Byzantine, Texas

This communique is long, but there is some meat here worth chewing on. ( spc.rs ) - The regular meeting of the Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church began at the Patriarchate of Pec monastery with the joint serving of the holy hierarchical Divine Liturgy and the invocation of the Holy Spirit and continued in Prizren with the rite of consecration of the renovated Prizren Seminary. Afterward, all regular meetings, under the presidency of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej, were held in Belgrade. Participating in the Assembly were all diocesan hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church with the exception of Bishop Lavrentije of Sabac who, out of justifiable reasons, was not able to attend. The most important theme of this year’s Assembly was preparation of the Serbian Orthodox Church to take part in the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, to meet this June in Crete. Regarding this forthcoming pan Orthodox Council, the Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Ort...

( mospat.ru ) - On May 28, 2016, His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, who is on a pilgrimage to Holy Mount Athos, visited the Old Roussik hermitage, the second monastery after Xilourgu to be founded by Russian monks on Athos. From 2012 to 2016, the Old Roussik has been under complex restoration. Patriarch Kirill consecrated a church dedicated to St. Panteleimon and celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the newly-consecrated church. He was assisted by a great assembly of bishops, abbots and priests. Present in the church was A. Beglov, Presidential Envoy in Central Russia and head of the Presidential working group for preparing the celebrations to mark the millennium of the Russian presence on Mount Athos, and Mr. B. Legoida, head of the synodal department for the Church’s relations with society and mass media. After the Prayer of Fervent Supplication, Patriarch Kirill lifted up a prayer for peace in Ukraine. Prayers were also said for the repose of the soul o...

( Antiochian Patriarchate ) - The Holy Antiochian Orthodox synod, was held and presided by His Beatitude John X in its seventh extraordinary session, from May 25 to 27-2016 at Balamand. After praying and invoking the Holy Spirit, the fathers of the synod discussed the social and pastoral situation of the church in most of the archdioceses of the orthodox church of Antioch resulting from the current situation of fighting and violence, besides the migration of many people and the worsening of the social and economic situations under which many people have undermined due to war and fighting. The holy fathers decided to intensify the pastoral work for the sake of strengthening the faithful and sustaining them in their land, as much as possible. They also emphasized the necessity of activating the developmental and humanitarian work basically carried out by the orthodox patriarchate, besides the archdioceses so as to reach as many in need as possible, and to console them. They also ca...

Where once the government attempted to completely stomp out religion, the seeds of martyrdom have sprouted and now the Russian Church boasts membership second only to the Catholic Church. Moscow, May 27 ( Interfax ) - Orthodox world unites over 300 million believers, over half of them are believers of the Russian Church, head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk reports. "As to the number of believers it (the Russian Church - IF) holds the second place in the world after the Roman Catholic Church. The Russian Orthodox Church has 193 dioceses, 354 hierarchs, about 35,000 churches, about the same number of priests, almost 5,000 deacons," the hierarch said speaking before chairs, lecturers and cadets of the Military University at the Russian Defense Ministry. He told that since 1988, when the 1000-year anniversary of Russia's Baptism was celebrated, the Moscow Patriarchate opened a thousand churches a year, which...

( mospat.ru ) - His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia began his pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain of Athos on May 27, 2016. Meeting the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church at Thessaloniki Macedonia international airport were Metropolitan Nikodimos of Kassandreia; Russian Consul General in Thessaloniki Mr.Alexei Popov; Greek deputy minister of foreign affairs Mr. Ioannis Amanatidis; minister for Macedonia and Thrace Ms. Maria Kollia-Tsaroucha; and the representative of the ministry of foreign affairs in Northern Greece Mr. Ioannis Vikilidis. Among those meeting His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at Daphne sea port in Athos were the Governor of Athos Mr. Aristos Kasmiroglou; representatives of the Holy Kinot, hieromonks Pavlos and Hieronimos; and Mr. Alexander Beglov, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy in the Central Federal District and head of the Presidential working group on the preparation of celebrations marking the millennium of Russian monasticism on Mt. Athos....

What are they doing at the Holy and Great Council and when? Here is the master schedule. I've trimmed out the journalist access comments as they are a tad repetitive. In essence, they say no press will be in the meetings themselves, some press will be at church services, and all press will be at the regular press conferences. Master Schedule for Great and Holy Council in Crete Wednesday, June 15 14:00 - Arrival of His All Holiness The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Chania Airport 17:00 - Vespers at Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery Orthodox Academy of Crete in Kolymbari, Chania Thursday, June 16 09:00-16:00 - Arrival of Primates of the 13 Autocephalous Orthodox Churches Schedules to be announced. Shania Airport Friday, June 17 9:00 - Small Synaxis of the Primates of the 14 Autocephalous Orthodox Churches Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery Orthodox Academy of Crete 9:30-17:30 - Deliberations Orthodox Academy of Crete Saturday, June 18 - Sat...

( SOC-WAD ) - His Grace the Right Reverend Irinej (Dobrijevic) is the new diocesan bishop of the Eastern American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Congratulations! Axios! He is worthy!

O God of spirits and of all flesh, Who hast trampled down death and overthrown the Devil, and given life to Thy world, do Thou, the same Lord, give rest to the souls of Thy departed servants in a place of brightness, a place of refreshment, a place of repose, where all sickness, sighing, and sorrow have fled away. Pardon every transgression which they have committed, whether by word or deed or thought. For Thou art a good God and lovest mankind; because there is no man who lives yet does not sin, for Thou only art without sin, Thy righteousness is to all eternity, and Thy word is truth. For Thou are the Resurrection, the Life, and the Repose of Thy servants who have fallen asleep, O Christ our God, and unto Thee we ascribe glory, together with Thy Father, who is from everlasting, and Thine all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever unto ages of ages. Amen.

Whether you be a full-throated supporter or an unabashed detractor, I believe we can both pray that God's will be done in the upcoming Holy and Great Council in Crete. Adapted from the trebnik's " Prayer for a Church Sobor " (PDF) via orthodox.net: O Lord Jesus Christ our God, send down upon the bishops, clergy, and all those gathered in Thy name the grace of Thy Holy Spirit, for good and profitable counsel unto the benefit of all, and unto the confirmation of the Orthodox Catholic faith and piety, the good order of the Church. Enlighten their minds with the light of His Divine understanding and truth, and make clear their lips and tongue, that they may counsel, proclaim and order all things unto the greater glory of His holy name. May their actions be for the edification of the faithful people, the furtherance of good morals, and the uprooting and extermination of every heresy, disorder and wickedness, and do all things perfectly by the power and action an...

Raise your hand if you agree on both of these rubricated points as settled matters. ( GOARCH ) - For the next fourteen days, we'll be profiling the autocephalous Orthodox churches that comprise the Holy and Great Council. The first profile is of the Ecumenical Patriarchate which was established by Saint Andrew the Apostle in 37 A.D. Its primate is His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who has the status of primus inter pares (“first among equals”) among Orthodox bishops. The ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate includes Constantinople, Asia Minor, Mount Athos, Crete, northern Greece and the Dodecanese. According to the canons of the Church, all regions beyond the official ecclesial boundaries of each local autocephalous Church come under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, including, inter alia, North and South America, Western Europe, Asia, and Australia. It is one of the five ancient patriarchates, which also include Alexandria, A...

( Christian Today ) - The first new Syriac church for nearly a century is to be built in Turkey. St Mary's will be the first new church for Turkey's growing Syriac Orthodox Christian community since the republic was founded in 1922, the Turkish news website Agos reported. The church, to be built in Yesilköy suburb, Istanbul, will seat 750 worshippers and will cater to a community of around 17,000 Syriac Christians living in and near the Bakırköy area, many of them refugees from the fighting led by Islamic State and other terror groups in the Middle East. Plans for the church were announced earlier this year. Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality gave planning permission for building work to begin a few days ago and the church design will be similar to that of some of the ancient churches in Mardin province, with some contemporary features. Sait Susin, chair of the Syriac Virgin Mary Church Foundation, said he expected it would take about six months to complete. Land has ...

I again apologize for the machine translation. (Amen) - Towards the People will approach the Church with special text will be read at the country's temples and distributed to the faithful after next Sunday the Church will provide the coded proposals to be convened Holy Synod of the Orthodox. For two days the Hierarchy in extraordinary sessions brought forward a long list eisigyseon, corrections, modifications and changes in the six versions of the agenda of the Pan-Orthodox Synod. According to the decision of the Hierarchy and after study on a case of these proposals went further processed and additions. Further consolidation of these presentations will be made by the Permanent Holy Synod will meet next week to the final text to be read to the people and sent to the Inter-Orthodox Secretariat of the Holy and Great Council and supported by Archbishop Hieronymus in Agia meetings and Great Synod. It follows the release of the Holy Synod He met on Wednesday, May 25, 2016...

As the Council date approaches the patriarchates are continuing to meet and send out press releases. It's interesting to see what conciliar topics have sparked interest for each patriarchate. You will notice that these topical pronouncements distributed ahead of the Council are not receiving a rubber stamp treatment; with responses ranging from "more discussion needed" to "completely unacceptable." I apologize for the machine translation. ( Georgian Patriarchate ) - May 25, 2016, the Patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church of St. The next session of the Synod. The meeting was chaired by the Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II. Appointed secretary of Senaki and Metropolitan Shio (Mujiri). Church members greeted the Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II and congratulated the nation regained its independence. There was also marked by two sad case, which occurred in recent days. This is an IDP from Gali district resident George Otkhozoria horrific killing of the villag...

You'll note that the response to the hedonistic "My body. My choices." people was to deface the advertisements and defame the people trying to provide a holistic and consequences-observant approach the marital act. Do you think our youth get more from hanging out with porn stars and learning about sex toys or from crisis pregnancy resources and rape prevention experts? Who is really helping them? ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, May 10, 2016 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Disgusted by the growing trend on university campuses of holding an annual “Sex Week” one student at the University of New Mexico decided to respond proactively this year. UNM Students For Life president Sade Patterson was outraged after two years of watching UNM’s “SexUality Week” glorify self-destructive promiscuity and other perversions. "The pattern of objectification and a lack of responsibility became evident," Patterson wrote in The College Fix. "It was clear organizers had an agenda: teach my ...

( Gospel Herald ) - For the children of Syria, divine intervention is their only hope for peace to their homeland. Concrete actions, not words of support from the international community is the other cry of aid workers and doctors to protect them from deadly attacks. Hundreds of Orthodox and Catholic children across Syria will be joining the prayer gatherings and processions to take place in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Tartus and Marmarita on June 1 to mark the International Children's Day. "Look upon the tears of the children; dry the tears of the mothers; let the cries of grief at last fall silent!" Syrian Catholic and Orthodox Patriarchs said in a joint statement. In Istanbul, the head of the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organization told delegates at the second day of the World Humanitarian Summit that aid workers and doctors need protection from the deadly attacks, and aid should reach those most in need. "Being a doctor inside Syria means waiting for d...

Over at the blog Notes on Arab Orthodoxy there is a post entitled Met Saba (Esber) on the Orthodox "Diaspora." It is well worth reading both because it is timely (the Council in Crete fast approaching) and of direct relevance to most of the readers as "diasporites." It seems, during the course of work on the Great Orthodox Council, that the issue of the "diaspora" will be the most important, in the sense that there is no issue more important than it. Due to serious disagreements that currently exist between the Orthodox Churches, mostly due to historical factors, the other working papers, most of which have been agreed upon, were formulated according to the lowest common denominator of agreement and not at the level hoped for by the people of God. The issue of the "diaspora," however, has remained urgent because it is thorny, multi-dimensional and has an inherent relationship to the Mother Churches. In addition to the theological and ecclesio...

Note that this meeting follows the model used by the Russian Church for other commissions. They will work together where they have mutual interest and shared values and will cooperate on scholarly efforts. The long term goal of these talks is of course communion, but that's not the emphasis of these talks or with others (Catholics, Anglicans, Oriental Orthodox). The immediate goal of these talks is to work together against Christianophobia, persecution, and aggressive secularization. ( mospat.ru ) - On 18 May 2016, the first meeting of the Commission for Dialogue Between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Assyrian Church of the East took place at the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations. During the visit of the Primate of the Assyrian Church of the East to Russia on May 26 – June 9, 2014, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and His Holiness Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Dinkha IV reached an agreement on the establishment of the Commi...

I'll publish the meeting notes here as soon as they become available.

( Romanian Patriarchate ) - Metropolitan Rastislav began Friday, 13 May 2016, his first irenic visit to the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, as Primate of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, the Press Office of the Ecumenical Patriarchate reported. The official reception of the delegation of the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia took place the following day in the Throne Hall of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, in the presence of His Holiness Bartholomew and other hierarchs of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople.

( mospat.ru ) - ‘The contradictions between the Orthodox Church and the Protestant communities that consistently distort the Church’s teaching to accommodate modern secular standards are intensifying,’ Metropolitan Hilarion said and added that the Moscow Patriarchate was still open to cooperation with representatives of the conservative circles of the Protestant world who remain faithful to the moral teaching of the Gospel and to traditions of the bilateral dialogue.

( Youtube ) - His Holiness Orthodox Metropolitan of Sofia and Bulgarian Patriarch Neophite with his brother bishops received respected Orthodox anti-ecumenism schoolars from Greece, led by Archpriest Theodore Zissis, the Patrologist and Honored Professor at Aristotle's Academy in Thessaloniki. The Church delegation was sent by Greek Metropolitan of Piraeus Seraphim.

"Now, give me a word, any word..." I'm a lover of the English language. Rarely does a day go by that I don't open up some etymology book or web page to find out where a word came from. My children are the sad recipients of my logophilic obsession. I am reminded of Mr. Portokalos from My Big Fat Greek Wedding... Every morning, my dad would lecture us on the "history of our people... the great civilization, the Greeks." Mr. Portokalos: Now, give me a word... any word... and I show you, how the root of that word... is Greek. Toula: Sweet Lord, again. Mr. Portokalos: How about "arachnophobia"? "Arachna," that comes from the Greek word for spider... and "phobia" is a phobia, it means "fear." So, "fear of spiders." There you go. Girl in backseat: Okay, Mr. Portokalos, how about the word "kimono"? Mr. Portokalos: "Kimono." Good one... Kimono, kimono... Of course, "kimono...

As even so-called mainline denominations have begun reformulating the Baptismal formula rebaptism will become the norm for accepting converts. ( The Telegraph ) - For centuries the key Christian sacraments of baptism and communion have symbolised people coming together in one place. But under potentially radical plans being considered by the Church of Scotland, the rites could be administered online for the first time in a move to redefine the idea of a congregation in the internet age. The suggestion, to be debated by members of the Kirk’s decision-making General Assembly which meets in Edinburgh next week, stems from initiatives such as streaming services to enable housebound parishioners to join in despite being unable to be physically present. A paper presented to members of the General Assembly drafted by the Church’s Legal Questions Committee suggests re-examining issues such as voting rights at congregational meetings to people joining remotely. But it goes on to argu...

As promised some months back, I received a copy of this book and the below is a review of Come, Let Us Attend . It's a tidy little book that you could read in a few sittings, but I think for its intended audience it will also serve as a reference text to open up after having attended few Divine Liturgies to answer questions as they arise. Come, Let us Worship is a small book (some 134 pages with the appendices and glossary thrown in) is not quite what I expected. I thought it was going to join that legion of texts that tell you what the priest or the choir or the people are doing at certain times during the Divine Liturgy. This certainly does that, but is also provides the Orthodox "optics" for what is going on. You aren't being given information as a narrator might deliver it, but as someone who is trying to instruct the reader in how an Orthodox person thinks. "When an Orthodox Christian places his first priority on the remembrance of God, he begins the ...

Anyone want to help me make a list of things Orthodox Americans do that Orthodox in the "old country" don't do? Here is what I have collected so far. This isn't meant to denigrate, just compare. 1. Sit on the floor during homilies - especially in vestments. 2. Complain about "too much incense." 3. Do they bless parish councils anywhere else? 4. Take pictures during services. Just kidding. 5. Hold hands or kiss or hug during the passing of the peace. 6. Children's sermons. 7. Annual food festivals. 8. Friday fish fries. 9. The numerous church-based clubs. 10. The multilingual Pascha experience. 11. Coffee hour/potlucks. 12. Fundraising golf tournaments. 13. Pan-Orthodox vespers. 14. Parish councils and the dreaded parish council meetings. 15. Colorful choir outfits. 16. Sunday school. 17. "Mission" vespers. 18. Stewardship/pledge cards. 19. Parish bulletins / handouts. 20. Pew books. P.S. If you've seen one of these in a...

( spc.rs ) - His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch, officiated the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy with the conciliar concelebration of the hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church at the Patriarchate of Pec on 14 May 2016. They all gathered on the occasion of the beginning of the regular session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

( Orthodox Council ) - The Convening of the Holy and Great Council of worldwide Orthodox Christianity – the first in over one thousand years, is a sign of hope and reassurance for not only Orthodox Christians, but for all people of faith around the globe. The remarkable and relentless pursuit of this Spirit-filled event is a signature characteristic of the life, mission and leadership of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. In convening the Great and Holy Council this June, during the holy celebrations of Pentecost, His All-Holiness is bringing to fulfillment the vision of his two predecessors, Athenagoras and Demetrios, both of blessed memory. But more than the completion of a more than fifty-year dream, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has transformed the process beyond the mere structural process of the last fifty years, by adapting to the radically changed reality of Orthodoxy in the 21st Century. When the road to the Holy and Great Council was embarked upon...

As the Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said today "the president can keep his 30 pieces of silver." The state of Texas uses federal funds (that the president is threatening to withhold) to provide free meals to the state's poor children. These children with gender identity issues need mental health services, not encouragement. WASHINGTON ( NYTimes ) - The Obama administration is planning to issue a sweeping directive telling every public school district in the country to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms that match their gender identity. A letter to school districts will go out Friday, adding to a highly charged debate over transgender rights in the middle of the administration’s legal fight with North Carolina over the issue. The declaration — signed by Justice and Education department officials — will describe what schools should do to ensure that none of their students are discriminated against. It does not have the force of law, but it contains an implicit ...

You may be thinking, "Oh, great. Another post on the Paschal calendar. How boring." Actually, this is a rather fiery take on the topic from the perspective of the Malankara Orthodox Church (Oriental Orthodox). ( Orthodox Herald ) - Christos Aneste! Alithos Aneste!! Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!! We Wish You a Very Blessed and Joyful Pascha! As we enter this Paschal Season of 2016, we intend to take the attention of our readers not to the most mystifying historical and theological truth of the Resurrection of our Lord from the dead as we used to do in the past, but to the controversy of the actual date of the Easter/ Pascha. Very often the average Christian does not worry about the date of Pascha nor is he exposed to the different approaches to decide the date of Pascha. Even if the topic is brought for discussion our Orthodox Christians react indifferently. “It does not matter; the most important concern is that the Pascha is celebrated regardless of the d...