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( RISU ) - The Donetsk Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate condemned the actions of Chornobyl disaster liquidators  (people who clean the nuclear disaster area) who organized a procession on 29 November with an empty coffin, which, according to UNIAN, was left in front of the Donetsk City Council, after the death of one of the protesters during the forced dismantling of their tents near the Pension Fund by police on 27 November. The eparchy called the protesters to repent for that action. According to radio Freedom, the spokesman of the eparchy, Heorhii Huliaiev stated that the Church views the action of the protesters as “humiliation of the Christian symbols.” “The cross should not be used by any means,” said the priest. He also noted that the Church does not support self-immolation with which the protesters threatened the authorities if their tents are dismantled. Huliaiev criticized the statement of a representative of the Kyivan Patriarchate who s...

More information available at the American Orthodox Institute .

( The Telegraph ) - Nohad Halawi, who worked at Heathrow Airport, is suing her former employers for unfair dismissal, claiming that she and other Christian staff at the airport were victims of systematic harassment because of their religion. She claims that she was told that she would go to Hell for her religion, that Jews were responsible for the September 11th terror attacks, and that a friend was reduced to tears having been bullied for wearing a cross. Mrs Halawi, who came to Britain from Lebanon in 1977, worked in the duty-free section as a perfume saleswoman of the airport for 13 years but was dismissed in July. Her case is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, who say it raises important legal issues and also questions over whether Muslims and Christians are treated differently by employers. It comes amid growing concern among some Christians that their faith is being marginalised and follows calls from Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, for Ch...

To borrow from Dos Equis' Most Interesting Man in the World, "I rarely dip my foot into polyphonic chant, but when I do I prefer the music at St. Tikhon's." ( STOTS ) - On Friday, Nov. 18th, the St. Tikhon's Seminary Mission Choir performed a concert entitled "Byzantine Brilliance" at Trinity Episcopal Church in Carbondale PA. More videos and photos available here .

From Patriarch Pavle of blessed repose, some words on fasting and communion. His glorification is already the subject of much discussion. You might also like this link from the Serbian Church on fasting times and such. ( SOC-NASA ) - What Holy Communion means to the spiritual life of a Christian is described in the words of our Lord: "I am the living Bread which came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever... unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." With deep faith in these words of the Lord, the early Christians anxiously approached Holy Communion, not because of some requirement, but from an immediate awareness that there was no spiritual life without Him. Just as one is not ordered to breathe, but spontaneously knows that without...

( ROC-Sourozh ) - On Thursday 24th November, the 4th meeting of the Pan-Orthodox Assembly of Bishops with Churches in the British Isles was held at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God of the Diocese of Sourozh. The meeting was preceded by a Moleben in front of the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God «Surety of Sinners» brought to the Cathedral from the Church of St Nichlas in Khamovniki in Moscow. The representatives of all Orthodox Churches in Great Britain and Ireland worshiped the icon. The Diocese of Sourozh was represented by Archbishop Elisey of Sourozh, Archbishop Anatoly of Kerch, Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Sourozh, and Priest Joseph Skinner, Head of the Diocesan Department of Inter-Orthodox relations. Among the issues important for all the Orthodox in the area the Assembly discussed transfers of clergy from one jurisdiction to another. A set of necessary preliminary conditions of transfers of clergy to other juristdictions was approved. These ...

( foma.ru ) - During his visit to Moscow Patriarch, Catholicos, the Georgian Orthodox Church Ilia II, answered questions, "Thomas" and "Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate", describing the relationship between Georgia and Russia, the prospects of convening a new Pan-Orthodox Cathedral and the main challenges facing the Orthodox Church in the former Soviet Union. Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate: Your Holiness, you have participated in the meeting of the Local Churches. How do you assess it, and the whole attitude of the Orthodox world? First of all, let me warmly welcome all Orthodox Christians in Russia. I must say that relations between the Russian and Georgian Orthodox Churches have always been cordial. As for the overall inter-cooperation, I think that the dialogue is poor. Today has accumulated a lot of issues between the Orthodox Church, which must be resolved. So now a lot of talk about Pan-Orthodox Council. But I think that until you have resolved all...

( mospat.ru ) - The Coordinating Committee of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church began its work in Rome on 22 November 2011. Taking part in the meeting as consultants on behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church are Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, and archimandrite Kirill (Govorun), first deputy chairman of the Education Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church. At the beginning of the meeting, members of the committee decided unanimously to send congratulations to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on his 65th birthday. The two co-chairmen, His Eminence Metropolitan John of Pergamon, Patriarchate of Constantinople, and Cardinal Kurt Koch signed the message. In his address, Metropolitan Hilarion reminded the participants that a discussion of the problem of unia was a precondition of the return of t...

H/T: OBL News ( philly.com ) - "NOBODY DIES at the end of this book," writes Philadelphia's Susan Morse in the preface to The Habit (Open Road Integrated Media, $22.99/Kindle edition $9.99), a sometimes searing, often hilarious account of a mother-daughter relationship Hallmark probably doesn't have a card for. If only because there just aren't that many people whose 85-year-old mothers decide to become Orthodox Christian nuns. But as we enter the season when family members have more opportunities than usual to get on one another's nerves, you might want to grab a copy before heading over the river and through the woods, if only to have a reminder that even the people who drive us the craziest might be worth getting to know better. Not that Morse, whose book was published earlier this month and who's looking forward to helping her mother celebrate her 90th birthday this week, pretends to have the road map to a happier Thanksgiving. The youngest...

( mospat.ru ) - An international conference on Freedom of Faith: the Problem of Discrimination and Persecution against Christians will be held from November 30 to December 1, 2011, in Moscow. It has been initiated by the Russian Orthodox Church with the support of the Christian Inter-Confessional Committee (CICC). The Moscow Patriarchate is concerned over violations of the rights of Christians in various countries, which have been committed on a mass scale in recent years. The political transformations in the Middle East and North Africa countries have had as one of their consequences a large-scale emigration of believers from the region. The supreme authorities of the Russian Orthodox Church have repeatedly drawn the attention of the world community to the need to work out a mechanism of ensuring the rights of Christians, which will make it possible for them to confess their faith freely, to work and to raise their children in accordance with their beliefs. The Russian Orthodox...

A follow-up to a story posted last year (see here ). ( portal-credo.ru ) - The court has sentenced Moldova Riscani area Orthodox priest Valentine Tsarelunge to 1.5 years in prison on the article "reckless homicide" reports November 22 , "Komsomolskaya Pravda" . The court found the priest guilty of what he, making July 22, 2010 in the village church baptism Mihailo a six baby drowned him. Sam's father Valentine Tsarelunge pleaded not guilty, insisting that "the ceremony conducted by all the rules," said Attorney District Prosecutor's Office Constantin Rusu. During the trial, the priest has never apologized to the parents of the deceased boy. The prosecution demanded the defendant to two years imprisonment with a ban on professional activities.

( One Magazine ) - The fortunes of the Orthodox Church in the Czech Republic and Slovakia mirror those of these Central European states, which once formed a united Czechoslovakia. Church and state were born after the collapse of the multiethnic empire of Austria-Hungary in 1918. Both were controlled by Nazi occupiers during World War II and then by the Soviets, who commandeered leadership after the war. Both were revived after the Velvet Revolution in 1989 and have since been affected by the dissolution of Czechoslovakia — the so-called Velvet Divorce — in 1993. Though a relatively young community, and numbering only about 100,000 people, the Orthodox Church in the Czech lands of Bohemia and Moravia and the independent republic of Slovakia dates back more than a thousand years. The Slav mission. In Europe’s Middle Ages, Latin missionaries worked among the Slavic peoples of the principality of Great Moravia. These missionaries (most of whom were Germanic) introduced the Latin ri...

At the end of this service some traditions will open the Gospel and the person (I have also seen two) is placed over the afflicted's head. You might also see the book moved in the sign of the cross. These services are returning to many places in the US so ask around if you are interested in seeing this service performed. Also, SVS Press has an excellent book on the topic (see my review here ). Be aware that the service can stretch beyond two hours in length, so wear some sensible shoes. ( OCA-DNE ) - On Sunday, November 13th at Holy Trinity Cathedral the Sacrament of Holy Unction was celebrated and His Grace, our Bishop NIKON was anointed by the clergy of his diocese before he begins treatment.

Pictured: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (left) and Metropolitan Constantine (right).

( UOC-USA ) - On Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 1:30PM, the Ukrainian community, under the leadership of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) held its now annual requiem service to commemorate the 78th Anniversary of Ukraine’s Genocide of 1932-1933, known in Ukrainian as the Holodomor. The clergy and hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox and Catholic Churches (His Beatitude Swiatoslaw, Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; His Eminence Archbishop Antony of the Eastern Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA; His Eminence Metropolitan Stefan Soroka of the Ukrainian Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia; His Grace Bishop Paul Chomytsky and Bishop-Emeritus Basil Losten of Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stanford, CT and His Grace Bishop Daniel of the Western Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA) led this year’s Memorial Pahankhyda for the repose of the souls of the millions of innocent victims of the Ukrainian Genocide of 1932-1933...

( St. Catherine ) - November 17 in Venice, a meeting of the Orthodox Episcopal Council of Italy and Malta. The meeting, held at the Metropolitan Patriarchate of Constantinople, was attended by metropolitan Italy and Malta, Gennady (Ecumenical Patriarchate), Bishop Nestor Korsunsky (Moscow Patriarchate), Bishop Andrew Remeziyansky (Serbian Orthodox Church), Bishop Silvanus Italica (Romanian Orthodox Church) and Bishop Konstantiysky Anthony (Bulgarian Orthodox Church). In the spirit of fraternal understanding graces the hierarchs discussed current issues relating to the life of parishes Local Orthodox Churches in Italy. In his speech before a meeting of the Metropolitan Bishop Nestor congratulated Gennady with Name Day and presented a commemorative gift hierarch - the bishop's staff. Bishop Nestor also introduced the newly appointed bishops to the Secretary of Administration of the Moscow Patriarchate parishes in Italy Hieromonk Anthony (Sevryukov) and spoke about the challen...

( britishorthodox.org ) - At the invitation of the Oxford University Orthodox Christian Student Society, Abba Seraphim gave a talk on “The Orthodox Heritage of Pre-Schism Britain” at Trinity College, Oxford, on 17 November. He began by pointing out that as a Metropolitan of the Alexandrian Patriarchate, within the Coptic and Oriental Orthodox traditions, the Great Schism of 1054 might seem to be somewhat beyond his remit, as it was a schism between two Chalcedonian churches which had been separated from that portion of the Orthodox Church for centuries. However, as an Englishman with canonical responsibility for a community of British Orthodox congregations he had a keen interest in Britain’s Orthodox heritage and what we may be learnt from it. The Insular Church from its foundation was an integral part of the universal church, holding to a common faith and order. It withstood successive waves of persecution and when the Constantinian Peace of the Church was established, its hierar...

Nativity Resources for Orthodox Christian Families The Antiochian Archdiocese has an excellent section for families who want to get the most out of the Nativity season. Helpful links on fasting, podcasts to listen to, books to read, an interactive explanation of the Nativity icon, Christmas plays, etc. I encourage you to visit and make use of this singularly wonderful resource. You might also enjoy an article from Fr. Stephen Freeman available on the OCA site entitled The Nativity Fast – Why We Fast Also, the OCA Department of Christian Education has a section dedicated to the Nativity Season (see here ). The Greek Archdiocese also has a section on the feast and a detailed analysis of the Nativity icon (available here ).

( MSNBC ) - Russian Orthodox Church believers stand in a line to enter the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour to see a casket containing the holy belt of the Mother of God, brought to Russia from Vatopedi monastery situated on Athos Mountain in Greece, after a church service in Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, Nov. 19. Greek monks brought the belt said to be the one of the Virgin Mary to Russia nearly a month earlier and finish their tour of Russia in Moscow.

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in cont...

Apologies for robo-translation. ( YouTube ) - Moscow, November 19. On the eve of the 65th anniversary of the Primate of the Russian Church in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is committed vigil. Worship led by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, His Holiness and Beatitude, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II, Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland Sawa and Metropolitan of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, Christopher. Before polyeleos the temple was brought to the great Christian shrine - the shrine with the Blessed Virgin Mary Belt.

I received a flood of emails on the recent post concerning the revesting of the relics of St. John of Shanghai. Many of your questions are answered in the below missive. Thanks for all the questions. ( ROCOR-WAD ) - On Tuesday, October 25, 2011, the relics of St. John of Shanghai & San Francisco were re-vested by the assembled clergy of the Western American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. I was privileged to be present at and to participate in this rite and would like to share it with the members of our diocese and my parishioners ( photos of the rite ). The relics of incorrupt saints are re-vested periodically. The re-vesting is an opportunity to examine the condition of the relics and the reliquary that houses them, and is an important part of our care for the saint. Some saints are re-vested frequently (for example, St. Spyridon’s slippers are famously replaced every year as they become worn); others are re-vested less frequently. In the case o...

( Winnipeg Sun ) - A former archbishop with the Canadian arm of the Orthodox Church in America has pleaded not guilty to charges he sexually assaulted two boys during the time he worked in Winnipeg. Kenneth William (Seraphim) Storheim, 65, appeared Thursday for a preliminary hearing into allegations he abused two 10-year-old boys between December 1984 and June 1987. At the time, Storheim was a rector at Holy Trinity Sobor, located at the corner of Manitoba Avenue and McKenzie Street in the North End. A publication ban prevents the printing or broadcasting of any evidence presented by the Crown at Thursday's hearing. Storheim flew to the city last November to turn himself into police, who were holding a warrant for his arrest. He was quickly released on a promise to appear in court. He had stepped aside from his high-level position in the church months earlier. The church said Storheim had been granted a leave of absence while police investigated the accusations; Storhe...

( ROCOR ) - On November 17, 2011, the first meeting was held in Moscow by the working group on Church unity as the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion approaches. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate hosted the meeting, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Ilarion of Volokolamsk. This body was formed by His Holiness at the request of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. Participating in this meeting were the following group members: His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin, Germany and Great Britain, Vice President of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia; His Eminence Archbishop Feofan of Berlin and Germany; His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops of ROCOR (via internet link); His Eminence Archbishop Justin...

( ROCOR ) - On Tuesday, October 25, 2011, in accordance with a decision by the Diocesan Council of Western America, clergymen of the diocese performed the rite of revestment of the uncorrupt relics of St John of Shanghai and San Francisco. This special rite was headed by His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America in San Francisco’s Cathedral of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” Having made confession in advance and asking forgiveness of each other, the archpastors and priests performed a moleben to St John at 9 pm, after which they proceeded to perform the rite of changing the vestments. Every priest participating in the Pastoral Conference of the Western American Diocese was given the opportunity to participate in this rite. The attending protodeacons then intoned the corresponding prayers after the revestment of the holy man’s relics. Photo gallery here.

From the Friends of Holy Monastery "Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple" blog , a history and current status on their new women's monastery near Washington, DC. They also have a Facebook presence (see here ). I hope to visit soon. Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, Christ is in our Midst! What a blessing it is to have our Reverend Schema-Abbess Aemiliane and her Sisters here on this continent! We are accustomed to seeing them work hard in Greece, in the amazing Sisterhood guided by the Most Reverend Archimandrite, Elder Dionysios, but now they are on this side of the Atlantic! Pan-Orthodox, American, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual, they now reside in the area of Washington, DC. While practicing a daily cycle of prayer, they minister to pilgrims, serve the community, and welcome all who come their way with abundant hospitality. For those not familiar with their spiritual family, their Elder, Archimandrite Dionysios, is the Abbot of the Holy Mon...

VATICAN CITY, 17 NOV 2011 ( VIS ) - Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, has visited Minsk, the capital of Belarus, at the invitation of Filaret, Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk and head of the Belarusian Orthodox Church which is dependant upon the Patriarchate of Moscow. While in Minsk, Cardinal Koch participated in an international conference on the theme: "Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue: the ethical values of Christianity as a contribution to social life in Europe". The event was organised by the Institute for Inter-religious Dialogue and Inter-confessional Communication of the Synod of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, and by the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Christian Education Centre, in collaboration with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. According to a communique made public today, the conference "served to underline the desire to continue dialogue on matters of mutual interest, and to develop concr...

Hopefully, scheduling will allow me to go. ( AOB ) - Historic January 2012 Orthodox Christian Youth Worker Conference Endorsed by the Committee for Youth of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America Open to all Youth Workers, Camp Directors and Staff, and OCF Chaplains Wednesday January 25 to Saturday January 28, 2012 at the Antiochian Village Conference Center – Bolivar, Pennsylvania This historic gathering will be held Wednesday January 25 to Saturday January 28, 2012 at the Antiochian Village Conference Center in Bolivar, Pennsylvania, and will be hosted by the Departments of Youth Ministry and of Camping of the Antiochian Archdiocese. The tentative schedule is online, and you can see that we will have combined sessions with the keynote, and breakout sessions in the various tracks (Camp, Youth, OCF). More details will be added shortly to the schedule with details about the breakout sessions. Details can be found here .

( taday.ru ) - The photographer Alexander Brown is able to see the beauty in the everyday and familiar. Today we offer our readers a report of Alexander, dedicated to the temples of Transcarpathia and people living in those parts. Photos available here .

( mospat.ru ) - On 15 November 2011, the last day of his official visit to the Patriarchate of Antioch, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia visited the Balamand Monastery of the Dormition of Our Lady.

( Almasry Alyoum ) - Pope Shenouda III celebrated Monday the 40th anniversary of his ordination as pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Nearly 5000 Copts and Eastern Orthodox patriarchs took part in a celebration event held at the papal office in Abbasseya. Prime Minister Essam Sharaf sent a letter of congratulations to the pope, promising to personally visit him soon. A number of public figures also attended the celebration, including former Deputy Prime Minister Yehia al-Gamal, Vice President of the Supreme Constitutional Court Tahani al-Gebali and former MP Georgette Qellini. Members from the Mapsero Youth Union, a Coptic activist group, were also present. Earlier press reports had said the pope intended to cancel the event, probably in protest of the bloody incident that took place outside the Maspero state television building on 9 October. That night, military vehicles reportedly ran over Coptic-led demonstrators decrying recent attacks on churches around Egypt. Twent...

From the blog Second Terrace , a post entitled " The weeping of the icons ." As I am wont to do, I've added some images and highlighted some sections that struck me. The icons of the Theotokos are weeping. They are doing so at the churches of two of my priest-friends. Weeping Icon of St. Anna At one place, a young boy noticed the strange gleaming, streaming down the face and robes of the Mother of God, during the Great Entrance. The choir was singing "We who mystically represent the Cherubim ..." My friend heard the shuffling of feet behind him, as one side of the church crossed the aisle, in irresistable wonder, to see better. At the place of my other friend, the oil cannot be contained, and needs to be soaked up by cotton. In both places, my friends refuse to publish press releases. In fact, they avoid media attention altogether, rightly fearful of the spectacle that the News would bring. One can only imagine: apparition-seekers, professional skepti...

( Buffalo News ) - Thieves stripped more than $6,000 worth of copper from a Lovejoy-area church in Buffalo over the weekend. But they also stole something much more emotionally and spiritually valuable -- a silver-gilded Holy Gospel book that may be linked to the founding of the church more than a century ago. The burglars Friday night stripped both copper and lead from SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church on Ideal Street. Church officials and neighbors suspect the thieves may have begun their work Thursday night and finished on Friday night. The thieves also broke into the church, apparently through a basement window, and church officials later determined that the Gospel book had been taken. SS. Peter and Paul was founded in 1894 by Russian and Austro-Hungarian immigrants; the next year, they built a modest wooden structure. In 1933, during the Great Depression, the current church was built, a magnificent structure that rises about 100 feet to the top of the cupola. The R...

( Orthodox Photos ) - The aim was sacrilege on Sunday evening at the Church of St. Irene Chrysovalantou in Astoria, NY. Strangers who entered the temple violating the basement door, attempted to break the image of the Virgin Mary Axion Esti, located in the iconostasis of the church in order to steal the offerings of the faithful. The alarm rang prevented the theft, and the perpetrators fled empty handed. Police are conducting research on the case.

( mospat.ru ) - On 13 November 2011, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius of Antioch and All the East officiated at the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Assumption in the capital of Syria. The service was celebrated in the Arabic and Church Slavonic languages. Concelebrating were hierarchs of the Patriarchate of Antioch: Metropolitan Antonio of Mexico; Metropolitan Damaskinos of São Paulo and Brazil, Metropolitan George of Homs; Metropolitan Paul of Aleppo and Iskandaroun; Metropolitan Saba of Houran and the Mountain of the Arabs; Archbishop Nifon of Philippopolis, representatives of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; Bishop Demetrios of Safita; Bishop Mark of Sergiopolis; Bishop Ghattas of Qara; and Bishop Lukas of Seidnaya. Also taking part in the service were the following representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church: Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman...

H/T: Ad Orientem ( VI ) - Hagia Sophia in Nicea, where the Seventh Ecumenical Council was held in 787, is about to be declared a mosque by the Turkish authorities. As the Turkish press reports, the call to prayer was sung from the Muezzin last Thursday, for the first time since the founding of the Turkish Republish in 1923. The minaret was added to the church in the city that the Turks called “Iznik” in the Ottoman age. Last year it was restored. With the prayer to be said at the beginning of the Islamic feast of sacrifice on Sunday morning, the former church will be ready for Islamic religious ceremonies. The decision by the office of the Administrative Council, the competent authority, has sparked fierce debate. Selcuk Mülayim, of the University of Marmara, an art historian, underlined the building's importance in the history of Christianity and warned that the move would mark the beginning of protests from all over the world. Iznik's chamber of commerce criticize...

Apologies for the delay in posting. I just returned from an OISM (Orthodox Inter-Seminary Movement) meeting at Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY. It was a beautiful experience, though it did take some time after returning home to readjust to a non-monastic setting. I'm sure this experience is a common one for visitors of monastic communities. As you might expect, there was a full offering of services to be had, but for me the high point was a talk given by Arch. Irenei on how priests can maintain zeal for God. Sadly, it was not recorded, but it would make a wonderful book so I hold out hope that one day it will be. A goodly number of seminaries were represented at the event despite the snowstorm that sent many of us off hither and thither past the monastery grounds on our drives in. Visibility was at times only 50 feet or so and even the high golden domes were invisible as we drove by at a creep. The monastery is largely invisible to GPS and cell service is found ...