Byzantine, Texas

( antiochian.org ) - To our Esteemed Hierarchs, Clergy, Members of the Archdiocese Board of Trustees, and Faithful of the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America: Greetings and Blessings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ! We wish to inform you that His Beatitude Ignatius IV, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East will soon visit the United States. His Beatitude will arrive in New Jersey on Tuesday October 16th, 2012, and will reside at the Archdiocese Headquarters in Englewood, New Jersey while he is here. On Thursday October 18th, His Beatitude will preside over a meeting of the executive staffs of the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology of the University of Balamand, and the Antiochian House of Studies. The goal is to finalize a plan by which a cooperative effort will offer the opportunity for students to earn advanced theological degrees. On Friday October 19th, 2012, His Beatitude will attend a ceremony in New York where he will bestow t...

( OCA-NYNJ ) - “Lessons in Our Faith” is a series of instructional videos produced by the Diocese of New York and New Jersey (Orthodox Church in America) featuring His Grace, Bishop Michael. In this installment, the topic is MARRIAGE. Using his popular “7 Questions and 7 Answers” format, Bishop Michael discusses this subject in a concise and direct manner. In twelve minutes, the video offers the fundamental teaching about this sacrament within the life of the Church. The entire "Lessons in Our Faith" series is available at nynjoca.org

( Orthodox Arts Journal ) - Recently I had the chance of making a wooden chalice and diskos set for a priest. It was quite an interesting undertaking as it required a woodturner, a silversmith and myself to bring the whole thing together. Interestingly enough, the order for this set came as I was working on another wooden chalice, making stone roundels for a chalice designed by Andrew Gould of New World Byzantine. Wooden chalices were at one point quite common in Russian villages, where they were often painted with icons. Andrew’s design captures the simplicity of these chalices while adding a touch of bold sophistication. In my own design I opted for some ornamentation carved into the wood and a longer shape for the cup as I was recycling an already existing silver cup rather than designing it from scratch. It is fascinating to look at both designs to see how the same concept can yield such different final impressions... Complete article here .

Festal account Troparion of the Cross in Tone I O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance./ Grant victory unto Orthodox Christians over their adversaries,/ and by virtue of Thy Cross,// pre­serve Thy habitation. Kontakion in Tone IV O Thou Who wast lifted up willingly on the Cross,/ bestow Thy mercies upon the new community named after Thee, O Christ God./ Gladden by Thy power Orthodox Christians/ granting them victory over enemies.// May they have as Thy help the invincible trophy, the weapon of peace.

This is a great event. If you are anywhere nearby, consider discussing with your church and sending your children to the retreat. Form and flyer are available here .

A podcast discussion on how to divvy up the territory of the Assembly, how it will be run (under a "Mother Church" or autocephaly), and when that leadership system might be put into place. I'm not sure how much can be hashed out in these airport hotel meetings. Much, I would assume, is discussed as time permits in the intervening months between meetings. What you don't here is timetables. What I get emails on all the time is that very thing - a strong desire to have an expectation set as to when movement will begin. ( OCN ) - His Grace Bishop Basil , Secretary of the Assembly of Bishops, joins Fr. Chris by telephone to update the faithful on a very productive meeting of the Hierarchs during their recent meeting in Chicago.

I find myself in agreement with much of what they have to say. This fact will not be new to anyone who has seen my at times jaundiced editorials on the state of Orthodox unity in America. One line from the video struck me (I paraphrase): "We are seeking Orthodox unity not Orthodox uniformity." A fine, but important distinction that might assuage the belief that future unity means no more Serbian slavas, Greek basil, or Russian asceticism. Not having 6 versions of the same organization makes quite a bit of sense. Not being able to shop around for the most relaxed catechumenate program, laxest dispensation process for the non-Orthodox person you want to marry, or most liberal acceptance of medically-assisted (if morally sketchy) procreation techniques is a good thing. History tells me that I will receive an email from a secretary or hierarch saying good work is being done by the Assembly. As I have, and will continue to respond, it is very difficult to see as someone "...

( Christian Today ) - A new online theological library is offering free access to thousands of articles, dissertations and documents covering theology and ecumenism. More than 10,000 have already signed up to the GlobeTheoLib, launched jointly by the World Council of Churches and Globethics.net. There are more than 600,000 full text documents in the library, which is available in Chinese, English, French, German and Spanish. GlobeTheoLib aims to use new digital models of information exchange to create greater visibility for theological knowledge and insights from churches of the global South. "A strength of GlobeTheoLib is its networking potential as a hub linking other theological initiatives online," said Prof Dr Christoph Stückelberger, executive director and founder of Globethics.net. "The digital library project represents a quantum leap in sharing theological knowledge and making available resources for theological education, particularly South to South,...

( spc.rs ) - The Orthodox Diocese of Backa in Novi Sad from September 24-27, 2012 will host a great and important Inter-Orthodox Conference - the fifth meeting of the Inter-Orthodox Network of Initiatives for Research of Religions and Destructive Cults. Upon the invitiation of His Grace Bishop Irinej of Backa, more than hundred theologists, professors, priests, psychologists, criminologists, politicologist and experts from Cyprus, Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Syria, Georgia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Romania, besides those from Serbia will deal with the theme of the conference Guruism in Destructive cults and elsewhere: personal-spiritual-social problems and their solution. In Novi Sad many eminents bishops will show up including the head of the Church of Czech Lands and Slovakia, His Beatitude Archbishop Christopher of Czech Lands and Slovakia, Archbishop Irinej of Crete, Metropolitan Christopher of Karpasia from the Cypriotic Orthodox Church and many bishops of the Serbian...

( OCA-DEPA ) - On Sunday September 23, 2012, Archpriest David Mahaffey, Rector of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania was tonsured a riasophor monk by His Eminence, Archbishop Tikhon at St Tikhon’s Monastery. Father David has served in a wide variety of capacities in the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, including Dean of the Philadelphia Deanery and Senior Lecturer at Saint Tikhon’s Seminary. On September 15, 2012, the delegates at the Assembly of the Diocese of Alaska voted to present the name of Archpriest David Mahaffey in nomination to fill the vacant Episcopal See of Sitka and Alaska of the Orthodox Church in America.

( Sobornost ) - The first time I ever attended a funeral service where cremation of the body of the deceased had taken place was in Portland, Oregon, many years ago. An Episcopal priest friend had died and had requested his body be cremated. Walking into the church and seeing a small box sitting before the altar was a shock for me. Cremation was always something only non-believers practiced, Christians having always viewed cremation as something of pagan roots. I clearly remember feeling cheated out of that last goodby, unable as I was to view my friend for one last time. In ancient times pagans always either burned the bodies of their dead, or left them for birds to consume, whereas Jews and Christians placed their dead in tombs, or in the earth, awaiting the bodily resurrection. For Christians the belief that the body was the temple of the Holy Spirit and therefore sacred, made the burning of the body unacceptable. Bodies of our dead were always to be treated with great reveren...

H/T: Choosing to Look East ( Youtube ) - Confession is one of the 7 mysteries of the Orthodox Church. This episode takes you deep into the thoughts of young women and examines their feelings towards the Orthodox mystery of confession and how they were able to overcome their fears. Father Abraham Wassef answers important questions on this topic and helps ease the minds of those who fear that the priest may judge them or maybe disappointed in them which ultimately leads to a person not participating in the mystery of confession.

This is another post in the continuing, if very occasional, series spotlighting blogs in the hope of giving them higher visibility. This is one of my favorite blogs. I find myself heading over there every feast day to enrich my understanding of the day's icon. Just as attending the services and listening to their hymnography deepens your understanding of how the Church understands what is being celebrated, the icons express the same truths in their own language. And, just as in a language, the more exposure you get the better able you are to understand. So, if I see something strange in one icon (a man on a small fish, a demon on the end of a sword, a white flower in a saint's hand, etc.), when I come across it somewhere else I won't be confounded. http://iconreader.wordpress.com/ Together, the Great Feasts serve to tell us the story of the Incarnation, which has its climax in the centre of the year with the celebration of the “Feast of Feasts” – Pascha. It i...

Moscow, September 21 ( Interfax ) - The three jailed women members of Russia's Pussy Riot punk bank will not see the Lennon-Ono Peace Prize that has been awarded to them before they are released, Pyotr Verzilov, husband of one of the convicts, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, told Interfax. Verzilov arrived in the United States several days ago to attend the prize awarding ceremony, scheduled for Friday. "I've brought our daughter Gera with me, and it is her that the prize will be handed to," he said. News that they had won the prize was is "a terrific act of support" for the three young women, Verzilov said. "To receive a prize from the hands of one of the greatest legends of world music, Yoko Ono, is a very great honor. The very fact that the prize has been conferred on the members of Pussy Riot shows us to what extent the entire civilized world is shocked that three girls in Russia have been sentenced to two years in prison for an anti-Putin praye...

H/T: Discerning Thoughts What I like so much about this podcast-cum-blog post is that it so straightforward. This topic, the teachings and purported teachings of Palamas, is chockablock with confusing, complex, and often unintelligible commentaries. Not so here. Enjoy. ( AFR ) - Hello, and welcome once again to Faith and Philosophy. Today’s topic is Palamism Explained In Twelve Minutes Or Less. A few days ago, a friend of mine sent me a blog entry from some armchair theologian who thought he had refuted the teachings of St. Gregory Palamas, by posting a quotation from St. Basil the Great that had been taken completely out of context. You know, there is a reason why the internet is called the world’s biggest vanity press. Well, with the commemoration of St. Gregory coming up, I thought this would be a good time to take a look at St. Gregory’s theology. The first thing we must understand about Palamism, is that there is absolutely no such thing. Palamism is the invention of Rom...

( Holy Trinity Bookstore ) - The Russian bestseller "Несвятые святые", which has sold millions of copies in Russia in less than a year, is now available in this English translation. Written by the abbot of Moscow's Sretensky Monastery, this book is a series of short stories about the miraculous working of Divine Grace in the lives of ordinary people. Available to ship early October. Visit the book's official website at http://www.everyday-saints.com/ and click here to pre-order! From the Preface ... It was a warm September evening, as we, the still-young novices of the Pskov Caves Monastery near Pskov, were strolling about the corridors and galleries of the ancient monastery walls, making ourselves comfortable, looking out high above its gardens and fields. As we talked, we began reminiscing about how each of us had come to be at the monastery. And the more we listened to each other, the more amazed we became. It was 1984 at the time, and there were five o...

( stnersess.edu ) - Enter the St. Nersess Global Classroom this Fall and discover the Armenian Church's surprising world of canon law. Dr. Roberta Ervine, St. Nersess Seminary's exceptional Professor of Armenian Studies will offer a series of one-hour presentations on Armenian Canon Law this Fall. Her fascinating lectures will be streamed live over the Seminary's dedicated ustream.com channel every Wednesday at 7:30PM beginning September 12. The intimidating western ecclesiastical term canon law is an unfortunate translation for the Armenian word kanonagitut‘iwn. The Armenian understanding of canon law as applied to Christian communities was drawn from St. Paul's exhortations to the Corinthians, Galatians and Philippians more than it was from the jurisprudential literature of the Byzantine Empire. Kanonagitut“iwn is not a penal code; it is not a legal system; it is not an arcane subject understood only by a handful of bearded scholars. So if Armenian canon law is...

The American Orthodox Institute posted an editorial entitled "Bishop to Critics: Shut Up!" They are, as the title of the post might suggest, not please with what His Grace, Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos who serves in the Metropolis of Chicago as its protosyngellos (chancellor). ( AOI ) - I listened to “Interview with Bishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America” posted on AFR on Sept. 10, in which he talks about the Assembly of Bishops. If I had been assigned to write the headline for this podcast, it would have gone something like this: Bishop to Critics: Shut Up! The Chicago bishop says that the chief obstacle to the work of the Assembly is the cynicism and negativity of critics here in the “diaspora.” Critics have not been privy to all of the great work already accomplished in committees, he says. How can folks be more helpful... Complete article here .

( Patriarchate of Jerusalem ) - We Christians have been living in the region of the Middle East since ancient times. Therefore, we consider that all efforts aiming at ousting us are unreasonable and unjust. Even when other religions conquered our land, we have always managed to adjust ourselves and find ways of symbiosis and peaceful coexistence with them. However, the recent increasing influence of extreme fundamentalist elements in the region, directly jeopardizes the lives of Christians in their ancient cradles. We witness daily aggressions against Christian places of worship, killings of innocent people, violent acts and atrocities against Christian properties, as well as violations of the most elementary human rights of Christians. Christians are thus forced towards expatriation. Thousands have already left their ancient cradles and have become refugees in various parts of the world, seeking more security. We call upon the European Union and all those willing to intervene, in...

From the blog The Sounding ... ‎"When a priest hands a censer back to an altar server, he hands it back with the chain held in his fist, palm down and the back of his hand up so that the altar server can kiss his hand as he takes the censer back. But, this was only the second Sunday that this 8-year-old had served, and the very first time that he was receiving the censer back from the priest. He froze; he did not remember what to do. So, he improvised. He looked at my fist and gave me a fist bump..." Complete article here .

Archimandrite Irenei is a gifted lecturer and an accomplished scholar. Under his guidance, I expect this program to flourish. ( Cyril and Athansius Institute ) - The first cohort of students on the Institute's new Certificate Program in Orthodox Studies by Distance Learning - including students from six U.S. states and as far afield as Shanghai - has begun their learning with the mid-September start to teaching on the first Certificate Program module of study: CS01 - Foundations in Orthodox History and Praxis . As the first complete course of study offered by the recently founded Sts. Cyril & Athanasius Institute for Orthdox Studies, the Certificate Program by Distance Learning provides the opportunity to engage in in-depth study of Orthodox history, practice, theology and life to individuals in a broad variety of locations and personal contexts: whether at home or on site, in a monastery or other location; whether in addition to other studies, or as an opportunity to ad...

Orthodox Christian Laity

From the blog Londinoupolis , a post on the tenth annual Orthodox Theological Research Forum. The Tenth Orthodox Theological Research Forum (OTRF) was held in Oxford, St. Edmund College, between 11 – 13 September. The theme of the Conference was on “Orthodoxy and Ethnicity”. The OTRF is a pan-Orthodox forum in which work by Orthodox Christian scholars in the various fields of theological studies is presented and discussed within the context of the ongoing tradition and contemporary theological education. OTRF holds an annual two or three day conference, open to students in higher education, scholars and clergy, which provides an informal and relaxed opportunity for talks and discussion. Liturgical services (morning and evening) form an integral part of the conference meetings. So far ten conferences have been held, at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, Oxfordshire, the University of Durham, the University of Wales at Lampeter, the University of Winchester and the University of Oxford. ...

16 September, his Holiness Patriarch Kirill celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Cathedral in Tokyo. His Holiness the Patriarch served with the Primate of the Japanese autonomous Orthodox church Metropolitan Tokyo and throughout Japan, Daniel. Divine Liturgy was celebrated in Japanese and Slavonic languages.

( SVOTS ) - The St. Vladimir's Seminary Pro Life Group met on September 12, 2012, to elect officers and discuss plans for the 2012-2013 school year. Hdn. Fr. Herman (Majkrzak), lecturer in Liturgical Music, warmly welcomed new and experienced students alike, noting that while the group is only in its second year, the Seminary has had a continual presence for many years at the March for Life. Held annually in Washington D.C. on the anniversary of Roe vs Wade, the March protests the Supreme Court decision which effectively legalized abortion in all fifty states. Father Herman noted that abortion is the single greatest genocide perpetrated in human history; the Alan Guttmacher Institute reported in 2008 that there were approximately 42 million abortions performed annually worldwide. After electing new officers—Dn. Andre Paez for President, Fr. James Stevens as Treasurer, and Seminarian Steve Osburn as Student Liaison, the group laid out an ambitious agenda for the school year....

H/T: Again & Again You can see how the local media treated this story here complete with a very unflattering cartoon (if you can stomach it). It's no longer a surprise how hateful the "anti-bigotry" brigades are; often much more strident and condescending than the supposed anachronistic hate-monger they are denouncing. The method used to shove this stuff down our throats is pretty established now: 1. Demand a "right" and claim it doesn't do anyone else any harm. 2. Ensconce in the law either in one fell swoop or slowly by ever more aggressive legislation or judicial activism. 3. Slowly remove the ability for anyone to object anywhere except from inside a church. Write laws making it illegal to disagree, use the words hate and bigotry in every statement, and publicly upbraid all traditionalist opposition as "backward" or "sick." 4. Move on to the next pet project. ( GOA-Australia ) - A Hamilton (Canada) -area Christian father ...

( mospat.ru ) - On September 16, 2012, the 15th Sunday after Pentecost, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, while on a primatial visit to Japan, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Tokyo. Among his con-celebrants were Metropolitan Daniel of Tokyo, primate of the Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Varsonofy of Saransk and Mordovia, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, Archbishop Varfolomey of Rovno and Ostrog, Archbishop Seraphim of Sendai, Bishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s administrative secretariat, Archpriest Nikolay Balashov, DECR vice-chairman, Archpriest Nikolay Katsuban, dean of the ROC Tokyo representation, and Japanese clergy. Among the worshippers were Ye. Afanasyev, Russia’s ambassador to Japan, Ukraine’s ambassador N. Kulinich, Greece’s ambassador N. Tsamados, Romani...

( stnersess.edu ) - On September 6 St. Nersess completed its purchase of a beautiful property in Armonk, New York, which will become its new home. The site, formerly known as Promise Farm, sits on 5.5 scenic, tree-adorned acres. It is located in an upscale suburban community about 16 miles north of the current New Rochelle campus. On the site St. Nersess will construct a new 8,400 square-foot Theological Center to be named after the late Catholicos Karekin I, who was a great advocate of learning and education. The Center will include the St. Hagop chapel, library, classrooms and offices. The construction of the Theological Center and chapel, as well as the purchase of the property have been made possible by the generous donation of Haig and Elsa Didizian of London, England. In addition, three existing structures on the site will be renovated, expanded and adapted to meet the needs of the Seminary, including housing for single and married students and faculty, as well as the sum...

H/T: SOC-WAD ( Diocese of Ohrid ) - Today, September 12, 2012, nine months are completed since Archbishop Jovan of Ohrid is in detention. Archbishop Jovan is put in cruel prison conditions: he is locked in a cell for twenty-three hours per day, and has the opportunity to walk for one hour only. Four months nobody has visited him, because to the only ones who were allowed to visit him, his mother and his sister, the court has prohibited the visits! Archbishop Jovan has diabetes and serious problems with his spine! Despite the difficult conditions in which Archbishop Jovan is being imprisoned, the prison authorities are even prohibiting him to read books; namely, several books and magazines which he received written in Greek language, the prison authorities have sent to the court, in order for the court to decide whether Archbishop Jovan should be allowed to read those books or not, but the court has not answered for more than one month! Due to such torture of Archbishop ...

( ROCOR-WAD ) - Today in Russia a new postal stamp dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Fort Ross went into circulation. The postal news release states that Fort Ross is a historic park in California that includes a former Russian settlement and wooden fortress. It was founded founded by A. Baranov, the ruler of Russian colonies in America. This fort was to be the main food base for Russian settlements in Alaska. It was here that California's first wind mills and shipyard were built. In the 1820s an Orthodox chapel was constructed at Fort Ross. The new postal stamp depicts a panorama view of the fort from the first half of the XIX century.

I do not yet have the official announcement, but have seen word that Fr. David Sterry Mahaffey was nominated by the diocesan assembly for Alaska to be their bishop. He might begin his duties as the diocesan administrator before his consecration. When more official announcements are available, I'll post them. UPDATE: Below is the official announcement. ( OCA ) - Delegates to the Assembly of the Diocese of Alaska, which met here on September 15, 2012, voted to present the name of Archpriest David Mahaffey in nomination to fill the vacant Episcopal See of Sitka and Alaska of the Orthodox Church in America. Father David’s name will be presented by His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin, Locum Tenens of the Diocese of Alaska, at a future meeting of the Holy Synod of Bishops for consideration and canonical election. Born in Altoona, PA in 1952, Father David was received into the Orthodox Christian faith in 1975, two years after his marriage to the former Karen Meterko. He receive...

Since the recent posting of a Churching photo drew so much interest, here is a video from the Diocese of Eastern PA (OCA) of the Churching of a friend of mine's child. It's part of an instructional series done by the diocese. Enjoy. ( Vimeo ) - After the Baptism has been performed, the Mother and Child again retire to the Narthex. The Priest comes to them, and, while taking the child in his arms and making the sign of the Cross with him (her), says: Priest: The servant of God, ______, is churched: In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. As he walks into the Church with the child, the Priest says: He (she) enters into Your house, to worship towards Your Holy Temple. In the middle of the church: Priest: The servant of God, ______, is churched: In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. In the midst of the church shall he (she) sing praises to You. Then the Priest carries the child to the door of the Sanctuary and says: T...

From the blog The Hipster Conservative , an investigation into the contradictory, disordered, and impersonal world of sex or culture has descended into. It's an arresting and informative read. Our culture is sexually schizophrenic. On the one hand, it has become acceptable to purchase torture porn at Barnes & Noble. On the other, as the Daily Mail reports, “around one per cent of the world’s population [approximately 70 million people] are ‘asexuals’ who feel no sexual attraction at all,” a growing group seeking recognition as the fourth sexual orientation. On the one hand, anal sex is more popular than ever, sex shops are reporting massive increases in the sale of nipple clamps, and the average age a boy is exposed to hardcore pornography is 14, all to which we applaud: Sexy stuff indeed. But on the other — as a 2011 article published in Psychology Today concluded — the use of internet pornography has created a generation of men who cannot be aroused by their actual, r...

This is a repost from 2009 and 2011 to reiterate how much I value those who doff their caps in reposting material read here. It is much appreciated. I recently received an email asking what the "odd H/T thing" was on some of my posts. For those not familiar with the term, "Hat Tipping" is Internet cant for referencing back to the original poster. I use it liberally. Now would seem to be a good time to thank those who do the same for me. There are many of you. This is an equally good time to ask those that don't to do so. I ask not for my own self aggrandizement, but as someone who finds new blogs to read quite often through spidering from hat tips.

Take a look at a great post on the topic from the blog Praying with My Feet available here . It's a great step-by-step walkthrough complete with illustrations.

( Reuters ) - Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church will choose a new pope on December 2 , after Pope Shenouda who led the church for four decades died in March and left many Christians worrying about their rights under an Islamist-led government. Many Christians, who make up about tenth of Egypt's 83 million people, are concerned by the rise of Islamists who swept to power in parliamentary and presidential elections. President Mohamed Mursi has insisted he will be a leader for the whole nation, but some Christians fear a creeping imposition of conservative religious codes on society. Egypt's state news agency, citing a church official responsible for overseeing the papal election, said 2,405 voters were eligible to cast ballots on November 24 after a list of up to seven candidates was drawn up on October 4. The vote would whittle the candidates down to three. Then on December 2, the pope would be picked using a traditional method where a young child picks one of the name...

( OCA-NYNJ ) - The Diocesan Commission on Liturgical Music [CoLM] solicits 6-7 participants to take part in the initial offering of an on-line liturgical music conducting course: “Choral Conducting for Beginners.” The course is developed and will be taught by Dr. David Drillock, professor emeritus of liturgical music at Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and currently the chairperson of the Orthodox Church in America’s Department of Liturgical Music. The inaugural participants will take part in ten weekly sessions. They will view instructional videos on- line at a time of day convenient for them, and subsequently participate in one weekly 20-minute Skype conference with the instructor. The course covers topics such as: basic beat patterns, entries on and off the beat, the relationship between text and music, singing in phrases, and techniques of conducting chant. This is an excellent learning opportunity for our diocesan musicians. On completion of this initial offe...

Largely covering the same topics as the summary released alongside it, this document has some episcopal exhortations and words of encouragement for the faithful. ( AOB ) - To our beloved Orthodox Christian faithful throughout North and Central America: You are the light of the world. (Matt. 5.14) Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, We, the members of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, gathered in Chicago for our third annual meeting of September 10-12, 2012, greet you with paternal love, as we offer glory and thanks to our Triune God. Forty-three Hierarchs convened in the unity of our holy Orthodox faith, mindful of our responsibility to each other and to the Church as the Body of Christ. Some of our brother Hierarchs were absent due to personal illness or family loss. We recognize our calling to rightly teach the word of God’s truth as our foremost duty towards the Lord Jesus Christ and His holy Church. We remember in prayer the rec...

( Orthodox Canada ) - The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America held its third annual meeting for all member hierarchs, that is, all active canonical bishops in its region. The meeting was held from September 10-12, 2012, at the Chicago O’Hare Hilton in Chicago, Illinois. Forty-three bishops were in attendance. The first plenary session opened on Monday morning, and began with prayer, followed by an address to the assembled hierarchs by the Chairman of the Assembly, Demetrios, Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Archbishop expressed the sorrow of all present for the loss of Metropolitan Constantine of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the U.S., who fell asleep in the Lord since the last meeting of the Assembly. He also noted the absence of two brother bishops who had recently retired, Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh and Metropolitan Jonah of Washington, D.C. Moreover, he welcomed the new bis...