Byzantine, Texas

( EP ) - On July 30, 2012, United States assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon visited the holy monastery and theological school of Halki. In conversation with Metropolitan Elpidophoros of Bursa, Mr. Gordon expressed the interest of the United States in the seminary's re-opening. Furthermore, he conveyed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's warm greetings toward His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

( RISU ) - The Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan patriarchate (UOC-KP) issued an address to the Catholics, Anglicans and to the Primates and the wholeness of the national Orthodox Churches with the request to help stop in Ukraine the practice of “repeated baptism” by the Moscow Patriarchate of persons who already received the sacrament of Baptism in the Kyivan Patriarchate, “which practice is shameful for the whole Christian world,” the website of the UOC-KP reported. “We understand that recognition of the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Church is a complicated and long process. But already now we, as well as any conscious Christian, cannot put up with the existing practice of the Moscow Patriarchate to 'baptize' again people who already received baptism in the Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate. For this practice is a gross violation of the instructions of the Holy Scripture and Tradition, disregard for the Creed of Nicea and Constantinople, the dogmas and cano...

( OCA-DEPA ) - On Sunday, July 22nd, the community at Christ the Saviour celebrated their annual vehicle blessing following the Divine Liturgy. We were honored to welcome Fr. Innokenty, a hieromonk from St. Tikhon Monastery. This annual event is a reminder to each of us to ask God's blessing upon every aspect of our lives; it is also a reminder that we must in turn use these gifts for His glory and the furthering of His Kingdom! Prayer at the Blessing of Vehicles O Lord our God, Who dost ride upon the Cherubim; Who walks on the wings of the wind; Who didst send Thy servant the Prophet Elijah a chariot of fire, and Who with Thine All-Holy Spirit has inspired and guided the human mind to invent various and expedient means of transportation and travel: We give Thee thanks, O Master, for Thou has provided us, Thy servants, with these vehicles to serve our different needs. Pour out Thy heavenly blessing upon each of these vehicles and other forms of transportation; grant each ...

I have 4 children at camp and the rest have been with me while my wife is visiting with family. My quiet time, such as it is, is to be found in the long walks I take the dog on in the mornings and evenings. This small town is a very quiet one, with comfortable breezes and challenging hills and hillocks. As an aficionado of audiobooks, I usually make my way for the back door with smartphone in hand as I push earphones into my ears, waste bags into my pockets, and the dog out the door. In order to make the time productive, I start my walks with the Psalter. Three to four Psalms are the norm, but sometimes a line or two will pique my interest so that I rewind over and over again. The below Psalm 63 seemed a fitting thing to read in times when the pains of gossip have descended on you or those you care for.  The archery image was what drew my interest. O God, hear my voice when I pray to You, deliver my soul from fear of the enemy. Protect me from the swarm of evildoers, fro...

Saint Panteleimon the Healer, by Nicholas Roerich, 1916. Troparion, Tone 3 O holy passion-bearer and healer Panteleimon, entreat the merciful God, that He grant to our souls remission of transgressions. Kontakion, Tone 5 Emulating the Merciful One, and receiving from Him the grace of healing, O passion-bearer and martyr of Christ God, by thy supplications heal thou our spiritual infirmities, ever driving away the temptations of the foe from them that faithfully cry out: Save us, O Lord!

Naked attacks are, of course, harder to defend against as a gun can be found on someone's person. A naked assailant, though, is just a clothed person who can undress quickly. It is also worth noting that the news article seemingly ignored the words KILL KIRILL written on the woman's back. So if you want to call this free speech... inciting murder would seem to be an overstep. ( NBC News ) - A topless woman confronted the head of the Russian Orthodox Church as he arrived in Kiev on Thursday in the latest in a string of eye-catching stunts pulled by a Ukrainian feminist group. An activist from the Femen women's rights group rushed towards Patriarch Kirill with bared breasts, yelling "Get out!", the Russian state news agency reported, before she was bundled away by security guards. The European Pressphoto Agency reported that the Femen protest aimed to highlight a demand for greater independence for Ukraine's main orthodox church, which still answers ...

Handwritten Orthodox Church Volume in Alutiiq ( KMXT ) - The recent rediscovery of a book, handwritten in Alutiiq and containing numerous gospels of the Bible, could play an important role in the on-going Alutiiq language revival on Kodiak Island. KMXT's Brianna Gibbs has more. Daria Safronova is an archivist and faculty member of St. Herman Russian Orthodox Seminary and came across the volume when she received a tip that someone had seen it in the seminary's archives. Safronova said the book and its culturally significant contents were previously discovered by the late anthropologist Lydia Black, and was even put on display for a time. However, only recently, as scholars from the seminary and Alutiiq Museum with the help of elders try to revive the endangered language, was its importance realized. -- (Alutiiq Revival 1 :39 "Maybe it was not the time for it to surface at that point. Now during the Alutiiq language revival, this is an incredib...

( Daylife ) - An Orthodox priest blesses combine harvesters during celebrations marking the start of harvesting near the village of Iatskovo, about 65 km (40 miles) west of Minsk, July 24, 2012.

This description from the OMHKSEA : The principal troparion (hymn) of the day, chanted at the end of Vespers (hence its name, which means “dismissal hymn”), and celebrating the particular feast or saint being commemorated. It is also known as the “troparion of the feast” or the “troparion of the day”. On Great Feasts it is sung three times at the end of Vespers, four times at Matins: three times after “The Lord is God”, and once at the end of Matins, immediately after the Great Doxology; once at the Liturgy, after the Little Entrance and the Introit; at Great Compline and at all the Hours.

( Atlas Obscura ) - In the early fifth century, a Syrian monk named Simeon wandered out into the desert, where he found, near modern-day Aleppo, an abandoned column rising up out of the desert. Simeon climbed the pillar, and would remain on aloft for the next thirty-seven years (though he did eventually transfer to a much taller pillar nearby). From the pillar, he preached sermons to those who sought out his wisdom and his example, though history has not treated his vocation well. Edward Gibbon wrote of Simeon, “This voluntary martyrdom must have gradually destroyed the sensibility both of the mind and the body, nor can it be presumed that the fanatics who torment themselves are susceptible of any lively affection for the rest of mankind.” His odd life later became the subject of a scathing satire by Luis Buñuel, Simon of the Desert. He was not the only pole sitter (known as “stylites”) but he was the first and the most famous, and after his death this church was built on the sit...

( Daily News Egypt ) - The commission overseeing the election of the new Patriarch of the Coptic Church will disclose the list of voters who will participate in the election of the new pope on Monday 23 July. The list will consist of 2,594 names and will be published in three national newspapers. Bishop Pachomius, acting patriarch The assembly of voters will consist of both clergy of various ranks and laity across all dioceses throughout Egypt and the rest of the globe. These voters include 12 voters from each Coptic diocese, Christian members of the press, clergy with certain roles within the Church, and current and former Christian government officials. The names will be displayed at the Cathedral until August 6 for the public to examine. From the following day until 20 August the door will be open for any appeals in the case of any objections to any of the names by the general public. An assembled committee will then spend an estimated two weeks considering submitted appeal...

( OCA ) - His Beatitude, Metropolitan Christopher, Archbishop of Prague and Primate of the autocephalous Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, will begin a two week visit to the Diocese of Alaska on July 28, 2012. The visit will mark the second time a Primate of one of the world’s autocephalous Orthodox Churches has visited the Diocese. In 1993, His Holiness, Patriarch Aleksy II of Moscow visited the Diocese and participated in celebrations marking the opening of the Bicentennial of Orthodox Christianity in North America. In a recent press release issued by the Diocese of Alaska, it was announced that Metropolitan Christopher and his delegation will visit the Alaska Native villages of Nondalton, Napaskiak, Tuluksak, Kwethluk, Eek, and Quinhagak, as well as the cities of Anchorage, Bethel and Kodiak. They also will participate in the annual Saint Herman Pilgrimage to Spruce Island August 7-9. Traveling with Metropolitan Christopher will be Archpriest Josef Hauzar, Chan...

I post this for two main reason. One is to highlight the efforts being made by the Russian Church in Thailand. The other is that projects like this often take many twists and turns until eventually we see the construction and final product. It's a joy to follow the process from start to satisfying finish. ( ROC-Thailand ) - Discussions were held in Bangkok to review the draft design for the construction of a new Orthodox church of St. Nicholas, archbishop of Myra in Lycia, the Wonderworker along with an administrative center. The future Temple is a type of «church marquee», which is crowned with five gold domes. With dimensions of 18 by 18 meters, it will be 27 m in hight. Above the entrance to the temple there will be a bell. In the basement are rooms for business needs. Also, a few meters from the temple will be a baptistery chapel. A two-story office building will house the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church and the head office of the Foundation of the Orthodox...

How sad that he links the Bible to the anti-Semitic violence of the past. Religious texts often are said to be the backing of persecution, violence, and murder, but rarely are they any more than convenient cover for achieving political ends. I worry that a number of citizens of the Israel of today, in seeking to build a safe Jewish state, escaped complete annihilation at the hands of genocidal atheists only to return hatred with hatred. When our priests go to Jerusalem they are spat on, called names, and occasionally the victims of bricks being thrown at them. On returning from a trip to the Holy Land a priest of my diocese reported all manner of inhospitable behavior against him and his tourist group. But I digress. Sending the Knesset a bunch of Bibles for whatever reason, one should expect to receive some unhappy responses. I just didn't expect this MP to call in some cameramen and tear out the entire New Testament with his hands. In response Christians will... well... be sa...

I used the older app some time ago. It was quite limited and I quickly shunted it to an unused folder on my phone. This, by contrast, is a wonderful app capable of streaming live or playing podcasts with the click of a button. Remarkably, it's completely free. I don't know yet if it will replace my iTunes AFR podcast subscriptions, but it is certainly a welcome augmentation to my travel experience. ( AFR ) - Welcome to the official Ancient Faith Radio application for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Our app gives you access to all kinds of Orthodox Christian content as well as our streaming radio stations. After you’ve downloaded and enjoyed the content, you can share it with your friends via Twitter, Facebook, or email. WiFi internet is required for iPod touch. For more information about Ancient Faith Radio, please visit: http://www.ancientfaith.com/ The Ancient Faith Radio App was created with The Church App by Subsplash.

The logistics of the week made it impossible for me to drive over to the Antiochian Village to hear any of these talks firsthand. AFR was on the scene, though, and has a podcast of the talks. I should also mention that the OCA's Diocese of the South just wrapped up their meeting in Florida this week. No podcasts are available, but there are notes from the conference and a draft of the new diocesan by-laws (see here ). ( AFR ) - The 2012 Clergy Symposium for the Antiochian Archdiocese was held at Antiochian Village in Ligonier, PA July 16 - 20. The theme was “Ministry to the Youth.” Podcast available here .

Many moons ago I posted on my search for a cassock in preparation for seminary (see here ). It was not a satisfying experience in any way. After having to re-sew on every button and re-attach the ties I took a gamble and believed the care instructions provided with the garment. In cold water on a very short wash, I let the cassock air dry for the evening. I returned to find a garment much smaller than it had been only the night before. Acknowledging the small chance of Hulk-inducing gamma radiation, the swelling properties of my morning coffee, or mischievous sprites I bowed my head in memory of this tormented bit of vestiture. I was then down to one cassock - the "nice" one that was previously an item in the wardrobe of our bishop of blessed repose - which put me in a predicament. Where to get a replacement? I looked back at my list and immediately threw out both the tailor-who-shall-not-be-named and those sources I was told by friends were hard to contact, hard to pay, or...

Add caption ( Orthodox Arts Journal ) - With this volume, we offer to the English-speaking Orthodox world music for the Panikhida and Burial services based entirely on melodies from authentic Russian chant originals, something that heretofore has not existed in English in any one volume. Furthermore, we have endeavored to present these chants in a form that is at once satisfactorily singable by either a single chanter or a small group of amateur singers, but is still musically rich and uplifting, in keeping with the sober yet joyful character of all traditional Orthodox liturgical chant. From the introduction to the book: Over the more than one thousand year tradition of Slavonic liturgical music much of the field has been dominated by what is commonly known as znamenny chant. Znamenny chant — a term that means “signed” or “neumed” chant, referring to the fact that the chant melodies were composed and notated rather than transmitted aurally — is regarded today by Russian Ortho...

I might have been a better student of Ancient Greek all those years ago had this been in circulation then. From the blog Londinoupolis : Now that the British Education System wishes to introduce Ancient Greek into its syllabus, I was reminded of a book I bought a couples of years back, i.e. " Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone " in its Ancient Greek Edition, which I found in a book store in central London. This version of the book will introduce fans of Harry Potter to the beauty and clarity of the Ancient Greek language, giving the opportunity to students of Ancient Greek to read a modern classic in the language of the ancient storytellers. This book was translated by Classics teacher Andrew Wilson, who stated that this is the longest text to have been translated into the ancient language in 1500 years, which makes it a remarkable achievement. Despite not being an ancient text, it is a great way of introducing new students, into reading and understanding...

I was asked, in a few separate emails shortly after this was posted, if the emphases below were mine or that of Bp. Matthias. To be clear, the emboldened text is of my choosing and not his. ( OCA-DMW ) - July 16, 2012 Hieromartyr Athenogenes, Archpastoral Letter, No. 149 Beloved Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of the Diocese of the Midwest: Christ is in our midst! We, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, have hesitated to release further details surrounding the resignation of Metropolitan Jonah as Primate of our Church, this in a desire to preserve his dignity and to prevent further harm to an innocent party. We did this knowing there would be appeals for additional information regarding our decision. We also harbored some hope that Metropolitan Jonah would show a willingness to accept responsibility for his actions and failures to act. However, things said and written by Metropolitan Jonah since his resignation have demonstrated that he is not accepti...

July 15, 2012 ( patriarchia.ru - machine translation ) - After the Divine Liturgy in the newly consecrated church-memorial of Christ's Resurrection in Katyn, a conversation of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill of Smolensk region governor Alexander Ostrovsky. The same day, the Primate of the Russian Church, the head region and Chairman of the Club of Orthodox Journalists, editor in chief of the portal, "Religion and the Media," A. Tweaks attended the opening ceremony at the historic building of the Smolensk State University, a memorial plaque dedicated teacher Tatiana Nikolaevna Shchipkova, persecuted for their religious beliefs in 70-80s of the twentieth century. After the ceremony His Holiness departed for Moscow.

St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Euless, TX opened its doors today in a ceremony celebrated by Met. Isaiah of Denver (pictured right). It was a pan-Orthodox affair with clergy and laity from many jurisdictions in attendance. I was blessed to have been able to get a tour of the temple some weeks ago when it was still under construction and I must say it is a sight to behold. It might the most splendidly constructed, architected, and appointed parish in Texas. It is certainly shephered by a wonderful pastor in Fr. Vasile Tudora (pictured left) who spearheaded the fundraising and construction effort. His wife, Mirela Tudora, an architect with experience in church design in Romania, designed the space. Renowned iconographer Vladimir Grigorenko , who wrote the icons for St. Seraphim Orthodox Cathedral (OCA) in Dallas among other projects, also wrote the icons for the parish. More photos of the event are available here . If you are a resident or will be traveling throu...

( Ellwood City ) - Several weeks ago, a groundbreaking took place at the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration, just off Portersville Road in Wayne Township, beginning a year-long expansion and renovation project (PDF available here ). “We’ve spent a lot of time planning and preparing for this renovation,” said Mother Barbara, secretary of the Monastery. “It’s all very exciting.” Construction began on June 18 and will continue for at least a year. Called the 2012 Expansion Project, the construction will focus on making the monastery more available to visitors and allow a more peaceful experience. “The renovation is not intended to benefit the sisters [of the monastery], but intended to benefit all those who come visit the monastery,” said Mother Barbara. The 2012 Expansion Project is a $2 million endeavor, with $700,000 being used on the first wave of the project. The first wave, according to Mother Barbara, is fixing the immediate needs of the monastery first, and th...

JOHNSTOWN, PA ( ACROD ) - Meeting in Special Assembly today which was presided over by His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios of America, Diocesan Locum Tenens, the priests of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the USA nominated the Very Rev. Archimandrite Grigorios (Tatsis) as successor to His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas of Amissos. Having formally designated Archimandrite Grigorios as the nominee, His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios, as Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate will submit his name to the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Canonical Election. Archimandrite Grigorios was born in Charlotte, NC on Dec 7, 1958, with the baptismal name of George, the first of two children of Peter and Antonia Tatsis. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earning a BA degree in Biology (1981) and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte earning a MS degree in Biology (1989). Working for more than 20 years in the...

ANKARA, JULY 12 ( ANSAmed ) - The Mongolians failed to destroy it 700 years ago despite the massacre of 40 friars and 400 Christians. Yet the existence of the oldest functioning Christian monastery in the world, the fifth century Mor Gabriel Monastery in the Tur Abdin plane (the mountain of God's servants) near the Turkish-Syrian border, is at risk after a ruling by Turkey's highest appeals court in Ankara. Founded in 397 by the monks Samuel and Simon, Mor Gabriel in eastern Anatolia has been the heart of the Orthodox Syrian community for centuries. Syriacs hail from a branch of Middle Eastern Christianity and are one of the oldest communities in Turkey. Today the monastery is inhabited by Mor Timotheus Samuel Aktash, 3 monks, 11 nuns and 35 boys who are learning the monastery's teachings, the ancient Aramaic language spoken by Jesus and the Orthodox Syriac tradition. Although the monastery is situated in an area at the centre of conflicts between Kurdish separati...

I'll be going. I'm told by last year's attendees that there's quite a good time to be had. Look for the man chasing children around with a lasso. ( antiochian.org ) - A wonderful event that will be taking place at Antiochian Village this autumn! As you may know, Antiochian Village is the burial place of St. Raphael of Brooklyn. Many people each year come to visit his burial place as they also attend the St. Thekla Pilgrimage. The 2012 pilgrimage will take place during the weekend of September 21-23. This pilgrimage is sponsored by our Convent of St. Thekla, with the assitance of the Convent's abbess Mother Alexandra, and will be overseen by His Grace Bishop Thomas. Click here (PDF) for the brochure, including registration info & complete schedule. In addition to the usual events of the pilgrimage, this year we will also have a deacon's retreat in conjunction with the pilgrimage. For information about this retreat, please contact Dn. Gregory Roeber (a...

I have refrained from posting much of what I had read on the recent events leading up to and following the resignation of Met. Jonah as primate of the OCA. There is so much acrimony and rumormongering that, even if I wished to, I couldn't keep up with the reposting of it all. The OCA has moved forward with temporary appointments (see here ), has met following the resignation to discuss future plans (see here ), and have asked for calm (see here and below). Metropolitan Jonah is a polarizing figure. He has always been nice to my family when we have met with him. He always spoke with sincerity and a pastoral heart. More than what I have witnessed first-hand I cannot speak to without basing it on hearsay and unofficial commentaries. My prayers to the faithful of the OCA as they, yet again, weather a storm that seeks to capsize them. ( OCA-Alaska ) - To the Very Reverend and Reverend Clergy, Monastics and Faithful of the Diocese of the Alaska: Efforts to divide and scatter the ...

( UOC-USA ) - I begin writing this letter with a deep sense of sadness and loss, never expecting to be obliged to do so at such an unexpected time, following the repose of our beloved Metropolitan Constantine, Primate of our Church since 1993, a hierarch since 1972 and priest since 1967. We have mourned his departure from us deeply, along with the members of his family and still find it difficult that it happened so suddenly, less than 48 hours after the joyful celebration of his 40th anniversary of episcopal service to our Church. We are most grateful to all the hierarchs from many Orthodox and Catholic jurisdictions and from other faith groups, to the large numbers of clergy and faithful from our Church and other Orthodox jurisdictions who took part in the funeral services for Metropolitan Constantine and in the 40th day of repose commemorations, which took place on 30 June at the Metropolia Center here in South Bound Brook – Somerset, NJ and in Pittsburgh. We also express our gra...

Justin of Ćelije July 9, 2012 ( Pravmir ) - By decision of the Holy Synod, saints recently glorified by the Serbian Orthodox Church will be included in the menalogion of the Russian Orthodox Church. The twentieth century was a time of testing of faith for the Serbian Church, as it was for the Russian Church. The lives of monastic saints and martyrs glorifiedby the Serbian Church in 2010 are evidence of this, reports Tserkovnyi Vestnik [Church Herald]. These saints are Venerable Justin of Ćelije (June1/14), one of the greatest Serbian theologians of the twentieth century; Venerable Symeon of Dajbabe (March 19/April 1); and the New Martyrs of Jasenovac (August 31/September 13), who suffered under the Ustaše – Croatian Nationalist Movement headed by Ante Pavelic.

The Episcopalians have, of late, reminded me of the Black Knight of Monty Python fame. But, instead of having someone else hack them to pieces, they are doing it to themselves. Facing budgetary issues, a quickly diminishing and aging membership, a mass exodus of disaffected Anglo-Catholics, and a host of other problems they choose to further cut away the beliefs that have held them together. Eventually nothing will be left but aphorisms and some rousing Anglican hymns echoing through empty churches. 'Tis but a scratch... INDIANAPOLIS ( AP ) - Episcopal bishops approved an official prayer service for blessing same-sex couples Monday at a national convention that also cleared the way for transgender ordination. At the Episcopal General Convention in Indianapolis, the House of Bishops voted 111-41, with three abstentions, to authorize a provisional rite for same-sex unions for the next three years. The liturgy next goes to convention's deputies for their authorization. ...

From Fr. Ted's blog . Reasonable thinking here: if the priests look calm, the people will be calmed. Our Midwest Diocesan Bishop, Matthias, has sent a letter to the priests of the Diocese confirming the resignation of Metropolitan Jonah as Primate of the Orthodox Church in America which was accepted on July 7th by the OCA’s Synod of Bishops and is considered effective as of today, July 9th. His Grace asked that we priests “extend to the faithful calm assurances of faith in the Church and Her Helmsman, our Lord and Savior.“ According to Bishop Matthias the Synod will have a teleconference meeting today to continue discussion on the resignation. There is also planned at some point a teleconference call between the Synod of Bishops and the Metropolitan council to discuss the current situation. Bishop Matthias directs us to the OCA’s webpage to watch for further information as it becomes available. He also asks for our prayers. See also my blog Metropolitan Jonah Offers...

( Al Arabiya ) - A group of Coptic activists in Egypt announced the establishment of the Christian Brotherhood to counter the growing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood especially after their candidate Mohammed Mursi won the presidential elections. The idea was first initiated in 2005 by lawyer Mamdouh Nakhla, head of al-Kalema Center for Human Rights, and political analyst Michel Fahmi. It was then adopted by Amir Ayad, member of the Maspero Youths Union for Free Copts, the group established after clashes with military forces in front of the TV building in the Cairo district of Maspero left more than 20 Copts dead. The Christian Brotherhood has branches in 16 governorates in Egypt as well as four branches outside Egypt, three in Europe and one in Australia. “The idea started in 2005 with the rise of Islamist groups, but it had not been put to action since then,” Michel Fahmi told Al Arabiya in a phone interview. Fahmi explained that it was the victory of Muslim Brotherhoo...

Moscow, July 5 ( Interfax ) - About 50 thousand Christians have been killed or exiled from the country - such figures were unofficially voiced by a diplomat returned from Syria, the chairman of State Duma Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building Vladimir Pligin said. "I haven't managed to check the figure," Pligin said at a meeting of the United Russia leaders with a delegation from the USA Congress, mostly Republicans. However, he believes, it should be seriously considered. The State Duma Committee head did not said if it was a Russian diplomat who had voiced this figure. Pligin touched the Syrian question speaking about the necessity for Russia and Syria to unite efforts for settling most complicated problems in the world. First of all, it refers to the "abandoned problems or problems of outgoing states," the deputy said. Later, he told the journalists that he meant "weak countries."

Since I have already received a few emails asking me to editorialize the significane of this, I'll just say the following: Some people are putting two and two together and believe that a delay in the Diocese of the South's episcopal search can be tied not only to the re-vetting of Fr. Gerasim, but also to Met. Jonah's impending resignation. I don't have a shred of evidence to support that, but it is a bit of solace and would make a lot of people in the South quite happy (and I suspect the once Bishop of Fort Worth as well). Syosset, NY ( OCA ) - In a letter addressed to the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops dated Friday, July 6, 2012, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah tendered his resignation as Primate of the Orthodox Church in America. His Beatitude composed and signed the letter at his residence in Washington, DC, in the presence of Archpriest John Jillions, OCA Chancellor. On Saturday, July 7, the letter was presented to the Holy Synod in the course of ...