[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by Seraphim

No worries. Hope everything has calmed down at work.

Thanks! Great American Beer Fest has, indeed, ended on schedule, once again without my demise and re-animation into a skeletal charioteer. :]

Originally Posted by Seraphim

Is there any mention of them being priests or deacons?

Nope.

Originally Posted by Seraphim

In Eastern Christianity, monastics are not considered clergy. There are no canonical restrictions to becoming a monk or nun, but there are many restrictions for a man to be made a deacon, more for a priest, and even more for a bishop.

Fair enough.

Originally Posted by Seraphim

I suppose a case could be made for making vampires clergy in that order (monastic orders are another thing we don't really have in Orthodoxy) since Nikodorus sort of sets a precedence for it. Do vampires and other sentient undead still partake of the Sacraments? I don't recall any information in the book implying things one way or the other.

After my re-read, I wouldn't call the Lazarites Orthodox so much as Heavily Orthodox-Influenced. I didn't find anything about sentient undead taking or not taking sacraments, but I think the image of vampires drinking real blood that's been blessed for communion out of a little spoon is kind of neat, for a low-key example of the normalcy of undeath in the setting. The PCs could get in the wrong line accidentally (hey, it's the shortest!), and have the vampire lay parishioner standing behind them quietly and politely inform them of their error, for example.