Byzantine, Texas

( Orthochristian.com ) - The primate of the Orthodox Church in America, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of Washington and All America and Canada, will concelebrate with the primate of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, in western Ukraine later this week. The Ukrainian Orthodox Diocese of Chernivtsi and Bukovina “awaits the visit of the primate of the Orthodox Church in America on June 1–2, 2024. Solemn services will be held in the Cathedral of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in Chernivtsi, with the participation of both primates.” The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America formally rejects communion with the schismatics of the “Orthodox Church in Ukraine,” recognizing only the canonical UOC under Met. Onuphry. The Ukrainian primate was the honored guest at the OCA’s 18th All-American Council in July 2015.

The Very Rev. A. James Bernstein was a teenage chess champion whose dramatic conversion experience at the age of 16 led him to Christianity. His spiritual journey has included a number of twists and turns: he was chapter president of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship at Queens College, helped found the Jews for Jesus ministry in San Francisco, was a staff member of the Christian World Liberation Front in Berkeley, served as a pastor of an Evangelical Orthodox Church near Silicon Valley, and later became an Eastern Orthodox convert and then priest. He lives with his wife Bonnie outside of Seattle, Washington, where he serves as pastor of St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church. Father James is the author of several AFP topical booklets: Orthodoxy: Jewish and Christian; Which Came First: The Church or the New Testament; Communion: A Family Affair: Heaven and Hell; and The Orthodox Christian Gospel. He was also a contributor to the Orthodox Study Bible: New Testament and Psalms (Thomas Nelso...

( GOARCH ) - His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America is pleased to announce that the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate accepted the Holy Eparchial Synod’s petition and unanimously elected His Grace Bishop Constantine of Sassima as the new Metropolitan of the Holy Metropolis of Denver at its meeting today. His Eminence Metropolitan Constantine of Denver was born in Baltimore on October 30th, 1966. He graduated from Hellenic College (BA) in 1991 and Holy Cross (Master of Divinity) in 1994. Thereafter, he was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood in 1994 and has served the Sacred Archdiocese of America in various capacities ever since as an Archimandrite and Presiding Priest at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Baltimore, and as Chancellor of the Holy Metropolises of New Jersey and Denver, respectively. Furthermore, he has served on the Archdiocesan Council and the Board of Trustees at Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. ...

Metropolitan Saba (Isper) posted this article today entitled " What is the goal? " on the topic of the so-called "deaconess" issue wherein a woman was "ordained" to be a deaconess in Africa. This differs from the status quo in Alexandria where women were set aside as deaconesses in a non-liturgical role. They vested her like a deacon and had her communing people. All to the surprise of not only the world, but from the patriarch's letter, from the patriarchate as well. You can read more about that here .  Internet response to this has ranged from "Finally our day has come!" to "Maranatha!" from the people you would assume would say which. For my part, Orthodox unity right now seems to be hanging on by a thread. We are one event from a de facto dissolution of the Assembly of Bishops as a functional body. We can only hope more jurisdictions are similarly disposed to speak publicly on this as His Eminence was. One thing is for certain: ...

The question that keeps getting asked on the Internet is, "When is Constantinople going to do something?" Or, more naively (bless their hearts), "Does His All-Holiness know about this?!" The answer is, if you have been reading previous posts on events in the US being brought up at the regular meetings of the synod in the Phanar, that Patriarch Bartholomew is well aware of the things going on. ( Orthochristian.com ) - Over the weekend, the outlet lifo.gr published an interview with Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America entitled, “Discriminating against people based on their love life isn’t Orthodoxy.” In the interview, the Archbishop discusses the Baptism that he served in Greece in the summer of 2022, dubbed the Greek Church’s “first openly gay Baptism” by one of the gay fathers of the children who were baptized. The event became an international scandal, and the Greek Holy Synod sent a letter of prote...

This letter fails to address much of what many people are asking. To name but a few: How could this happen? By what authority to you make an entirely new order of clergy? What are you going to do next? Is this woman going to perform as her bishop "ordained" her to do? ( Patriarchate of Alexandria ) - In the last few days, there was talk about the energy of the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Zimbabwe and Angola, Mr. Seraphim, who, last Thursday, May 2, 2024 , ordained a minister for the missionary needs of his Holy Metropolis. The event caused a lot of reactions, and gave rise to the free expression of various opinions and approaches. To avoid confusion, the following is clarified: – The mission in Africa needs deaconesses, mainly for the pastoral work and for the baptisms of adult women, as well as in special cases, such as widowhood, in stricter male-dominated environments, where for a long time the widowed woman is cut off from social and church life. - The Church is well aw...

( Romfea translated by Helleniscope ) - I was very surprised to read on the internet that a metropolitan of the second-throne Patriarchate of Alexandria ordained a deaconess in distant Zimbabwe. Arbitrarily, an Orthodox Church went ahead and restored an old institution that has languished since the 3rd century AD. Indeed, in the first three centuries there was in the Church the institution of deaconesses, who at that time performed the duties of newcomers in the Church and mainly helped in the baptisms of women and did social work. After the 3rd century AD, when infant baptism was introduced in the Church, the institution of deaconesses was weakened. Over time, of course, various forms were introduced into the Church, other institutions according to the needs of each era. Today, for example, we have charitable fraternities in our parishes. Who have undertaken the social work of the Church. We have infant baptism. So deaconesses are not needed. Do we need them in the Orthodox Church? Of...

 

In the evening on Palm Sunday, the Service of Nahire — also called the Feast of Lights or the Entrance to Heaven Service — is held. It is a ritual unique to the Syriac Orthodox Church. The service focuses on the Parable of the Ten Virgins, which Jesus told to explain the need for constant preparedness to enter Heaven. Syriac prayers that recount the story are recited while the church lights are turned off, only candles held by the congregation provide illumination. The priest, deacons, and altar boys deliver the sermon by the pews because the altar is closed. The sermon concludes with the priest shouting thrice, “Moran, Moran ftah lan tar3okh” (O Lord, O Lord, open Thy door for us), which prompts the church lights to be turned on and the curtain to be opened. Nahire means “light” in Syriac, and the idea behind the practice is that by inviting Jesus into one’s heart, one will be shown the light and accepted into heaven through his grace. One of the prayers chanted is Btarcokh Moran...

( OCA ) - On May 2, 2024, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon consecrated Holy Chrism during the Vesperal Divine Liturgy of Great and Holy Thursday at St. Tikhon’s Monastery, South Canaan, PA. Concelebrating the Vesperal Divine Liturgy with His Beatitude were His Eminence Archbishop Benjamin of San Francisco and the West, His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, His Eminence Archbishop Melchisedek of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, His Eminence Archbishop Michael of New York and New York and New Jersey, His Eminence Archbishop Daniel of Chicago and the Midwest, His Grace Bishop Nikodhim of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese, His Grace Bishop Benedict of Hartford and New England, His Grace Bishop Andrei of Cleveland and Administrator of the Romanian Episcopate, and His Grace Bishop Gerasim of Fort Worth and Auxiliary to the the Diocese of the South. Concelebrating priests included Archpriest Alexander Rentel, OCA Chancellor, Archimandrite Sergius (Bowye...

CHICAGO, IL ( OCA-DMW ) – His Eminence, Archbishop Daniel, has received word that Bishop Matthias (Moriak), retired Bishop of the Diocese of Chicago and the Midwest, reposed this morning (Holy Saturday) after a prolonged illness. Bishop Matthias served as diocesan bishop of the Diocese of the Midwest from 2011 to 2013. Archbishop Daniel calls upon all the clergy and faithful of the Diocese to remember the newly-departed Bishop Matthias in their prayers throughout the next forty days. As we now celebrate Christ’s victorious resurrection, we pray that Bishop Matthias may share in that victory in the Kingdom of Heaven. Christ is risen! Indeed He is risen!