How Our Departed Ones Live

Even as Americans abandon traditional religion in droves, the question of death and afterlife continue to dominate our spiritual consciousness. How Our Departed Ones Live goes beyond popular flash-in-the-pan near-death experiences to express the age-old tradition and experience of the Orthodox Christian Church. This comprehensive book discusses the source of death and mortality, the inner connection and mutual relationship between the living and the departed, intercession by the living for the departed, and life beyond the grave. It will comfort the grieving and inspire all Christians to strengthen their resolve as they seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness.

"More than just a book about death, this book is a catechism of the Orthodox Church. It provides a view of our faith, not from this world, but as if looking back from the next, revealing not how things are, but how things were meant to be, how they went wrong, how they are repaired, and the various results of all these events. This is a book for those who wish to know not only about the next life, but about this life and how to live in it. Truly this is a book that goes far, far beyond its title." —Archpriest David Moser

"A long lost book written by a Russian monk some 130 years [ago] . . . has the power not only to shield, but to erase, that unfortunate 'sorrow of death' so ubiquitous in our American culture today." —Gregory Winsky, Esq, blogs.ancientfaith.com

Monk Mitrophan was Russian Orthodox monk of the Konevets Monastery. John Robert Shaw is a liturgist, Slavist, and polyglot. In 2008 he was tonsured a monk with the name Jerome and subsequently consecrated as Bishop of Manhattan.