Met. Christopher of the Czech lands, Met. Jonah or Washington, and Met. Hilarion of New York
(st-catherine.ru) - On Sunday evening, February 27, 2011, His Beatitude, the Most Blessed CHRISTOPHER, the Primate of the Church of the Czech lands and Slovakia visited Manhattan, New York where he was able to make stops at two of the Orthodox Cathedrals in the city.
His Beatitude, Metropolitan CHRISTOPHER first arrived at St Nicholas the Wonderworker Russian Orthodox Cathedral where he was greeted by His Eminence, Archbishop JUSTINIAN of Naro-Fominsk and Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA. Shortly after the entrance of Metropolitan CHRISTOPHER to the parish, His Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH of All America and Canada also arrived, by invitation of Archbishop JUSTINIAN and with the blessing of His Holiness, Patriarch KIRILL of Moscow and All Russia, to participate in the visit of the Primate of the Church of the Czech lands and Slovakia.
After a short introductory tour of the cathedral where the guests learned more about the parish’s history, they were invited to the Archbishop’s private quarters for an informal tea where they had the possibility to share in conversation on a wide range of topics of mutual interest.
Later that evening, Their Beatitudes, Metropolitans CHRISTOPHER and JONAH traveled to the Cathedral of “Our Lady of the Sign” and the Synodal Residence of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia where they were met by that Church’s First Hierarch, His Eminence, Metropolitan HILARION of Eastern America and New York. There, the guests were also given a tour and a short history of the cathedral and its spiritual treasures preserved therein.
Following the time spent in the cathedral, the Primates of the Churches of the Czech lands and Slovakia, and America were invited to Metropolitan HILARION’s residence for some refreshments. It was during this time that His Beatitude, Metropolitan CHRISTOPHER formally invited His Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH to visit the Church of the Czech lands and Slovakia in an official capacity in the near future in order to witness to the unity that exists between the two Local Autocephalous Orthodox Churches.
In addition to the hierarchs mentioned above, also participating in the meeting were clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Orthodox Church of the Czech lands and Slovakia, the Orthodox Church in America and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
(britishorthodox.org) - In a recent interview conducted by Father Daoud Lamei, His Holiness Pope Shenouda clarified points in the Statement which he issued on behalf of the Holy Synod and commented on aspects of the Egyptian Revolution.
What was meant by a civil nation ?
A civil nation is defined as a non-religious and non-military nation.
You spoke of the valiant Egyptian army ?
Praising the army in the statement recalls a long history. While still a university student, I volunteered in the army and graduated from the school of Infantry in 1947.
Are you optimistic about the future?
I am not tending to talk about optimism but rather about hope in God. We are asked not to lose hope. This is an integral part of our relation to God. Our life, as well as the life of countries, abides not in the hands of people, but in the hands of God. There is no doubt, the authorities want good for the country whether on the internal level (unity, security and prosperity) or on the external level (events in surrounding Arab Countries, possible reactions of Israel…etc.). In these days, our priority should not be to put forward demands and exert pressure on the regime but to support the leadership to pass through this difficult phase and arrive to a safe haven.
Some people suggested that the church was a main beneficiary from the old regime, not knowing what we have been suffering from.
In a TV interview with Amr Adeeb, some 6 months ago, I mentioned that the problems of the Copts can be summarized in one word ‘marginalization’. Copts are marginalized from high official positions, syndicates, legislative councils, university staff…etc. Another main element has been the frequent violent attacks targeting Copts. We remember the El Kosheh assassinations (21 dead and no sentence has been made against anyone by the court), Abu Korkas (9 people assassinated inside the church and no one has received death penalty – according to the law), Dayrout (14 killed including children), the Alexandria church this year (30 killed, 90 injured), Omraneya Church (where we were unjustly blamed for the events) but we thank the Lord for having people released before the Feast of Nativity early in January.
On the other hand, I cannot deny that we had good relations with President Mubarak as a person. That’s why I see it a personal obligation of loyalty not to mention bad points but rather to remember the good ones. The problems we suffered were mainly due to those surrounding him. Now after the revolution, they have been apprehended and are being prosecuted...
(mospat.ru) - On February 26, 2011, at the Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople in the center near Geneva (Chambesy), the meeting of the Inter-commission for the preparation of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church concluded. The Commission discussed the topic of the diptychs of the Orthodox Church, examineed its canonical and ecclesiological aspects, described the current practice of the Orthodox Church in this matter, the present criteria for inclusion in the sacred diptychs Churches and locate the names of the Primates in them, and also noted the need in the future to design unified diptychs of the Orthodox Church.
(mospat.ru) - On 26 February 2011, the Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission for the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church completed its work at the Orthodox Centre of the Patriarchate of Constantinople near Geneva.
Representatives of the fourteen Autocephalous Orthodox Churches took part in the meeting chaired by Metropolitan John of Pergamon, Patriarchate of Constantinople. The delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church, led by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR), included archbishop Mark of Berlin, Germany and Great Britain (Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia); archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DECR deputy chairman; and interpreter Anatoly Churiakov.
The Commission, which task was to elaborate questions for the agenda of the Pan-Orthodox Council, continued to consider the issue of signing the Tomos of autocephaly. As a long discussion has not led to the unanimous decision, the necessity of further studying of the issue of autocephaly was recognized.
The Commission discussed the issue of diptychs, considered canonical and ecclesiological aspects, described the current practice of the Orthodox Churches and the criteria of including the Churches into diptychs and the order of the Primates’ names in them and also noted the necessity of compiling the uniform diptychs of the Orthodox Church.
Also considered was a wish of the Polish and Albanian Orthodox Churches to reach uniformity in regard of the place of their Primates in diptychs of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches. The Commission suggested to take these requests into account and to consider proper changes in diptychs.
The requests of the Georgian Orthodox Church concerning its sixth place in diptychs and of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus concerning a higher place of its Primate in holy diptychs were presented at the meeting. Consent has not been reached either on this issue, or on the differences in holy diptychs of some Churches due to the lack of Pan-Orthodox agreement on the number of the recognized autocephalous Churches.
Under Art. 16 of the Rules of the Pan-Orthodox Pre-Conciliar Conferences, documents on all issues on the agenda shall be approved unanimously.
SYOSSET, NY (OCA) - From February 22-24, 2011, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America participated in a retreat in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH led the hierarchs in a review of matters affecting the life of the Orthodox Church in America, including the OCA strategic plan, preparations for the upcoming Assembly of Bishops and plans for the 16th All American Council in Seattle.
During their retreat, His Beatitude presented a request to the Holy Synod for a time of personal retreat and spiritual renewal. The Holy Synod granted His Beatitude’s request for a period of 60 days and appointed the senior Hierarch, His Eminence, Archbishop NATHANIEL, of Detroit and the Romanian Episcopate to assist in the temporary administration of the OCA during His Beatitude’s retreat.
As an additional means of assistance to His Beatitude, the Holy Synod relieved him from his responsibilities as Locum Tenens for the dioceses of the South and of the Midwest. The Holy Synod appointed Bishop NIKON as Locum Tenens of the Diocese of the South, with Bishop MARK of Baltimore continuing as Administrator. The Holy Synod also appointed Bishop TIKHON Locum Tenens of the Diocese of the Midwest with Bishop-elect Archimandrite MATTHIAS continuing as Administrator.
In other matters, the Holy Synod accepted the resignation of Archpriest Alexander Garklavs as Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America and appointed His Grace, Bishop MELCHISEDEK of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania as interim Chancellor.
At the conclusion of their retreat, the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops expressed their joy at the upcoming Bright Week consecration of Archimandrite MATTHIAS as Bishop of Chicago and the Midwest. The consecration will take place over the weekend of April 29 to May 1 and will be concelebrated by His Beatitude, Metropolitan JONAH, the hierarchs of the OCA and other guests.
The Holy Synod also bestowed its pastoral blessing on the clergy and faithful of the OCA and wished them a profitable season of prayer and repentance during the season of Great Lent.
I repost this article from Mystagogy only to note that this is the second time I have seen reports that there is something afoot. Whenever (if ever) anything is officially posted, I'll put it up immediately.
Update: OCANews has had its say on the matter (see here).
Update #2: A more official source has told me that there will not be a resignation or leave of absence. I should have something more substantive to post shortly.
Update #3: Met. Jonah: winding down his busy schedule over Lent to rest from a very hectic few years of travel. Fr. Alexander Garklavs: resigned. Bp. Melchisadek: interim chancellor. Abp. Nathaniel: assisting in Met. Jonah's duties during lent.
According to exclusive information from Romfea.gr (in Greek), a few hours ago the leader of the OCA, Metropolitan Jonah of America, resigned.
Furthermore, the same sources indicate that the governance of the throne is taken up by Archbishop Nathaniel of the Romanian Episcopate of the OCA.
Lastly, it should be noted that the new head of the OCA will be elected during the All-American Council of the OCA in the autumn.
(AFR) - In a very special edition of The Illumined Heart, we have an extensive conversation with His Eminence Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, Professor Emeritus in Eastern Orthodox Studies at Oxford University, and Bishop of Diokleia. Metropolitan Ka!istos is widely regarded as perhaps the world’s leading theologian of the Eastern Orthodox Church today. Kevin Allen's guest host is John Maddex.
(AFR) - From February 18th through the 19th, St. Michael Orthodox Church in Louisville, Kentucky, hosted the 2011 Climacus Conference of Thoughtful Ascent. This gathering, dedicated to the contemplation of noble ideas, featured lectures on education, literature, philosophy, patristic thought, marriage, and film.
(Orthodoxy Today) - Christians, orthodox Jews or anyone with traditional views of sex and marriage should be barred from state university counseling programs unless they agree to violate their beliefs.
That’s the gist of the amicus brief that the ACLU filed on Feb. 11 in a case in which a Christian student is challenging her dismissal from a graduate counseling program at Eastern Michigan University in 2009.
Julea Ward had asked that another student take the case of a homosexual suffering from depression because, being a Christian, she could not affirm the person’s sexual relationships. Miss Ward was dismissed, and filed a lawsuit charging unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination, religious discrimination and compelled speech. On July 26, 2010, a U.S. District Court denied her claim, and she appealed to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The ACLU’s brief to the appeals court contends that compelling someone to act against her beliefs does not violate her freedoms of religion or speech. They quote the university’s finding that Ward had a “conflict between your values that motivate your behavior and those behaviors expected of your profession.” In other words, you’re a conscientious Christian, so get lost.
This is one of several cases in which Christians have been told to conform to “diversity” requirements or leave counseling programs. At Augusta State University in Georgia, Jennifer Keeton sued in 2010 after being told she had to take re-education courses to counter her Christian morality or be expelled from a master’s program. Losing in a U.S. District Court, she has appealed to the 11th Circuit.
In the Michigan case, the ACLU’s brief rests heavily on the American Counseling Association’s (ACA) Code of Ethics, which prohibits discrimination based on “sexual orientation” and a dozen other characteristics. Julea Ward contends that the code allows referrals to other counselors in situations such as hers...
(AINA) - For the second time in as many days, Egyptian armed force stormed the 5th century old St. Bishoy monastery in Wadi el-Natroun, 110 kilometers from Cairo. Live ammunition was fired, wounding two monks and six Coptic monastery workers. Several sources confirmed the army's use of RPG ammunition. Four people have been arrested including three monks and a Coptic lawyer who was at the monastery investigating yesterday's army attack.
Monk Aksios Ava Bishoy told activist Nader Shoukry of Freecopts the armed forces stormed the main entrance gate to the monastery in the morning using five tanks, armored vehicles and a bulldozer to demolish the fence built by the monastery last month to protect themselves and the monastery from the lawlessness which prevailed in Egypt during the January 25 Uprising.
"When we tried to address them, the army fired live bullets, wounding Father Feltaows in the leg and Father Barnabas in the abdomen," said Monk Ava Bishoy. "Six Coptic workers in the monastery were also injured, some with serious injuries to the chest."
The injured were rushed to the nearby Sadat Hospital, the ones in serious condition were transferred to the Anglo-Egyptian Hospital in Cairo.
Father Hemanot Ava Bishoy said the army fired live ammunition and RPGs continuously for 30 minutes, which hit part of the ancient fence inside the monastery. "The army was shocked to see the monks standing there praying 'Lord have mercy' without running away. This is what really upset them," he said. "As the soldiers were demolishing the gate and the fence they were chanting 'Allahu Akbar' and 'Victory, Victory'".
He also added that the army prevented the monastery's car from taking the injured to hospital.
The army also attacked the Monastery of St. Makarios of Alexandria in Wady el-Rayan, Fayoum, 100 km from Cairo. It stormed the monastery and fired live ammunition on the monks. Father Mina said that one monk was shot and more than ten have injuries caused by being beaten with batons. The army demolished the newly erected fence and one room from the actual monastery and confiscated building materials. The monastery had also built a fence to protect itself after January 25 and after being attacked by armed Arabs and robbers leading to the injury of six monks, including one monk in critical condition who is still hospitalized.
The army had given on February 21 an ultimatum to this monastery that if the fence was not demolished within 48 hours by the monks, the army would remove it themselves (AINA 2-23-2011).
The Egyptian Armed Forces issued a statement on their Facebook page denying that any attack took place on St. Bishoy Monastery in Wady el-Natroun, "Reflecting our belief in the freedom and chastity of places of worship of all Egyptians." The statement went on to say that the army just demolished some fences built on State property and that it has no intention of demolishing the monastery itself (video of army shooting at Monastery).
Father Hedra Ava Bishoy said they are in possession of whole carton of empty bullet shells besides the people who are presently in hospital to prove otherwise.
The army attack came after the monks built a fence for their protection after the police guards left their posts and fled post the January 25th Uprising and after being attacked by prisoners who were at large, having escaped from their prisons during that period.
"We contacted state security and they said there was no police available for protection," said Father Bemwa," So we called the Egyptian TV dozens of times to appeal for help and then we were put in touch with the military personnel who told us to protect ourselves until they reach us." He added that the monks have built a low fence on the borders of one side of the monastery which is vulnerable to attacks, on land which belongs to the monastery, with the monks and monastery laborers keeping watch over it 24 hours a day.
The monks of St. Bishoy are now holding a sit-in in front of monastery in protest against the abuse of the army by using live bullets against civilians
Nearly 7000 Copts staged a peaceful rally in front of the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo, where Pope Shenouda III was giving his weekly lecture (video), after which they marched towards Tahrir Square to protest the armed forces attacks on Coptic monasteries.
(30giorni.it) - First the massacre of Alexandria, with dozens of deaths following the attack on the Coptic Orthodox Church of the Saints, the night of 31 December. Then, the revolt that exploded in the streets of Egypt, the clashes, the dead, the end of Mubarak’s regime and the beginning of a transition to a still uncertain berthing place. For the Christians of Egypt, as for all the other Egyptians, this is truly a time full of questions. A time in which a series of anxieties, trepidations and unarmed hopes interweave. And where the greatest realism coincides with the prayer of thanksgiving and trust in the mercy of God. As Antonios Naguib, the Catholic Coptic Patriarch of Alexandria, also testifies in the interview that follows.
Beatitude, what happened in Egypt? And how did you live through the latest events?
We lived through agonizing days, that the whole world was able to follow in the media. Parties and groups opposed to the regime and the government began to organize enormous demonstrations, starting from Tuesday 25 January. They demanded “change”, a radical and immediate change of regime, of the Constitution, of the government and of the president. President Mubarak sought to satisfy the protesters and the public with partial concessions, that were considered inadequate. The outcome is known, and it was the resignation of Mubarak.
How was such a sudden explosion possible?
In truth we can not say it was sudden. Many analysts had long been pointing to elements that were preparing this explosion, which occurred like the eruption of a volcano. A number of diverse factors joined together in pushing the people to insurrection: the abuse of power, corruption, the monopoly of industry and land in the hands of a few businessmen. Then all the social problems: youth unemployment, the inability to find housing at a reasonable price, and therefore the difficulty of raising a family; and, again, the continuous increase in the prices of food and services.
There were many deaths. But at times a far more bloody civil war was feared.
In all the churches of all denominations daily prayers were offered for peace in the country. And now we thank Almighty God for the way things went, and we pray for the peace and good of beloved Egypt, that it may look to a much brighter and better future.
Who were the real protagonists of the revolt? How do you see the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in the current phase, and in the future? And that of the army?
The first to be thanked are the young patriots who led all to the rejection of an unjust situation that had prevailed in the country for too long. As for the Muslim Brotherhood, they did not hide their radical opposition. But they did not lead the uprising. The Army wanted to avoid confronting the people with guns, and I think it played a decisive role in pushing Mubarak to resign...
(OL Conference) - I have finally been able to confirm our plenary speakers and the moderator for Orientale Lumen XV scheduled for June 20-23, 2011 in Washington, DC on the theme of “Rome and the Communion of Churches: Bishop, Patriarchate or Pope?”
The plenary speakers will be:
Metropolitan Jonah (Orthodox)
Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, Washington, DC
Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia (Orthodox)
Professor Emeritus of Oxford University, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
Archimandrite Robert Taft, SJ (Greek Catholic)
Professor Emeritus of the Pontifical Oriental Institute, The Vatican
Msgr. Michael Magee (Roman Catholic)
Chairman and Professor of Systematic Theology, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Philadelphia, PA
Father Ron Roberson, CSP (Roman Catholic)
Associate Director for Ecumenical Affairs, USCCB, Washington, DC
Sr. Dr. Vassa Larin (Orthodox)
Lecturer, University of Vienna, Austria, Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
Dr. Adam DeVille (Greek Catholic)
Assistant Professor, University of Saint Francis, Ft. Wayne, IN and Editor, LOGOS
Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia will serve as Moderator for the entire conference.
For the Opening Session on Monday evening, we hope to have video recorded greetings and blessings from several Church leaders, and I will compile a short presentation on the history of the OL Conferences in honor of our Fifteenth Anniversary.
As a special event for the Closing Session, Father Ron Roberson, CSP, who coordinates Catholic-Orthodox dialogues in North America for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, will give a summary presentation of the latest document from the North American Dialogue entitled “Steps Toward a Reunited Church: A Sketch of an Orthodox-Catholic Vision for the Future.” The other speakers will then have a panel discussion of the document, copies of which will be distributed during the conference, and then questions collected from all attendees will be discussed by the Moderator and Panel.
More details can be found on the Future Conferences page at the website: www.olconference.com.
Online registration is also available through the website, or by calling the conference office at 703-691-8862. Registration through April 1 is $225 per person, including meals, and then will increase to $245 per person until final registration is due by June 1.
I am happily walking around my home today as it is in a state of post-house-blessing cleanliness (see previous house blessing posts here and here). With the exception of those times when we have the house on the market and need to have it shown, house blessings are cause for top to bottom sorting, sifting, vacuuming, and polishing unequalled the rest of the year. Wanting to share in the euphoria of a clean, blessed home I thought I'd find a photo to post here. Instead of a nice shot of a priest with holy water at the ready and small children milling about I found the below. For those readers (I suspect most of you) who have had their homes blessed I suspect you'll get a kick out of it. Being unable to help myself, I've added my own commentary.
(o5) - House blessings are a normal part of the whole process of acquiring a new home. For religious people, a house blessing takes on the form of a religious ritual, while for those who are not religious, it is a secular tradition. That makes sense. The original Old English word meaning to consecrate with blood and the Greek and Latin for praise and worship, the secular equivalent is superstition. But regardless of whether it takes on a religious undertone or not, a house blessing is a memorable affair that serves to give the new homeowners a feeling of being showered with good luck and well wishes, and this is the kind of positivity that they are looking for. Or we could be looking for...
... keep safe from harm all those who dwell herein. Vouchsafe them sanctification, purification and health of body, and grant their petitions which are unto salvation and life everlasting ...
A house blessing can be officiated either by a representative of the religion the family follows. It can also be done by a layperson if the family is not going to treat the house blessing as a religious ritual.
Before the blessing make sure that your house is presentable. Clean the house up and make sure that it everything is spotless and in its proper place. If you are planning to host a big event with a lot of guests then you should consider your interiors. Make sure that there is enough of space for people. If this means rearranging some of the furniture then do it. If there are certain things you fear may get compromised, for example an heirloom vase you fear might get accidentally broken – keep it or put it in a place where there won’t be a lot of foot traffic.
You should arrange for the layperson or religious official to be there on the day of your blessing. Set a date and ask if they are available. You can also discuss with them the actual blessing – choosing the prayers you want, for example. I'm sure my priest would love that. Maybe I could write my own. Ask them if they need anything for the ceremony so that you can provide it.
One of the more well known rituals in house blessings is the throwing of coins. If you plan to do this, then make sure you have enough coins for this part of the ceremony. Other popular rituals include the offering of oil, sage and sea salt to protect the home from evil while guests lighting blessed candles. Superstition. Superstition. Superstition.
A house blessing usually turns to a get-together after all of the rituals have been done. Make sure you have prepared refreshments for all of your guests. You can elect to prepare light snacks or drinks for guests, or you can turn it into a full-blown party with a buffet table and catering services. More and more people are opting for the latter because it hits two birds with one stone – taking care of the house blessing part and also the initial party to celebrate having a new home.
Of course, having found that article, I had to keep searching. These are more along the lines of what I was looking for.
(uticaod.com) - Father James Guirguis of St. George Orthodox Church at 1104 Brinckerhoff Ave., in Utica, gives a blessing on the Feast of the Epiphany, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2008, to his house in Clinton. The Epiphany is a Christian holiday when Jesus was baptized. Father Guirguis will give a blessing to his parishioners homes at their request. In the background is Father Guirguis' wife, Jennifer holding their daughter, Lydia, 1. They also have a daughter, Isabelle, 2.
Father Paul Christy of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church blesses the Semos family home in Germantown Tuesday evening. This is the 14th year Father Paul has blessed the Semos home. Earlier this month, the Orthodox church marked Theophany, which celebrates the baptism of Christ and the manifestation of God to man. In the weeks following Theophany, it’s customary to invite the priest over to bless the home. (Photo by Mark Weber)
Feast of the Theophany Troparion
When You, O Lord were baptized in the Jordan
The worship of the Trinity was made manifest
For the voice of the Father bore witness to You
And called You His beloved Son.
And the Spirit, in the form of a dove,
Confirmed the truthfulness of His word.
O Christ, our God, You have revealed Yourself
And have enlightened the world, glory to You!
(ROAA) - The Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchy informs: On 16 -17 February 2011, in the Synod Hall of the Patriarchal Residence Hall under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Daniel, was held the first working session of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church of this year. Among the decisions taken were:
At the proposal of the Romanian Patriarchate, the Holy Synod has declared the year 2012 as Year Anniversary of Holy Unction and care of the sick;
It was approved the procedure of the national collection, for furthering the work to build the Cathedral of the People's Salvation, in the parishes and monasteries of the Romanian Patriarchy eparchies;
It have been designated hierarchies that will be part of the Preparatory Commission for the establishment of principles, themes and working methodology of the Joint Committee for dialogue between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Romanian Church United with Rome (Greek Catholic), because the positive response of the Greek Catholics bishops and to the call of the Holy Synod for the resumption of bilateral dialogue on 7 July 2010;
It was established the delegation of Romanian Orthodox Church to dialogue with the Serbian Orthodox Church;Anyone have any background on this note?
It was endorsed the introduction of the course for the pastoral care of persons addicted to alcohol in the curricula of the Pastoral Theology discipline, which is taught in theological schools and universities; An important effort that can be credited to an OCMC missionary, Floyd Frantz. He revolutionized treatment of people with substance abuse problems in one diocese, then into the seminaries, and now across the country.
The Hierarchs of the Holy Synod have evaluated the results of money collection and material assets held in the Romanian Orthodox parishes and the monasteries in the country and abroad following the call of the Romanian Patriarchy to prayer and Christian solidarity with the families from the northwest of the country, that affected by floods in the summer of 2010. Thus, the Romanian Orthodox Church helped the families in the affected areas with approximately 6,000,000 lei and also food, grain, clothing, building materials, medicines and other material assets worth about 5.4 million lei.
Wednesday morning, February,16, 2011, the Holy Synod meeting was preceded by Holy Liturgy and Te Deum served in the Patriarchal Cathedral, officiated by Bishop Ioan Casian of Vicina, Assistant Bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas, surrounded by a group priests and deacons.
(mospat.ru) - Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission for the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church will meet from February 22 to 26, 2011, at the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Orthodox Center in Chambesy, Switzerland. The meeting will be attended by representative of 14 autocephalous Orthodox Churches.
By the decision of the Russian Orthodox Church Holy Synod, the delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate will be led by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations and include Archbishop Mark of Berlin-Germany and Great Britain and Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR vice-chairman, as an advisor.
The meeting has on its agenda the procedure of granting autocephaly and the topic of diptychs.
(post-gazette.com) - In a religious culture plagued by in-fighting and schism, Metropolitan Nicholas of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the U.S.A. has worked to heal rifts between Orthodox and Catholic Christians.
On Tuesday, some Byzantine Catholics will join a 5 p.m. celebration of his 75th birthday at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Johnstown.
"He has a passion for church unity," said the Rev. John Petro, rector of SS. Cyril & Methodius Byzantine Catholic Seminary, North Side. "It's not about giving academic lectures on ecumenism, but a living experience of coming together to pray and work on common projects."
Metropolitan Nicholas has worked for reconciliation while supporting missionary outreach to a secular world. He is battling cancer and was unable to give an interview but will be at Tuesday's service.
He was born in New Jersey, to Eastern Catholic immigrants from Carpathian mountain villages of Europe. Eastern Catholics are loyal to the pope, but follow the practices of Orthodoxy, which always included a married priesthood.
In 1929, the pope banned married Eastern Catholic priests from America. Eastern Catholics here felt betrayed. Thousands left the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh and in 1938 formed the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese.
No crazy anti-Catholic bigotry, no intentional distortion of what the app is for, and no polemics for the sake of sensationalism.
(OCN - Just Thinking) - The Sounding is very pleased and honored that His Grace Bishop Savas of Troas is among our cast of great contributors. Beginning next week, he'll be sharing his many thoughts concerning the collision of popular culture and Orthodox spirituality. But, as a special preview, below is the most recent episode of the OCN podcast "Just Thinking," wherein His Grace discusses the flurry of interest in the new Roman Catholic "Confession" iPhone application.
His Grace Bishop Youssef of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States
COLLEYVILLE (star-telegram.com) - Pray for Egypt and its future. That was a key message that Bishop Youssef brought to about 100 people at St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church on Monday night: Pray that Egypt and all who live there finally find peace and democracy now that longtime President Hosni Mubarak is gone.
"I thank God for this revolution because it ended a regime that was full of corruption," said Youssef, bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. "What happened was not a surprise to many people. I expected a revolution to happen someday. We are thankful and grateful.
"How this revolution will develop, how the country will look -- it is unclear how it will develop and unfold. Let's pray for Egypt, for all the world, to have peace, freedom, equality, love."
Youssef, who oversees Coptic churches in 11 states, talked about how history was made when, after 18 days of demonstrations and protests, Mubarak left office on Feb. 11, and the responsibility of running the government was turned over to the military.
He called on Coptic Christians in Egypt -- about 10 percent of the population in the predominantly Muslim nation -- to vote for democracy when elections are called.
The journey to democracy won't be easy, he said.
"I can see some forces are fighting with each other to take this revolution for their benefit," he said in an interview. "I hope, my prayer is, that it won't end up with more persecution of the Christians."
He said he hopes that Egyptians will finally find freedom of religion. As it is now, Muslims can't become Christians or vice versa in Egypt. He also hopes that a person's choice of faith is removed from the national identification cards, which are similar to a Social Security card in the United States.
"We are excited. ... We get rid of a corrupted system," Youssef said. "But we are cautious [because] we don't know how it will develop."
Even during a celebration marking Mubarak's departure, CBS reporter Lara Logan was the victim of what her network called a "brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating" until a group of soldiers and Egyptian women rescued her.
"Women are an essential part of the country," Youssef said. "They should not be oppressed, billed as second class. They should be equal."
Maha Habashi, 46, of Fort Worth, a member of the Colleyville church, was among those heartened by Youssef's talk Monday night.
She said it is time, as he suggested, for Coptic Christians to join their voices together in a call for democracy.
"We will get together and voice our opinion," she said.
JOHNSTOWN, PA (ACROD) - His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas will be honored by the Clergy and Faithful of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese, on his 75th birthday on Tuesday February 22, 2011 at Christ the Saviour Cathedral.
The festivities will begin with a 5:00 pm Moleben of Thanksgiving at Christ the Saviour Cathedral, with a celebratory dinner to follow at Christ the Saviour Educational Center.
A large number of hierarchs, priests, diocesan faithful and friends of His Eminence are expected to be in attendance.
Those who are not able to attend the festivities in Johnstown, are invited to watch the Moleben of Thanksgiving on line. The live broadcast which can be viewed here will begin on Tuesday February 22, 2011 at 4:45 pm (Eastern).
Those who wish to extend birthday greetings and best wishes to His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas are invited to do so by emailing metropolitan.nicholas@acrod.org.
All greetings will be conveyed to His Eminence and posted online here.
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick is a well known host of the podcasts Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy and Roads From Emmaus, writes at his roadsfromemmaus.org weblog, is active within the Society for Orthodox Christian History in the Americas (SOCHA), and is a popular lecturer. He has just completed a new book entitled 'Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: Exploring Belief Systems Through the Lens of the Ancient Christian Faith.' Fr. Andrew was kind enough to answer a few questions about his upcoming publication.
Your podcast 'Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy' continues to be very popular at Ancient Faith Radio even a year after the final installment in the series. What prompted you to write this book? How does the book differ from the podcast?
A few months after the final installment of the podcast, Conciliar Press (which falls under the Conciliar Media umbrella with Ancient Faith Radio) approached me and asked if I would be interested in turning the podcast into a book, based on the attention the series was getting and the interest in the subject indicated by that interest.
I was honestly a little surprised at the request, but I agreed to it for the same reasons I worked on the original lectures: I'm not aware of any other material of this sort and scope available in English. I doubt that my work is the best that will ever or could ever be produced along these lines, but because I couldn't find anyone else making this stuff for me that I could just use in classes, I figured I'd have to give it a shot myself. I hope it's useful to other folks besides just me.
The book is not merely transcripts of the podcasts. It represents a significant revision and expansion of the original manuscripts, as well as being organized a little differently. Readers will find a lot of material in there not covered in the podcasts, including some more religious groups and an appendix on atheism and agnosticism. Whether readers are familiar with the podcasts or not, the book should be a useful stand-alone resource.
Who do you think the target audience is for this book? Laypeople interested in apologetics? Inquirers from other religious backgrounds?
My primary intended audience is ordinary Orthodox Christians who are interested in the question of how our faith differs from other faiths. That said, I know that there may be some apologists for whom the book could serve as an introduction to the major issues, and I am sure that it is likely that folks who are interested in Orthodox Christianity may read it, as well. I tried to keep all of these people in mind when putting it together.
SAINT PETERSBURG (AFP) – Hundreds of believers gathered Thursday at an Orthodox fair in the former imperial capital of Saint Petersburg to worship a "miracle-working" icon of Russia's last monarch.
Tsar Nicholas II was shot by the Bolsheviks after the 1917 revolution together with his family, and canonised by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000.
"I am a Russian and an Orthodox, and for me the martyr saint Nicholas II is the symbol of Russia," 65 year-old Anatoly Kruglov said while standing in a long line to kiss the icon, which was brought to an expo centre south of the city.
The icon, which shows Nicholas II in full regal attire, is a replica of one painted in the United States in 1997. It was brought to Russia in 1998, where it was considered miraculous by believers for secreting myrrh.
Since coming to Russia, it has been travelling across the country by plane on orders of the former Orthodox patriarch Alexy II.
Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra and their five children, along with their servants, were shot in the Siberian city of Yekaterinburg in July 1918.
Even in Soviet times, the tsar and his family were secretly worshipped by Orthodox believers, while the place of their murder attracted a massive yearly pilgrimage.
(OCA-NYNJ) On Sunday, 23 January, Bishop +Michael made his first archpastoral visit to Saint Martin's Chapel at West Point Military Academy. His Grace spoke on the Gospel reading for the day (Luke 18:35-43). He pointed out that as the Savior was traveling along a road, a blind man cried out, "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!" His Grace said, "The blind man, unable to see Christ with his physical eyes, was able to discern Him with his spiritual eyes."
Addressing himself primarily to the cadets, Bishop +Michael said that they might find themselves in situations where the reality of ugliness, hatred, and even the prospect of death, would confront them. Then they might ask themselves: "Where is the God of beauty, love, and life?" They would not readily see Him with their physical eyes, but they would have to discern Him with their spiritual eyes. He assured them that the Lord will hear them in those times of confusion, and He will be with them in all of those difficult situations ... if they will just call out: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me."
Following the Divine Liturgy, His Grace joined Father Joseph Frawley, Matushka Irene, the cadets, officers, and visitors for a brunch in the historic Thayer Hotel. Bishop +Michael enjoyed meeting the cadets, and they enjoyed spending time with him. Hopefully, there shall be many more opportunities to greet Bishop +Michael at West Point Military Academy.
While driving into work I was listening to Fr. Hopko's prefatory podcasts to his Worship in Spirit and Truth series on the liturgy. He made mention that the Divine Liturgy is a series of processions, the first of which begins with the people coming from their homes to the church. Certainly if we think back to the large processions of Constantinople and at the original placement of the initial prayers of the liturgy we can see that procession as seen through history holds more meaning than many place on it today.
Few people consider themselves doing something corporately with their fellow parishioners when they pile into the family car and make the drive up to church. For some this drive is quiet and contemplative, for others music/news radio listening as normal, and for others a stressful struggle with eyes darting to the car's clock to see just how late they're going to be.
So what should we be doing as we make our way to church? If it's within your tradition, and time the night before didn't permit, should the family do the pre-communion prayers together?
Should it be time to listen to the Ancient Faith Radio music station or "church music" CDs? I'll consider read the opinions of those people who don't see the point (or find disquieting) the idea of chant outside of a parish setting.
Is this a good time to have someone read the Epistle/Gospel and possibly discuss them a bit? From experience I can say that, depending on the proficiency of the reader, you may not always be able to understand what he is saying.
I can say for our family, we've sampled from all these alternatives. Sometimes the struggle to get all six of my children into the car complete with shoes (and if we're lucky a diaper or two) has the family so anxiety-ridden that the best choice for all concerned is quiet punctuated by parental "suggestions" for certain children on how they might make better use of their time in getting ready to the benefit of all.
(Episcopal Assembly) - New directories have been created for the Assembly of Bishops. In addition to the initial Directories of the Bishops and of the Parishes, three new directories have been added: the Directories of Military Chaplains, of Male Monastic Communities, and of Female Monastic Communities. In addition, the Parish Directory has been updated to now include the parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in the U.S.
This is my last ditch effort to get people to come to the Festival of Orthodoxy being held in two locations (Fort Worth and Dallas) this weekend. Take friends, take inquirers, take your neighbors.
(NTOM) - The 2011 Festival of Orthodoxy conference sponsored by North Texas Orthodox Missions is entitled “From Conception to Dying: Orthodox Christian Views in Today’s World”. It will be held Feb. 18-19 with sessions in both Ft. Worth and Dallas, TX.
(WRR) - February 11, 2011 Highland Park Presbyterian Church welcomes Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, an archbishop and Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, February 10-13. He will preach to the congregation on Sunday, February 13, with a performance of his composition St. Matthew Passion at 5:30 pm.
Met. Hilarion's lecture at Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas, TX
(mospat.ru) - No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in with the bosom of the Father, has made him known (John.1:18). These words have a truly profound and universal meaning. Indeed no human eyes have ever seen God the Father – the invisible God who has neither a physical body nor material form. But for people to strengthen their faith in God and to know that He not only exists in reality but also hears their prayers and is ready to come to their aid, the Father sent His Only-Begotten Son who became God incarnate and revealed to us His invisible Father. Only after the incarnation of the Word, when God became one of us, lived a human life, suffered and died on the cross, was raised from the dead to open for us the way to the Heavenly Kingdom and to raise us together with Himself, did human beings come to know God in the real sense.
Before Christ’s coming, people did not know that God could become so close to them and be in full solidarity with them. They did not know that He loved human beings so much that He was ready to accept suffering and death for each one of us. He Himself bridged the abyss that separated us from Him – a chasm which we could never have overcome on our own. There is no clearer evidence of God’s love for humans than the cross on which God incarnate Himself was crucified. And there is no greater sacrifice that could have been offered by the Lord for the sake of humanity...
Ronald Reagan clearly had a personal religious motivation at the summit, which he pursued on his own volition, certainly not at the urging of advisers.
For Thursday, I also plan to focus heavily on Reagan’s lifelong battle against communism and the 1981 assassination attempt on the president and how they shaped his faith life. Other topics that will be addressed is Reagan’s 1994 letter to the American people announcing his Alzheimer’s affliction and a brief discussion of President Barack Obama and all the news reports comparing him to Reagan.
Most of all, we want to hear your voice. If you are in the Grand Rapids area please make plans to join us and participate. Find the Facebook page here.
At the close of the Cold War, the American president embarked on a personal crusade to promote religious liberty in the U.S.S.R.
(Christianity Today) - If you did a poll asking when the Cold War ended, you would get a variety of answers. It is difficult to agree on a decisive moment, but a good candidate for Christians might be the events of summer 1988, and specifically the Moscow Summit—maybe the most unappreciated of the summits between President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. The Moscow Summit revealed that the Cold War was in its final days. It was also an unheralded milestone for believers of all stripes.
This was the summit during which Ronald Reagan put his arm around Mikhail Gorbachev in Red Square—quite a change from five years earlier when he declared the U.S.S.R. an "Evil Empire." But the forgotten story of the Moscow Summit and the history of the Cold War is Reagan's actions on behalf of human rights, and particularly religious freedom. There were two components to this story: One was Reagan's striking religious statements at the summit, which got virtually no attention from the American secular media; the other was Gorbachev's remarkable changes concerning religious liberty.
God bless the U.S.S.R.
It began on May 29, 1988. After disembarking the plane, Ronald and Nancy Reagan shuffled to the Kremlin's majestic St. George's Hall. As they strode in from one end, Mikhail and Raisa Gorbachev entered from the other. They exchanged pleasantries and then offered official statements.
Appropriately, it was Sunday. Reagan's self-ascribed role of religious emissary started in that initial ceremony. As he finished his conventional opening remarks, he stunned those gathered by pausing to deliver this direct salutation to the general secretary and his comrades: "Thank you and God bless you."
While such a closing is hardly unusual to American ears, it was unheard of in the Soviet Union, an officially atheist country where religious content was prohibited from television and radio—facts Reagan knew well. As Reagan's words were translated for all Russians to hear, the hardened Kremlin atheists visibly blanched. Gorbachev's translator, Igor Korchilov, braced himself and recorded that these words rang like blasphemy to the Soviet officials: "The heretofore impregnable edifice of Communist atheism was being assaulted before their very eyes."
Reagan and Gorbachev held their first one-on-one that day; it lasted an hour and 11 minutes. The off-camera conversation went back and forth, with Gorbachev going first. When it was Reagan's turn, he immediately spoke on religion in Russia, defending the rights of Muslims, Jews, Protestants, and Ukrainian Catholics and insisting that all had a right to attend their chosen place of worship. If Gorbachev improved religious liberty, Reagan told him, he would greatly enhance his image worldwide and be viewed as a "hero."
Gorbachev responded by claiming there was no serious problem with religion in Russia, though he acknowledged earlier "excesses." Reagan was not convinced, and a debate ensued. The discussion of religious faith went on for so long that it comprised a quarter of the official notes (recently declassified) by the American note-taker. It was illustrative of the direction the summit would follow.
Restored worship
One of the most memorable moments came the next day, when Reagan met religious leaders at the restored Danilov Monastery, an oasis of Orthodox Christianity in a spiritual desert. It had been founded in 1282 and recently restored, a glorious possibility under Gorbachev that did not exist under his predecessors.
I took the wife to dinner last night and pondered that there are times when I get the urge to write on a topic of immediate importance to me. With this bee in my bonnet I crank up the blog editor and get to writing a few quick sentences only to come upon a pause in my thinking. This pause is usually where I read over what I've produced so far and weigh its worth. The vast majority of times the strong desire to write on some topic proves to have been merely cathartic, but sometimes the topic meets with my requirements (not ad hominem, nothing so novel as to disagree with patristic sources, not so esoteric as to serve to stroke my ego) and I forge ahead. Even then, while waiting for further reflection, some things sit in the unpublished queue until they are covered in a layer of dust and fade into obscurity.
While I don't plan to immediately start animating undead posts, I do hope to put in a little more original content. Hopefully, some of the lurkers out there will throw a few comments my way.
New York (GOARCH) – On February 14, 2011, St. Nicholas Church and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court in Manhattan against the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as well as other agencies and individuals, in order to foster the rebuilding at Ground Zero of the only house of worship destroyed by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The Parish and the Archdiocese would have preferred to rebuild the Church without litigation. However, they have been unable to do so since the Port Authority renounced a long-standing agreement with the Church to rebuild at Ground Zero, seized the Church’s land, barred the Church from access to it, and has refused to talk or meet with the Church or the Archdiocese. This legal action has been taken not only as a last resort to restore the property and rebuilding rights of St. Nicholas Church, but also to fulfill the common vision of civil and church authorities that the Church be rebuilt as a place of prayer and meditation at Ground Zero for all people.
While the Port Authority has claimed publicly that it is currently in discussions with the Archdiocese in order to foster the rebuilding effort, in fact, in March of 2009 it summarily disavowed its agreement with the Archdiocese to rebuild St. Nicholas at 130 Liberty Street, a site chosen by the Port Authority, which is adjacent to the original location. Since that time, the Port Authority has rebuffed all efforts by the Church to work with it regarding the rebuilding.
Contrary to working cooperatively with the Archdiocese and the Parish, a posture which had prevailed between 9/11 and the Port Authority’s abrupt turnabout in March 2009, the Port Authority—without permission, notice, or any legal justification whatsoever—has sent its bulldozers onto both the land still owned by the Church at its original site at 155 Cedar Street, and the land provided to the Church at 130 Liberty Street pursuant to its agreement with the Port Authority. The Port Authority has conducted extensive excavation and other construction work that has kept the Church off of its own property, and has rendered both sites unbuildable by the Church without substantial remedial work.
The Parish and the Archdiocese hope that through this lawsuit, just and fair rulings will be made allowing for the prompt re-construction of St. Nicholas at Ground Zero, not only as a church serving its flock, but also as a greater ministry bringing peace, reconciliation and a sacred space of recollection and remembrance for all people visiting Ground Zero.
From the blog Gladsome Light Dialogues a post entitled "Christian love and human eros on Valentine’s Day."
Valentine’s Day is a big deal in America and I am not going to try to diminish that. Even though trying to trace back the roots of this tradition is a very convoluted task, at this point in time it really doesn’t matter to any one where it all started; it doesn’t matter if the real St. Valentine existed or not, or if the romancing stories around him are truth or pure fiction, people celebrate it unconditionally. Out of this mess one thing is sure: if you fail to buy chocolate and/or flowers on this day you are toast.
At the end of the day we may say, there is really nothing wrong with this; our beloved wives deserve it all. Or should I say our valentines deserve it all? Well, here the things start getting a little dicey. How does one define the term valentine? The dictionary says: a valentine is a person whom one asks to be one’s sweetheart. Well we did not get too far, now we have see about the term sweetheart. According to the same dictionary a sweetheart “is a person that one is in love with”. So here we go, a valentine is basically a person we are in love with.
Love however is a pretty broad umbrella, ranging from denoting a mere likeness up until the most powerful feelings of attraction. Let’s look at love from the Valentine’s day perspective.
Historically, Valentine’s Day, according to some sources, replaced a pagan fertility fest, the Lupercalia, a festival that today would have probably been rated for mature audiences only. The Christian Church, according to the same sources, replaced the pagan practice, as it did many times along the history, with a Christian one, trying to promote the virtues of the saints and their love for the True God as opposed to the sins of the pagan gods with their erotic escapades.
Moscow, February 14 (Interfax) - The Vatican Embassy to Russia hopes that the forthcoming meeting between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Pope Benedict XVI will develop cooperation between the two states.
"I cannot say with certainty which topics exactly will be touched upon at the meeting between the Russian president and the pope but I can say that this visit will primarily become a symbol of the beautiful, friendly relationship and cooperation, which is there and is likely to grow," First Secretary at the Embassy of the Holy See to Russia Monsignor Visvaldas Kulbokas told Interfax-Religion on Monday.
It was reported that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will be in Italy on a formal visit on February 16-17, following which he will visit Vatican to meet Pope Benedict XVI.
This meeting will allow to express, "including on the part of the Holy Father," the shared views of Russia and the Holy See on the protection of life and moral values on the international arena.
At the same time, the forthcoming meeting should not be seen in the context of the Orthodox-Catholic relationship, because it will be a state visit by Medvedev (the first one since Russia and the Vatican established diplomatic relations), Kulbokas said.
Yet the relations between Russia and the Holy See "also take into account the friendly, brotherly relations between the two Churches," he said.
Asked when the Vatican will name its new ambassador to Russia who will replace outgoing Archbishop Antonio Mennini appointed as nuncio in the United Kingdom, Kulbokas said this will happen in the near future, that is "over the next few days or weeks."
The Growth of Orthodox Christianity in 20th Century America
Friday, September 30 – Saturday, October 1, 2011
Princeton Theological Seminary
This symposium will examine some of the people and movements that contributed to the growth of Orthodox Christianity in 20th century America. We will pay special attention to the role of missionaries, immigration and conversion, the emergence of Orthodox theological scholarship in English, and Orthodox engagement in American civic and political life.
Interested scholars and members of the Society for Orthodox Christian History in the Americas (SOCHA) are invited to submit abstracts of papers related to the symposium’s theme(s), which will also be considered for publication in the symposium’s proceedings. Abstracts should be submitted via e-mail to Fr. Oliver Herbel no later than June 1, 2011. All abstracts will be reviewed by a committee comprised of leadership from the symposium’s co-sponsors.
The event is co-sponsored by the Society for Orthodox Christian History in the Americas (SOCHA), the School of Christian Vocation and Mission at Princeton Theological Seminary, and the Fr. Georges Florovsky Orthodox Christian Theological Society at Princeton University.
(SOC-NASA) - Chicago, IL - His Holiness the Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci, and Serbian Patriarch +IRINEJ, Administrator of our God-protected Metropolitanate of Libertyville-Chicago, will be formally welcomed at Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Chicago, Illinois, with a Service of Doxology on Wednesday, February 16th, 2011, at 7:30PM, as he begins his Patriarchal Visit to the United States. His Holiness will also celebrate the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy at our Cathedral on Sunday, February 27th, 2011, at 9:30 AM, which will be followed by a festive banquet given by our community in honor of the visit of our Patriarch and Spiritual Father.
His Holiness Patriarch +IRINEJ is the 45th in line on the Blessed Throne of Serbian Patriarchs, and 54th successor of St. Sava as head of the Holy Serbian Church. On January 22, 2010, he was elected by the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church to succeed His Holiness Patriarch +PAVLE of Thrice-Blessed Memory.
All parishioners and friends are invited to share in the great joy of this Patriarchal Visit through their prayerful participation in the Doxology Service and Patriarchal Divine Liturgy.
(mospat.ru) - On the morning of February 11th a meeting of Metropolitan Hilarion and former U.S. President George W. Bush was held. They spoke for over an hour. The two sides exchanged views on a wide range of issues. In particular, the DECR chairman shared his vision for the inter-Christian dialogue, stressing the need to work together representatives of different Christian denominations in the preservation of traditional moral values. To commemorate the meeting the chairman of the DECR gave former President George Bush his book "Orthodox Christianity: The History and Canonical Structure" in English and a commemorative box with an image of the Kremlin.
Children who live in a slum on the bank of Bagmati River in Katmandu searched a garbage dump for salvageable material for recycling Friday. (Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21)
"Where did you get your present possessions from? If you say ‘from fate,’ then that makes you an atheist who neither acknowledges your Creator nor gives thanks to your Benefactor. If you acknowledge that they came from God, then tell me the reason why He gave them to you. Is God unjust that He gives the things of life to people unequally? Why are you rich while another is poor? In any case, is it not so that you can receive the reward for good and faithful stewardship, and the other can receive the reward for his patient effort? But you, who grasps at everything in your insatiable greed, do you really think that you are doing nobody injustice by plundering so much? Who is the greedy one? The one who is not satisfied with that which is enough. Who is the plunderer? The one who takes that which belongs to all. Are you greedy? Are you a plunderer?
The one who steals clothes off someone’s back is called a thief. Why should we refer to the one who does not clothe the naked, while having the means to do so, as anything else? The bread that you have belongs to the hungry, the clothes that are in your cupboard belong to the naked, the shoes that are rotting in your possession belong to the barefooted, the money that you have buried belongs to the destitute. And so you commit injustice to so many when you could have helped them.”
(CUA) - Acclaimed theologian and musical composer Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev of the Russian Orthodox Church spoke at Catholic University on the intersection of faith and music on Feb. 9 in Caldwell Auditorium.
Metropolitan Hilarion is the archbishop of Volokolamsk and a permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Moscow. A noted theologian, church historian and composer, he has published books on dogmatic theology, patristics and church history as well as numerous compositions for choir and orchestra.
He studied violin, piano, and composition at the Moscow Gnessin School and the Moscow State Conservatory. In 1987, after serving in the Soviet military, he entered the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania. He earned a master's in theology from the Moscow Theological Academy, and a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Oxford in Great Britain.
Theotokos Hodegetria presented to CUA
Metropolitan Hilarion is author of more than 300 publications, including four monographs in English: "St Symeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition" (Oxford University Press, 2000), "The Spiritual World of Isaac the Syrian" (Cistercian Publications, Kalamazoo, MI, 2000), "The Mystery of Faith. An Introduction to the Teaching and Spirituality of the Orthodox Church" (Darton, Longman and Todd, 2002)[6], and "Orthodox Witness Today" (WCC Publications, 2006).
He also is the author of numerous musical compositions. His "St. Matthew Passion" grand oratorio for soloists, choir, and orchestra, received standing ovations at its performances in Moscow, Rome and Melbourne. Equally well received was his "Christmas Oratorio," performed in Washington, Boston and New York in 2007 and later in Moscow.
(Latsis Foundation) - The ‘Museum of Christian Art’ at the Orthodox Centre of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambésy, Geneva, was inaugurated on February 3rd 2011, in the presence of His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. In his welcome speech the Metropolitan Bishop of Switzerland His Reverence Ieremias, Director of the Centre, referred to the history of its foundation and the important contribution of the former Bishop of Switzerland His Reverence Damaskinos in its early years of operation. His Reverence Ieremias said that the aim of the Museum was to establish itself as an internationally recognised centre for the presentation of religious and other works of art linked with the traditions and culture of Orthodoxy, complementing the work of the Orthodox Centree.
(RISU) - “The state wants to control the Church as it is afraid of it. Why? Because the Church defends freedom even at the social level and brings up mature, thinking and responsible citizens which is not convenient for the state power.” So said the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Patriarch Lubomyr at the session of the round table. “State-confessional relations in Ukraine, their specificities and tendencies of development,” organized on 8 February in Kyiv by the Razumkov Center. So reported the Information Department of UGCC.
The Head of UGCC noted in his address that both the Church and the state serve the same people and, therefore, they should be considered partners. Each of them has its own field of activity and should respect the parallel structure and not interfere in its activity. “As we are talking about structured units, their relations can be regulated by means of the law by fixing limits of responsibility and cooperation. In an ideally arranged society, these two partners complement each other even though they never should merge into one reality or be subordinated to each other,” stressed Patriarch Lubomyr.
According to the hierarch, it is known from experience that the consequences of the use of the Church by the state as a subdivision of its structure can be very negative as well as the consequences of the opposite situations when religious organizations try to govern the society through the state structures, restrict freedom and rights of citizens.
Talking about the social aspect of the question, the head of UGCC stressed that the Church is a community which consists of people and exists for people and differs from other forms of human community, established by God, such as family, community, nation, state, as regards its special, religious mission: “Church is built on God’s Word, has supernatural means to achieve its own goals and acts on the basis of God’s revelation,” stressed Patriarch Lubomyr.
The head of the Church stressed that the Lord expects mercy, truth and justice from those who bear any responsibility and reminded those present the words of the Ukrainian Constitution: “The Preamble (the part defining the spirit and not only the letter) of our Constitution contains wonderful words–let us hope that they will not be deleted during rewriting of the Constitution–namely, that the document is passed “with awareness of the responsibility before God, one’s own conscience, previous, present and future generations.”
According to Patriarch Lubomyr, another objective of the Church is to preach the hope put in God, God’s peace despite various alarming signals, numerous manifestations of untruth and injustice which have become part of our time: “Perhaps, prophetic reminding of God’s wrath and the power of God’s mercy will seem contradictory to many, but one should remember that the ultimate goal of the Lord God is not to destroy but to convert the sinner,” said the head of UGCC during the session of the roundtable.
The session was held within the framework of the standing roundtable “Religion and Power in Ukraine: problems of relations” held on the initiative of the Razumkov Center. It was attended by representatives of the Churches and religious organizations, state authorities and the religious scholarly community, people’s deputies and representatives of the public.
(MSNBC) - Bulgarian Orthodox faithful light candles with jars of honey during a holy mass for the 'sanctification of honey' at the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin church in the town of Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria on Feb. 10. Honey and beehives are sanctified by performing a ritual for health and rich harvest.
On St. Haralambos' Day, sick or blind people go to church and pray for healing. According to traditional concepts, St. Haralambos is the lord of all illnesses, especially the plague. Doing any housework is strictly forbidden that day, because of the fear of any coming illness. Women are only allowed to bake round bread and decorate it with a cross in the middle and a large wreath at the edge for health. Honey is consecrated in the local church and then all the bread is coated with that honey. The rest of the honey is kept in the house as a remedy. According to the belief, St. Haralambos blesses the land and it gets warmer and ready to be cultivated.
Troparion - Tone 4
You became a firm column in the Church of Christ, wise Haralambos;
A lamp of everlasting light to the world:
Well known to the world through your martyrdom,
You dispelled the dark night of idolatry.
Boldly intercede with Christ God that He may save our souls.
Kontakion - Tone 4
You rose from the east like a star, hieromartyr Haralambos,
And enlightened the faithful with the brightness of your miracles.
Therefore we honor your holy contest!
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