Byzantine, Texas

From the blog Mystagogy, a post on the contentious situation on the Holy Mountain with the men inhabiting the Monastery of Esphigmenou entitled "20 Disturbing Facts About the Esphigmenou Occupation Issue." 1. The brotherhood residing in the historic Monastery of Esphigmenou is schismatic. Not because it observes the Old Calendar, but because it is NOT in communion with any other Orthodox Church or Patriarchate. Thus, apart from merely having ceased to commemorate the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Monastery has also broken off its communion with all the other Monasteries of the Holy Mountain, as well as with all the Orthodox Churches, whereas it has acceded to a full and ecclesiastical communion with one of the so-called "GOC" (Genuine Orthodox Christian) groups, which, let it be noted, have no ecclesiastical communion - not even among themselves. Since then, and to this day, no one is accepted for residence in the Monastery, unless they accept the ecclesiastical ...

( SOC-WAD ) - Considering myself to be still among the youngest of the brethren, and hence less experienced then many, I approached this subject with fear and trembling ... not as much because I knew that this paper was going to be presented before the Bishop and my brother priests, but more so because, as are all things, it is presented before God, who is the one to whom we must answer for our every word. In thinking about this enormous topic, I drew from my experience growing up in this country and serving the Church in my adult life in various capacities for now 20 years. This includes my work as a lay person as well as my service to the Church as a priest. The seriousness of this subject is one which causes the most fear, because more and more each day I am convinced that the influence of what is commonly called secularism on the work of the priest and parish is greater and greater. Having heard the presentation of Fr. Petar Jovanovic on this subject, I have chosen to focus my pre...

( Assyrian Church ) - The Assyrian Church of the East’s Diocese of Europe has purchased its first church property in Borken, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. His Grace Mar Odisho Oraham, Bishop of Europe and Patriarchal Representative arrived at Düsseldorf International Airport on 25 June 2013. Accompanied by the Rev’d Cor-bishop Stephan Yalda, the Bishop of Europe was met in Germany by The Rev’d Fr Dr Patros Youkhana (Parish Priest) and Mr Ashur Gewargis (Committee Member). On the same day His Grace visited the new church property, to be consecrated in honour of Mar Odisho and Mar Qardagh, which has been purchased in the district of Burlo, city of Borken. With the participation of the faithful who had gathered at the newly purchased church, His Grace conducted prayers according to the rites of the Assyrian Church of the East. The Bishop also gave an address in which he expressed his joy at the purchase of the first Assyrian Church of the East property in Germany. Bishop Mar ...

Orange, NJ ( SCOOCH ) – The annual feast day celebrating a church’s patron saint is a major event in the life of any Orthodox Christian parish, as is the elevation of any church to the level of cathedral, but in recent years such occasions – often, in former times, celebrated in relative isolation and limited to a single ethno-religious community – have taken on an added dimension: they have become expressions of the full spiritual, theological, and sacramental unity of the Oriental Orthodox Communion. This is, in large part, the fruit of the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches’ directive, promulgated on November 1, 2009, to “invite [members] of nearby sister churches to participate in celebrations and liturgical services that are unique to your own tradition (for example, the commemoration of a patron saint, a national feast day or other holy day)”. In keeping with this initiative, this past Sunday, July 28, 2013, SCOOCH delegate V. Rev. Fr. Melake Ganet Tesfa Eye...

MOSCOW, July 26 ( RIA Novosti ) - A Russian Orthodox priest has been assigned to an aerospace defense unit stationed at a space center in northern Russia, the Moscow Patriarchate said Friday. Archpriest Artemy Emke will be responsible for religious work with the unit’s personnel as deputy commander on religious issues at the Plesetsk space center, a church representative said. “Any military unit should have a priest to help believers among soldiers and officers, in line with the Russian Constitution, to follow their religious beliefs, take the sacrament, and participate in the life of the Orthodox Church,” said Sergei Privalov , head of the Russian Orthodox Church's Department for Cooperation with the Military, Law Enforcement and the Security Services. “The work of a priest in the military aims at preventing hazing and suicides, and is intended to cultivate high moral and patriotic standards among the personnel,” Privalov added. He expressed hope that the appointment o...

( CBS News ) - A group of monks on Greece's monastic sanctuary of Mount Athos who are facing eviction attacked court bailiffs with rocks and petrol bombs Monday, according to civilian authorities on the peninsula in northern Greece No one was injured in the incident early Monday outside the administrative offices of Esphigmenou Monastery, and no arrests were reported. The bailiffs retreated from the site. Cell phone video of part of the incident, taken by the rebel monks and seen by the Associated Press, showed the court-appointed bailiffs using a small earth-moving machine in an unsuccessful attempt to force their way into the grounds of the office at Karyes, the capital of the all-male sanctuary from where its 20 monasteries are run. About 100 monks in the 1,000-year-old Esphigmenou monastery have been involved in a years-old dispute with the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, over his efforts to improve relations w...

( STOTS ) - The Very Rev. Dr. Steven Voytovich, a licensed professional counselor who spent many years of his career in the field of pastoral care and education, has been named dean of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, effective August 18. He succeeds The Very Rev. Dr. Alexander Atty, who retired for health reasons after serving as dean for the past three years. Father Steven brings to this position years of experience as a parish priest, an educator, a presenter at seminars and retreats, a contributing writer for various religious publications, and a frequent presenter at OCA events. His Grace, Bishop Michael, Ph.D., Rector of St. Tikhon’s Seminary and Bishop of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, stated, “I am well pleased that Fr. Steven will be joining St. Tikhon’s Seminary as our Dean. His pastoral, leadership, academic and work related credentials are superb and we look forward to Fr. Steven moving St. Tikhon’s to new heights. On behalf of the board of ...

( First Things ) - When I tell people I am a convert to Eastern Orthodoxy, I often get a puzzled reaction. “Eastern Orthodoxy?” some will say. “What’s that?” Others will ask whether I actually mean the Greek or the Russian Orthodox Church, mistakenly believing that they are different denominations. In fact, whether Greek, Russian, or Serbian, all are part of the same Church—including my Orthodox Church in America. The Orthodox Catholic Church—as it is formally called—is the second largest in the world with about 300 million members. And while we remain almost microscopic in the United States, the Church is increasingly attracting converts, assisted by an increase in the number of English-speaking parishes, our beautiful chanted Liturgies, and our refined understanding of the Christian faith. Some mistakenly think of us as “Catholic, but without the Pope,” or “Catholic, except with married priests.” It is true that there are some similarities with Rome. We agree that the Euch...

( mospat.ru ) - We, heads and representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches, who have come to Moscow on the occasion of the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia at the invitation of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, consider it our duty to raise our voice in defense of our Christian brothers subjected to persecution for their faith in various parts of the world today. Every day thousands of believers in Christ are being tortured and driven out of their native lands; many people meet their death. News about tortures and murders are coming from Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India. In Kosovo, religious shrines are being defiled, many churches have been destroyed, and many people are deprived of the opportunity to visit the graves of their relatives and to pray to God in the land of their ancestors. The situation in the Middle East causes deep concern. Many countries of this region are swept with a wave of violence and terror, with Chr...

Moscow, July 24 ( Interfax ) - President Vladimir Putin on July 25 will meet Patriarch Kirill and representatives of local Orthodox Churches who arrived in Moscow for the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus. The Kremlin press service reported on Wednesday that the format of the meeting is very unique. "For the first time the Grand Kremlin Palace will bring together the heads and senior clergymen of all 15 existing Christian Orthodox Churches uniting over 227 million believers - the Church of Jerusalem, Church of Antioch, Church of Ellada, Church of Cyprus, Church of Alexandria, the Georgian Orthodox Church, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Albanian Orthodox Church, the Polish Orthodox Church, the Church of Constantinople, the Orthodox Church of Czech Lands and Slovakia and also the Orthodox Church in America," the press release says. The conversation is ...

Moscow, July 24 ( Interfax ) - Modern Western states move to absolute dictatorship, head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate Metropolitan Hilarion believes. "Nowadays state sets a principle of secularity, independency from any outside authority that is authorized to point out to violations of morals or rights," the metropolitan writes in his article published in the Pravoslavnaya Beseda magazine. People are declared the only source of authority in a democratic state, and people should realize this authority through free will of citizens participating in elections and referendums. "Free will of citizens is a preconditioned, not absolute characteristic of a democratic state. For example, two European states - the Great Britain and France - have recently legalized unisex marriages. For comparably short time, after the parliament approved this law, France has become a stage for protest demonstrations with millions of people parti...

( ROCOR ) - Why do people now go to monasteries not from an impoverished life but from a life of comfort, how to find the right monastery, which of the holy fathers should be read, what is the proper relationship of a monastic to parents, should the internet be used, and why young hieromonks should not be assigned to parishes? Archbishop Mark (Arndt) of Berlin, Germany and Great Britain answers these questions. – Are more or fewer people seeking the monastic life than before? – It is difficult to say. I think that the contingent of our faithful is different than it was twenty or thirty years ago. We now have as a whole a greater number of believers, and corresponding to this growth is an increase in the number of monastics. I suppose that when people lived in poverty, they are not so inclined to monastic life then when they live well. A person can more easily deny himself what he has than what he does not have. – What do people expect from monasticism when they come to it today...

( Antiochian.org ) - Khouria Krista West, owner of Krista West Vestments and an Ancient Faith Radio podcaster (" The Opinionated Tailor "), has released a new book with St. Vladimir's Press titled The Garments of Salvation . The first comprehensive book on this topic in the English language, the text invites readers to explore the fascinating and colorful world of Orthodox Christian vesture and church adornment. Wife of Fr. Alban West, the rector of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Portland, OR, Kh. Krista is unveiling her new book at the 51st Annual Archdiocese Convention in Houston throughout the week of July 21-28. The Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) is also airing an interview with Kh. Krista about her book on the podcast " Come Receive the Light ." Praise for Kh. Krista's book: The Garments of Salvation will fascinate anyone who loves "the beauty of Thy house" with its insight into the meaning and making of liturgical vestm...

( Voice of Russia ) - Delegations of the Eastern Orthodox Churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Romania, and Cyprus arrive in Moscow later Monday to take part in the festivities marking the 1,025 years since the adoption of Eastern Orthodox Christian faith by Kievan Rus. The Jerusalem and Cyprian delegations are led by the supreme hierarchs of these Churches - Patriarch Theophilos III and Archbishop Chrysostom, Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations said. According to the department spokesman, the Reverend Igor Yakimchuk, the top-rank clerics and the accompanying delegations will take part in the festivities that will be held from July 24 through to July 29 in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus at the level of both governments of the three countries and the Church. The delegations of the Romanian Orthodox Church and the supreme hierarch of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church in America, Metropolitan Tikhon, who arrived in Moscow Sunday, are expected to have meetings with...

The Redemption of Bathsheba - "A collection of dances that evoke the spirits of the Bible's most intriguing women." - Saint John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church, Pittsburgh, PA. Even if done outside the Liturgy, is this appropriate inside a sanctuary? Discuss.

( OCA ) - On July 22, 2013, His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ received His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, who had arrived in Moscow two days earlier to participate in the celebrations of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus’. Metropolitan Tikhon was accompanied by His Grace, Bishop Alexander of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese, Chairman of the Orthodox Church in America’s Office of External Relations and Inter-Church Relations; Archpriest John Jillions, OCA Chancellor; Archimandrite Alexander [Pihach], OCA Representative to the Moscow Patriarchate and Dean of Saint Catherine Representation Church; Deacon Jesse Isaac, Archdiocese of Canada; and Deacon Cyril Dotsenko, Saint Catherine Church, Moscow. The Russian Orthodox Church was represented by His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, Chairman of the Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations [DECR]; His Grace, Bishop Clement of Krasnoslobodsk and Temnikov; Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DE...

( Time ) - Just as they have done for 17 centuries, the Greek Orthodox monks of St. Catherine’s Monastery in Egypt’s Sinai desert and the local Jabaliya Bedouins worked together to protect the monastery when the 2011 revolution thrust Egypt into a period of uncertainty. “There was a period in the early days of the Arab Spring when we had no idea what was going to happen,” says Father Justin, a monk who has lived at St. Catherine’s since 1996. Afraid they could be attacked by Islamic extremists or bandits in the relatively lawless expanse of desert, the 25 monks put the monastery’s most valuable manuscripts in the building’s storage room. Their Bedouin friends, who live at the base of St. Catherine’s in a town of the same name, allegedly took up their weapons and guarded the perimeter. The community’s fears of an attack were not realized, but the monks decided they needed a new way to protect their treasured library from any future threats. Last year, they accelerated a program of di...

Add caption ( mospat.ru ) - On 17 July 2013, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia at the Patriarchal residence in St Daniel’s monastery. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church cordially greeted Patriarch Irinej and the delegation of the Serbian Church, saying in particular, “We are very glad that Your Holiness’s long-awaited visit to the Russian Church is timed to this blessed period of the celebrations marking the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia, and that you will take part in them.” His Holiness noted that the Russian and Serbian Orthodox Churches have always had special relationships. “We are heirs to the common Slavic spiritual and cultural tradition which goes back to Ss Cyril and Methodius. Both Russians and Serbs understand the language of the Divine Service we celebrate. This liturgical tradition spiritually and devotionally unites our people,” Patriarch Kirill said. He also reminded th...

( Daily Caller ) - An official at Sonoma State University ordered a student working at a freshman orientation fair to remove or hide a cross necklace on two separate occasions. The unnamed official feared that other students could be offended by the two-inch-long symbol of Christianity. Let me go out on a limb here and declare this untruthful. In all my college years both undergraduate and graduate I can call to mind many offensive images, but jewelry doesn't make this list. The first of the two incidents occurred at the public school in Northern California’s wine country on June 27, reports Fox News. The official, an orientation supervisor, warned Sonoma State student Audrey Jarvis that “the chancellor” enforced a policy against wearing religious items. “The chancellor” is presumably Timothy P. White, the chancellor of the entire 23-school California State University system. According to Hiram Sasser, an attorney representing Jarvis, the supervisor advised the practicing Ca...

More pictures of St. Andrew's Cross as it tours Russia can be found here .

Brookline, MA ( OCF ) - For more than ten years His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver has faithfully served as the Episcopal liaison for Orthodox Christian Fellowship, first to SCOBA and more recently to the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops. His Eminence has been a most necessary and helpful provider in giving OCF the sage spiritual and administrative counsel needed to grow and fulfill campus ministry over the years. Through the leadership and direct support of His Eminence, OCF has transformed a loose association of campus chapters into a strong and vibrant ministry of the various jurisdictions of Orthodox Christianity in North America. For His Eminence’s dedicated service to OCF, the students and staff are most sincerely appreciative. OCF Executive Director Jennifer Nahas said, “I can’t imagine OCF being where it is today without the spiritual leadership His Eminence has provided. We are tremendously thankful for His many years of service.” As he continues serving th...

Not a good idea... at all. You can't take the high ground when you jump down into the pig pen. ( Daily Caller ) - At a Russian Orthodox Church-sponsored youth festival in Moscow last week, organizers showcased a video game that allows players to snuff out a continuous stream of members of the feminist punk rock protest group Pussy Riot. The game is called “Don’t Let Pussy Riot into the Cathedral,” reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Players use a gaudy Orthodox cross to slaughter women clad in balaclavas of various bright colors. They are carrying guitars and shaking their fists angrily. They are bum-rushing a cartoonish-looking white church topped with a yellow dome. Pussy Rioters who are not extinguished enter the church. The first few end up on top of it, now with horns and pitchforks. If too many of them enter the church, it eventually falls into disarray. Grim, grey clouds appear in the background. A blackbird shows up on the dome, and the game is over. Ther...

Another update from the blog Oremus with the text from the PDF from Met. Hilarion on the Western Rite in ROCOR. Image of letter below that. HILARION METROPOLITAN OF EASTERN AMERICA AND NEW YORK FIRST HIERARCH OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OUTSIDE OF RUSSIA 75 E. 93rd Street, New York, NY 10128 Tel.: (917) 848-9706, (917) 543-5199. July 15, 2013 No. 7-12 / 13 To the Clergy and the faithful of the Western Rite communities of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia: Christ is in our midst! The Synod of Bishops has convened and discussed ways in which the Western Rite communities could better be integrated into the larger Church structure in order to promote a closer sense of unity, fellowship, and participation in the fullness of Orthodoxy within the Church. To that end, the Synod of Bishops has made some administrative changes that will help the Western Rite communities work toward and achieve that unity, fellowship, and participation in the rich spiritual life of ...

( OCA ) - His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, will lead the delegation representing the Orthodox Church in America at the celebration of the 1025th Anniversary of the Baptism of Rus’ July 21-31, 2013. It was in AD 988 that Saint Prince Vladimir of Kyiv embraced Orthodox Christianity and oversaw the mass baptism of his people in the Dnieper River. This year’s anniversary is unique inasmuch as celebrations will be held in Moscow, Kyiv, and Minsk. Accompanying Metropolitan Tikhon will be His Grace, Bishop Alexander of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese; Archpriest John Jillions, OCA Chancellor; Archpriest Leonid Kishkovsky, Director of External Relations and Inter-Church Relations; Archimandrite Alexander [Pihach], OCA Representative to the Moscow Patriarchate and Dean of Saint Catherine Representation Church, Moscow; Deacon Jesse Isaac, Archdiocese of Canada; and Deacon Cyril Dotsenko, Saint Catherine Church, Moscow. The delegation is expected to arrive in Moscow on Saturday, Jul...

( spc.rs ) - The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch, arrived on July 16th, 2013 for an irenic visit to the Russian Orthodox Church. Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovac and Serbian Patriarch is accompanied by His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral, as well as Their Graces Bishops: Dr. Irinej of Backa, Longin of New Gracanica-Midwestern America, Teodosije of Raska-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija, then dean of the Representation of the Moscow Patriarchate in Belgrade archpriest Vitaly Tarasyev, arhimandrite Arsenije, protopresbyter-stavrophor Dr. Radomir Popovic, rector of the Cetinje Seminary protopresbyter-stavrophor Gojko Perovic, as well as protodeacon Radomir Percevic and deacon Aleksandar Sekulic. The member of the delegation iss also Professor Vojislav Milovanovic, chief civil engineer of the Memorial Cathedral of Saint Sava. At the Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow, Patriarch Irinej and the del...

A few weeks ago Met. of Hong Kong spoke of the new missionary efforts of the Russian Church in Taipei, Taiwan as "schismatic" based on a number of factors of which the chief was an exclusive claim over South East Asia under the Patriarchate of Constantinople (see here ). Considering the numerous other patriarchates already in existence in that area, this was a surprising statement. The below is a rebuttal from Deacon Georgiy Maksimov (many thanks to a reader for providing a translation from Russian). Regarding the violation of the Church Canons by Metropolitan Nectarios (Tsilis) in his actions related to the Patriarchal Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Taiwan. The root of problem, which led to these actions, is the new unorthodox idea about leadership and "primate" of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, as well as the subsequent idea that the whole world is in the possession of this local Church. In the Council of 2008 Russian Orthodox Church officially...

( YouTube ) - A lecture given by Very Rev. John H. Erickson (Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Professor emeritus) at the conference "The Forthcoming Council of the Orthodox Church: Understanding the Challenges" (18-20 October 2012, Paris).

Armenian Genocide memorial in Buenos Aires ( Armenian News Agency ) - Pope Francis, the religious leader of the Catholic world, who recognized the Armenian Genocide, is expected to visit Turkey next yea r. As reported by Armenpress, quoting the Today's Zaman, which got the news from sources close to the Vatican, preparations are under way for the Istanbul visit of the new pope, which is expected to take place in November in 2014.   Istanbul-based Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew attended the installation Mass of Pope Francis in Vatican City in March, in a first-of-its-kind move since the 1054 break that led to the creation of the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic branches of Christianity, along with Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ. Following the Mass, Bartholomew revealed that the new pope had told him he wanted to pay a visit to Turkey. The pope's expected visit - also considered a reciprocation for that of Bartholomew - bears great importan...

The story of an icon and St. Arnold Brewing Company in Houston, TX. It's yet another wonderful post from the Orthodox Arts Journal . ( Orthodox Arts Journal ) - It is traditional for breweries in France and Belgium to have a statue, painting or icon of St. Arnold in order to bless the brewery and all of the beer made there. We had sought a likeness of St. Arnold without any success. Then we read an article in the New York Times (March 18, 2000) about Father Andrey Davydov. He is a Russian Orthodox priest in Pskov, Russia. This being the age of the web, we e-mailed him. At first he sounded interested in our project. Then he became a bit more elusive. Unbeknownst to us, he was being deluged with e-mails by others that had read the article. But we were persistent. Still nothing. We sent one last email to him, pleading our case, attempting to convince him we were worthy and that we would try to get publicity for his cause. To our surprise, he was suddenly interested....