Byzantine, Texas

( CNA ) - The U.K. government announced on Thursday that it is imposing sanctions on the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office said in a June 16 statement that Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia was being “sanctioned for his support and endorsement of Putin’s war.” The announcement came after European Union member states failed to agree on whether Patriarch Kirill should face sanctions after his name was proposed by the European Commission, the executive branch of the EU. Hungary reportedly objected to his inclusion. The U.K. decision was welcomed by Andrii Yurash, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See. 

It should come as no surprise that Constantinople is not happy to have what it considers its sole prerogative to have been usurped by Serbia. At the same time, from friends in Skopje, I am told that many Macedonians are also unhappy to have the Serbians give them this tomos. The animosity with the Serbian Patriarchate for some seems to trump the more limited autonomy that Constantinople would have given them. ( SOC ) - On 5 June 2022, His Holiness Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije presided over the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy in the Cathedral church of the Holy Archangel Michael in Belgrade, with the concelebration of His Beatitude Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia kyr Stefan. The Liturgy was concelebrated by Their Eminences Metropolitans: Petar of Prespa and Pelagonia, Timotej of Debar and Kičevo, Agatangel of Povardarje, Pimen of Europe, Grigorije of Kumanovo and Osogovo, and Their Graces Bishops Fotije of Zvornik–Tuzla, David of Kruševac, Stefan of Remesiana, Jerotej of Toplica – el...

( Orthodox Life ) - Dear Brothers and Sisters, It has come to our attention that, as a result of the influence of renovationism and ecumenism on the Orthodox faithful in America, there are clergy that commemorate non-Orthodox Christians at services for the reposed and at the preparation for the Divine Liturgy, the Proskomedia. In an article posted on Ancient Faith Blogs, one justification for such an aberrant practice is that the liturgical manuals of the Holy Fathers on the subject are “…dusty and sometimes dubious tomes…” and thus need to be revisited with a more up to date interpretation. I have asked Fr John Boddecker, a professor in our Seminary, to comment. + Bishop Luke Holy Trinity Monastery Commemorations at the Divine Liturgy By Priest John Boddecker At the Divine liturgy, the Orthodox faithful regularly commemorate their living and departed loved ones by offering prosphora and submitting names to be read by the clergy in the altar at the time of the Proskomedia. During the P...

( Antiochian.org )  "Glory to God in the highest" It gives us great joy on this historic event to announce that The Antiochian House of Studies, on June 7, 2022, has received full accreditation through the Association of Theological Schools to offer the following degrees: Master of Divinity Master of Theological Studies Master of Theology in Pastoral Care and Counseling Doctor of Ministry Doctor of Philosophy This accreditation means that AHOS now ranks among more than 270 theological schools in North America, including Orthodox theological seminaries, accredited by ATS. For the first time in its history, the Antiochian Archdiocese now has an accredited institution of higher learning. For years, AHOS has presented a hybrid model (distance and in-person learning) for theological education of the highest quality according to the Antiochian ethos. It is blessed to welcome another influx of students this fall who may become clergy and lay leaders of our Archdiocese. V. Rev. Miche...

( orthochristian.com ) - The Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople has elected Alexander Belya of the Slavic Orthodox Vicariate as an auxiliary bishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, reports the GOARCH press service. Belya is, in fact, a defrocked former archimandrite, and the Slavic Vicariate is largely composed of defrocked, suspended, and schismatic clergy. As a cleric of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Belya was known to dodge diocesan dues and bring clergy to America without the proper paperwork. His brother has also been implicated in serious crimes, including the trafficking of women. In the summer of 2019, Belya forged a letter supposedly from His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral), then the First Hierarch of ROCOR, to the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate, requesting that Belya be confirmed to become a bishop. However, the ROCOR Synod hadn’t actually nominated Belya, and he was subsequently suspended from priestly duties. Refusi...

( GOARCH ) - Today, June 15, 2022, upon the invitation of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America convened via videoconference in order to review current matters concerning the life of the Church. The Archbishop informed the Synod of his recent pilgrimage to the Phanar and of his collaborative work with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, as well as his work with the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Synodal Committee on the Eparchies of the Throne Abroad. During these working sessions, it was found that due to the objective difficulties brought about by the pandemic— in addition to other factors — the commencement of the review process on the Charter of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese was delayed. The result of this delay was a lack of any significant progress toward the review process on the Charter so that it might be presented for consultation to both the Archdiocesan Council and to the upcoming C...

For many English speakers, Metropolitan Hilarion was the voice of the Russian Church to the world. He was masterful in explaining the position of the Church on almost any topic and his theological works (scholarly papers and mass market book series) have been of tremendous value. For better or worse, he told people how he saw things without any sugary coating to help the truth go down more smoothly. Given the war and how poorly it is going, an Ambrose of Milan figure is not in keeping with what the Russian Church feels comfortable heading its world-facing organizations. ( Orthodox Times ) - “This is what the current socio-political situation requires,” is the explanation given in public by Metropolitan Hilarion of Budapest and Hungary for his dismissal from the position of president of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate and from the position of Metropolitan of Volokolamsk. As Hilarion said from the Bolshaya Ordynka temple where he performed liturgy o...

( OCLI ) -How much is our struggle with parish finances the result of our failure to teach about money? Did you know Scripture teaches about possessions 3 times more than love, 7 times more than prayer, and 8 times more than belief? Among the three pillars of Orthodox spiritual practice - prayer, fasting, and almsgiving - the Gospel addresses almsgiving far more.  A spirit and practice of generosity is critical to anyone who stewards God's gifts as a servant leader. Join us if you are ready to: ​Have honest and candid discussions about money and stewardship Foster contentment and gratitude with all that the Lord provides Avoid temptations surrounding accumulation and wealth Practice almsgiving as the important spiritual discipline - like prayer and fasting - in "working out your salvation" Abandon the ministry-centric approach and embrace a soul-centric approach to personal giving and even Christian fundraising Consider the blessing of anonymous giving Inspire generosity ...