Byzantine, Texas

As I do every year, I post the below beloved video. ( YouTube ) - The late Archbishop Job sings the 15th Antiphon at Matins for Great and Holy Friday 2009. This video almost didn't happen. We had wanted to record Vladika singing this antiphon for years, but he often refused to sing it out of humility. This year we managed to convince him to sing it, and I was miraculously able to video it. Little did we know it would also be the last time he would chant it at Holy Trinity.

( Christian Today ) - The water of the Trevi Fountain will be dyed red on April 29 to honour the Christians who have sacrificed their lives to proclaim their faith. The event, which is being organised by the group Aid the Church in Need, is intended to be "the start of a long lasting, concrete reaction everywhere so that the persecuted people of the 21st century can as soon as possible return to fully enjoying their natural right to religious freedom." The event will be attended by the Chaldean Catholic Bishop of Aleppo, Syria, Antoine Audo, and Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, the International President of Aid the Church in Need, who are expected to underscore the need to address systematic violations of religious freedom being experienced by Christians throughout the world. In his recent homily, Pope Francis recounted the sacrifices of martyrs and lamented that to this day, there are still those who are being targeted and persecuted for their faith. "It is the witne...

( UOC-USA ) - Faithful members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA gathered together with other Ukrainian community members at St. Andrew Memorial Church, South Bound Brook, NJ – part of the Church’s Metropolia Center – to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the worst nuclear disaster the world has known – the explosion of the Soviet era power plant located in Chornobyl, Ukraine. His Eminence Metropolitan Antony conducted a solemn memorial service along with clergy from the Center and neighboring parishes. Visiting clergy, St. Sophia Seminary students and members of the Memorial Church Choir graciously and beautifully sang the responses for the service.

( Youtube ) - This short film documents the friendship between Bono (lead musician of the band U2) and Eugene Peterson (author of contemporary-language Bible translation The Message) revolving around their common interest in the Psalms. Based on interviews conducted by Fuller Seminary faculty member David Taylor and produced in association with Fourth Line Films, the film highlights in particular a conversation on the Psalms that took place between Bono, Peterson, and Taylor at Peterson’s Montana home.

( HTS ) - In the Orthodox Church bishops are not only required to defend canons, but they are the ones who decide how and when to apply them. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary for Canon Law students to have an opportunity to meet with a proper canon law practitioner - a bishop. During the two hour-Skype seminar on April 13 with His Eminence Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen) students were able to learn about variety of pastoral questions related to canons, and not the least among them, "why do we need to study canons if at the end of the day a bishop will decide how to implement them?" The Seminary administration, course instructor Deacon Andrei Psarev, and the students of Canon Law thank His Eminence for making himself available to share his expertise with the future priests and lay leaders of the Russian Church Abroad.

( OCA-DEPA ) - Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre, PA invites all the clergy and parishioners of the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania to celebrate the feast day of St. Alexis Toth on May 6th-7th. Vespers will begin on Bright Friday, May 6th, at 6pm. On Bright Saturday, May 7th Divine Liturgy begins at 9:00 am followed by an inside festal picnic. To help in the preparations, please contact Fr. Timothy Cremeens at 570-202-0755 or dr.cremeens@ggsm.us if you are able to attend.

O Lord God, the woman who had fallen into many sins, having perceived Thy divinity received the rank of ointment-bearer, offering Thee spices before Thy burial wailing and crying: "Woe is me, for the love of adultery and sin hath given me a dark and lightless night; accept the fountains of my tears O Thou Who drawest the waters of the sea by the clouds incline Thou to the sigh of my heart O Thou Who didst bend the heavens by Thine inapprehensible condescension; I will kiss Thy pure feet and I will wipe them with my tresses. I will kiss Thy feet Whose tread when it fell on the ears of Eve in Paradise dismayed her so that she did hide herself because of fear. Who then shall examine the multitude of my sin and the depth of Thy judgment? Wherefore, O my Saviour and the Deliverer of my soul turn not away from Thy handmaiden O Thou of boundless mercy." Hymn of Kassiani Касијанина стихира Τροπάριο της Κασσιανής ترنيمة كاسياني

( HTM ) - Holy Transfiguration Monastery has just published a new website, www.tyoos.org , designed to make it easy to commemorate the Saints of the day, look up the Saints in a complete index for when their feast is celebrated, and read short lives of many of them. We intend to continue adding to it until we have provided lives or short accounts for all the Saints for whom we offer icons at www.bostonmonks.com . We have received many requests over the years to provide the life of the Saint with each icon, and this website has been designed to fulfill that request, besides being an aid to making the commemoration of the Saints a part of one’s daily spiritual life.

If you thought the Council was going to meet and promulgate some documents without pushback, you forgot about Mt. Athos. This is some bishops worst nightmare. The monks are not known for putting out polite, subtle, and irenic positions so expect this upcoming meeting to resound across Orthodoxy and receive no little media attention. ( Aktines ) - The Holy Monasteries of Mt. Athos have responded to the draft documents and methodology of the Pan Orthodox Council with sharp and pointed reactions . The Letters of Athonite Monasteries, sent to the Holy Community of Mt. Athos, have been released to the public. The letters were written in reaction to the Pan Orthodox documents sent to the Holy Monasteries by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. On account of the seriousness of the matter, it was unanimously decided that the texts prepared for approval by the Council be examined in a specially called Meeting of the Representatives and Abbots of the Holy Monasteries, scheduled to take place aft...

( AFR ) - Bobby Maddex interviews Nathan Jekel, the President of the Penn State Harrisburg chapter of OCF, about how to create a successful and invested chapter of Orthodox Christian Fellowship .

Let us truly love the Bridegroom, O brethren, and prepare our oil lamps to receive Him, and let us shine with virtues and the Orthodox faith, so that we may be prepared, like the sensible virgins, and enter the wedding feast together with the Master. For being God, the Bridegroom bestows on all a free gift, the crown that will perish not.

More videos from this series by the world-renowned iconographer Julia Bridget Hayes can be found here .

( OCA ) - All Saints Camp here will be the site of the first camping program for youth, ages nine through 19, with disabilities and their families—the Saint Nicholas Program—June 17-20, 2016. “We are delighted that the camp, which is being sponsored by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA’s [UOCUSA] Camping Ministry, is open to all Orthodox Christians,” said Andrew Boyd, Youth Director for the Orthodox Church in America. “We hope that those from OCA parishes for whom the camp will prove beneficial will take advantage of this excellent and unique opportunity.” According to Natalie Kapeluck Nixon, Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the UOCUSA, “We are thrilled to be offering this mini-camp to serve youth with disabilities and their families. Our hope is to provide the campers with a deeper experience with their faith at their level and a place for the parents and family to find rest and community. Our program directors, Father Vasyl Sendeha, and Tracy Galla are...

As the Council date draws closer, expect to see even more commentaries on it by different groups. Beyond the obvious journalists and blogs there have been Churches making their positions clear as well (the EP, the Russian Church, ROCOR, et al.). Now the Bulgarians have given their two cents. One recent commentator stated that some Churches are "out of touch" because they exist in traditionally Orthodox countries and lack the urbanity to understand how to engage the non-Orthodox world. There may well be an established lexicon from the World Council of Churches or from the bilateral commissions that litter the globe, but to my mind the Truth of Orthodoxy is as successfully preached by a Bulgarian cleric as by a pastor from New York City. ( Pravoslavie.ru ) - The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church announced on Thursday April 21 policy positions stemming from its recent meeting and pertaining to the upcoming Pan-Orthodox Council to be held on Crete in June, reports Th...

( UOC-USA ) - “Grant, O Lord, with the power of Your Cross release of His Holiness Abune Antonios, safety to the two kidnapped bishops, Mor Yuhanna and Mor Boulos, and protection to Your people from all danger. And as You were with Daniel in the lion’s den and with Jonah when he was swallowed by the fish, be O Lord with all Your faithful of the Middle East in this difficult time…” With the words of this opening prayer, the hierarchs of the Assembly of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America and hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches gathered on Thursday evening – 21 April 2016 at St. Gabriel Syriac Orthodox Church in Haworth, NJ for the Prayer Service for the safe return of the two kidnapped hierarchs from Aleppo – Metropolitan Paul Yazigi of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and Archbishop Mor Gregorios Yuhanna Ibrahim of the Syriac Orthodox Church and for all those suffering calamities in the Middle East. With the...

“‘My country, right or wrong,’ is a thing that no patriot would think of saying. It is like saying, ‘My mother, drunk or sober.’” - G. K. Chesterton, The Defendant (1901) The phrase (often abbreviated to "my country, right or wrong") dates back to early 19 th century America. Today it is used alternately as a tongue-in-cheek defense of something when it's obvious that things are not as they should be or as a straight-faced patriotic declaration. While this is commonly a political statement it is also a not atypical approach to the Church. Things like head-coverings, the appearance or lack of a litany, the practice of a service at a certain time or its complete non-existence, etc. etc. are commented on because there is a variance in practice across Orthodoxy. Two parishes across the street from one another proclaim the same faith, but are not uniform in their expressions of that faith in ways that catch the eye. And, while we speak of the beauty of the universal...

H/T: Dover Beach “Better a stupid and unlettered brother who, working the good things he knows, merits life in Heaven than one who though being distinguished for his learning in the Scriptures, or even holding the place of a doctor, lacks the bread of love.” – The Venerable Bede The man who has found love eats and drinks Christ every day and hour and so is made immortal. 'Whoever eats of this bread', He says, 'which I will give him, will never taste death.' Blessed is he who consumes the bread of love, which is Jesus! He who eats of love eats Christ, the God over all, as John bears witness, saying, 'God is love.' —St. Isaac of Syria

( RISU ) - The Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) today decided who will be the members of the delegation that will go to the Orthodox council in Greece, official web-page of the UOC (MP) informs. In particular, the participants of the Council will be: Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Onufry; Metropolitan of Odessa and Izmail Agafangel; Metropolitan of Luhansk and Alchevsk Mytrofan, Head of the Department for External Church Relations; Metropolitan of Brovary and Boryspil Anthony; Metropolitan Sergius of Ternopil and Kremenets. Pan-Orthodox council will take place on 18-27 of June on the Greek island of Crete.

( mospat.ru ) - At its session on April 16, 2016 in St. Petersburg, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church heard a report of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on his visit to Latin America (Minutes No. 2). Assessing the results of His Holiness’s meeting with Pope Francis of Rome, which took part during his visit and which resulted in signing a Joint Statement, the Holy Synod made special reference to the leaders’ statement that “the past method of ‘uniatism’ understood as the union of one community to the other, separating it from its Church, is not the way to re–establish unity”. At the same time, the Holy Synod expressed regret at the reaction of the leaders of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church to these words and the statement as a whole. The Holy Synod stressed that unia remains a running sore in the Orthodox-Catholic relations and supported the call to reconciliation between the Orthodox and the Creek Catholics in Ukraine and to a search for mut...

Coptic Pope Tawadros II on being open to prayer that isn't tied to any one place or season or people.

Longtime readers will be familiar with this blog's occasional posts on parishes I've visited. Today we spotlight a parish I have not visited, but one that is doing important work in the "Heartland." - Annunciation of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Christian Mission in St. James, MO. It's amazing to me the dedication our young men and their families have to the God and His Church that they would go from seminary to start fresh many miles from an established parish. By all accounts (and from the video below) they look to be doing quite well. I, of course, hope some of you readers could send your prayers their way for continued growth and, if you can, donate to this mission effort.

The Russian Church didn't pick a shrinking violet to name a medal after. This is a rather strong message to send for sure. ( mospat.ru ) - The medal of St. Mark of Ephesus was instituted on 6 April 2016 with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia as an award of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR). St. Mark of Ephesus, an outstanding defender of Orthodoxy, is an example to the DECR, the eldest Synodal institution of the Russian Orthodox Church. The year 2016 marks the 70th anniversary of the DECR. The medal will be awarded to the ordained and secular persons for achievements in external church activities; for cooperation between the church and secular authorities in international activity; for upholding consent and civil peace in society; for considerable contribution to the inter-Orthodox cooperation; for support of the compatriots living abroad; for contribution to the strengthening of peace and friendship a...

New York ( GOARCH ) – The Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America convened for its regular spring meeting at the Synodal Chamber of the Archdiocesan headquarters in New York on April 13th and 14th 2016. His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Geron of America presided at the meeting with the participation of the Members of the Synod. The Synod deliberated extensively on many matters including the following: 1. Discussed administrative matters related to parishes and took the appropriate decisions. 2. Supported the continuation of the Special Education Program for Deacons and recommended that a Special Educational Program for laymen be implemented concurrently, especially for people involved in church ministries i.e., youth advisors, Sunday School teachers, Parish Councils etc. 3. Discussed disciplinary matters related to clergy and took appropriate decisions for each case. 4. The Synod also discussed the convening of the Holy and Great Synod, which will ...

( OCA-DOS ) - The Diocesan Council approved unanimously the formation of the Mississippi River Deanery at the Diocesan Council Meeting of June 27th, 2015 and the Metropolitan, as Locum Tenens, approved this. Rev. Jason Foster is the dean of the Mississippi River Deanery. The parishes that will now be listed as Mississippi River Deanery are the following: St Matthew the Apostle Mission [Baton Rouge. LA] Nativity of the Lord Mission [Boosier City, LA] Holy Resurrection Church [Clinton, MS] Sts George and Alexandra Mission [Ft Smith, AR] Christ the Savior Mission [McComb, MS] St Seraphim Church [Memphis, TN] St John of Chicago Mission [Rogers, AR] St John of Damascus Mission [Tyler, TX]

( EP ) - We, Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, have met on the Greek island of Lesvos to demonstrate our profound concern for the tragic situation of the numerous refugees, migrants and asylum seekers who have come to Europe fleeing from situations of conflict and, in many cases, daily threats to their survival. World opinion cannot ignore the colossal humanitarian crisis created by the spread of violence and armed conflict, the persecution and displacement of religious and ethnic minorities, and the uprooting of families from their homes, in violation of their human dignity and their fundamental human rights and freedoms. The tragedy of forced migration and displacement affects millions, and is fundamentally a crisis of humanity, calling for a response of solidarity, compassion, generosity and an immediate practical commitment of resources. From Lesvos, we appeal to the international community to respond with coura...

In online forums a little bit of knowledge is an often dangerous thing.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." ... so Matthew tells us. That Jesus is "divisive" as the superintendent says should surprise no one. As dangerous as our Lord is, it seems odd that the school system would be opposed to these picnics over a bunch of kids eating food that is state or federally subsidized, having relations in the parking lot with other high school students, or doing drugs behind the gym. No. These kids are praying with o...

Important addition and one I'll be using on Sunday. I wish these sort of things got Assembly of Bishops dissemination as well; the family that prays together stays together. :) ( ROCOR-WAD ) - With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill a special petition for the well-being of persecuted Orthodox Christians is to be raised up throughout the Western American Diocese. The petition (PDF), composed by His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany, is a supplication to our Lord God that He would protect the Holy City of Jerusalem, the land of Kosovo-Metohija, Syria, other places throughout the Near East, and in the Ukrainian lands; that all His faithful children, their holy places and homes may be preserved from harm and destruction. This prayer is inserted into the Augmented Litany at the Divine Liturgy.

The earlier version of these books is great. I'm glad to see those very dated covers are getting a refresh. Easy to find in the bookshelf, but very technicolor. ( OCA ) - The complete revised text of the four volume “The Orthodox Faith” series by the late Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko is now available on-line. The revised and expanded text was released by Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Press on March 18, 2016—the first anniversary of Father Thomas’ repose. Revisions include combining the expanded “Bible” section—part of Volume Three, originally known as “Bible and Church History”—with Volume One, formerly titled “Doctrine.” The new Volume One is titled “Doctrine and Scripture”, while Volume Three—“Church History”—has been greatly revised and expanded by Dr. David C. Ford, Professor of Church History at Saint Tikhon’s Seminary. The revised Volumes Two and Four—“Worship” and “Spirituality”—also feature revisions. All four volumes now include listings of additional resources and...

( OAJ ) - A New Icon of St. Mary of Egypt and St. Zosimas: Notes on Form & Symbolism by Fr. Silouan Justiniano. In thee, O Mother, was exactly preserved what was according to the divine image. For thou didst take the cross and follow Christ, and by thy life, didst teach us to ignore the flesh, since it is transitory, but to care for the soul since it is immortal. Wherefore O our righteous mother Mary, thy spirit rejoices with the angels. - Troparion, Tone 8 Believe it or not Great Lent is almost over and the 5th Sunday of the Fast, which commemorates St. Mary of Egypt, is just around the corner. It goes without saying that in many ways this Fast has been difficult. Yet, without a doubt, with the struggle have come many blessings, not the least of which was completing an icon of St. Mary of Egypt for Holy Ascension Orthodox Church in Mt. Pleasant, SC. I was fortunate not only to have been given the honor of painting the icon, but of also to have great freedom in the con...

Yesterday ROCOR released this communication (PDF). It addresses many of the concerns I have been reading online and hearing about in talks with friends. Give it a read and comment if so inclined. With lines like "... all these things mean that any documents which are approved at this council may indeed have “a pan-Orthodox authority” (art. 13.ii), but this authority can be neither dogmatic nor doctrinal, but will represent only the authority of the voices of those hierarchs permitted by such regulations to be present, speak, and have a vote." I expect there will be some commentary forthcoming. ( ROCOR ) - To the Very Reverend and Reverend Clergy, Venerable Monastics and Pious Faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia: In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! In light of the welcome publication of the documents to be considered by the forthcoming Pan-Orthodox Council, scheduled to take place on Crete from 16-27 June 2016, the Holy Synod ...

( OCA ) - During the week of March 26-April 2, 2016, the Mexico Mission Team cosponsored by the Orthodox Church in America and the Orthodox Christian Mission Center visited the indigenous Orthodox Christian Aztec communities in San Esteban, Hidalgo and Pisaflores in Veracruz.

What a boon for the wives of St. Vlad's students to get to speak with an important contributor to Anglophone Orthodoxy publications. We can safely categorize our seminaries' approach to their wives as "uneven." Some have regular programs for them while others have absolutely none. Some integrate the children into events while others won't even let them on the grounds. It's a difficult road to walk in wanting to involve women in seminary activities without putting undo burdens on them when they are already often encumbered by few (if any) support structures and all-too-common impecuniousness. I know my wife struggled to find a place in the swing of seminary activities and her eventual role after seminary of cantor, church decorator, cross festooner, potluck organizer, and church youth drag rider . It's an unfair expectation when no instruction is given and it's never a paid position. Kudos to St. Vlad's. ( SVOTS ) - Over the course of two Monday e...

The official title of this post is fabulous. "After 12 Years Of Quarterly Church Attendance, Parents Shocked By Daughter’s Lack Of Faith" encapsulates a very common perception among our parents. That because they have faith that it will simply be transplanted to their children by occasional contact with the Church. The childhood years are when the parents supply the fertile soil for their children to become deeply rooted in the Faith. If their children fail to flower into faithful Christians in adulthood, we can often point to irregular church attendance and a spotty prayer life as a family at home as the source of malnourishment. Fullerton, CA ( Babylon Bee ) — Local father Trevor Michelson, 48, and his wife Kerri, 45, are reeling after discovering that after 12 years of steadily taking their daughter Janie to church every Sunday they didn’t have a more pressing sporting commitment—which was at least once every three months—she no longer demonstrates the strong quarter...

( Christian Post ) - King Abdullah of Jordan, a direct descendant of the Islamic prophet of Muhammad, has offered to help pay for a multi-million dollar restoration project on one of Christianity's most sacred sites. A letter sent from the Royal Hashemite Court to Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox patriarch in Jerusalem, confirms that Abdullah has agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to help with the $3.4 million project on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, located in Jerusalem's Old City. The church is believed by many Christian denominations, such as the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Orthodox, to be the site where Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected. Along with serving as a major source of unity for the Christian faith, it also serves as a site of great division as six Christian denominations hold prayers inside the church, one after the other. Jordan's King Abdullah(Photo: Reuters/Muhammad Hamed)Jordan's King Abdullah (front, R) bids f...

( Antiochian.org ) - On Monday, April 4, 2016, His Eminence, Metropolitan Joseph attended a meeting of CAMECT (Christian Arab and Middle Eastern Churches Together) at the Armenian Orthodox Prelacy in New York. His Eminence was accompanied by the Archdiocese Vicar General, Archpriest Thomas Zain. Nearly all of the various churches with their roots in the Middle East were represented by their respective hierarchs or a representative. There were two main items on the agenda for the spring meeting. The first was a dialogue with the New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner, William Bratten. This was a very welcomed and enlightening dialogue as it was the first time such a meeting has taken place with the leaders of the NYPD and the New York Middle Eastern Christian community. Both sides agreed to further the dialogue in the months to come. Other representatives of the NYPD from the Arab-American community were present and gave their input on how both groups can work together to ...

( Sofia Globe ) - Plans are for Roman Catholic church head Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartolomeos and the head of the Greek Church, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Hieronymus, together to visit refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos. This emerged after a meeting on April 5 of the Holy Synod, the governing body of the Church of Greece, over which Hieronymus presided. Hieronymus told the Synod that Pope Francis had expressed a desire to visit Greece, to build awareness among the international community of the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities in the wider Mediterranean area and in the Middle East that were strongly affecting Christian communities, but also had led to a major humanitarian crisis for desperate refugees seeking a better future in Europe. A Greek Church statement said that the Holy Synod had accepted the proposal for the Pope to visit an Aegean island because it would be a one-day, non-protocol and “clear humanitarian and symbolic visit”. Th...

( Pappas Post ) - A decade-long spat between a deposed Patriarch and a current Patriarch in the Holy Lands appears to have ended, with the two embracing at a recent service in Jerusalem. Newspapers in Israel called a hug between Irineos, the ex-Patriarch and Theophilos, the current Patriarch, a “dramatic reconciliation” that brought one man who once held one of the most prominent positions in all of Orthodoxy out of solitary confinement. The intriguing feud— not at all becoming of high-ranking Orthodox clerics in the holiest Christian place on the planet, began more than a decade ago with the election of Patriarch Irineos in 2004. Irineos was elected Patriarch of Jerusalem— one of the Five Ancient Patriarchates of the Orthodox Church— in 2001. Shortly after his installment, an ugly public scandal broke out and he was accused of advancing real estate deals with a far-right Israeli settler organization called Ateret Cohanim. This didn’t bode well with the majority of the Orthodo...

( MOSPAT-USA ) - On Monday, April 4, a meeting was held in the Administrative Center of the Orthodox Church in America between the Primate of the OCA, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of all America and Canada and the Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, His Grace Bishop John of Naro-Fominsk. During the meeting, the Metropolitan Tikhon and Bishop John discussed the work of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA, the upcoming Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church, and as well as church ministry in the United States. Participating in the meeting along with the hierarchs was Protopresbyter Leonid Kishkovsky, Director of the OCA Department of External Affairs; OCA Chancellor, Archpriest John Jillions and OCA Secretary Archpriest Eric Tosi.

“Nobody is lazy in commemorating his own parents; but it is also necessary to commemorate all Orthodox Christians, and not only on this day, but at all times, in every prayer. We ourselves will be there, and will need this prayer like a poor person needs a piece of bread and a glass of water. Remember that prayer for those who have passed away is strong through its communality, in that it comes from the entire Church. The Church breathes prayer. Just as it is in nature, when during pregnancy a mother breathes and the strength she receives from this breath passes on to the child, so also in the order of grace, the Church breathes a prayer which is shared by all, and the power of the prayer passes on to those who have passed away, held in the bosom of the Church, which is made up of the living and the dead, the militant and the triumphant. Do not be lazy—zealously commemorate all of our departed fathers and brothers whenever you pray. It will be your alms for them.”