Byzantine, Texas

( Greek Reporter ) - The “Gathering of Priests and Monks” attacked Thessaloniki Mayor Yiannis Boutaris in a letter to the Holy Community of Mount Athos. The reason behind their harsh words is the upcoming 4th Thessaloniki Pride on June 19 and 20, which is organized with the support of the Municipality of Thessaloniki. According to the Greek monks, Boutaris’ support toward the Gay Pride conflicts with his institutional role as the Overseer of Mount Athos, since he is the Mayor of Thessaloniki. For this reason they requested that Boutaris is not allowed to enter the holy grounds. The letter, written during an informal gathering of Greek Orthodox priests and monks, asked the Holy Community of Mount Athos to take action against the mayor’s support toward the “shameful sin of homosexuality” and the organization of the annual Gay Pride in the city of Thessaloniki. Due to the fact that the mayor’s actions are completely contrary to his institutional, yet non-elected role as Overseer...

( Pravoslavie ) - T he Council of Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church has resolved to resume the dialogue of its representatives with the self-declared “Macedonian Orthodox Church” (canonically unrecognized by any of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches) in order to settle the issue with its canonical status. The Hierarchal Council has stated that the problem with its canonical status will be completely resolved only on condition of a positive resolution of the new proceedings against Jovan (Vraniskovski), Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje, as well as 18 other representatives of the autonomous Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric, including two bishops. Representatives of the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric, which is active on the territory of Macedonia and is in the Eucharistic communion with all other Autocephalous Churches, have been prosecuted by the country’s public authorities for a number of years. The new Commission of the Holy Hierarchal Council for the Dialogue wit...

H/T: OCN

Holy Missionaries MARDARIJE (Uskokovic) and SEBASTIAN (Dabovich) Newly Proclaimed as Saints of the Orthodox Church!!! On May 29, 2015, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Patriarchate of Serbia glorified them as saints. Their names were added to the Orthodox Calendar for commemoration and the Holy Synod decreed that Saint Mardarije of Libertyville should be commemorated on December 12, and Venerable Sebastian of Jackson on November 30.

( Orthodoxy Today ) By Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews - Orthodox Christians have a particular way of expressing our submission and obedience to God. We do this in a small way by bowing our heads. Repeatedly throughout our worship, we hear the priest or deacon say, "Let us bow our heads to the Lord." This petition occurs right before a prayer in which we usually ask for something. We ask for things from God because we realize: 1) that we are powerless to obtain them and, 2) God has the power to grant them. Bowing our heads is physical way of expressing our words and emphasizing that we don't necessarily deserve what we ask for. Bowing expressed our humility before God and says in effect: "God you are greater than me. I need you." We also express our submission and obedience to God by bending our knees or kneeling. At every Divine Liturgy, during the Small Entrance of the Gospel, we sing "Come let us bow down to Christ and worship Him the Son of God ... ...

( AOB ) - On June 16, the Executive Committee of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America will travel to Istanbul in order to meet with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who will receive them at the Phanar. The meeting is scheduled prior to the annual meeting of the Assembly in September in order to share with the Ecumenical Patriarch the overall work of the Assembly of Bishops, particularly as it relates to the achievements of its committees, and to discuss preparations for the upcoming Great and Holy Council, which is scheduled for 2016. The prayers of our faithful for safe travel and fruitful deliberations inspired by the Holy Spirit are requested.

( Ecumenical News ) - Egyptian police have rescued four Copts who were kidnapped while on their way from a pilgrimage site in Minya province. Authorities raided an isolated farmhouse in the mountainous area not far from the city of Salamut where the victims were taken away by armed gunmen, the Catholic Fides news agency reported. Police tracked down the hideout of the kidnappers, who demanded ransom from the victims' families of 600,000 Egyptian pounds ($79,000), at the village of Akoris. The raiding team stormed the kidnappers' safe house around dawn May 20, and a firefight ensued between authorities and the criminals. Some of the kidnappers managed to escape. Police found the victims shackled with chains at the farm, and saw indications that they had been tortured by their captors, who waited for ransom to be paid. The victims said the kidnappers constantly threatened to kill them if their families refused to pay ransom. Some of the victims even suffered physical...

The below is from Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov's blog post. This sort of thing is hard to understand unless you've had the experience of seeing both clericalism and "layicism" firsthand. It might also help to be clergy or have someone in your family in the clergy to understand just how personal and vindictive things can get when the antagonism reaches its nadir. This might also be a good time to plug " American Orthodoxy and Parish Congregationalism " by Fr. Nicholas Ferencz which has just been republished by Holy Cross. It goes into some of the uniquely American aspects of church life in our country and how we got here. Recently, I heard a new word: layicism. It is a made-up word, of course. I guess, what the speaker was trying to convey is a reference to a phenomenon of church life which is a reverse of clericalism (anti-clericalism). In other words, if clericalism can be described (to some degree of approximation, of course) as the attitude of the supremac...

( mospat.ru ) - On 24 May 2015, Name Day of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, a thanksgiving was said at the holy relics of St Cyril, Equal-to-the-Apostles, Teacher of the Slavs, in the Basilica of St Clement in Rome.

( Assyrian Church ) - Meeting between the delegations of the Assyrian Church of the East and the Ancient Church of the Church for the achievement of a unified Church of the East. ​A cordial and fraternal meeting took place in Chicago, IL USA at the premises of St. Andrew’s Assyrian Church of the East on Friday, the 22nd of May 2015. The representatives of the Ancient Church of the East were: 1. His Beatitude Mar Yakoob Danil. Metropolitan of Australia & New Zealand 2. His Beatitude Mar Zaia Khoshaba, Metropolitan of Canada & the U.S. 3. His Grace Mar Gewargis Younan, Bishop of Chicago, IL The representatives of the Assyrian Church of the East were: 1. His Beatitude Mar Gewargis Sliwa, Metropolitan of Iraq & Russia 2. His Grace Mar Iskhaq Yousif, Bishop of Nohadra, Erbil, & Russia 3. His Grace Mar Awa Royel, Bishop of California and Secretary of the Holy Synod The common secretary of this meeting was the Very Rev. William Toma, Archdeacon. The m...

( SVS ) - St. Vladimir's Seminary Press (SVS Press), the publishing house of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, has launched a new series highlighting the history and spirituality of the ancient Coptic Orthodox Church. The first book in the "Coptic Studies Series," titled, The Life of Repentance and Purity, was authored by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III and is scheduled for release by December 2015. His Grace Anba Suriel (Guirgis), bishop of the Coptic Diocese of Melbourne and Affiliated Regions, Australia, who studied at St. Vladimir's from 1998–1999, is Series Editor for the new line of books. Pope Shenouda's book was first translated from Arabic in 1989 by Bishop Suriel and was published in 1991 by the Coptic Orthodox Publication and Translation Committee in Sydney. The new translation, also by Bishop Suriel, will include editions and patristic references and will be a joint publication between SVS Press and St. Athanasius Press, the fledgl...

Moscow, May 22 ( Interfax ) - Famous poet, author of the anthem of the USSR Sergey Mikhalkov in Soviet times protected Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Athos from claims of Greek monks. "For instance, Russian monastery on Athos should be thankful to Sergey Mikhalkov for not passing to jurisdiction of the Constantinople Patriarchate. When my father arrived there - the first Soviet person, in such a rank - monks met him with bell ringing," son of Sergey Mikhalkov, film director Nikita Mikhalkov writes in his new book of memoirs, its extracts were published on Friday by the Moskovsky Komsomolets daily. According to him, seven or eight monks lived there then, the youngest of them was older than seventy. "Greeks were quietly waiting when the last Russian monk will repose and they will occupy the territory of the Russian monastery and capture its riches (only the unique library collected from the ancient times costs a fortune!)" the film director writes. ...

People want to make Christian equivalents to everything. From Christian pop music to Christian yoga. Stop it, please.

Speak more to God about your children than to your children about God….The soul of the teenager is in a state of an explosion of freedom. This is why it is hard for them to accept counsel. Rather than counseling them continuously and reproaching them again and again, leave the situation to Christ, to the Panagia [Mother of God], and to the Saints, asking that they bring them to reason.

Fr. Thomas Hopko (May his memory be eternal!) did a series from within his Speaking the Truth in Love podcast on the role and historical progression of the episcopacy. Before his repose, he had completed 57 podcasts on the topic. His 55 th was summarized as "In his continuing series on bishops and Church organization, Fr. Thomas speaks about various clergy figures from that time. He references the book My Life's Journey: The Memories of Metropolitan Evlogy ." In popular thought the 19 th century Russian Church has been referenced tongue-in-cheek as the high point of Orthodox practice both liturgo-rubrical and domestic. Lest anyone actually live under such an illusion, I recommend you listen to this podcast. There is a lot to be lauded about that period, but there was also rampant abuse, political pressure, and poverty. As for the book itself, it sits on my desk in the queue to be read. When I do get around to cracking its spine, I'll post a review.

( RNS ) - From an email from the Rev. Dwight Lee Wolter of the Congregational Church of Patchogue (N.Y.): “I have never been so down on my luck that I had little or no access to toilet paper ~ but that is not the case with many people. We at the Congregational Church of Patchogue want to thank you for helping us to help people meet their most basic needs: simple foods, toilet paper, soap, feminine hygiene products and other items. This photo is from “The Blessing of the Toilet Paper” at the church. We serve people without regard or question as to their address, age, preferences, orientation, ethnicity. The only requirement is that they seek what we have to offer. And what we can offer is up to you. Please send contributions to The Congregational Church of Patchogue, 95 East Main St. Patchogue, NY 11772. Write pantry or TP in the memo section. 100% of contributions go to purchase much needed items.” “The Blessing of the Toilet Paper” will take place during the worship service on...

Better Together: Marriage and the Common Good with Sherif Girgis Federalist Society: What is Marriage? Debate of Sherif Girgis & Professor Steve Sanders

( HTS ) - The publishing work of Holy Trinity Monastery is expanding into the academic field with the creation of a new imprint. Under the editorship of Dr Vitaly Permiakov, Holy Trinity Seminary Press will publish studies of the theology, history, and liturgy of the Orthodox Church. Liturgical texts and guidance for the spiritual life will continue to be the mainstays of Holy Trinity Publications’ flagship imprint, the Printshop of St Job of Pochaev. Archimandrite Luke, abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery and seminary rector, commented on the new project: “Our mandate has always been to publish books for the spiritual edification of the faithful and for the conversion of the world around us. Now we seek to expand this mission to include works that elucidate the Church's Tradition in a scholarly manner. These books will both support our task of educating the next generation of Orthodox priests and address the growing challenges of an increasingly secularized academia.” Assista...

Here's hoping I get an invitation for next year. ( Pemptousia ) - Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Digital Media and Orthodox Pastoral Care at Divani Apollon Palace, Vouliagmeni, 7, 8, 9 May 2015. The Internet represents a missionary challenge, but any launch into cyberspace requires proper preparation and the right timing. This, among much else, was stressed at the 1st International Conference on Digital Media and Orthodox Pastoral Care, which was held under the auspices of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew between 7 and 9 May 2015 , in the Holy Metropolis of Glyfada. The conference, the first of its kind in the world, was organized jointly by the web sites ‘Pemptousia’ from Greece, ‘OCN’, the Orthodox Christian Network, from the Unites States, and ‘Bogoslov’ from Russia, and was attended by 75 speakers from 21 countries, covering all the jurisdictions of the Orthodox Church. A whole host of issues regarding the uses of the Internet were addressed from v...

( mospat.ru ) - May 18, 2015 – The Ss Cyril and Methodius Institute of Post-Graduate Studies (CMI) hosted a meeting of the working group on the development of academic cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Coptic Church. The Coptic Church was represented by Rev. Paul Abdelsayed, deputy dean of the Ss Athanasius and Cyril Seminary, Los Angeles, USA, and Rev. Poules Halim, press secretary of the Coptic Church. Participating in the meeting from the Moscow Patriarchate were Hieromonk Stephen (Igumnov), secretary for inter-Christian relations, Department for External Church Relations (DECR), Hieromonk Ioann (Kopeikin), CMI pro-rector for training, Hieromonk Roman (Modin), Kazan Seminary pro-rector for training, D. Serov, assistant to secretary of the Moscow Patriarchate commission for students exchange, and S. Alferov, DECR. The questions under discussion included prospects for the development of cooperation in the academic area, particularly, the establishment of ...

( LifeNews ) - The NAACP has lost its legal battle to silence a black pro-life writer who parodied its pro-abortion stance by referring to the NAACP as the “National Association for the Abortion of Colored People.” After LifeNews.com blogger Ryan Bomberger published his article at LifeNews, the NAACP threatened to sue LifeNews.com and Bomberger over the column that took the civil rights organization to task over its abortion position. The NAACP is upset about a column Bomberger wrote at LifeNews titled, “NAACP: National Association for the Abortion of Colored People” and a legal battle between it and Bomberger ensued. Last year, a judge issued a ruling in the NAACP lawsuit against Bomberger. The judge indicated that Bomberger had no First Amendment right to lampoon the NAACP by calling it the “National Association for the Abortion of Colored People” in an effort to mock its pro-abortion position and opposition to pro-life legislation. Today, the federal 4th Circuit Court of A...

Moscow ( AsiaNews ) – In order to compensate for its isolation from the West over the Ukrainian crisis, Moscow has revived its strategic alliance with Beijing, a step that includes the Church. Indeed, for the first time in 60 years, the People’s Republic of China has authorised the ordination of Chinese Orthodox priests. Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, made the announcement after an official visit to China (14-17 May), the TASS news agency reported. In Beijing, the Russian Orthodox Church official took part in the fourth session of the Sino-Russian working group for contacts and cooperation in religious matters. Hilarion’s visit came a few days after President Xi Jinping travelled to Moscow (8 to 9 May) for the 70th anniversary of the Soviet victory over the Nazis, which was deserted en masse by Western leaders. After the meetings with Vladimir Putin, Xi held talks with Russian Orth...

"The memory of insults is the residue of anger." Is that quote from St. John Climacus not a great one? And, while I do quite enjoy Orthodox photography, I also think we have a problem. The photos posted on Facebook/Instagram/Tumblr/whathaveyou rarely have anything to do with the material being quoted. Is this nun angry? Is she recalling an insult? I hardly think so and yet this odd juxtaposition is the norm and not the exception. The memory of insults is the residue of anger. It keeps sins alive, hates justice, ruins virtue, poisons the heart, rots the mind, defeats concentration, paralyzes prayer, puts love at a distance, and is a nail driven into the soul. If anyone has appeased his anger, he has already suppressed the memory of insults, while as long as the mother is alive the son persists. In order to appease the anger, love is necessary. Remembrance of Jesus’ passion will heal your soul of resentment, by making it ashamed of itself when it remembers the patienc...

( Greek Reporter ) - The Baltimore Council of Orthodox Churches sent a statement to the city of Baltimore condemning violence, but “encouraging the faithful, and all Baltimore citizens, to engage their constitutional rights and to follow their conscience in regard to participation in lawful and peaceful assemblies addressing perceived injustice, inequity, or concerns and grievances with the status quo.” The Annunciation Cathedral faithful gathered for a special prayer service for the city, after the divine Liturgy on May 3, 2015. The following statement was composed and sent to Baltimore City Hall on May 2, 2015, after Baltimore-area clergy and laity met to discuss the city’s recent turmoil in the aftermath of the death of Freddie Gray. STATEMENT TO THE CITY OF BALTIMORE “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.” (Luke 11:17) Countless Orthodox Christians have called Baltimore their earthly home for more than a century. Many of ou...

( UMS ) - The Theotokos the "Queen of the Angels" / "Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles" Intercessor and Protectress of Los Angeles From the official name of Los Angeles first given in 1781. Painted at Holy Cenobium of the Annunciation of the Mother of God in Ormylia, Greece, this byzantine styled composition begins from the perspective of the Pacific Ocean, therefore closest to us are waves of the ocean sprinkled with white sailboats and dolphins. Just beyond the water, a landscape emerges, weaving downtown skyscrapers, mountains, highways and illuminated cathedrals. These recognizable cathedrals and churches include the Orthodox churches in Los Angeles. Colors abound in palms, vineyards and orange trees representing Los Angeles’ agricultural heritage. Centered in their midst, the Most Holy Theotokos, Protectress of the City rises to dominate the composition, just as the Theotokos, the Intercessor of Constantinople or Mount Athos. She is seen verticall...

( RNS ) - The Vatican formally recognized the state of Palestine in a new treaty, finalized on Wednesday. The treaty, which follows a decision in 2012 by the United Nations General Assembly to recognize a Palestinian state, is the first legal document negotiated between the Holy See and the Palestinian state. Pope Francis is due to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas this weekend, when two new saints from the Holy Land will be canonized. The treaty, not yet signed, makes clear the Holy See has switched its diplomatic relations from the Palestinian Liberation Organization to the state of Palestine.

The importance of mothers. Give it a listen. Please. You can listen to more of these from Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in San Francisco here .

From the blog of Holy Nativity in Langley, BC. “This is the fiercest struggle, the struggle that resists a man unto blood, wherein free will is tested as to the singleness of his love for the virtues….It is here that we manifest our patience, my beloved brethren, our struggle and our zeal. For this is the time of unseen martyrdom…” What is this struggle that St. Isaac speaks of and how can it be overcome? Is it some dread mysterious experience that only the very holy or only monastics or only spiritually advanced strugglers experience? No, not at all. St. Isaac names two specific areas or perhaps better, arenas, in which this fiercest of struggles attacks believers, all believes, the young and the old, the spiritually advanced and the spiritually negligent, the married and the monastic. These two areas are, first, the struggle to maintain chastity and, second, the struggle with the feeling of abandonment. Let’s take a closer look at these two areas of struggle and St. Isaa...

( Uncut Mountain Supply ) - Obscure Icon Fact #1: Note the scroll held by St. Cyrill in this icon. It actually says nothing but is instead simply a depiction of the alphabet he created and which is named after him. ~ Today we celebrate the memory of he and his brother, St. Methodius. These two Orthodox Christians from Thessaloniki, Greece are famous for their missionary work to the Slavic peoples of central Europe in the 9th century. In preparation for their great mission to the Slavs, the brothers ingeniously created what is now known as the Cyrillic Alphabet in order to translate the Holy Scriptures and other Christian writings into the language of the Slavic people. The Cyrillic alphabet is still used today in over 50 Slavic languages.

( STOTS ) - This July St. Tikhon’s Monastery and Seminary will open its doors to welcome the PaTRAM Institute for a second intensive workshop for church musicians. This year’s program boasts an exciting collaboration between PaTRAM and Blagovest Bells. Clinicians: Vladimir Gorbik – PaTRAM Artistic Director, Choirmaster Moscow Podvorye of Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, Conducting Instructor (joining us virtually from Moscow) Vladimir Morosan – Founder Musica Russica Rehearsal Technique Instructor, Congregational Singing Lecturer Benedict Sheehan – Music Instructor St. Tikhon’s Monastery & Seminary, Conducting Instructor, Vocal Instructor Mark Galperin – General Manager Blagovest Bells, Russian Orthodox Bells Lecturer Constantine Stade – Bell Installation and Ringing Specialist, Russian Orthodox Bell Ringing Instructor Training in this program will focus on techniques and materials specifically applicable to small choirs (e.g. from 2 to 8 singers) singing repertoire i...

The Orthodox Childrens Illustrated Bible is a well-loved book in my home. It's cheap (so I have a lot of copies), well-illustrated (keeps the interest of children), and breaks up the text into bite-sized stories (that children can easily remember). The Greek Archdiocese now brings that to your computer and also adds games and coloring pages. If they turned this into an app for iPads I can imagine it would go like hot cakes. You can navigate over to their site by going here or clicking on the below image.

It's quite smart of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to use Halki as a place to host talks. Every summit is another opportunity to highlight the state-enforced vacancy of the seminary. ( OCN ) - His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is hosting the second Halki Summit on “Theology, Ecology, and the Word.” Co-sponsored by Southern New Hampshire University, the summit will be held on the island of Halki from June 8-10, 2015. Continuing the legacy established by the Ecumenical Patriarchate for over twenty-five years, Halki Summit II follows a series of pioneering ecological initiatives, including eight international symposia (1995-2009) and five summer seminars (1994-1998). Halki Summit I, “a conversation on environment, ethics and innovation,” was held in June 2012 and featured prominent speakers, such as environmentalists Jane Goodall and Bill McKibben, as well as scientists James Hansen and Amory Lovins. Halki Summit II will draw distinguished literary and environmen...

ROME ( Crux ) — Calls for the creation of “safe havens” for Christians in Iraq and Syria, as well as the creation of an international police force capable of identifying and apprehending the authors of terrorist acts, surfaced at a recent summit of leaders of all Christian churches in the Middle East along with politicians, diplomats, and activists. On behalf of the region’s suffering minority groups, those leaders say it’s time to “get past the alarm” caused by the rise in anti-Christian violence and start taking concrete measures, warning that a Middle East with few Christians, or none at all, would lose its identity. The appeal came from a late April conference on Christians in the Middle East held in Bari, Italy, and organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio, a Catholic lay movement focused on ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue as well as conflict resolution. It brought together prelates from all the major Christian denominations in the region, as well as political and di...

Lay Sermon by Eugene Rose. May 1965 ( Pravmir ) - For too many of us, perhaps, the weeks following the radiant Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ are a time of relaxation and even of indulgence; the rigors of the Fast being ended, the body revels while the spirit grows weak. But if this is unfortunately so, it is our own fault and not the fault of the Holy Church; for she never ceases to draw our minds upward and instruct us as to what thoughts and actions are appropriate for Orthodox Christians in this holy season. Each Sunday after Easter has a special name drawn from the appointed Gospel reading; between Easter and the Ascension there are the Sundays of St. Thomas, of the Myrrh bearers, of the Paralytic, of the Samaritan Woman, of the Blind Man. Another special feast, to which too little attention is usually paid, occurs on the Wednesday of the fourth week after Easter and is called “Mid-Pentecost.” This feast commemorates the event in the life of the Savior...

It's that time again. Please comment with links to your favorite underappreciated or seldom visited blog. If you're so inclined mention why they're worth reading. While I have a list of hundreds of blogs that I scan through for content, I'm sure I've missed many good resources. Post away, people!

Now I'm expecting that when this small mission began their GoFundMe campaign to get a new roof they didn't expect it to get picked up very quickly. By God's grace we have a few thousand people visit this blog every day. Wouldn't it be wonderful to donate any amount of money to swiftly dispatch Holy Resurrection Orthodox Mission's roofing needs so they can go about God's work without worrying about keeping the inside inside and the outside outside? Donate here today and surprise the heck out of this small mission! ( GoFundMe ) - My name is Fr. Alexis Baldwin. I am the priest at Holy Resurrection Orthodox Mission in North Augusta, SC. In October of 2014, I was assigned to Holy Resurrection which is home to a small, but dedicated Mission community which continues to spread the Gospel of Christ and work to establish an Orthodox presence in our area. We have been blessed to have arrived with an already acquired piece of land. For the first few months, w...