Speaking to God

Speaking to God is a collection of over seventy prayers written by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America. The book was originally written in Greek in the 1960s. In its third edition in Greek (2010), the book has been recently translated into English and was released by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America on October 15, 2012. Speaking to God is a helpful resource for daily prayer. It offers strength and inspiration through prayers that guide conversation with God and find in Him the love, wisdom, and peace needed in all of life’s experiences. The ebook edition enhances the use of the prayers by making them accessible through tablets and smart phones. Also, each prayer is linked to the table of contents so that readers can go to a specific prayer, or use other ebook features such as searching for topics, adding notes or prayer lists, or highlighting special passages.

Speaking to God is a collection of over seventy prayers written by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America. The book was originally written in Greek in the 1960s. In its third edition in Greek (2010), the book has been recently translated into English and was released by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America on October 15, 2012. Speaking to God is a helpful resource for daily prayer. It offers strength and inspiration through prayers that guide conversation with God and find in Him the love, wisdom, and peace needed in all of life’s experiences. The ebook edition enhances the use of the prayers by making them accessible through tablets and smart phones. Also, each prayer is linked to the table of contents so that readers can go to a specific prayer, or use other ebook features such as searching for topics, adding notes or prayer lists, or highlighting special passages. The book contains five sections or cycles, which include prayers on general themes and specific topics: (1) asking God to teach us how to pray; (2) talking to God about ourselves and our problems; (3) singing the praises of His glory and majesty; (4) entreating Him on behalf of our brothers and sisters; and (5) addressing the need for a real understanding of the Gospel.

Archbishop Demetrios (Trakatellis) of America was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. In 1950 he graduated with distinction from the University of Athens School of Theology. He was ordained a deacon in 1960, and a priest in 1964. He was elected Bishop of Vresthena in 1967, auxiliary to the Archbishop of Athens, responsible for the theological education of the clergy. From 1965 to 1971, he studied New Testament and Christian Origins at Harvard University, and was awarded a Ph.D. “with distinction” in 1972. He earned a second doctorate in Theology from the University of Athens “with distinction” in 1977. From 1983 to 1993, he was the Distinguished Professor of Biblical Studies and Christian Origins at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. He also taught at Harvard Divinity School as Visiting Professor of New Testament during the academic years 1984 to 1985 and from 1988 to 1989. In August 1991 he was elevated to be the Titular Metropolitan of Vresthena. In 2003 he was inducted into the Academy of Athens as a member who resides abroad. On August 19, 1999, he was elected Archbishop of America by the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He was enthroned on September 18, 1999 in New York City. In over a decade of leading the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, with more than one and a half million members in the United States, he has touched and inspired the lives of thousands of people with his incessant, methodical and loving archpastoral ministry. As Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, he is the Chairman of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America. He has been the recipient of many governmental, ecclesiastical, interfaith, and academic honors, both in the USA, Greece and Europe.