Episode 6: Following the saints with Dan Koski
“You have to be willing to accept that if you call on this saint for help and guidance, he or she may call on you for challenges as well.”
Welcome to In Search Of, a podcast where we go in search of voices and perspectives that inform and expand a life of faith. In this episode, Amy speaks with Dan Koski, an Orthodox Christian and a devotee of the saints. Amy met Dan in Jerusalem when he was living in the West Bank, and he appears in her book Wild Woman. Today Amy and Dan discuss devotion, the practice of praying to saints, and what Orthodox Christianity looks like in daily practice. Tune in for some answers to your questions about the saints: Who decides what makes a saint? What do the saints do? Why do they matter in the life of faith? What can they teach us? All that and more on this episode of In Search Of.
Dan Koski works with the Institute for Ecumenical Research in Sibiu, Romania.
Show Notes
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You can find the full poem by Rainer Maria Rilke referenced in the introduction in Rilke’s Book of Hours, translated by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy.
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You can read more about the story of Amy and Dan’s encounter in Jerusalem in Wild Woman.
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Wondering what Vatican II is or why it’s important? Read this quick explanation from NPR.
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The Orthodox Church in America maintains a database of the Lives of the Saints. Visit their website on any day of the year to learn about the saints being commemorated on that day, or search the database by name to find a specific saint.
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Dan speaks about St. George, St. Nicholas, and St. Stanislaus.
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Check out this brief entry on the history of the White Rose from Britannica Online and this article from BBC News.
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Go deeper into the life of Alexander Schmorell on the Orthodox Wiki.
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Dan mentions the book Faith in the Public Square, by Rowan Williams.
Francisican Media offers a Saint of the Day webpage and app. You can also download calendars that offer information about saints throughout the year from the Apple or Google app store.
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