Byzantine, Texas

Tel Aviv ( AsiaNews ) – The Churches of Jerusalem are perplexed and concerned by the municipal authorities threat to cut off water supplies to the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. Since water supplies were first operational in the area, successive governments have always provided access to the Holy Sepulchre free of charge as a public service to the pilgrims and act of courtesy to the religious, Catholic and non-Catholic, who custody the sanctuary. So did the British government in the Holy Land (1917-1948), the Jordanian (1948-1967) and so far the Israelis. But now Israeli municipal authorities have stepped up pressure and threats to cut off water supplies unless a tax is paid, not only in future but also for all water supplied since 1967 . The revelations were made to AsiaNews by sources in the Basilica, who prefer not to be identified in the hope that the city authorities will have a change of heart. The curious fact is that the payment requests are directed to a nonexistent ent...

Separate posts on the same topic. A great interview (H/T  Orthocath ) with a future Tikhonite and a wonderful essay from Pithless Thoughts entitled Work and Priesthood . It is no secret to those who know me that I aspired to the priesthood for about 50 years of my life. For 30 of those years since I got fired from my one "full time ministry job" I've been a construction worker to put a lot of food on a large table under a large roof for a large family. Since I became Orthodox almost a dozen years ago, I've been "THIS close" to being ordained a few times, but by God's grace it hasn't happened. Now I know... well, actually it's more like "now I can admit"... why. You see, even in grade school I wanted to be a priest so I would be seen and regarded as "a priest". For nearly 50 years the priesthood was a goal that would fulfill my self-perception. I "knew" I was called to the priesthood at age six, and I continu...

For shame. From the blog American Papist  a reminder of how perceived hegemony and uncharitable myopia turns a tragedy into an opportunity to snipe. A tragic reminder why the Church, in its wisdom, has chosen against full immersion of infants for baptism: ( Pravda.ru ) - A shocking incident occurred in the village of Mihaileny of Rishcansky district of Moldova with a boy named Laurentiu, who was born six weeks ago in the family of 24-year-old Ludmila and Dmitry Gaydeu. .. Approximately twenty of the closest relatives and friends came to the church at 4:30PM. Father Valentin began the baptism ceremony. “He dipped the baby in the water without even covering the baby’s mouth with his hand to prevent him from drowning,” recalls Dmitry Gaydeu, the father of the six weeks-old Laurentiu. “He put his hand on his stomach and dipped him in the water three times.” The Godparents saw that the boy was not well and warned father Valentine. He answered it was not the first time that he wa...

( mospat.ru ) - On July 28, the commemoration day of St. Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles and the Day of the Baptism of Rus’, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Dormition Laura of the Caves in Kiev. The liturgy took place in the monastery’s square overcrowded with worshippers. The service was broadcast live by the Ukrainian television.

( kyivpost.com ) - The Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate on July 27 said law-enforcement officials are attempting prevent church followers from traveling to Kyiv to take part in a holy procession commemorating the 1022nd anniversary of the baptism of Kyivan Rus. The church's website says police have asked bus drivers not to take church followers to Kyiv and cancel pre-arranged trips. Local authorities "do not recommend" traveling to Kyiv on July 28, the website says, adding that buses transporting church followers are being stopped on the outskirts of Kyiv. The press center of the Kyiv Patriarchate says court prohibition of rallies during the visit of Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Kyiv do not apply to the religious procession planned by the Kyiv Patriarchate, scheduled for noon on July 28 from St. Volodymyr's Cathedral to the Prince Volodymyr monument. And also... ( kyivpost.com ) - More than 5,000 Ukrainian Orthodox priests and laymen walked fr...

H/T: Mystagogy MOSCOW ( Reuters ) - Russia officially celebrated a new holiday on Wednesday marking its conversion to Christianity in 988, the latest Kremlin boost to an Orthodox Church that has grown increasingly powerful since the fall of Communism. Rights groups have criticized the new holiday, approved by President Dmitry Medvedev in June, as undermining Russia's secular constitution and members of the country's large Muslim minority have complained that it excludes them. Marking the anniversary, Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, told state-run television: "Abandoning the historical significance of the baptism of Rus means discarding the supporting pillar of our entire civilization". Kirill held a liturgy in Kiev, the capital of modern Ukraine and mediaeval Kievan Rus, whose leader Prince Vladimir converted to Christianity over a millennia ago and adopted it for his state. Kievan Rus is seen as the precursor to modern-day Russia, Ukra...

For those who tried recently (in the last few weeks) to share posts, you might have seen some unsightly code instead of a preview of the article (this primarily affected Facebook users). I think I have the problem fixed. Apologies for the coding error.

( AFR ) - Held in Victoria, BC July 25-31, the Canadian Archdiocese of the Orthodox Church in America heard reports and lectures including a keynote address by Metropolitan Jonah. For more information, see http://orthodoxassembly.ca/ . Here's an audio clip from Metropolitan Jonah on the Episcopal Assembly, the autocephaly of the OCA, and the way forward. It is not a puff piece - Metropolitan Jonah doesn't speak in tergiversation.

If you don't already receive One Magazine , you should. They cover the Eastern Churches like no one else does. In the same magazine you can get a story on the Ethiopian Church, Ukrainians in Argentina, and the Paschal traditions of Jerusalem. ( One Magazine ) - For more than a millennium, Central Europe’s Carpatho-Rusyns have been engulfed in a violent whirl of Magyar, Germanic and Slavic antagonism. Always subjugated, Rusyn peasants toiled the soil, kept the livestock or cut the timber of their Hungarian, Austrian or Polish masters. Such conditions, coupled with centuries of serfdom and forced assimilation, hardly favored the development of a distinct Rusyn identity. Nevertheless, among the Rusyns such an identity did develop, sowed by their distinct Slavic language, nurtured by their Byzantine Christianity — which they received from Sts. Cyril and Methodius in the late ninth century — and reinforced by their full communion, or unia, with the church of Rome. Today, fewer than 9...

( RISU ) - The Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate (UOC-KP) published its response to the Address of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) to the Orthodox Christians of Ukraine Outside the Unity with the Holy Church. The statement of the Synod of the UOC-KP was passed on July 27. The Kyivan Patriarchate expressed its regret over the "non-constructive position" of the Synod of the ROC on the church situation in Ukraine. The members of the Synod of the UOC-KP stressed that "in Ukraine, there is no church schism but only a divide according to jurisdiction (subordination)." "Against the background of the progress in the work of overcoming the church division in Ukraine, which was made as the result of the activity of the work teams of the Kyivan Patriarchate and the UOC-MP on preparing a dialogue, the position held by the Holy Synod of the ROC at its session on July 26, 2010, as to the church situation in Ukraine is non-constructiv...

( antiochian.org ) - His Grace Bishop BASIL, Secretary of the Episcopal Assembly, explained in his July 4 St. Raphael Clergy Brotherhood Memo, "In a letter dated June 28th addressed to the 63 bishops who comprise the Episcopal Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Hierarchs of North & Central America, Archbishop DEMETRIOS of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and chair of the EA, announced tentative dates for the next meeting of the EA: May 25-27, 2011 . Please keep the work of the EA in your prayers!"

Personhood is not self-defining; rather, it is other-defined. The more it breaks away and strives after independence, the less it becomes a person: what exists instead is merely an individual. Along with these differences lies also the concept of freedom. The very notion of individual freedom is understood as the ability to set boundaries around oneself, thereby affirming oneself. On the contrary, personhood exercises its freedom as the ability to “come forward,” to exceed its limits, to take part with others in a community, and finally to confirm its own existence and its very own otherness through someone else. It is paradoxical but true that without You, which confirms the existence of I, I ceases to make sense, it disappears, it ceases to exist. Thus, while the individual is under the threat of non-existence precisely when it unites with other individuals – from here also stems the great danger of collectivism – personhood is threatened with non-existence only when one ceases to b...

Procession around city block after liturgy in New York City. ( britishorthodox.org ) - At the invitation of the North American Archdiocese of the Eritrean Orthodox Church Abba Seraphim attended its twelfth annual conference, held this year in Stamford, Connecticut. Accompanied by Mr. Trevor Maskery, he was received at the Hampton Inn on Friday, 23 July by His Grace Bishop Makarios and introduced to the clergy and senior lay representatives of parishes as far afield as Oakland (California), Atlanta (Georgia), Seattle (Washington) and Toronto as well as east coast communities. From here the clergy processed the short distance to the hall of the Sacred Heart Parish in Schuyler Avenue, which was made available for conference sessions by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport. Upon arrival the clergy were greeted by a large body of laity and vested deacons who conducted them to the hall with traditional songs and the beating of drums. They were then formally welcomed by Bishop Makari...

Priest Matthew MacKay I have just been made aware that Fr. Matthew MacKay has died. He was the beloved pastor of St. Joseph Orthodox Church in Houston, TX. This is quite a blow to the community and to my father and his wife as they are parishioners there. He began his service there in 1994 from a small group of families meeting in an old dance studio to a thriving congregation in a beautiful parish filled with icons, beautiful singing, and plenty of children. My prayers go out to his family, to his clergy (Fr. James and Fr. Dn. Meletios), and to his parishioners. This is a great loss. Memory Eternal!

FAITH UNASHAMED Teenagers Girls 13 to 18 years old Parents interested in signing up your daughter, need to call the monastery (903) 498-4474 or e-mail the monastery at nativitymonastery@gmail.com . Guest Speaker: Katherine Saclarides This presentation is about the calling to do mission work in the Orthodox Church. We will learn about examples of mission work in the history of the Orthodox Church, and see how we can begin our mission work right in our own communities. My prayer is that you will be inspired to be a 'local missionary' following the presentation. I will also include examples of my own missionary work in Ethiopia and Albania. Biography: Katherine was born in Chicago, IL. She majored in Anthropology and Spanish at Vanderbilt University and recently she completed a Masters in Social Work from the University of Chicago. Kathryn worked with the Red Cross in Spain for 2 years, after which she moved to San Francisco and served at the Raphael House (an Orthod...

( mospat.ru ) - In the course of the pastoral visit to Ukraine, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has arrived in Kiev – the Mother of Russian cities.

H/T: All of Creation Rejoices

The talks so far posted are all very good. The talk on the diaconate foresees a very different, active, and missionary role for the deacon. The talk on the presbytery is centered on relative morality and the role of the priest in preaching Truth. The talk on the episcopate (by Bp. Michael [OCA]) was on the historical role of the bishop and how Scripture and the role of the bishop today are connected. ( ocanews.org ) - In a question and answer session with clergy last night at the Biennial Antiochian Archdiocese Clergy Symposium currently being held at Antiochian Village, Metropolitan Philip forthrightly denied widespread reports he would request the revocation of self rule for the North American Archdiocese. The Metropolitan sought to dispel rumors, purportedly originating in the highest circles in the Antiochian Archdiocese, suggesting that the purpose of his unexpected participation in Holy Synod meeting in Damascus next month was to request revocation as a prelude to moving B...

H/T: Elgreca You've heard the statement "... this will lead to people marrying dogs." In all seriousness, I believe when the Eucharist is given to the dogs, things have gone so wrong that there can be no defense. "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city." - Mark 6:11 ( catholicculture.org ) - A dog has received communion at an Anglican parish in Toronto. Pets are permitted in the church. “The minister welcomed me and said come up and take communion, and Trapper [the dog] came up with me and the minister gave him communion as well,” said Donald Keith, the dog’s owner. “Then he bent his head and said a little prayer.” “I thought it was a nice way to welcome me into the church,” said Mr. Keith, a new member. “99.9% of the people in the church love ...

This means great things for Texans, who are ready to declare independence from the dead weight. We all know how well the War of Northern Aggression went. ( VOA ) - The top United Nations court says Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 conforms to international law. Church burned and then urinated on. That non-binding opinion from the International Court of Justice, issued Thursday in The Hague, sparked street celebrations in Kosovo's capital, Pristina. In Washington, visiting Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci called the ruling "the best possible answer for the entire world." The U.S. State Department also hailed the decision, saying it is now time for Europe "to unite behind a common future." The 10-4 court decision is expected to clear the way for more countries to extend formal recognition to the government in Pristina. Church blown up by explosives. Sixty-nine countries, including the United States and mo...

Megalynarion : The term megalynarion (pl. megalynaria) is used in English to refer to three types of hymnography that have no relationship to one another. In Byzantine practice, a megalynarion is a short hymn for the saint of the day or the feast that is sung after "Among the first...". This type of megalynarion is also used during other services, such as a Paraklesis. In Slavic practice, a megalynarion is a hymn, sung at the end of the polyeleos, which usually begins with "We magnify..." In Slavonic, this type of hymn is called a velichaniye. Another common term in English used for this type of hymn is magnification. In both Byzantine and Slavic practice, the term megalynarion is also used to refer to the hymn that is sung at the Divine Liturgy just after the consecration of the Holy Gifts. The most common megalynarion is the one used at the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom when it is not a feast of the Lord or of the Theotokos: It is truly meet to bless...

Moscow ( AsiaNews ) – The three tomes, which are waiting for a translator, are about the birth and development of three churches in Beijing, Tianjin and Harbin. The Chinese government does not recognise the Russian Orthodox Church. Its 13,000 members meet occasionally for religious functions, and usually inside the Russian Embassy and consulates. The Russian Orthodox Church in China is trying to rediscover its origins. Some believers have been able to borrow some old books on Orthodox Christianity in the Middle Kingdom that date back to the first half of 20th century. They describe the foundation and development of three churches in Beijing, Tianjin and Harbin. Scanned one page at a time, the rare copies are available on the internet. Originally published in Russian, they are waiting for a translation. All three tomes are rare specimen with facts, figures and pictures of some of the earliest churches of the Orthodox Mission to China. The first book, by a nameless author, is dedicat...

( mospat.ru ) - The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church had a discussion with representatives of the Ukrainian mass media on July 15, 2010, at his working residence in Chisty Pereulok. Before his visit to Ukraine, Patriarch Kirill answered questions from Ukrainian TV channels Inter, Ukraine, First National, and Era. I would like to welcome representatives of the Ukrainian mass media and to have a talk with you before my visit to Ukraine. As an introduction I would like to tell you about my impressions of the first visit because I was so much moved by all that I saw and felt in Ukraine. The places I went to became my most vivid remembrances of the last year. I was struck by the fact that despite the complicated political context and the contradictions existing in the Ukrainian society, an absolute majority of the people cherish the Orthodox faith and spiritual values defined by this faith. These are the same values that are cherished in Russia, Byelorussia, Moldova and other pla...

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( spc.rs ) - The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Australia and New Zealand has declared the dispute between factions at Wodonga's Serbian Orthodox Church over during a visit to the city. Bishop Irinej conducted services at the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul in High Street on Saturday. The dispute between members of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Free Orthodox Church, which had been subject to court proceedings and police mediation, came to a head in May when members of the Free Orthodox Church locked the gates to the Wodonga church. There was a clash that left one person hospitalised. Bishop Irinej said the parties had since united under the Serbian Orthodox Church. "Some people were still reticent about coming back into the fullness of the church," he said. "The two factions have recently come together and become one. "This unity is a great source of joy for all of us." The bishop conducted a traditional service, mos...

Splitting the difference, I am posting on the Holy Martyrs Proclus and Hilarius celebrated on the 12 th of July on the New Calendar and on July 25 th on the Old Calendar. From God is Wonderful in His Saints - ( abbamoses.com ): Proclus was the uncle of Hilarius; both were from Kallippi in Asia during the reign of Trajan. When Proclus was brought to be tried as Christians, the judge asked him 'Of what race are you?' Proclus answered 'I am of the race of Christ, and my hope is in my God.' When the judge threatened to torture him, he said 'When you are afraid to transgress the Emperor's commands and risk falling into temporal punishment, how much more do we Christians fear to transgress against God's commands and fall into eternal torment!' When Proclus was given over to torture, his nephew Hilarius came forward and proclaimed 'I too am a Christian.' After torture, both were condemned to death; Proclus was crucified and Hilarius beheaded. I...

When, by God’s providence, the time comes for the realization of unity, it will be a joy for many. Undoubtedly, the primates and hierarchs of all of our Orthodox Churches, in Europe, Asia, Africa, guided by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, will show love and understanding, and give their consent and blessing for the establishment of one new sister church in America” (Bishop Nicholai, Collected Works XIII, page 565-572, Serbian text page 573-579). ( antiochian.org ) - Recently a historic event took place in New York: a pan-Orthodox Assembly of the Fullness of God’s Church on the North American continent, represented by the Hierarchs of the local Orthodox dioceses. The most important goal of this body is to witness Orthodox unity in a “new world” and to secure a more effective organization of mission, witness and cooperation of the local Orthodox Churches in diaspora. In accordance with the decision of the Fourth Pre-conciliar pan-Orthodox conference held June 6-12, 2009 in the Orthodo...

( UOC-USA ) - The Hierarchs, Clergy and the Faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the United States of America greet His Eminence Archbishop Yurij on his election on July 14th, 2010 at the 22nd Sobor of the UOCC, as 'Metropolitan-elect' of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada. For more, read here and here .

( antiochian.org ) - Bishops, priests and deacons from across North America, led by His Eminence Metropolitan Philip, are gathering the week of July 19 at Antiochian Village for the Sixteenth Biennial Clergy Symposium. The time of communal worship, fellowship and education brings great renewal to our clergy. Fr. Joseph Allen, Symposium Chairman, opened the gathering with an introduction to the theme of the meeting: "The Priesthood: Diakonos, Presbyteros, Episcopos." In addition to a range of electives, the clergy will hear from three featured speakers over the course of the week: Fr. John Chryssavgis, on the Diaconate; Fr. Nicholas Apostola, on the Presbyter; and His Grace Bishop Michael Dahulich, on the Bishop. Ancient Faith Radio will be offering audio of selections from the Symposium in the coming days. Check back here for pictures from the gathering as the week proceeds.

Brussels, July 20 ( Interfax ) - European Union leaders state they are ready to a closer dialogue with religious organizations, especially in settling social problems. Speaking at the meeting of the EU leaders with religious leaders held in Brussels, President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek said that they appointed vice-president of the European Parliament responsible for interaction with religious organizations. B esides, Buzek will soon discuss concrete mechanisms of interaction with representatives of different churches and decide on setting up a special service responsible for religious dialogue. Buzek pointed out that the Lisbon Treaty foresees in its Art 17 that the Union maintains an "open, transparent and regular dialogue" with religion, churches and communities of conviction. "Churches and religious communities are important providers of social services in EU member states. If we want to combat poverty effectively, it is essential to draw from th...

Moscow, July 20 ( Interfax ) - The Holy Assumption Monastery will be founded in Thai Ratchaburi Province. Construction of the Church dedicated to the Assumption of the Holy Virgin and complex of dwelling and household buildings are almost completed, the Moscow Patriarchate official website reported on Tuesday. The Russian Church Representation in Thailand has announced search for Orthodox men of any nationality not younger than 21 who are keen on monastic life as novices. The Russian Church has recently been officially registered in the country as the Orthodox Christian Church in Thailand Foundation. The Foundation Committee consists of Orthodox Thais who were converted to Orthodoxy and baptized in the Moscow Patriarchate Church of St. Nicholas in Bangkok. The first converted Thai is Danaya Vanna (now - deacon Daniel). He graduated from the Petersburg Theological Seminary in 2008.

( FOX News ) - American atheists lined up to be "de-baptized" in a ritual using a hair dryer, according to a report Friday on U.S. late-night news program "Nightline." Leading atheist Edwin Kagin blasted his fellow non-believers with the hair dryer to symbolically dry up the holy water sprinkled on their heads in days past. The styling tool was emblazoned with a label reading "Reason and Truth." Kagin believes parents are wrong to baptize their children before they are able to make their own choices, even slamming some religious education as "child abuse." He said the blast of hot air was a way for adults to undo what their parents had done. "I was baptized Catholic. I don't remember any of it at all," said 24-year-old Cambridge Boxterman. "According to my mother, I screamed like a banshee ... so you can see that even as a young child I didn't want to be baptized. It's not fair. I was born atheist, and they were f...

H/T: Oasis Schema monks process in honor of the 200 th year since the founding of the women's community. ( sestry.ru ) - Our convent celebrated a great festivity – 200 years since its foundation. And perhaps, the services, the cross procession, and the festive concert had so much light and emotion, because they had been filled with your prayers and love. It was even difficult to imagine that so many people – over four thousand – would come to our festivity to share with us the joy of this day. And how moving it has been to see both the youth, the most elderly parishioners, and the young children together side by side... One cannot but help remember the descriptions of the convent's festivals made in the beginning of the XX century. At that time, all the festive days molebens and akathysts would have been served before the Tikhvin icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, whereas the pilgrims of any age, title, and status would flow in an endless stream to venerate the most favo...

( RISU ) - In an interview to the agency OstroV, Patriarch Filaret, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyivan Patriarchate, stated that he sees the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) losing its independence and recommends the Russian hierarchy not to interfere in the matters of the Ukrainian state. According to him, when he was the head of the single Ukrainian Orthodox Church, he secured from the hierarchical council the status of an independent and self-governed church for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 1990. Therefore, the Ukrainian Church is really more independent now than the Belarusian one or that of Kazakhstan or Baltic countries. But now, according to Patriarch Filaret, these rights of independence are gradually being taken away. “Therefore, there are already divisions in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate): some are for autocephaly, some bishops and clergy are for closer unity with the Moscow Patriarchate. This is discussed in M...

See background posting here . SYOSSET, NY ( OCA ) - On Thursday, July 15, 2010, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah received Archpriest Siarhei Hardun of Minsk, Belarus at his official residence here. Father Siarhei was visiting the US for some three weeks at the invitation of the Presbyterian Church USA to participate in that denomination’s General Assembly as an ecumenical advisory delegate. He delivered stirring brief remarks during a plenary session of the gathering. During his visit with Metropolitan Jonah, Father Siarhei conveyed the greetings of His Eminence, Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, and relayed an invitation for Metropolitan Jonah to visit Belarus. Father Siarhei also provided interesting information on Church life in Belarus. Visiting Metropolitan Jonah on the last day of his US visit, Father Siarhei expressed great appreciation for the opportunities provided by his US visit with the hope that relations of the Orthodox Chu...