Byzantine, Texas

Important take-away statement: For these reasons, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America strongly urges that all efforts continue to be made by the Assembly to fulfill the expectation of the Most Holy Primates for the proposal of a concrete plan for canonical unity. We submit that the most clear and direct path to this goal is the establishment of a local autocephalous Orthodox Church here in our region and recommend this to the Assembly for their consideration as the most effective way to fulfill the exhortation of His All Holiness in his video address in Dallas: “To move beyond what is mine and yours, to what is ours.” ( OCA ) - In a document dated March 15, 2015, the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America offered a response to the Chairman and Secretary of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America with regard to the “Common Starting Point” for Canonical and Regional Planning. The text of th...

( mesropash.com ) - I confess that sometimes I feel a type of sadness when I’m celebrating the Divine Liturgy and I sense that there are people in the congregation that aren’t fully appreciating the ancient and potent sacrament of Soorp Badarak, Holy Communion. I know the language is Classical Armenian, and for many the theology and historic origins that underpin the Divine Liturgy are unfamiliar. Nonetheless, for me its like the pearl too which Christ compared the Kingdom of Heaven. A discovery of priceless value. With just a few hours of attention and study, the faithful can transform their perception of the Divine Liturgy, and it would be well worth it. Thats why this Great Lent I have been offering a special five part seminar to help the faithful better understand the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church, and participate more fully. Its been a great experience for me, encouraging and educational. I decided to live stream the videos via YouTube to give people with difficult sc...

( Assyrian Church ) - It is great sorrow and a heavy heart that His Beatitude Mar Aprem, Metropolitan of India and Patriarchal Vicar, in unison with all the members of the Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East (absent were Mar Aprim Nathniel and Mar Narsai Benyamin due to visa difficulties), announce the falling asleep in the Lord of His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East. The late Patriarch passed at 10:04 am, this morning (Thursday, March 26, 2015) at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. His Holiness was surrounded by the prelates, clergy and family members. The prelates and clergy were in constant prayer at His Holiness’ bedside. The Patriarch’s viewing will take place on 7th April at St Andrews Church, Illinois and funeral will take place 8th April at St George Cathedral. By Grace, +Mar Awa Royel Secretary of the Holy Synod

( Catholic Herald ) - Who is the most formidable defender of persecuted Christians in the world today? Many would nominate Pope Francis, who has offered thunderous denunciations of attacks on the faithful ever since his election. But another candidate is emerging: the surprising figure of the future king of England. The media have barely noticed that the Prince of Wales has a new obsession, as powerful as his passions for architecture and the environment: the persecution of Middle Eastern Christians. And as that region deteriorates, this may well be the subject that dominates his reign. Soon after ISIS slaughtered 21 Christians on a beach in Libya, the Coptic Church in Britain launched an appeal for the martyrs’ children. It found an immediate high-profile backer in Prince Charles, who contacted the Copts without any prompting (he also wrote a letter of condolence to the Coptic Pope Tawadros II). Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Church in Britain, says: “Prince Char...

New York, NY ( SCOOCH ) – The Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches is proud to present its official campus fellowship: Orthodox Christian Campus Ministries (OCCM). Recognizing the need for a spiritual support system for young Orthodox Christians during their crucial college years, the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches imparts its blessing to its official campus fellowship – OCCM – to begin the work of uniting our youth under one banner where they can come together to meet, pray, learn from one another and to enjoy Christian fellowship. With God’s help and in keeping with the vision of SCOOCH, OCCM will strive to: Unite all existing Oriental Orthodox campus fellowships under a single banner based primarily upon the sacred Orthodox Faith which our ancient churches hold in common rather than ethnic culture or custom. Provide freshman and/or transfer students with a network of Orthodox Christian peers in order help them to maintain their faith while accl...

( Acton Institute ) - One of the hot new trends in religious opinion today is to advocate for an “Islamic reformation”. This past weekend the Wall Street Journal ran two articles on the subject: “ Islam’s Improbable Reformer ” and “ Why Islam Needs a Reformation. ” Presumably, the assumption is that an Islamic Reformation would bring about the same beneficial changes as the Protestant Reformation. As a committed Protestant (Reformed, Evangelical, Southern Baptist) I believe the Reformation was indeed one of the most significant, and largely beneficial, events in world history. But I imagine it must irk my Catholic friends to hear the implied claim that modern radical Jihadism is similar to the Catholic Church of the early Renaissance era. (In an ironic twist, some people claim that, in many ways, ISIS is the Islamic equivalent of Protestant Reformers .) The reality, though, is that no one calling for an Islamic reformation wants Muslims to become like Calvinists of 16th centu...

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I think we can be of two minds about this elongated process towards securing a bishop for the OCA's Diocese of the South. One side says that the diocese has been waiting all too long for a hierarch. The OCA's most dynamic and burgeoning diocese cannot hope to continue its trend towards healthy growth without a full-time head. As one of my seminary professors once said, "When there isn't a bishop things just get weird ." The other side says that the synod cannot be too careful in selecting a new bishop. The OCA has retired so many bishops in recent years that they could build quite a sprawling retirement home to house them all. Every bishop retired is another occasion for slandering the idea that the OCA is mature enough to enjoy autonomy much less autocephaly. A year to test the mettle of Fr. Gerasim is a rather solid next step that provides a provisional period for those with doubts and immediate powers for those who have supported him throughout the interregnum....

( Vatican Radio ) Pope Francis has reorganized the Hungarian GreekCatholic Church, and has elevated it to a Metropolitan Church “sui iuris.” In doing so, the Holy Father adopted the following provisions: He has elevated the Eparchy of Hajdúdorog for the Catholics of Byzantine Rite to a Metropolitan See, with a seat at Debrecen, and has nominated Bishop Fülöp Kocsis, until now Eparchal Bishop of Hajdúdorog, as first Metropolitan; The Pope also elevated the Apostolic Exarchate of Miskolc for Catholics of Byzantine Rite to an Eparchy, establishing it as a suffragen of the Metropolitan See of Hajdúdorog, and has nominated Bishop Atanáz Orosz, who has been serving as Apostolic Exarch of Miskolc, as first Eparchal Bishop; and, Erected the Eparchy of Nyíregyháza for Catholics of Byzantine Rite, with territory taken from the Eparchy of Hajdúdorog, establishing it as a suffragen of the Metropolitan See of Hajdúdorog. Pope Francis has named Bishop Atanáz Orosz Apostolic Administrator sede...

( GGWB ) - In the early days of the Church it was not unusual for people to be simply chosen out of the community for whatever ministry it was felt they should exercise. St. Ambrose of Milan (Fourth Century) was not even baptized when chosen by acclamation to be Bishop of the city. The lives of the saints are full of stories of how men tried to avoid ordination, St. John Chrysostom being a very good example, fleeing to the hilly wilderness around Antioch in order to avoid being made a priest. We still have a relic of those days in our service of ordination, a deacon who is to be ordained priest is brought to the altar by a deacon and handed over to two priests who conduct him around the altar. Originally this was to stop him running away! In such a world there was no need for anything like a seminary. However, that does not mean that there was no education. St. John Chrysostom had the very best education of his day. Above all he was extremely well trained in Rhetoric, the highest of...

1. Be always with Christ. 2. Pray as you can, not as you want. 3. Have a keepable rule of prayer that you do by discipline. 4. Say the Lord’s Prayer several times a day. 5. Have a short prayer that you constantly repeat when your mind is not occupied with other things. 6. Make some prostrations when you pray. 7. Eat good foods in moderation. 8. Keep the Church’s fasting rules. 9. Spend some time in silence every day. 10. Do acts of mercy in secret. 11. Go to liturgical services regularly 12. Go to confession and communion regularly. 13. Do not engage intrusive thoughts and feelings. Cut them off at the start. 14. Reveal all your thoughts and feelings regularly to a trusted person. 15. Read the scriptures regularly. 16. Read good books a little at a time. 17. Cultivate communion with the saints. 18. Be an ordinary person. 19. Be polite with everyone. 20. Maintain cleanliness and order in your home. 21. Have a healthy, wholesome hobby. 22. Exercise regularly. 23. Li...

( OCA ) - Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko, Dean Emeritus of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, NY, and noted Orthodox Christian priest, theologian, preacher, and speaker, fell asleep in the Lord on the afternoon of March 18, 2015. Father Thomas was the beloved husband of Matushka Anne [Schmemann] Hopko. They were married on June 9, 1963. Together, Father Thomas and Anne are the parents of five children, sixteen grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Thomas John Hopko was born in Endicott, NY, on March 28, 1939, the third child and only son of John J. Hopko and Anna [Zapotocky] Hopko. He was baptized and raised in Saint Mary’s Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church and educated in Endicott public schools, graduating from Union-Endicott High School in 1956. Father Thomas graduated from Fordham University in 1960 with a bachelor’s degree in Russian studies. He graduated with a theological degree from Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Semin...

Are there already Antiochian missions in the Philippines? Yes. How about from Russia? Yes. The Philippines are not the explicit canonical territory of anyone. This is some rather scary wording for what to me seems a commonplace event. ( OMHKSEA ) - Dear Brethren in Christ I have been informed that a certain person whose name is Silouan Thompson came to Philippines and claims that he is an Orthodox cleric. As your Bishop and spiritual Father I wish to make known to all faithful members of the Church that the above-mentioned Silouan Thompson is not recognised by the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and South East Asia as a canonical Orthodox clergyman. Any priestly action that he performs is not recognised as valid. He was ordained as presbyter by a ROCOR Bishop in USA and was sent in Philippines without the Hierarchical permission of the local canonical Orthodox Bishop. This action violates the Sacred Canons. My beloved Brethren, Beware of all those who come to Philipp...

( Daily Mail ) - Turkey has been ordered to pay Cyprus a record £75 million for its 1974 invasion and the island's subsequent division. The European Court of Human Rights said the passage of time did not erase Turkey's responsibility in the case, ruling that the country must pay £24million to relatives of those missing in the operations. It also ordered Turkey to pay £50million for 'the enclaved Greek-Cypriot residents of the Karpas peninsula' - the northernmost tip of the Turkish Cypriot part of the island where hundreds of Greek Cypriots still live. Cyprus has been divided since Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state that was proclaimed in the north of the island. The European Court of Human Rights' judgement - which is the largest is has ever made - comes as the Turkish and Greek communities in Cyprus make new efforts to reunite the island. The court said it would be u...

( Patristic Nectar Publications ) - Perhaps the most unexamined aspect of contemporary urban life is driving the car. After working, sleeping, and entertainment driving consumes the greatest portion of our days. Car ownership is now the second most costly portion of modern life after housing. In this series entitled - Drive: How to Save Your Soul in Traffic - Fr Josiah examines the unexamined culture of driving the automobile. In four lectures: Car Crazy - The Rise of Automobile Dominance Car Vice - The Cardinal Sins of Driving Car Courtesy - How to Love Your Neighbor in the Other Car Car Time - How to Redeem It and Reduce Your Car Dependency The contours of Christian driving are set forth with the hope that driving might become both an opportunity for communion with God and less cathartic in our everyday lives.

( RFP Australia ) - The Coptic Orthodox Church will launch the Archangel Michael Monastery for Nuns in Melbourne on Saturday 14th March 2015. Led by returning Australian nuns Mother Antonia and Mother Nardin from Egypt, the Monastery is housed within newly renovated premises at the Diocese of Melbourne headquarters in Donvale. It offers weekend retreats where women can learn about their faith and spirituality and experience the blessing of monastic life. His Grace Bishop Suriel, Head of the Diocese of Melbourne and Affiliated Regions, and Bishop and Abbot of the monastery, made the announcement on the 15th anniversary as the spiritual leader of the Copts in Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, ACT, New Zealand and Fiji. “This new project for our community will be a source of joy and comfort to many. It is my humble gift to the clergy and congregation to announce this important spiritual monastery to serve females, young women in particular, and provide exce...

( ROCOR-EAD ) - Just over 250 years ago, Colonel Philip Ludwell III (1716-1767) made the first complete English translation of the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts . He was a Virginian plantation owner, who in 1738 travelled to England to be received into Holy Orthodoxy at the parish in London under the authority of the Holy Governing Synod of the Russian Church. His translation of The Divine & Holy Liturgy of St. Gregory the Dialogist as it is Performed without a Deacon was most probably made in the summer of 1761, when he had again travelled to London with his three daughters. They were received into the Church there before the Presanctified Liturgy of Holy Wednesday, 1762. Colonel Ludwell’s translation has recently been transcribed from the original handwritten text by Reader Nicholas Chapman and prepared for use with a deacon by Reader Peter Gardner. It has also been updated to conform to contemporary usage, and a short historical introduction added. This edit...

I was talking to a friend recently and he mentioned that he had a parishioner who was quite ardent about the fast and had very little patience for his wife. Specifically, she kept making him things for dinner that broke the Fast ("She keeps serving me fish with a backbone" is a line that sticks out in my mind.). What to do? If he backed the husband, the wife would be put on the spot. If he backed the wife, the husband would accuse the priest of being soft on the rules. As with many marriages, one of the couple was at a different place on an aspect of the faith as there is rarely perfect parity on such things. The wife in this instance is struggling with the Fast. I don't know why. It could be that she doesn't know how to cook with the limited choices of the Fast or she finds it too time consuming. It could be that she just can't imagine eating another bowl of black beans and bland rice. I've heard as many reasons why people find fasting difficult as I...

From Fr. Ted's Blog, a post entitled Getting Beyond All-or-Nothing Thinking ... Jesus told parables in which He taught us the values of the Kingdom of God. Such story-telling continued in the early church as is obvious in the sayings we have from the desert fathers. The stories are sometime counterintuitive, sometimes startling, and often give us a new perspective on how to understand our lives as disciples of Christ. The value of stories in Christian education is that they are didactic without having to be dogmatic. They show us that the desert fathers did not believe that Christianity could be taught or lived within some “one-size-fits-all” framework. People have differing abilities to understand and to carry out the Gospel commandments. While there are lessons that apply to everyone, and truths that all should abide by, these stories show that all-or-nothing zealotry is not part of the life of the fathers. “Some brothers visited Abba Anthony and they said to him: ...

Moscow, March 11 ( Interfax ) - The Simferopol and Crimean Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate has registered a new charter with the Russian Justice Ministry. Its status remains unchanged. "The Simferopol and Crimean Diocese remains part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. It continues reporting to the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church headed by the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine," the legal service of the Moscow Patriarchate said in a commentary posted on the website of the Russian Orthodox Church on Wednesday. The document says the powers of the administrative bodies of the diocese in Crimea (the ruling archbishop, the diocesan assembly, and the diocesan council) are determined by its charter and the charter on the administration of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which stays in effect in Crimea. The diocese says that the Justice Ministry on December 24, 2014 registered the final text of the charter of the Crimean diocese, whi...

Moscow, March 10 ( Interfax ) - The Center for Monitoring Orthodox Christians' Rights and Liberties in Europe has launched a website with support from the Moscow Patriarchate's representative office in the Council of Europe. The English-language website, Orthodoxrights.org , will carry information about violations of Orthodox Christians' rights and liberties in Europe, as well a special reports, according to the press service of the Russian Patriarchate's representative office in the Council of Europe. It said numerous abuses of the rights of Orthodox Christians of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church were reported in 2014, which were documented in a special report on Ukraine for 2014, posted on the website. The results of the work to be done will be provided to the Council of Europe's agencies and to the European public, which is expected to broaden and specify the agenda of the Orthodox churches' dialogue with European international organizations and to suppl...

You may have noticed that over the years I have been posting Jordanville's recorded talks. They are always thought provoking. There is also an irony immediately apparent for those who have been to the monastery that this is the only seminary in the US regularly putting out video content - there is the mental adaptation one has to make at places like St. Tikhon's and then there is the otherworldliness of Jordanville. Enjoy! Protopresbyter Peter Alban Heers is the founder and first to serve as editor of Divine Ascent, A Journal of Orthodox Faith , and the founder and current head of Uncut Mountain Press. He is the author of The Missionary Origins of Modern Ecumenism: Milestones Leading up to 1920 , as well as the translator of several books, including the Life of Elder Paisios and From I-ville to You-ville . Fr. Peter has a doctorate in Dogmatic Theology from the Theological School of the University of Thessalonica, where he has also completed is undergraduate studies and Mas...

( AFR ) - Following are two installments (morning and afternoon sessions) of the lecture delivered by Bishop Alexander (Golitzin) of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese at the annual Lenten Clergy Retreat sponsored by the Orthodox Christian Clergy Association of Greater Chicago, held at the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of New Gracanica on March 2-3, 2015. The topic was “What Is It a Priest Does That Is Not Done by Another?” A record number of clergy attended the intellectually inspiring and challenging retreat led by His Grace Bishop Alexander. Also included here is the homily His Grace delivered as the guest homilist at the Pan-Orthodox celebration of the Sunday of Orthodoxy at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Cicero, IL. What Is It a Priest Does That Is Not Done by Another?: Part 1 What Is It a Priest Does That Is Not Done by Another?: Part 2

This is a wide-ranging and incisive interview. America's loss is definitely Australia's gain. ( ROCOR ) - B efore Vladyka George traveled to Mt Athos as a monk, he had no knowledge of how Orthodox Christians of other jurisdictions lived. On the Holy Mountain, he lived among Greek monks and met Russian monastics of St Panteleimon Russian Monastery for the first time, and became familiar with Orthodox pilgrims from throughout the world. There he came to know the lofty monastic ways and spiritual life of the zealous men of prayer. “All this helped me consider many church questions and understand that church life isn’t black and white,” said Vladyka George. On October 7, 2014, the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia appointed Bishop George of Mayfield, until then a Vicar of the Eastern American Diocese, as the Vicar of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of ROCOR, of the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand and granted the title...

( OCMC ) - Mission Team Chicago was blessed to welcome His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Kenya, for their annual event to raise awareness and support for Orthodox missions. The evening banquet saw many people from many communities gather in fellowship and to learn about the Church in Kenya. His Eminence was grateful for the warm welcome and encouraged those in attendance to support the growing Church in Kenya through the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC). OCMC staff were able to hear firsthand from His Eminence what some of the needs are in Kenya when he visited the Mission Center in St. Augustine, Florida, following the event in Chicago. In His Eminence’s time with the staff, he spoke candidly about the difficulties that the Church in Kenya is facing in the wake of the global financial crisis. There are several important ministries active in Kenya right now, according to His Eminence, but none more vital than the seminary. The Makarios II...

This is an important document both because of its historical points as it is for the clarity of the Church of Russia's perspective on communing the faithful. Read it. You may well be surprised by some sections. ( Jordanville ) - On the Participation of the Faithful in the Eucharist Document approved at the Hierarchal Consultation of the Russian Orthodox Church, February 2–3, 2015 in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow The eucharist is the main Sacrament of the Church, instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ on the eve of his saving Passion, death upon the Cross, and resurrection. To participate in the eucharist and to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ is commanded by our Saviour who through his disciples said to all Christians: “Take, eat: this is My Body,” and “Drink of it, all of you: for this is My Blood of the New Testament” (Matt 26:26-28). The Church herself is the Body of Christ and, therefore, the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ visibly manifest...

UPDATE: A fund has been put together to help the family. Please go here and render what aid you can. From the blog Orthodox and Heterodoxy , the sad news that a family friend and good & faithful servant in the Lord's service has passed as the result of an automative incident. We just learned the very sad and shocking news that Fr. Matthew Baker, a promising, brilliant scholar and priest who has contributed a number of articles to this site and is the close friend of a number of us, passed away in a tragic car accident this evening while traveling home from his parish assignment in Connecticut. Complete post here .