Antiochians all prepped for primatial election

(antiochian.org) - On Tuesday and Wednesday May 13th and 14th, His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan presided over the meetings of the Local Synod and Board of Trustees in Chicago, respectively.

In both meetings, the principal issue was the preparation for the Special Convention to be held in Chicago on June 5th. At the end of the deliberations, the Patriarchal Vicar and the Local Synod in agreement with the Board of Trustees announced the list of Eligible Candidates for the office of Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of all North America.

They also approved the text of the call, the procedures to be followed prior to the Special Convention and at the same, regarding the eligibility of voting candidates, the process of voting, counting of votes and announcements of results.

In these meetings, Metropolitan Silouan gave a thorough reading of the legal, ecclesiastical and pastoral aspects of the issues to be treated in preparation of the Special Convention. At the close of the meeting, Metropolitan Silouan congratulated the members of the Board of Trustees for the results, their speedy way in discussing the issues, and the spirit of responsibility that they have demonstrated during the deliberations and upon taking the decisions. Indeed, they have shown a beautiful icon of cooperation and unity between all.

In addition, he thanked the hosts, Rev. Fr. Nicolas Dahdal and the members of the parish council of Saint George Church in Cicero, IL, for their hospitality and spirit of service and organization.

He concluded the meeting with a general overview of his pastoral visits across parishes of the Archdiocese, and highlighted some of the conclusions regarding the witness, work and challenges that the Archdiocese is experiencing in this transitional period.

On Thursday May 15th, the office of the Archdiocese communicated to the parishes by email the list of the Eligible Candidates to the Office of Metropolitan, as approved by the Local Synod and in agreement with the Board of Trustees:

(Current Hierarchs in alphabetical order by name)

1. Bishop Alexander
2. Bishop Anthony
3. Bishop Basil
4. Bishop John
5. Archbishop Joseph
6. Bishop Nicholas
7. Bishop Thomas

(Priests in alphabetical order by last name)

1. Hieromonk Jeremy Davis
2. Archimandrite Daniel Griffith
3. Archimandrite Daniel Keller

In addition, the Official Call to the Special Convention and a brief biography of the eligible candidates were sent.

On the same day, in a note sent to the clergy, Metropolitan Silouan expressed his satisfaction for the spirit in which the meetings were held, and noted especially: "Now that you are heading towards the Special Convention, and while you are preparing your parishioners and delegates for this historical moment of the life of this Archdiocese, I am sure that you are moving within the spirit that we have been speaking about during my pastoral visits to the different dioceses: work, think, deliberate, and decide 'as a Church', preserving peace and unity of mind in Christ".

No doubt, we all are aware of the importance of the period that separates us from the Special Convention. We are also trustful that all would surely give a Christian witness, especially while using the social media, upon discussing matters related to this period. We believe that our Lord will recompense your continued prayers by illumining all of us to reach the best outcome of this transitional period!