Byzantine, Texas

( Prison Planet ) - A photograph provided to us by a Christian woman in Homs, scene of some of the bloodiest clashes of the conflict, shows a member of the Free Syrian Army posing with a looted Catholic cross in one hand and a gun in the other while wearing a priest’s robe.

Pravmir has a wonderful post up on folk icons with plentiful examples from a recent exposition in Moscow. In addition there's some informative background on their history and common hallmarks. Do go visit here . ( Pravmir.com ) - An unusual exhibition has opened at the Zurab Tsereteli Art Gallery in Moscow: “Folk Icons,” at which items from both museum and private collections are on display. Folk iconography, not always observant of the canons of either church or secular painting, is candid and enigmatic. Correspondents from PRAVMIR visited the opening. I remember visiting someone’s house while still a child and standing for a long time before the kitchen’s icon corner. There were mainly icon prints glued onto wood: Rublev’s Trinity, the Vladimir Icon, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Seraphim of Sarov. But it was not these that attracted me. All of my childish attention was directed to an image of St. George the Trophy-Bearer, warped with time. It was hand-painted, as I n...

This is an oddity of Catholicism that has always bemused me. I saw it posted on Aggie Catholics and thought it worth posting. A person who wants to be done with the relationship needs to look for a crack in the form of the marriage to prove that it never really existed. Where else does something like this exist? Not being Catholic I don't have to defend it, but (by the figures I was able to locate) some 97% of Catholics in the US who seek an annulment receive them. That is a hard figure to not blink at a few times. Tribunals were able to find fault in all but 3% of all cases. That's a pretty porous contract by any metric I've pondered using.

Part of the 7 Questions series (see here ).

PITTSBURGH ( AP ) - A Pittsburgh-area couple is suing a city hospital and a Russian Orthodox priest who they claim conducted an unauthorized "emergency baptism" of their premature newborn son. But the priest says he didn't baptize the boy, but merely said a pre-baptismal prayer for the child who he never touched, let alone sprinkled with holy water. Attorney Jeffrey Myers says his clients, Amanda and David Tatarko, of Aliquippa, are upset they weren't told about the ceremony at Magee-Women's Hospital where their son Logan, was born 16 weeks early in August 2010. A hospital spokeswoman declined comment, but the Very Rev. Mitred Archpriest George Mitchell tells The Associated Press the entire thing is a misunderstanding. He says the baby was in a neonatal intensive care unit so he simply sprinkled some water in a hospital hallway and said an emergency pre-baptismal prayer.

This editorial from the American Orthodox Institute is a very direct attack on perceived excesses in the way the Greek Church - both in America and abroad - acquits itself. This is not the first time this charge has been leveled nor is it a claim made only from outside the Greek Church. In 2010 Metropolitan Theoliptos of Ikonion railed against the opulence of the Greek Archdiocese in general and Met. Demetrios in particular when it failed to help two orphaned children (see here ). In an open letter the metropolitan said,"Which is our mission in the world? Just to organize dinners and events to celebrate our tenth anniversary on the Throne of the Holy Archdiocese of America, or to speak and preach about loving and helping our suffering fellow man, but not to do anything in reality?" Your thoughts are welcomed. ( AOI ) - In his June 18 keynote address at the opening ceremony of the Halki Summit in Turkey, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew looked forward to the start of the ...

H/T: a..sinner ( Pantokrator Monastery ) - The following is taken from an address given by St. Nektarios when he was first assigned dean of Rizarios Ecclesiastical School. “My children, in each of you there exists a future priest, an important element of the history and future life of our suffering country. You should be proud to wear your cassocks (anteri). Pray to the Almighty that He grants you the ability to serve His Church, for this vocation is not merely a job but is a mission which begins on earth and continues in heaven. Please heed these humble words and may your souls continuously shine with the eternal truths of our Holy Gospel… “My children, I also want you to be proud of our Orthodox faith. Orthodoxy is our treasure, our priceless pearl, if you will. Orthodoxy is also the light that guides us. If we were ever to lose this treasure, this light, then we would be scattered to the ends of the earth like dust, ceasing to exist as a people and as a nation. There are ...

( OCA ) - Exactly ten years after the nuns at Protection of the Holy Virgin Monastery here were evacuated on June 20, 2002 in the wake of the Hayman fire — the monastery was spared at that time — the current Springer Fire is once again threatening the monastery and its immediate environs. An institution of the Orthodox Church in America’s Diocese of the West, the monastery was evacuated on Sunday, June 17, 2012. According to Mother Cassiana, acting superior, “over 450 acres are now involved in the blaze that is being fought by fire fighters from around the region.” While the monastery remains untouched, prayers are requested that it might be spared, together with the countless residences scattered throughout the region. Established in 1993, the monastery is home to several nuns who over the years have labored not only to establish a strong Orthodox community and witness in the area, but have built a physical complex that includes a beautiful chapel, quarters for the nuns, gues...

( Daily Mail ) - Faced with a constant race to raise restoration funds, the wardens of York Minster usually can’t afford to let the grass grow under their feet. On this occasion, however, they have positively encouraged it. This striking scene was created yesterday when the medieval cathedral’s nave was carpeted with 16,000 square feet of special turf ready for a fundraising dinner for 900 guests.

H/T: NLM ( OAJ ) - Renowned Orthodox church designer and liturgical artist Andrew Gould has founded a new website to promote the revival of the traditional liturgical arts in the Orthodox Church. http://www.orthodoxartsjournal.org/ The Orthodox Arts Journal publishes articles and news for the promotion of traditional Orthodox liturgical arts. The Journal covers visual arts, music, liturgical ceremony and texts, and relevant art history and theory. The Journal presents these topics together to highlight the unified witness of the arts to the beauty of the Kingdom of God and to promulgate an understanding of how the arts work together in the worship of the Church. In the spirit of the revival of traditional Orthodox liturgical arts sparked by Photios Kontoglou and Leonid Ouspensky, the Journal publicizes excellence in contemporary liturgical arts, emphasizing fidelity to the Church’s tradition of beauty and craft. Examples of the types of articles the Journal features are:...

From a blog I follow authored by Roger Pearse . While cataloguing the Greek manuscripts in the Johann Jakob Fuller collection of books, a spectacular discovery was recently made in the Bavarian State Library. The philologist Marina Molin Pradel during the cataloguing process identified a manuscript containing the original text of numerous homilies on the Psalms by Origen of Alexandria (185-253/4 AD), hitherto unknown in Greek. The importance of this find for scholarship cannot be overestimated. The very high probability of the attribution to Origen was confirmed by the internationally recognised Origen scholar Lorenzo Perrone, of the University of Bologna... Complete article here .

( mospat.ru ) - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, is on an official visit to the Church of Cyprus.

I post this for a few reasons. First, it is wonderfully written and deserves a wider viewing in its own right. Second, it was delivered in Ireland to a stadium full of Catholics. Lastly, it says some important things about theology, Eucharist, and community. 11 June 2012, Dublin ( mospat.ru ) - Address by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Head of the DECR, To the 50 th International Eucharistic Congress - "The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with one another" Your Eminences and Graces, Dear Fathers, Brothers and Sisters: I would like to thank the organizing committee of the 50th jubilee Eucharistic Congress and personally Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin for the invitation and opportunity to attend and address this authoritative Christian forum. These days we will speak about the Eucharist as the most important and fundamental sacrament of the Church and about our communion with Christ as it is actualized in this world. I would like to share with you ...

( Pravoslavie ) - The Greek Areopag (Supreme Court) has cancelled the decision of the appellate court of Thrace, which on March 1, 2012 sentenced Archimandrite Ephraim and monk Arseny of Vatopedi Monastery on Mt. Athos and presiding judge of the court of first instance Maria Psalti to six months imprisonment, the sentence being commuted for three years. Each of these named persons has been acquitted of the accusation of delaying the public announcement of the court decision concerning the exchange of monastery property on Lake Vistonida. The Areopag has decided that Maria Psalti did not violate her judicial duty, and Archimandrite Ephraim and monk Arseny did not incite her to such action, reports Аgionoros.ru , citing Naftemporiki.gr .

"When we asked the superintendent how faith groups like ours should be treated... if they expressed their views on traditional values... she ultimately insisted that we are part of the problem..." ( YouTube ) - Father Geoffrey Korz fights Christophobia in the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB). Pray for Father Korz as he attempts to secure equality and safety for Christian students in Hamilton. This is a video of a presentation made by Father Korz to HWDSB trustees and superintendents. This presentation was made on June 11, 2012 at HWDSB headquarters. ( thespec.com ) - Some local groups are saying the public school board’s anti-bullying initiatives don’t offer the same protections to religious students as they do to those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transsexual. “Our concern is that when you have one group that is given special privileges, that can be used as a hammer against those that group may see as an enemy,” said Father Geoffrey Korz, genera...

I have met priests that take this matter very seriously, those that are completely hands-off on the topic, and those that don't consider birth control a big deal at all. As a parent of many children, I am decidedly in the pro-progeny camp. We seem to have taken individual instances where economia is called for (medical problems, extreme family issues, etc.) and recast being closed to life as a normal "choice." This is not only lamentable in its immediate effect on the family, but also on the every shrinking Orthodox birthrate. We are blithely not procreating ourselves into non-existence in a way that jihadi Islam, Communism, and radical enviro-secularism could only dream about. ( The Morning Offering ) - Marriage, for the Orthodox Christian, is to have as it's foundation, Jesus Christ, and a commitment to live in full communion with the Church. When a couple are joined together in this mystical (sacramental) union with one another, they become one flesh, and begin ...

It's quite heart warming to see real, hands-on work being planned for the Appalachian region of our country. It strikes me with special poignancy as my family is largely from this region. Spread the word, send money, or - if you're in the area - get involved. ( UOC-USA ) - New Missionary Program of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA First Mission Trip – 6-11 August, 2012. More information and application process at the end of this article. In response to our Lord’s command to “Love thy neighbor”, our Church is embarking this summer on a new charitable mission to the Appalachian region of the United States, establishing a new relationship with the people in Appalachian region - the backbone of the American homeland. At the Metropolitan Council meeting in November, 2011, our hierarchs, clergy and lay leaders decided to reach out in the name of Christ to the people of Appalachia. The decision was made to initiate a charitable ministry to Appalachia, utilizing existi...

Normally I post the commencement photos and text from Orthodox seminaries across the country around this time. Instead, I give you this:

A worshipper lights a candle as she attends Sunday Mass led by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill and Bulgarian Patriarch Maxim in Alexander Nevski cathedral in Sofia on April 29, 2012. ( Stoyan Nenov/Reuters )

The last highlighted paragraph will probably be of immediate interest to most. June 3, 2012 ( Chicago Tribune ) - About a dozen religious leaders gathered with Cardinal Francis George on the steps of St. Hedwig Catholic Church on Sunday evening to pose for a picture that could symbolize the goal they had come to promote: Christian unity. The clergy and about 150 congregants came to the Polish parish for Chicago's 12th annual ecumenical prayer service for Christian unity. It was organized by Ecumenism Metro Chicago, a coalition of Christian communities, in an effort to deepen relationships among members of varying Christian traditions. "Jesus said if we are not one, the world will not believe," said George, who has previously talked about the need for the Roman Catholic Church to work with other denominations. "We have an obligation to be a united witness." The challenges to unity among Christian faith traditions are their differing perspectives on re...

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. ( The Telegraph ) - The country's parliament voted through the new law on same-sex marriage by a large majority, making it mandatory for all churches to conduct gay marriages. Denmark's church minister, Manu Sareen, called the vote "historic". "I think it's very important to give all members of the church the possibility to get married. Today, it's only heterosexual couples." Under the law, individual priests can refuse to carry out the ceremony, but the local bishop must arrange a replacement for their church. The far-Right Danish People's Party mounted a strong campaign against the new law, which nonetheless passed with the support of 85 of the country's 111 MPs. "Marriage is as old as man himself, and you can't change something as fundamental," the party's church spokesperson Christian Langballe said during the debate. "Marriage is supposed to be between a man...

Important work here. We lose most (and I do mean most) of our young people after high school. If memory serves it's 60%. Some priests I know make an effort to catch new Orthodox college students in nearby schools (contacting people who mark "Orthodox" on their religious views in school paperwork), but the norm is to be more passive it (take them as they come in the door). Brookline, MA ( OCF ) - June 1, 2012. The North American OCF Office has launched an exciting new program to reach out to incoming first-year Orthodox college students at colleges and universities throughout North America, named The First Forty Days. As its name implies, during the first forty days of the 2012 fall semester, local OCF student leaders and chaplains will work to make personal contact with all new incoming students. They will be given information regarding the OCF chapter on campus and nearby Orthodox parishes. The intent of this program is to foster a personal connection with our stud...

( UOC-USA ) - Following the glorious celebration of Pentecost, the members of Liturgical Commission of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA gathered for its 2012 quarterly meeting at the Consistory offices of the spiritual and administrative center of the UOC of the USA in South Bound Brook, NJ on 5 June, 2012. According to His Grace Bishop Daniel, who serves as the chairperson of the Commission, the work of the group is of extreme importance as it addresses the pastoral liturgical needs of the clergy and laity of the Church. The members of the Liturgical Commission are: His Grace Bishop Daniel – Ruling Bishop of the Western Eparchy of the UOC of the USA Very Rev. Bazyl Zawierucha – pastor of Holy Dormition Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Northampton, PA and Provost of St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary in South bound Brook, NJ Very Rev. Pavlo Bodnarchuk – pastor of St. Mary Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Southfield, MI Very Rev. Taras Naumenko –pa...

( Seattle Times ) - Alexandra Uraitskaya decorates Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral with birch branches, flowers and greenery Saturday, June 2, 2012 in Seattle in preparation for Pentecost. More photos available here .

( Pravmir ) - In anticipation of Pentecost, St. Andrei Rublev’s celebrated “Trinity” icon was transferred from its place in the permanent exhibition halls of the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow to the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachy, a functioning church located on the grounds of the museum. This takes place annually to allow parishioners and pilgrims the opportunity to venerate this revered icon during the celebration of Pentecost. Archpriest Andrei Rumiantsev, a clergyman of the Church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachy, remarked: “In the icon of the Holy Trinity we see the fullness of the Christian conception of God, the world, and the place of man in this world.” This year the icon will be offered for veneration from June 1 to June 5. More wonderful photos available here .

( MOMA ) - Decor for the Ballet "Liturgie" Natalia Gontcharova [French (born Russia) 1881–1962]. A description of the would-be production from the University of Glascow . In 1915 Diaghilev and his small group of intimate friends and Ballets Russes collaborators moved to Lausanne in Switzerland which remained neutral during the war. Major members of the Ballets Russes circle at this time were Natalya Goncharova and Mikhail Larionov. In the peaceful confines of Switzerland time was given to the formulation of ideas for future ballets and work was able to be carried out on existing projects, it was here that Diaghilev conceived of the production of "Liturgie". It is in the wonderful costume designs for this production, which was never actually staged, that Goncharova’s profound interest in Russian icons and medieval manuscripts is most clearly illustrated. The decision to draw on pre-literate Russian sources for inspiration was automatic for Goncharova who ha...

JOHNSTOWN, PA ( ACROD ) - With thankfulness to Almighty God, the Diocesan Chancery has announced that a Special Assembly of Diocesan Priests will be convened on Saturday July 14, 2012 in Christ the Saviour Cathedral by His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios of America, Diocesan Locum Tenens for the purpose of nominating a candidate for ruling Bishop of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the U.S.A. The calling of the Assembly follows a year-long search for a worthy candidate to succeed to the throne of our beloved late Metropolitan of Amissos, the Most Reverend Nicholas R. Smisko After a diligent search both within and outside the Diocese, with the blessing of Archbishop Demetrios of America, our Diocesan Locum tenens and Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, a worthy candidate has been found in the person of the Very Rev. Archimandrite Grigorios Tatsis. Father Grigorios is American-born of parents of Greek origin. He is currently serving as Dean of the Holy Trinity G...