Byzantine, Texas

I was made aware of the new Hieratikon being published by St. Tikhon's Monastery Press shortly before it's release and quickly bought a copy. Hierodeacon Herman (Majkrzak) - a coeditor of the text - was kind enough to answer some questions about this new work in the interview below. What does the new Hieratikon contain? How were its contents decided on? Well, first of all a hieratikon is a book for the clergy to serve out of, so it gives the priest’s and deacon’s parts in full, but it only mentions the opening words or titles of the parts of a service sung or read at the kliros. This new publication, which I co-edited along with Dr. Vitaly Permiakov, contains what is sometimes referred to as the “divine office,” – Vespers, Compline, Midnight Office, Matins, and the Hours. A complete hieratikon also includes the three Divine Liturgies, but there wasn’t as urgent a need at present to include those, and we wanted to keep the volume compact. We hope to publish a second v...

CHICAGO, IL ( OCA-DMW ) — At the celebration of Vespers at Chicago’s historic Holy Trinity Cathedral on Friday, December 26, 2014 — the eve of his consecration to the Episcopate — Bishop-elect Paul [Gassios] delivered an address to the bishops, clergy and faithful. Bishop-elect Paul addresses bishops, clergy and faithful at Vespers [Gassios]His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, and several members of the Holy Synod of Bishops will consecrate Archimandrite Paul during the Divine Liturgy on Saturday, December 27. [See related story here ]. The complete text appears below. A photo gallery of the evening can be viewed here . ADDRESS OF BISHOP-ELECT PAUL ON THE EVE OF HIS CONSECRATION TO THE EPISCOPACY Your Beatitude, Your Eminences, Your Graces, all Clergy, Monastics and Laity who are gathered here this evening. Christ is born! Last week, a song from Martha Reeves and the Vandellas of Motown fame popped into my brain for a day or two. The lyrics — “nowhere to run baby, now...

( antiochian.org ) - St. Panteleimon Fellowship: A Society for the Practice of Orthodox Christian Healthcare. Let us confess the presence of Him who is both King and Physician. For Jesus the King when about to become our Physician, girded Himself with the linen of humanity, and healed that which was sick. - St. Cyril of Jerusalem Greetings, Orthodox healthcare professionals! With the approval of His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph and His Grace Bishop Basil (Antiochian Archdiocese of North America), the St. Panteleimon Fellowship has been launched for the benefit of all Orthodox health care professionals. This new organization has emerged from the coordinated efforts of Deacon Luke Stauffer, MD of St. Thomas Orthodox Mission in Frederickburg, TX and Father Symeon Kees of St. George Orthodox Church in Houston, TX. The Great Martyr Panteleimon, a physician counted among the Unmercenary Healers of the Church, is our patron. Orthodox physicians, nurses, and all others who work in ...

“How should Christian people prepare for death, their own and that of loved ones? … in the United States, we tend to avoid the question as much as we can. We consider death to be brutal and tragic, whatever its circumstances and causes. It marks an end to our ambitions, while it underscores the ephemeral nature of our existence. Therefore we treat it like a “last enemy” from which there is no escape, no salvation. Death appears as a specter, a menacing evil, that evokes a reaction of dread.” – From the forward of: A Christian Ending by Dn. Mark and Elizabeth Barna, Divine Ascent Press These events are free to all. Registration will be at the door the day of the event. Please note, childcare is not available. Please download the flyer (PDF) for more information.

( OCA ) - At invitation of His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, a delegation representing Saint Vladimir’s Seminary visited the historic Holy Theological School of Halki here December 16-19, 2014. In his capacity as President of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon headed the delegation, which included Archpriest Dr. John Behr, Dean; Archpriest Dr. John Jillions, Seminary Trustee, member of the Doctor of Ministry faculty, and OCA Chancellor; and Archpriest Dr. Alexander Rentel, Assistant Professor of Canon Law, Byzantine Studies and Practical Theology. Established in 1844, the Theological School of Halki educated generations of Orthodox clergy, including 300 bishops and 12 Patriarchs. [The current Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is among its graduates.] It was closed to new admissions by the Turkish government in 1971. While efforts to reopen the school have been unsuccessful in recent years, there is hope that its situation will change ...

This does not surprise me at all. When last I was in London many areas were enclaves that just happened to be in London. ( The Tablet ) - The west London Orthodox cathedral visited by the Prince of Wales on Wednesday is habitually treated with profound disrespect by local Sunni Muslims, the Syriac Orthodox Archbishop for the UK has told The Tablet. Archbishop Athanasius Toma Dawod said: “They come, they spit, they swear. When they pass the church, they cover their eyes or turn their faces away. They don’t like to see the cross.” Women in his congregation had been harassed in the street, he said. “Muslim men hear them speaking in Arabic and call out to them ‘Why aren’t you wearing the hijab? Why are you unbelievers? You’ll go to hell.’” Making his second visit to the cathedral, a purpose-built, £1 million building in Acton, Prince Charles was due to speak with Iraqi faithful who had fled persecution by Islamic State extremists in their homeland. Last week he spoke with Chaldean...

H/T: Hyperdox Herman

( Indian Orthodox Herald ) - Dear Friends, Please join me in Prayer for the Victims (150 plus innocent children of all ages and teachers and those many wounded) of the Deadly Terrorist Attack at the Military School, Peshawar, Pakistan Heavenly Father our Benevolent Lord, Creator and Sustainer of us all, hear us, Your children, at this time of intolerable pain and incredulity from the inhumane act. We come to You because You are our Savior and Benefactor Who grants peace and solace to those who suffer. It is only You that can heal our wounds and relieve our pain, especially of those crying families of those lost their loved ones in this inhumane act. We here by pray that you comfort the citizens of Pakistan at this time of terrible tragedy of trial and crisis. Shield them and us under the shadow of Your Cross. Grant to us, especially those families and friends affected by this inhumane act, Your Peace, Your Comfort, Your Touch, Your Love and assistance. Bestow solace and strength to ...

Minsk, December 18 ( Interfax ) - Belarusian bishops have come up with an initiative to seek greater autonomy for the Belarusian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Belarusian dioceses asked the head of the Belarusian Church, Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Zaslavye, patriarchal exarch to Belarus, to apply to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, and the Holy Synod, for "the status of a self-governed church to be granted to the Belarusian Orthodox Church within the system of the Moscow Patriarchate on the model of Latvia, Moldova and Estonia," the dioceses said in a resolution passed at a meeting. The resolution also suggested setting up new dioceses in the Minsk region. The Belarusian Orthodox Church has the status of an exarchate of the Russian Church. The exarch and top Belarusian bishops are elected by the Moscow synod. It is also the Russian synod that is authorized to set up and abolishing exarchates approval by a bishops' council...

Not so long ago the Antiochian Archdiocese (under Metropolitan Philip) pulled all their incoming students from OCA seminaries and put them in Holy Cross. With this election of Met. Joseph to be Vice Chairman at St. Vlad's we see another sign of the healing of this lamentable politically precipitated rift. ( antiochian.org ) - At its annual meeting on November 13–14, 2014, the Board of Trustees of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, NY elected His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph as Vice Chairman of the Board, to be effective immediately. His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) serves as the Board Chairman. The Seminary's Dean, The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, and Chancellor/CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, recognized Metropolitan Joseph's new position by presenting him with an icon of St. Vladimir during their visit to the Archdiocese Chancery in Englewood, NJ, on December 5. During that same meeting, the St. Vladi...

The work these people are doing at Trisagion Films is quite professional and beautiful. Many of the videos you don't skim over uninfluenced or unaffected but instead sink into like your falling through the clouds. Let me say, though, that sometimes Greek words are used without any explanation. For someone new to Orthodoxy or from another ethnic background, this might cause some confusion. Maybe some explanatory text boxes would prove helpful? Still, this is important work being done. Kairos - On entering the temple The vesting of a priest

( Daniel Mitsui ) - This is an ink drawing on an 8" × 10" piece of Bristol board. I drew it using fine-tipped pens and calligraphers’ inks applied with brushes. The original is available for sale . It depicts, in a Japanese style, the second dream of St. Joseph, in which an angel (traditionally identified as St. Gabriel) warns him to flee into Egypt with the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Christ Child. In this work, I especially imitated the style of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, a late ukiyo-e master. I referenced his series of woodblock prints 100 Aspects of the Moon for many parts of my drawing. St. Gabriel holds a fan containing a vision of the Flight into Egypt and the Miracle of the Cherry Tree. I attempted to convey a sense of otherworldly urgency by having the angel’s robes and hair blown by a strong wind that affects nothing else in the picture. St. Joseph sleeps in the stable of Bethlehem, next to the gifts of the Magi (in antique Chinese vessels). The text is from Emi...

( OCA ) - His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon and His Eminence, Metropolitan Joseph of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with His Beatitude, Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East at Saints Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church in Potomac, MD on Sunday, December 14, 2014. Patriarch John arrived in the US on December 4 to preside at the Enthronement of Metropolitan Joseph, which took place at Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Brooklyn, NY two days later. Metropolitan Joseph was selected by the Holy Synod of Antioch on July 3, 2014 to succeed His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip, who fell asleep in the Lord on March 19. He formerly served as the Bishop of the Archdiocese’s Diocese of Los Angeles and the West. Also concelebrating were His Eminence, Metropolitan Sabba and His Eminence, Metropolitan Vasileios. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Tikhon presented an icon of Saint Nicholas, patron of ...

( mospat.ru ) - On 13 December 2014, a ceremony of awarding the Doctor Honoris Causa diploma to Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia was held at the Main Hall of Ss Cyril and Methodius Theological Institute for Post-Graduate Studies. The decision to confer the degree on Metropolitan Kallistos was made by the Academic Council of the Theological Institute and was approved by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Among those who attended the ceremony were Bishop Irinej of Bačka (Serbian Orthodox Church); Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič, Apostolic Nuncio to Russia; Chaplain Clive Fairclough, rector of the Anglican parish in Moscow; Bishop Panteleimon of Orekhovo-Zuyevo, a Patriarchal vicar, chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Ministry; Bishop Tikhon of Podolsk, a Patriarchal vicar; hieromonk Ioann (Kopeykin), pro-rector of Ss Cyril and Methodius Theological Institute for Post-Graduate Studies; archpriest Vladimir Vorobyov, rector of St T...

During the Maximilian persecutions (295 AD) he was arrested and exiled. In 325 AD, St. Spyridon was present at the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea where he astonished many with his simple explanations of the Orthodox Faith. He explained the unity and diversity of the Trinity by holding up a brick, then commonly thought to be a combination of the elements fire, earth and water; as he spoke, fire blazed from the top of the brick while water gushed out underneath.

( OCA-DOS ) - Dear Reverend Clergy, Pious Monastics, and Esteemed Laity of the Diocese of the South, Brothers and sisters in Christ, The blessing of the Lord! In accordance with my prerogatives as locum tenens , and in keeping with the diocesan bylaws, I am pleased formally to call a Special Diocesan Assembly of the Diocese of the South for the nomination of a new diocesan bishop to take place at 1:00 pm on Monday, February 16, 2015, in the context of the annual Pastoral Conference at the Orthodox Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Miami Lakes, Florida. All the information concerning the assembly and the pastoral conference is available on the diocesan website . I encourage all parishes, monasteries, and missions of the Diocese of the South to participate by sending their allowed number of clergy and lay delegates. When the possibility of this assembly was discussed in the Diocesan Council meeting in Dallas in July earlier this year, this was deemed the most appropriate timing a...

( Vatican Insider ) - Pope Francis has publicly referred to him as the greatest Christian theologian around. But Joseph Ratzinger also held him in high regard when he was Pope. The Metropolitan of Pergamon, Ioannis Zizioulas, previously a member of the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, attended the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of St. Andrews alongside Pope Francis and the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, on Sunday 30 November. Under the vaults of the Patriarchal Church of St. George in the Phanar on the Golden Horn, Metropolitan Ioannis – who co-chairs the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church – was also struck by the words the Bishop of Rome pronounced at the time. Particularly when the Pope said that in the context of the efforts being made to achieve full unity between Catholic and Orthodox Christians, the Catholic Church "does not intend to impose any conditions except that...

O Thou, who's infinite in space, Alive in ever-moving matter, Eternal in the flow of time, God faceless, with a trinity of faces! Soul unified and omnipresent, Who needs no place or reason, Whom none can ever comprehend, Whose being permeates all things, Encompassing, creating, guarding, Thou, called by us God. Although a great mind might contrive To fix the ocean's depths, To count the sands, the rays of stars, Thou can't be summed or fixed! Enlightened souls who have emerged From your creative light Cannot begin to grasp your ways: Our thought alone aspires to thee, But in your magnitude is lost, A moment in eternity. From depths eternal thou invoked Primordial substances of chaos Within thine very self thou birthed Eternity before all time. And before time from thine self alone Thou shinest forth within thyself. All light originates in thee. Creating all with but a single word And reaching forth in new creation, Thou wast, thou art, an...

I'm picking what I believe to be the interesting bits. You can read them all in their entirety here . Some committees did a lot. Some did very little. A primary impediment to action is lack of money followed by lack of use (the legal committee has not yet been asked to do anything) and then lack of clear consensus. Agencies and Endorsed Organizations 2014 Report Jointly with the Committee for Financial Affairs, the Committee for Agencies and Endorsed Organizations designed the study on "Exploring Orthodox Generosity: Why Our Parishioners Give (Relatively) Little and What Can Be Done About It." The goal of this study is to examine religious giving among the members of US Orthodox Churches from a variety of viewpoints, offering recommendations on what might be done in order to increase their willingness to donate to the needs of the Church. Committee for Canonical Affairs 2014 Report Currently, the completion of the clergy database is hindered by a fragmented appro...

Just in time for Christmas! ♫   He sees you when you're sleeping He knows when you're awake He knows if you've been bad or good So be good to avoid ringwraiths' blades...  ♫   ( The Guardian ) - The Russian Orthodox Church has warned of dire consequences for Moscow if plans proceed for a skyscraper light installation modeled on the all-seeing evil eye at the centre of JRR Tolkien’s fantasy novels. A property company plans to raise what resembles a giant glowing eye on the 21st floor of a skyscraper this week to celebrate the release of the final part of Peter Jackson’s movie adaptation of The Hobbit. In The Hobbit and also in Tolkien’s subsequent trilogy, Lord of the Rings, the Eye of Sauron is a giant flaming eye controlled by the “dark lord” Sauron, which allows him to watch anyone who puts on the fateful, power-giving ring at the novels’ center. The installation is planned as a 1 metre (3.3 foot) sphere on top of a 21 storey building, with a lig...

If you want to see what a service there looks like, go see the video here . SAN FRANCISCO ( KGO ) - Archbishop Franzo King is getting ready for Monday's celebration. He's the leader of the St. John Coltrane African Orthodox Church. At his church, they praise God through the music of the late saxophonist John Coltrane's music, who they consider to be a saint. "We're not saying we had 100 cardinals in the Vatican in red robes to vote him. His life speaks to his sainthood," said Archbishop King. This month marks the 50th anniversary of Coltrane's jazz masterpiece "A Love Supreme." In the liner notes, Coltrane, who struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, acknowledged a spiritual awakening, saying the album was a humble offering to God. "His idea of being clean and doing right and in his own words, being a driving force for doing good, that's what you hear in his music," said one church goer. Devotees believe the musica...

( Christian Institute ) - The British Army would be better served by secular chaplains, a former battalion commander has claimed. Chaplain, from the word "chapelain" which referred to priests serving the military. See the story of St. Martin of Tours . Lieutenant Colonel Laurence Quinn said while troops should be able to practice their religion, Christian prayers seem “insensitive to other belief systems”. In other news, using antibiotics insensitive to innocent bacterial infections. However, the Armed Forces’ most senior chaplain Revd Dr David Coulter said that chaplains represent the “Christian values of trust, faith and forgiveness”. ‘Ill at ease’ The Royal Army Chaplains’ Department was formed in 1796 and the Army website notes that chaplains are “honoured” to provide a variety of support including spiritual care. But Lt Col Quinn said: “For some time I have felt ill at ease with the way religion is tied up in what we do in the Army. “Troops should be able to...

( The Darkroom ) - A Russian Orthodox priest blesses a SU-27 SM fighter jet on the airfield of Belbek military airport outside Sevastopol. Crimean military air forces were reinforced by ten Russian SU-27 SM and four SU-30 fighter jets today. NATO's top military commander warned Wednesday that Russia's "militarisation" of the annexed Crimea peninsula could be used by Moscow to exert control across the whole Black Sea region. (Yuri Lashov/Getty Images)

Stony Point, NY ( SCOOCH ) – The Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches reconvened this Monday, December 1, 2015, at the Virgin Mary & St. Pachomius Coptic Orthodox Center in Stony Point, NY where it welcomed its two newest members: H.E. Mor Silvanos Ayub, Archbishop of the Malankara-Syriac Knanaya Archdiocese of America, Canada, and Europe, and H.G. Bishop Karas, General Bishop and Patriarchal Exarch of the Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of North America. The hierarchs were welcomed by their brothers in Christ, H.G. Bishop David of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of New York & New England and H.E. Mor Titus Yeldho of the Malankara-Syriac Archdiocese of North America, along with the representatives of H.E. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian (of the Armenian Apostolic Church) and H.E. Archbishop Zekarias (of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church). H.E. Mor Silvanos tends to the spiritual needs of the Knanaya Orthodox Christians of the diaspora. The Knanaya community, an in...

I just listened to this podcast. Let me say that Patriarch John's words can best be described as pastoral and comforting. Met. Joseph's words were quite frank and informative. He doesn't speak around issues, but answers directly, which I appreciate. This is going to be a new direction for the Antiochian Archdiocese. ( AFR ) - While in the United States for the enthronement of Metropolitan Joseph, the Patriarch of Antioch, His Beatitude John as well as Metropolitan Joseph sat down with Ancient Faith Radio for conversations about a wide range of subjects including Syria, the Assembly of Bishops, Evangelism, and the future vision for the Antiochian Orthodox Church.

( OCA ) - On December 4, 2014, the Great Feast of the Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple, His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada and His Grace, Bishop Alexander of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese, Chair of the Orthodox Church in America’s Office of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations, in the historic 15th century Patriarchal Cathedral of the Dormition in the Moscow Kremlin.

( Metro ) - There will be no Christmas service in Peterborough for Greek Orthodox Christians this year. Former priest of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Reverend Father Kurt (Kyriakos) Wegner is fighting his archbishop at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, alleging he’s been discriminated against because he is not Greek. Wegner is an American, raised Catholic, who converted to the Greek Orthodox Faith in 1998. In 2001, he moved to Toronto with his (now ex) wife, who is Greek Orthodox, and he was ordained as a priest. He served briefly as the priest of The Three Hierarchs Church in Toronto, before moving to Peterborough where he served for almost a decade. Wegner alleges that Archbishop Sotirios Athanassoulas hired him only because the church was desperate for a new priests, especially one who would take inferior positions and less money than Greek Greek Orthodox priests. He is asking the tribunal to award him $380,000 based on the wages and benefits he was denied ove...

( mospat.ru ) - On 2 December 2014, His Beatitude Tikhon, Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, began his official visit to the Russian Orthodox Church. At the Sheremetyevo Airport His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon was met by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; Bishop John of Naro-Fominsk, Administrator of the Patriarchal parishes in the USA; archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DECR vice-chairman; Archimandrite Alexander (Pihach), rector of the Moscow Metochion of the Orthodox Church in America – the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine In-the-Fields; archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations; and Moscow clergymen. An official delegation accompanying His Beatitude Tikhon includes Bishop Alexander of Toledo; archpriest John Jillions, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America; Protopresbyter Leonid K...

Numerous people have asked me to post this article (a response by Dr. Adam DeVille to Met. Hilarion's talk given at St. Vlad's recently in particular and the Russian position in general). After you read it, you won't be surprised that some people sent it in as a strong defense of the Catholic position while others guffawed at the piece, calling it "unhinged." I leave it up to the reader to decide. As always highlighted points are in red and my editorial comments are in blue. ( Catholic World Report ) - Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, the “foreign affairs minister” of the Russian Orthodox Church, is, as George Weigel observed recently in First Things, a talented man, “charming and witty.” However, the gifted Hilarion, Weigel rightly noted, “does not always speak the truth.” Hilarion is rather like the Energizer Bunny: he goes on and on and on repeating tirelessly whatever pernicious propaganda the Russians want to spread. He has three channels to choose from: ti...