Friday, July 20, 2018

Episcopal Assembly releases listing of clergy brotherhoods

I've been a member of four of these listed groups and must admit there is wide diversity in how each is assembled. Some are quite professional with regular meetings, annual pan-Orthodox events, and even bank accounts to fund things like seminarian assistance or missionary efforts. Others are loose confederations that might be better described as ad hoc coffee klatches (kaffeeklatsch). In either case, they serve many important purposes. Or, as my bishop says, "Priests that don't associate with brother clergy just get weird." I don't know how much my membership in the local clergy brotherhood keeps my weirdness at bay, but I know I value the time I spend with priests in the area immensely.


(AOB) - The first-ever national state-by-state directory of the active local and regional Orthodox Clergy Brotherhoods and associated Pan-Orthodox laity organizations has been published by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA. Thirty-six local or regional Orthodox Clergy Brotherhoods and nine Pan-Orthodox laity organizations are listed in this directory. For each Clergy Brotherhood, the directory offers contact information and, if available, website and Facebook page.

We welcome any information that can help to improve and expand this directory. If you are aware of any other active local or regional Orthodox Clergy Brotherhoods and Pan-Orthodox laity organizations, please send relevant information to the Assembly’s Research Coordinator, Mr. Alexei Krindatch at: akrindatch@aol.com.
Directory available here (PDF).

3 comments:

  1. Eternally confounded by the majesty, truth, goodness and beauty of our religion; almost as much as the division seen by "all Orthodox" as exemplified in this post.

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  2. It seems that most of these organisations are just substitutions for deaneries, as because of the abnormal Church organisation in the US deaneries do not fulfil its roles

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