Lamp Unto My Feet

On Sunday, April 16, 1961, the CBS Television Network showcased the richness of Holy Week services in the Orthodox Church featuring one of our Antiochian parishes. "Lamp Unto My Feet" filmed at St. George Church of Paterson (now Little Falls), New Jersey and captured the procession of the Cross on Holy Thursday, the Lamentations of Holy Friday, and the Resurrection (Rush) and Orthros Services of All-holy Pascha.
The weekly religious program (running from 1948-79) also captured the clarion voice of our primate at that time, Metropolitan Antony Bashir (1898-1966) of thrice-blessed memory and eternal repose. Now, for the first time, generations of Orthodox Christians will hear the voice of this important twentieth-century leader and pioneer of the Church in North America.
They will also hear the voices of two long-time priests of the Archdiocese: Fr. Michael Simon, at that time pastor of St. George Church, and Fr. Gabriel Ashie, at that time pastor of St. Anthony Church in Englewood (now Bergenfield), New Jersey. "Lamp Unto My Feet" also credits Professor Michael Hilko, a groundbreaking composer of sacred music in the Archdiocese; and Mrs. Christine Lynch, who guided CBS in the television production and led the choir. She reposed in the Lord in 2016 after decades of service to St. George Church and the Archdiocese.
A long-time member of the Archdiocesan Board of Trustees and a lifelong servant of the Orthodox Church, Mr. Robert S. Andrews, Sr., was organizing the library of his home parish of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Los Angeles when he came across the 56-year-old film. Mr. Andrews said it "smelled like vinegar" when he opened the canister, so he rushed to preserve it by having it digitized onto DVD. Antiochian.org is most grateful for his efforts and for sharing this presentation with a worldwide audience.

[@Gpacharlie]

Very inspiring. Thank you, Jesus, for saving us.

[@American-Jello]

I'm a late-in-life Christian, and a convert to Orthodoxy, and my first Holy week in the Orthodox church had more spiritual significance to me than the entirety of my life, and I'm not exaggerating.
I say this all the time, and I feel that only another convert or a late in life Christian can understand this, but I am grateful to God every day for allowing me to know the truth the Orthodox church teaches us after living in the darkness so long. When you have something to compare it to, this gift of the Orthodox church is all the more important to treasure. I'll never take it for granted.

[@nativevirginian8344]

I watch the Russian Orthodox service at Christmas, no comparison to anything in the west. True spiritual feeling.

[@nativevirginian8344]

Easter also.

[@IoannisPowell]

Words simply don’t do it justice. Praise God.

[@KnoxEmDown]

An absolute blast from the past, you love to see it.

[@susannehaddad8276]

Such a blessing this was recorded so many years ago! To watch this and see our family and our church brings me back to my childhood! Grateful & Blessed 🙏🙏🙏☦️☦️☦️

[@daltonn2023]

My God , How things have changed. People would lose their minds if this broadcasted on CBS today.

[@tuck-brainwks-eutent-hidva1098]

How cool that Orthodoxy once had some introduction in the popular culture. It's evident from the host's narration that the fundamental elements of the Christian story were, at that time, widely known and accepted in our society. It would be good for young people to see this, and realize it was once this way....

[@sadieklotz5198]

Glory to your forbearance O Lord Glory to thee 🛐☦️💜

[@steve1reg]

Amazing that the film stands up all these decades later. Lamp Unto My Feet was broadcast on CBS on Sunday mornings, along with two other network shows, "Look Up and Live," another religious show, and "Camera Three" which was a fine arts program often showing a theater presentation or interviewing an author. By its end in the 1970s, most CBS affiliates wanted Sunday mornings for paid religious shows or kiddie shows, and stopped running Lamp.

[@Juliaflo]

Don't figure out my age, but I remember these programs.

[@allenmccoy7656]

I remember this TV show years ago in 1953

[@hellie_el]

marvellous chanter and choir. thank you.

[@stephenpaczolt5477]

Beautiful service!

[@ulrichgerhardosterloh6069]

very nice... love the archival aspect of it as well

[@MrMalibu84]

We need to come back to these reverent ways.

[@carloshandy1830]

Good service still the same

[@zakihawa7686]

Blessed liturgy
Which church?

[@Paul-vk3gh]

Wait... So the orthodox church was more technicality advanced in the past than now?

[@yumyumwhatzohai]

What are you talking about?