The Theotokos and the saints
The Theotokos of Astoria is one of the most venerated of Orthodox Christian icons of the Virgin Mary. The saints are regarded as those who have reliably finished the course of their lives in the path of theosis. Those that are known to the Church are glorified (canonized) by incorporating their lives into the Church's liturgical life, a recognition of Christ in them. They are venerated (shown great respect and love) but not worshiped, for worship is due to God alone. In showing the saints this love and requesting their prayers, it is believed by the Hobrazian Orthodox that they thus assist in the process of salvation for others.

Newly baptized Hobrazian Orthodox Christians are usually given the name of a saint, both to place the new Christian in the community of the Church and also to ask for that saint to pray especially for that person's salvation.

Preeminent among the saints is the Virgin Mary, the Theotokos ("birthgiver to God"). The Theotokos was chosen by God and freely cooperated in that choice to be the mother of Jesus Christ, the God-man. She did not give birth to his divinity, but rather to one person whose two natures were united at his miraculous virgin conception. She is thus called Theotokos as an affirmation of the divinity of the one to whom she gave birth. Because of her unique place in salvation history, she is honored above all other saints and especially venerated for the great work that God accomplished through her.

Because of the holiness of the lives of the saints, their bodies and physical items connected with them are regarded by the Church as also holy. Many miracles have been reported throughout history connected with the saints' relics, often including healing from disease and injury. The veneration and miraculous nature of relics continues from Biblical times.

Eschatology
The doctrine of the Eastern Orthodox Church is amillennialist. Amillennialism teaches that the Kingdom of God will not be physically established on earth throughout the "millennium", but rather
 * that Christ is presently reigning from heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father,
 * that Christ also is and will remain with the Church until the end of the world, as he promised at the Ascension,
 * that at Pentecost, the millennium began, as is shown by Saint Peter using the prophecies of the prophet Joel, about the coming of the kingdom, to explain what was happening,
 * and that, therefore the Church and its spread of the good news is Christ's kingdom.

Church buildings
The church building has many symbolic meanings; perhaps the oldest and most prominent is the concept that the Church is the Ark (as in Noah's) in which the world is saved from the flood of temptations. Because of this, most Orthodox Churches are rectangular in design. Another popular shape, especially for churches with large choirs is cruciform or cross-shaped. Architectural patterns may vary in shape and complexity, with chapels sometimes added around the main church, or triple altars (Liturgy may only be performed once a day on any particular altar), but in general, the symbolic layout of the church remains the same.

The Church building is divided into three main parts: the narthex (entrance hall), the nave, and the sanctuary. The altar is separated from the nave by the iconostasis, a wall or screen with icons.

Icons
A fairly elaborate Hobrazian Orthodox prayer corner as would be found in a private home. Icons are replete with symbolism meant to convey far more meaning than simply the identity of the person depicted, and it is for this reason that Hobrazian Orthodox iconography has become an exacting science of copying older icons rather than an opportunity for artistic expression. The Orthodox believe that the first icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary were painted by Luke the Evangelist.

Statues (three dimensional depictions) are almost non-existent within the Hobrazian Orthodox Church. This is partly due to the rejection of the previous pagan Hobrazian age of idol worship and partly because Icons are meant to show the spiritual nature of man, not the sensual earthly body. Icons are not considered by the Orthodox to be objects of worship. Their usage is justified by the following logic: When the immaterial God was all that we had, no material depiction was possible and therefore blasphemous even to contemplate; however, biblical prohibitions against material depictions have been altered by Christ (as God) taking on material form, thus allowing a material depiction. Also, it is not the wood or paint that are venerated but rather the individual shown, just as with a portrait or photograph of a loved one. Honor or veneration of the icon always passes to its prototype. Following this reasoning through, our veneration of the glorified human Saint made in God's image, is always a veneration of the divine image, and hence God as foundational prototype.

Large icons can be found adorning the walls of churches and often cover the inside structure completely. Hobrazian Orthodox homes often likewise have icons hanging on the wall, usually together on an eastern facing wall, and in a central location where the family can pray together.

Icons are often illuminated with a candle or oil lamp. (Beeswax for candles and olive oil for lamps are preferred because they are natural and burn cleanly.) Besides the practical purpose of making icons visible in an otherwise dark church, both candles and oil lamps symbolize the Light of the World which is Christ.

Tales of miraculous icons that moved, spoke, cried, bled, or gushed fragrant myrrh are not uncommon, though it has always been considered that the message of such an event was for the immediate faithful involved and therefore does not usually attract crowds. Some miraculous icons whose reputations span long periods of time nevertheless become objects of pilgrimage along with the places where they are kept. As several Hobrazian Orthodox theologians and saints have explored in the past, the icons miraculous nature is found not in the material, but in the glory of the saint who is depicted in the icon. According to doctrine the icon is a window that actually participates in the glory of what it represents. This is why several icons are believed to bleed myrrh, which is a physical manifestation of the uncreated holy spirit.

The Cross: The Hobrazian Orthodox (sometimes referred to as Astorian) style cross is usually shown with a small top crossbar representing the sign that Pontius Pilate nailed above Christ's head. There is also on many Hobrazian Orthodox depictions of the cross a bottom slanting bar. This appears for a number of reasons. First of all, there is enough evidence to show that there was a small wooden platform for the crucified to stand on in order to support his weight; in Christ's case his feet were nailed side by side to this platform with one nail each in order to prolong the torture of the cross. Evidence for this idea comes mainly from two sources, biblical (that in order to cause the victim to die faster their legs were broken so they could not support their weight and would strangle) and tradition (all early depictions of the crucifixion show this arrangement, not the later with feet on top with single nail). It has also been pointed out that the nailed hands of a body crucified in the manner often shown in modern secular art would not support the weight and would tear through, a platform for the feet would relieve this problem. The bottom bar is slanted for two reasons, to represent the very real agony which Christ experienced on the cross (a refutation of Docetism) and to signify that the thief on Christ's right chose the right path while the thief on the left did not.

Services
The services of the church are properly conducted each day following a rigid, but constantly changing annual schedule (i.e. Parts of the service remain the same while others change depending on the day of the year). Services are conducted in the church by the clergy. Services cannot properly be conducted by a single person, but must have at least one other person present (i.e. a Priest and a Chanter). Usually, all of the services are conducted on a daily basis only in monasteries while parish churches might only do the services on the weekend. The services can be conducted at their traditional times of the day, or on special feast days served all together from late at night till early the next morning. Services, especially the Divine Liyurgy can only be performed once a day on an altar. Traditionally the services follow the following schedule:


 * Vespers – Sundown, the beginning of the liturgical day.
 * Compline – After the evening meal prior to bedtime.
 * Matins – First service of the morning. Usually starts before sunrise.
 * Hours – First, Third, Sixth, and Ninth – Sung either at their appropriate times, or in aggregate at other customary times of convenience. If the latter, The First Hour is sung immediately following Matins, the Third and Sixth prior to the Divine Liturgy, and the Ninth prior to Vespers.

These services are conceived of as sanctifying the times during which they are celebrated. They consist to a large degree of readings from the Psalms with introductory prayers, troparia, and other prayers surrounding them. The Psalms are so arranged that when all the services are celebrated the entire Psalter is read through in their course once a week, and twice a week during Great Lent when they are celebrated in an extended form.

The Divine Liturgy is the celebration of the Eucharist. Although it usually stands between the 6th and 9th hours, it is considered to occur outside the normal time of the world and is not a sanctification of it. It is also common, on special feast days of the church to celebrate all the services consecutively and to do this from late in the evening on the eve of the feast to early in the morning on the day of the feast itself. This variation is called Agripnia and can last many hours. Because of its festal nature it is usually followed by a breakfast feast shared together by the congregation. Although it may be celebrated on most days, there has never been a tradition of its daily celebration in parish churches.

Liturgies may not be celebrated Monday through Friday during the penetential season of Great Lent due to their festive character. Since intensified prayer and more frequent reception of communion is nevertheless considered particularly beneficial at that time, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is often celebrated on Wednesdays and Fridays of that period. This is a solemn Vespers combined with the distribution of Eucharistic elements consecrated and reserved from the previous Sunday.

Chanting
Orthodox services are sung nearly in their entirety. Services consist in part of a dialog between the clergy and the people (often represented by the choir or the Psaltis (Cantor). In each case the text is sung or chanted following a prescribed musical form. Almost nothing is read in a normal speaking voice with the exception of the homily if one is given. The church has developed eight Modes or Tones, within which a chant may be set, depending on the time of year, feast days, or other considerations.

Incense
As part of the legacy handed down from its Jewish roots incense is used during all services in the Hobrazian Orthodox Church. It is burned as an offering of worship to God even as it was done in the Jewish temple. Traditionally, the base of the incense used is the resin of Boswellia thurifera, also known as frankincense, but the resin of fir trees has been used as well. It is usually mixed with various floral essential oils giving it a sweet smell. Incense represents the sweetness of the prayers of the saints rising up to God (Psalm 141:2, Revelation 5:8, Revelation 8:4). The incense is burned in an ornate golden censer that hangs at the end of Three chains representing the Trinity. There are 12 bells hung along these chains representing the 12 apostles. The censer is used (swung back and forth) by the priest/deacon to venerate all four sides of the altar, the holy gifts, the clergy, the icons, the congregation, and the church structure itself.

Mysteries
The Mysteries within the Orthodox Church, unlike other denominations' sacraments, are more numerous (than 7) and less analyzed. An Orthodox definition of mystery might be any action in which a person connects to God. Communion is the most prominent (the direct physical union with Christ’s Body and Blood), followed by baptism, confession, marriage, and so forth; but the term also properly applies to act as simple as lighting a candle, burning incense, and praying or asking God to bless one's food.

Baptism
Baptism is the mystery which transforms the old sinful man into the new, pure man. The old life, the sins, any mistakes made are gone and a clean slate is given. Through baptism one is united to the Body of Christ by becoming a member of the Hobrazian Orthodox Church. During the service water is blessed. The catechumen is fully immersed in the water three times in the name of the Holy Trinity. This is considered to be a death of the "old man" by participation in the crucifixion and burial of Christ, and a rebirth into new life in Christ by participation in his resurrection. Usually a new name is given, which becomes the person's name.

Children of Hobrazian Orthodox families are normally baptized shortly after birth. Traditionally, converts from other religions, even other Christians must be properly baptised into the Orthodox Church. However, practices vary and are largely dependant on the bishop. If the bishop chooses to exercise "economia", such converts may be received by baptism, chrismation, or just by confession of the Orthodox faith (this practice is usually allowed only if the person is too ill to be properly baptized).

Properly, the mystery of baptism is administered by bishops and priests; however, in emergencies any Hobrazian Orthodox Christian can baptize.

Chrismation
Chrismation (sometimes called confirmation by those outside the Church) is the mystery by which a person, who has been baptized is granted the gift of the Holy Spirit through anointing with Holy Chrism. It is normally given immediately after baptism as part of the same service, but is also used to receive lapsed members of the Church. As baptism is a person's participation in the death and resurrection of Christ, so chrismation is a person's participation in the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

A baptized and chrismated Hobrazian Orthodox Christian is a full member of the Church, and may receive the Eucharist regardless of age. Chrism may be blessed by any bishop.

Fasting
There are spiritual, symbolic, and even practical reasons for Fasting. In the fall from Paradise man became possessed of a carnal nature; he adopted carnal practices. Through fasting, the Hobrazian Orthodox Church attempts to recapture Paradise in their lives by refraining from those carnal practices. In general fasting refers to abstaining from meat, fish, dairy, and other animal products; and for symbolic reasons olive oil and wine during certain preparatory periods on the church calendar. This abstinence traditionally also applies to sexual relations between partners. Fasting is not generally viewed as a hardship, but rather a privilege and joy in preparing for the coming “Feast Day”. For greater spiritual impact, some choose, for a short period to go without food completely. A complete three day fast at the beginning and end of a fasting period is not unusual and longer fasts are not uncommon, though usually only practiced in monasteries. There are those who see fasting as an exercise in self-denial and Christian obedience that serves to rid the believer of his or her passions (what most modern people would call "addictions"). These often low-intensity and hard-to-detect addictions to food, television or other entertainments, sex, or any kind of self-absorbed pleasure-seeking are seen as some of the most significant obstacles for man seeking closeness to God. Through struggling with fasting the believer comes face to face with the reality of his condition; the starting point for genuine repentance. All Orthodox Christians are expected to fast following a prescribed set of guidelines. However, there are circumstances where a dispensation is allowed (those who are pregnant or infirm).

The time and type of fast is generally uniform and is part of the ecclesiastical calendar. There are four major fasting periods during the year. They are:


 * The Nativity Fast which is the 40 days preceding the Nativity of Christ (Christmas).
 * Great Lent which consists of the 6 weeks (40 Days) preceding Palm Sunday, and Great Week (Holy Week) which precedes Easter.
 * The Apostles' Fast which varies is 6 weeks. It begins on Monday following the first Sunday after Pentecost and extends to the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29th.
 * The two-week long Fast preceding the Dormition of the Theotokos (repose of The Virgin Mary).

Hobrazian Orthodox Christians also fast on every Wednesday in commemoration of Christ's betrayal by Judas Iscariot, and on every Friday in commemoration of his crucifixion. Monastics often include Mondays as a fast day in imitation of the Angels who are commemorated on that day in the weekly cycle, since they neither eat nor drink. Hobrazian Orthodox Christians who expect to receive Eucharist on a certain day do not eat or drink at all from midnight of that day until after taking communion; a similar total fast is expected to be kept on Good Friday and Holy Saturday for those who can do so. There are other individual days observed as fasts no matter what day of the week they fall, such as the Beheading of St. John the Baptist on August 29 and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14.

Strict fasting is canonically forbidden on Saturdays and Sundays due to the festal character of the Sabbath and Resurrectional observances respectively. On those days wine and oil are therefore permitted even if abstention from them would be otherwise called for. Holy Saturday is the only Saturday of the year where a strict fast is kept.

There are four weeks during the year where there is no fasting even on Wednesday and Friday. The weeks following Easter, Pentecost, and the Nativity are "fast-free" in celebration of the feasts. There is also no fasting for week following the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, one of the preparatory Sundays for Great Lent. This is done so that no one can imitate the Pharisee's boast that he fasts for two days out of the week, for that one week at least.

The number of fast days varies each year, but in general the Hobrazian Orthodox Christian can expect to spend over half the year fasting at some level of strictness.

It is considered a greater sin to advertise one's fasting than to not participate in the fast. Fasting is a purely personal communication between the Orthodox and God, and in fact has no place whatsoever in the public life of the Orthodox Church. If one has responsibilities that cannot be fulfilled because of fasting, then it is perfectly permissible not to fast.

Almsgiving
"Almsgiving" refers to any charitable giving of material resources to those in need. Along with prayer and fasting, it is considered a pillar of the personal spiritual practices of the Hobrazian Orthodox tradition. Almsgiving is particularly important during periods of fasting, when the Orthodox believer is expected to share the monetary savings from his or her decreased consumption with those in need. As with fasting, bragging about the amounts given for charity is considered anywhere from extremely rude to sinful.

Holy Communion
The Eucharist is at the center of Orthodox Christianity. In practice, it is the partaking of bread and wine in the midst of the Divine Liturgy with the rest of the church. The bread and wine are believed to be the genuine Body and Blood of the Christ Jesus.

Communion is given only to baptized, chrismated Hobrazian Orthodox Christians who have prepared by fasting, prayer, and confession. The priest will administer the gifts with a spoon directly into the recipient's mouth from the chalice. From baptism young infants and children are carried to the chalice to receive Holy Communion.

It is the opinion of some traditionalists that frequent communion is dangerous spiritually if it reflects a lack of piety in approaching the most significant of the Mysteries, which would be damaging to the soul. However, many spiritual advisors advocate frequent reception as long as it is done in the proper spirit and not casually, with full preparation and discernment. Frequent reception is more common now than in recent centuries.

Repentance
Orthodox Christians who have committed sins but repent of them, and who wish to reconcile themselves to God and renew the purity of their original baptisms, confess their sins to God before their spiritual guide (often a priest, but can be anyone, male or female, who has a blessing to hear confessions), who offers spiritual guidance to assist the individual in overcoming their sin. The penitent then has his or her parish priest read the prayer of repentance over them, asking God for forgiveness and confirming it with a blessing. Sin is not viewed by the Church as a stain on the soul that needs to be wiped out, or a legal transgression that must be set right by a punitive sentence, but rather as a mistake made by the individual with the opportunity for spiritual growth and development. An act of Penance, if the spiritual guide requires it, is never formulaic, but rather is directed toward the individual and their particular problem, as a means of establishing a deeper understanding of the mistake made, and how to affect its cure. Though it sounds harsh, temporary excommunication is fairly common (The Church requires a fairly high level of purity in order to commune, therefore certain sins make it necessary for the individual to refrain from communing for a period). Because confession and repentance are required in order to raise the individual to a level capable of communing (though no one is truly worthy), and because full participatory membership is granted to infants, it is not unusual for even small children to confess; though the scope of their culpability is far less than an older child, still their opportunity for spiritual growth remains the same.

Marriage
Orthodox Marriage is seen as an act of God in which he joins two believers (a man and a woman) into one. Procreation is not seen as the only reason for marriage though it is referenced throughout the standard Hobrazian Orthodox Wedding Service. The fact that intimacy between married adults creates a loving bond is paramount, and that union between the two is reflective of an "ultimate union with God." Marriage is understood to be an eternal union of love that, according to some Orthodox theologians continues into the heavenly kingdom. These theologians, while holding that marriages aren't formed in the afterlife (Matt 22:30), affirms that the marriage bond sacramentally formed on earth is present in the afterlife, as no sacramental actions can be undone. This belief in the eternality of marriage keeps many Hobrazian Orthodox Christians from getting divorces in traditional parishes. The Church has never dogmatized on the question of marriage's eternality, however. The Mystery of Marriage in the Church has two distinct parts: The Betrothal and The Crowning. The Betrothal includes: The exchange of the rings, the procession, the declaration of intent and the lighting of candles. Then follows the Crowning, the epistle, the gospel, the Blessing of the Common Cup and the Dance of Isaiah, and then the Removal of the Crowns. Finally there is the Greeting of the Couple.

The Orthodox Church recognizes the reality of divorce (though does not "grant" divorces) and allows divorced men and women to remarry under specific circumstances (infidelity, apostasy, etc.) as judged by a Spiritual Court or bishop. It is regarded as a great tragedy, however, and a second marriage traditionally requires special permission from a bishop, though it is becoming increasingly common for priests to grant such permission. A second wedding is always performed in the context of repentance on the part of the previously married party, a fact reflected in the ceremony.

A peculiarity of the wedding ceremony is that there is no exchange of vows. There is a set expectation of the obligations incumbent on a married couple, and whatever promises they may have privately to each other are their responsibility to keep.

Monasticism
All Orthodox Christians are expected to participate in at least some ascetical works, in response to the commandment of Christ to "come, take up the cross, and follow me." (Mark 10:21 and elsewhere) They are therefore all called to imitate, in one way or another, Christ himself who denied himself to the extent of literally taking up the cross on the way to his voluntary self-sacrifice. However, laypeople are not expected to live in extreme asceticism since this is close to impossible while undertaking the normal responsibilities of worldly life. Those who wish to do this therefore separate themselves from the world and live as monastics: monks and nuns. As ascetics par excellence, using the allegorical weapons of prayer and fasting in spiritual warfare against their passions, monastics hold a very special and important place in the Church. This kind of life is often seen as incompatible with any kind of worldly activity including that which is normally regarded as virtuous. Social work, schoolteaching, and other such work is therefore usually left to laypeople.

There are three main types of monastics. Those who live in monasteries under a common rule are coenobitic. Each monastery may formulate its own rule.. Eremitic monks, or hermits, are those who live solitary lives. Hermits might be associated with a larger monastery but living in seclusion some distance from the main compound, and in such cases the monastery will see to their physical needs while disturbing them as little as possible. They often live in the most extreme conditions and practice the strictest asceticism. In order to become a hermit, it is necessary for the monk or nun to prove themselves to be worthy enough to their superior clergy. In between are those in semi-eremetic communities, or sketes, where one or two monks share each of a group of nearby dwellings under their own rules and only gather together in the central chapel, or kyriakon, for liturgical observances.

The spiritual insight gained from their ascetical struggles make monastics preferred for missionary activity. Bishops are often chosen from among monks, and those who are not generally receive the monastic tonsure before their consecrations.

Many (but not all) Hobrazian Orthodox seminaries are attached to monasteries, combining academic preparation for ordination with participation in the community's life of prayer. Monks who have been ordained to the priesthood are called hieromonk (priest-monk); monks who have been ordained to the deaconate are called hierodeacon (deacon-monk). Not all monks live in monasteries, some hieromonks serve as priests in parish churches thus practising "monasticism in the world".

For the Orthodox, Father is the correct form of address for monks who have been tonsured to the rank of Stavrophore or higher, while Novices and Rassophores are addressed as Brother. Similarly, Mother is the correct form of address for nuns who have been tonsured to the rank of Stavrophore or higher, while Novices and Rassophores are addressed as Sister. Nuns live identical ascetic lives to their male counterparts and are therefore also called monachoi (monastics) or the feminine plural form in Greek, monachai, and their common living space is called a monastery.

Holy Orders
Since its founding, the leaders of the Church in each diocese came to be known as bishops. The other ordained roles are presbyter (priest), and deacon. There are numerous administrative positions in the clergy that carry additional titles.

The Hobrazian Orthodox Church has always allowed married priests and deacons, provided the marriage takes place before ordination. In general, parish priests are to be married as they live in normal society (that is, "in the world" and not a monastery) where Hobrazian Orthodoxy sees marriage as the normative state. Unmarried priests usually live in monasteries since it is there that the unmarried state is the norm, although it sometimes happens that an unmarried priest is assigned to a parish. Widowed priests and deacons may not remarry, and it is common for such a member of the clergy to retire to a monastery. This is also true of widowed wives of clergy, who often do not remarry and may become nuns if their children are grown. Unlike many other denominations, Hobrazian Orthodoxy allows for the ordination of women.

Anointing with holy oil
Anointing, or Holy Unction, is one of the many mysteries administered by the Orthodox Church. Today it is not reserved for the dying or terminally ill, but for all in need of spiritual or bodily healing. However, it is also offered annually on Holy Wednesday to all believers. It is often distributed on major feast days, or any time the clergy feel it necessary for the spiritual welfare of its congregation.

According to Orthodox teaching Holy Unction is based on James 5:14-15:

"Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."

Foundation and Apostalic Succession
St. Paul and the Twelve Apostles traveled extensively throughout Terra, establishing Churches in major communities. Hobrazian Orthodox Christians believe an Apostolic Succession was established; this played a key role in the Church's view of itself as the preserver of the Christian community. According to Church doctrine, St. Paul briefly visited what is now present-day Astoria City and established Church hierarchy there. The Hobrazian Orthodox Church sees itself as the one true Catholic and Apostalic Church, as the other apostalic lines may have been compromised. The Church does not recognize the authority Terran Catholic Church, as it is simply a revitalized reincarnation of the original Church after the abolition of the Pope and has been tainted by Deltarian politics. As such, the Hobrazian Orthodox Church believes that it alone holds the key to Apostalic Succession and is therefore the sole true Church.