Notes from the Syriac Orthodox clergy meeting

(syriacorthodoxchurch.org) - On Thursday 29th of July 2010 members of the clergy of the three Archdioceses of our Church in the United States and Canada held their annual meeting during the 47th Convention hosted by St. Mark’s Cathedral in Teaneck,  New Jersey. The meeting was presided by their Eminences, the Archbishops of the three Archdioceses and His Eminence Mor Severius Hawa, Archbihsop of Baghdad and Basra. Very Rev. Fr. John Meno welcomed all to the meeting. He then invited Mor Clemis Eugene Kaplan to offer the opening prayer.

His Eminence Archbishop Karim made opening remarks. He welcomed Archbishop Severius to the Convention and to the clergy meeting on behalf of all attendees. He highlighted the fact the five members of the clergy in North America are former students of Archbishop Hawa when he was the rector of St. Aphrem’s Seminary in Mosul, Iraq.

After reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. John chapter 15 which includes the theme of this year’s convention, Archbishop Hawa was invited to comment on the theme and to share his experience as a member of the clergy for over 55 years.

His Eminence, Archbishop Hawa, thanked Archbishop Karim for inviting him to be at the convention. He also thanked the Archbishops and the clergy for their warm welcome. He, then, went on to emphasize the important role which a priest plays in the life of the community. He stressed the a priest should love his church and members of his parish, be obedient to his superiors and to keep the secrets of those who confess in front of him. He, likewise, warned the clergy from allowing strange hymns and songs that do not comply with our traditions as they may contain heretical teachings.

Participants then discussed several items on the agenda and agreed on the following:

1. Establish an exploratory committee to study the possibility of setting up a seminary where future clergy of our church in North America could be educated and prepared for ministry. The committee will be composed of 1 priest and 2 lay members from each Archdiocese. The committee will have 6 months to report back to the hierarchy.
2. Extend the convention duration by one day to give members of the clergy longer time to discuss spiritual and pastoral issues related to their ministry. They will be required to arrive one day earlier.
3. Compile a list of instructional and educational materials for the parishioners concerning preparation for receiving the sacraments of Holy Baptism, Matrimony and other services.

The meeting was concluded by a closing prayer offered by His Eminence Archbishop Elia Bahi.