Byzantine, Texas

( mospat.ru ) - On 26 August 2016, at the Patriarchal and Synodal Residence in St Daniel’s Monastery, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with His Beatitude Metropolitan Rastislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, who is paying an official visit to the Russian Orthodox Church. Representing the Russian Church at the meeting were Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; Bishop Tikhon of Podolsk; archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DECR vice-chairman; archpriest Nikolai Lischenyuk, rector of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Representation in Karlovy Vary; and archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR Secretary for Inter-Orthodox Relations. Among those who took part in the meeting were also members of the delegation of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia: Archbishop Michal of Prague; Archbishop Juraj of Michalovce and Košice; Archimandrite Seraphim (Shemyatovsky), rector of the Representa...

It should not be a surprise, with the advent of the new Divine Liturgy texts approved by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, that the peoples' side of things will change as well. Some of these changes themselves will be surprising though. I have no idea how immediately or uniformly these changes will be implemented. ( SE Fed. of Greek Orthodox Choirs & Musicians ) - The following is a message of information from Maria Keritsis, National Chairman of the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians: Changes in the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostomos The Holy Eparchial Synod of our Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, with the approval of the Holy Ecumenical Patriarchate, has recently completed and published a new Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in both Greek and English. This new translation also includes changes to the Liturgy that will impact the responses during the liturgy offered by chanters and choirs. To assist the parishes of our Archdiocese with the transi...

BELGRADE ( inSerbia ) – Road blocks, savage orgies of Albanians, shouts of hatred and threats of burning, rocks, tear gas and an attack on the car of the deputy director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Dusan Kozarev – marked the attempts by Serbs in several towns in Kosovo and Metohija to mark the religious holiday of Assumption. “Albanians’ insanity”, as some of the eye witnesses described the daylong outbursts of extremism, once again showed how volatile is the situation in Kosovo, where Serbs are unsafe and international community powerless, writes Serbian daily “Vecernje Novosti”. Tensions that have been raised in the southern Serbian province since morning, at one point threatened to explode in a mass clash between Albanian protesters and police, who tried to protect the convoy of buses and cars with displaced Serbs from Musutiste, near Suva Reka. At the entrance to the village the convoy was awaited by several hundred Albanians, who shouted slogans of KLA (UCK – Kos...

The tone and content of Dn. John Chryssavgis lecture on the fruits and difficulties of the Crete event (starting around 12:30) are not what I would call conciliatory. In fact he highlights divisions and often comes across as condescending of his detractors. This won't convince many people to his side and might well enrage more than a few people.

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( Christian Today ) - Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church has reached agreement with the government over a draft law on building and restoring churches. The Church had been at loggerheads with the government over the new legislation, which it had a hand in drafting but which the government had sought to amend. It wanted the final say on church construction to be held by the security services, which the Church said were biased against Christians. The Church feared that its priests would continue to face obstructions even to minor repairs of the kind they had endured for many years. However, according to AhramOnline, following a meeting of 105 of its bishops yesterday and discussions with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Prime Minister Sherif Ismael, the Church says it now sees eye to eye with the government on the matter. "Following amendments introduced recently and answers provided to [our] questions and inquires... the Holy Synod announces, in good faith, reaching a comp...

Editorial Note: I want to thank everyone for chiming in on this article. I'm aware it's of controversial origins and content. What I had hoped to highlight was both the seemingly credible look of the website (well put together, official sounding name, etc.) and the material itself, which while not without its problems does bring up valid points. Please do continue to discuss the website's merits. It was not, until very recently, a website I was familiar with at all. ( Orthodox Australia ) - This heresy was well captured and presented in the writings of Blessed Seraphim Rose and Herman Podmoshenski of Platina Monastery, the spiritual offspring of the Elders from Optina monastery. As some may know, but perhaps most have not learned yet, parts of the written work of these two saintly fathers were censored, books published were edited in later editions, paragraphs removed, not to mention the fierce battle to discredit them both, the suspicious death at only 47 years of Father ...

( SVOTS ) - Looking for a Spanish prayer book? Jesse Brandow (SVOTS '13) recently finished one while working as a missionary in Guatemala. Available here (PDF).

( Holy Virgin Protection Skete ) - Dear brothers and sisters! In the Holy Virgin Protection Skete there had occurred a tragic accident. One car collided with another car on the road and as the result of the collision, the car flew and hit our church building. Dear brothers and sisters, the Holy Virgin Protection Skete needs your help! Please provide all possible assistance and participate in the repair of the Temple of God!

( Melkite-Newton ) - An increasing number of Byzantine churches are observing the Feast of the Dormition by conducting the Burial Service of the Theotokos. This observance comes to us from the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the traditional site of her death and burial. On the morning of August 14 a procession sets out from the Patriarchate, bearing the icon of the Dormition. They leave the Old City and cross the Kedron Valley, arriving at Gethsemane and the tomb of the Theotokos. There the people, passing beneath the icon, enter the church where the burial shroud of the Theotokos has been displayed for veneration. On the closing of the feast, August 23, another procession returns the icon and the shroud to the Patriarchate. THE TOMB OF THE HOLY VIRGIN We do not know when the site of the Virgin’s tomb in Gethsemane, at the foot of Mount Olivet, became a place of Christian devotion. Some say that the first church there had been built by St Helena in the fourth century. There was clea...

For all you men headed to seminary. This sort of thing is a distinct classroom possibility. Good strength to you all! Why Teachers Weep Then Jesus took his disciples up the mountain and, gathering them around him, he taught them saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are you who thirst for justice. Blessed are you who are persecuted. Blessed are the peacemakers..." Then Simon Peter said, “Do we have to write this down?" And Philip said, "Will this be on the test?" And John said, "Could you repeat everything you just said?" And Andrew said, "But John the Baptist does not make his disciples learn all this stuff!" And Matthew said, "Huh?" And Judas said, "What does this have to do with real life?" Then one of the Pharisees, who was an expert in the law, said, "I don't see any of this in your syllabus. Do you have a unit plan? Is there a ...

( NPR ) - Surrounded by shouting, he's completely silent. The child is small, alone, covered in blood and dust, dropped in the back of an ambulance with his feet dangling off the edge of a too-big chair. He doesn't cry or speak. His face is stunned and dazed, but not surprised. He wipes his hand over his wounded face, looks at the blood, wipes it off on the chair. And he stares. The world is staring back... Complete article here . ++++++++++++ A Prayer for Peace in Syria ++++++++++++ In the Name of Jesus Christ, the King of Peace, I call for: Archangel Michael, who is in charged with divine dispensation to run the affairs of mankind to act according to the mind of Christ. We ask you, Lord of angels, to focus your spiritual presence in Damascus, Marja Square and control the fate of Syria. We ask you, Lord of angels: liberation of the prisoners, binding the snipers, expelling the strangers, disabling cars with bombs, and consume all corrupted men in the land. B...

If you've followed this story (really the story of all of the Muslim countries that don't ban construction outright) you know that requests to build churches in Egypt often sit in local government offices for years. In frustration Christians will build churches or rent space for worship anyway only to have the buildings torn down or shuttered. This is a united Christian effort to demand a real timeline on government response to new church construction requests. Cairo ( All Africa ) - Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical leaders have signed a bill approving church construction and restoration in the country. Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Magdi al-Agati said August 11 that Egypt's Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical leaders signed the bill in front of Bishop Paula of Tanta, Head of the Coptic Orthodox Council for Marital Affairs. "The law sets a four-month deadline for governors to respond to any request for a license to build a church," Agati said ...

( St. Anthony Tulsa ) - Friday night, tragedy struck as Khalid Jabara, a member of St. Antony Orthodox Christian Church, was gunned down outside of his parents’ home in Tulsa. As the news coverage continues about Khalid, those of us at St. Antony will always remember the young man who grew up in our parish. Khalid had a huge heart and loved his parents, siblings, nieces and nephews. He was kind, funny, bright and caring; everyone who knew him was truly the better for it. The entire St. Antony family mourns with the Jabara family and feels the loss of Khalid. May the love and compassion of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ along with the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos and all the saints bring their family peace and comfort and may the memory of Khalid truly be eternal. And also... ( Tulsa World ) - Less than three months before a 37-year-old man was shot on his front porch Friday evening, Tulsa County prosecutors deemed the man suspected of killing him “a substan...

( Religion Prof ) - I was asked on Reddit about a topic that I blogged about at some point in the past, but not finding the post in question, I thought I would revisit the topic. The phrases “personal relationship with Jesus” and “personal savior” are not only not found in the Bible, but are much more recent than that. Here is what Joel Miller discovered by performing an ngram to see how frequently the phrases appear in books... Complete article here .

( OCA-DOS ) - St. Philip the Apostle parish in Tampa, Florida has helped to raise funds to build a medical clinic in northern Uganda. Located thirty miles south of the South Sudan border, a 2,500 square foot clinic was constructed, opening in January of 2014 with a staff of two. Since then five more have been added to the clinic staff, including the recent hiring of a certified midwife. On August 6th of this year, a 550 sq. ft. maternity ward annex was dedicated. Three days later the first baby was born at the annex. She was named Nektaria in honor of St. Nektarios patron the medical center. The clinic’s web address is www.ugandaclinic.org . The clinic is the result of a visit to northern Uganda in 2010 by St. Philip priest in charge, Fr. Joseph Ciarciaglino. In 2010, he was part of a medical mission team sent there from OCMC. In this part of Uganda, rebel forces kidnapped young children and turned them into soldiers. Only recently had peace come to the area and medical servic...

Shout, O David, and declare: * What is this present feast? * And he says: Today has Christ * unto the mansions above * translated her from whom He was born without seed * and whom I have extolled * in the Book of the Psalms * as daughter, child of God, * and as a virgin as well. * And for this reason do mothers and daughters * and brides of Christ now rejoice and say: * Rejoice, O Lady who were translated * unto the royal courts on high.

( Orthodox Africa ) - Fr. Silouan Brown reflects, "As I contemplate all the things that have happened on this mission trip I think back to my formative years in a protestant church that I completely hated with the one exception and that was a pair of missionaries who were home on furlough from Thailand. In some small way they inspired me to think that Christianity might actually have something to offer even though at that time I certainly didn't see it. "As I have gained 18 God-children and had the privilege of shaking hands, holding and or playing with literally hundreds of children over the last month or so I can just pray that they can look back at their lives some day and say that there was a Christian "mzungu" (white guy) who loved me and showed me that Orthodox Christianity truly has something to offer. If even one kid can say this 20 years from now than all of the pain will be worth it. "This phase of the mission is coming to a close for m...

Readers may remember Holy Resurrection Mission and Fr. Alexis from this post last year. You all were wonderful enough to donate thousands of dollars to the mission's roof campaign. God's blessing to you all! ( Pravoslavie.ru ) - Fr Alexis Baldwin converted to the Holy Orthodox Church in 2009. A graduate of St Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in 2013, he was ordained to the holy priesthood on July 14 of that year on the feast of All Saints of Britain and Ireland. He is currently the priest in charge at Holy Resurrection Mission in North Augusta, SC. I had the joy of studying with Fr. Alexis in seminary and getting to know him and his wife Matushka Veronica and their children. Fr. Alexis was always approachable, in a good mood, passionate about the Orthodox faith, and hard-working, even pulling double duty as the seminary cook while simultaneously taking classes. I had the great pleasure of catching up with Fr. Alexis recently in Kiev where he was on pilgrimage,...

( Lenconnect ) - A fire destroyed the church at the Romanian Orthodox monastery in Bridgewater Township Friday afternoon. The Clinton Fire Department was called just before 1 p.m. to the scene at the Holy Ascension of God monastery complex at 15143 Sheridan Road. The monastery is at the edge of Washtenaw and Lenawee counties, just northwest of Clinton. Clinton’s Assistant Fire Chief Clayton Covell said when they arrived there was a heavy fire venting from the rear of the building that was moving quickly. Billowing smoke could be seen miles away. The firefighters battled the fire under extreme temperatures. They were able to get it under control after nearly two hours of work while continuing to battle hot spots before a downpour of rain came, which may have helped in the end. The building was not occupied and there were no reported injuries. However, Covell said, “the structure is a total loss.” The cause is under investigation. In addition to Clinton, the Tecumseh, Salin...

Some eyebrows were raised when a parish recently turned into a monastery. People emailed me asking how that was even possible or if there was some strange background information that was lacking in earlier reports. Here is an update on the new Holy Archangels Monastery. ( ROCOR-MAD ) - Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ, At the request of Bishop Peter and I am writing this letter to expand on his Ukase 10/16. As you no doubt recall, His Grace Bishop Peter had made a commitment to keep the St. John Chrysostom parish church open as long as Fr. Christopher is able to serve. Vladyka felt that it would have been simply unfair, and even cruel, to deprive Fr. Christopher of the comfort of serving in the temple that he has become accustomed to as his mental state deteriorated. Although it has been difficult to find priests to serve the parish regularly since Fr. Michael departed, we have done our best and will continue to do so. In order to comply with the Canons of the Holy Chur...

( Fox News ) - As Father Josiah Trenham prepared to read the Gospel, several parishioners discreetly scooped up their babies, retreated up the aisles of St. Andrew Orthodox Church and out into the spring air, so as not to allow the crying of little ones to disturb the divine liturgy. The time-honored tradition was shattered when a car passed by the Riverside, Calif., church, slowing down as the front passenger leaned out of his window and bellowed menacingly through a bullhorn, according to witnesses. “Allahu Akbar!” the unidentified man repeated several times as the unnerved parents drew their infants close and exchanged worried glances. Witnesses were able to give Riverside police a description of the green Honda Civic, but not of the three occupants. Some told police they believed one or more of the men may have been taking photographs, according to Officer Ryan Railsback. Although Trenham insisted multiple congregants heard the Arabic phrase, Railsback noted no mention of it...

August 10, 2016 ( Orthodox Rights ) - Obuhov (Ukraine) city’s mayor Alexandr Levchenko ordered to dismantle a provocative billboard which is likely to be directed against the Russian Orthodox Church, as repors the Union of the Orthodox Journalists. The billboard was set up by Obuhov “Right Sector” division. It reads as: “The Russian Church is an invader’s weapon. Ukraine must have the Ukrainian Church.” Alexandr Levchenko was afraid of the protests of pro-Russian old women – now he will be fought back by Ukrainian patriots,” uttered threats nationalists. Photo document from the Union of the Orthodox Journalists .

For more on his life, see " Chiune Sugihara - diplomat, emancipator, Orthodox Christian ."

( OCA ) - His Grace, Bishop Daniel of Santa Rosa chaired the second meeting of the Orthodox Church in America’s Standing Committee for Canonical Procedure here August 1-4, 2016. The Committee was graciously hosted at Atlanta’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation through the generosity of His Eminence, Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta. Pursuant to Article XV, Section 9 of the OCA Statute, the Committee was established to develop general rules for canonical procedures for use and application in Ecclesiastical Courts. Their work will be subject to the Holy Synod’s approval and adoption. The meeting opened with a review of the work accomplished at the first meeting in April and then moved to consider synthesizing the work of the committee members accomplished in the past months. In order to make the most effective use of the available time and to consider the most pressing need, the committee concentrated on the procedures for Ecclesiastical Courts in cases of clergy discip...

Erbil, Iraq, Aug 8, 2016 / 03:02 pm ( CNA/EWTN News ) - Fr. Roni Salim Momika, one of three priests ordained in an Erbil refugee camp Friday, said the event has turned the dreary mood of displaced Christians into one of joy, which he hopes will give them the strength to stay in their homeland. “My feeling is happy, happy!” Fr. Momika told CNA after his Aug. 5 ordination, adding that he feels “something inside” that makes him deeply joyful. He was ordained a priest of the Syriac-Catholic Church alongside his friends and fellow deacons Emad and Petros in the large, prefabricated church inside Erbil’s Aishty 2 camp for the displaced, which is home to some 5,500 people forced to flee their homes due to ISIS. The ordination, he said, “will give hope to (the people)” in the camp, mostly Syriac Catholics from Qaraqosh, who for two years have been forced to live as refugees.

H/T: Hyperdox Herman

( AOB ) - The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA has released a new publication, " Twelve Facts About the Generosity of Our Church Members: Giving in US Orthodox Christian Parishes " (PDF), authored by Alexei Krindatch. The publication offers numerous insights into how Orthodox Church members contribute to their parishes and what parishes can do to increase the generosity and donations of their members. Clergy and lay leadership will find this to be a helpful resource for their parishes.

Moscow, August 4 ( Interfax ) - The Moscow Patriarchate does not believe that a representative of the Constantinople Church Archbishop Job (Getcha) of Telmissos could have called Ukraine its canonical territory. "Archbishop Job is a highly educated person, an expert on canonical law. It is unbelievable that he could have claimed that "the territory of Ukraine is a canonical territory of the Church of Constantinople," deputy head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archpriest Nikolay Balashov writes in his article posted by Interfax-Religion. According to the priest, such a statement contradicts both the truth of history and the official position of the Constantinople Patriarchate, confirmed many times (including the fact that Patriarch Bartholomew officially informed Patriarch Kirill about Archbishop Job's coming visit to Ukraine.) The church official points out that the interview with the mentioned statement was prepared by a n...

( Jerusalem Patriarchate ) - At noon of Wednesday, the 21st of July/3rd of August 2016, representatives of the Coptic and Ethiopian Churches in Jerusalem met at the Patriarchate. The representations consisted of the Coptic Archbishop in Jerusalem, His Eminence Antonious, and the Head of the Ethiopian Church in Jerusalem, His Eminence Bab Enbakom and their Entourages – Primates from Egypt for the Copts and representatives of the Egyptian and Ethiopian Embassies in Tel Aviv. The meeting took place on the initiative and invitation of H.B. Theophilos, Patriarch of Jerusalem, with an eye to launching a dialogue on the resolution of the long and very acute status quo problem between the Coptic and Ethiopian Monasteries. The Monasteries are adjacent to the Church of the Resurrection on the east side and to Abraham Monastery on the north side. At the meeting, His Beatitude addressed guests in English, see here . In His address, Patriarch Theophilos underlined the need to overcome psych...

( Christian Today ) - Tensions between Churches in Ukraine have risen sharply in recent years because of Russia's annexation of Crimea and its incursion into the east of the country. Different Churches are loyal to Moscow and Kiev, and the country's bitter divisions are fought out among them as well as in the political arena. Now the country's tortuous ecclesiastical politics have taken another twist with an extraordinary denunciation by the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) of Ukraine's Greek Catholic Church. The ROC has condemned the Greek Catholics for comments made by their leader Patriarch Shevchuk regarding the recent procession organised by Ukrainian Orthodox believers loyal to Moscow. Ostensibly designed to celebrate the anniversary of conversion of Ukraine and Russia to Christianity, the march terminating in Kiev was seen by many observers as a Moscow-inspired provocation designed to assert Russian power over Ukraine and its Churches. Shevchuk said that whil...

( RBTH ) - An unusual military experiment concluded in Siberia on July 27: A group of Russian servicemen from a special-purpose unit carried out a 60-mile “raid” through the wilderness headed by representatives of the local community of Old Believers – a staunchly traditionalist religious sect that split from the main Orthodox Church in the late 17th century. The final five-day leg of the 30-day training course for special-purpose troops lay through the difficult terrain along the Maly Yenisey river in the Republic of Tuva, a Russian region bordering on Mongolia. Siberian Old Believers, who lead a secluded life and reject many modern conveniences, have taught elite servicemen how to find their bearings and feed themselves in remote mountainous taiga. When it came to procuring food, the task was further complicated by some of the Old Believers’ traditions. "They do not eat game with legs, such as hares or bears, but do eat the meat of cloven-hoofed animals. Forest birds...

( RISU ) - By tradition, at the end of July, the Ukrainian Orthodox believers of all jurisdictions celebrate the Baptism of Rus. The Ukrainian state, represented by its leaderships and members of other local Orthodox Churches, willingly participates in these celebrations. This year’s celebrations were attended by Archbishop Job (Getcha) of Telmessos, representative of the Patriarch of Constantinople, who came at the invitation of the President of Ukraine and kindly agreed to give an interview for RISU. He gave direct answers to direct questions: what will happen to the Churches which did not participate in the Pan-Orthodox Council, what is the destiny of eschatological marginal currents, why the issue of autocephaly was blocked, and if the Orthodox Ukrainians may hope for autocephaly. — Your Eminence, what is your impression of the Pan-Orthodox Council in Crete? Has it achieved everything planned? Are the organization and results satisfying? — In principle, the Council was succ...

( Edmonton Eparchy ) - How do you engage today’s Ukrainian Catholics to take fasting seriously or to participate in some suggested 34 feast day Divine Liturgies, when they are already struggling with Great Lent as a meaningful part of their spiritual lives and don’t attend church on the already existing12 major holy days? These were some of the questions pondered for several days by nine North American Ukrainian Catholic archbishops and bishops at the Winnipeg synod in late May. “There is now a very large population of Ukrainian Catholics outside Ukraine,” said Most Rev. David Motiuk, Bishop of the Eparchy of Edmonton. “As a result the bishops would like to take a new direction, raise awareness so that the annual Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Catholic Church functions as a global Church. They would like to see the Church move from the regional focus of Ukraine, Italy, Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Canada, or the U.S., for example, to a world-wide Church perspective.” ...

( OCA-NYNJ ) - The Orthodox Church in America’s Diocese of New York & New Jersey is pleased to announce the launch of its new Department of Youth Ministry website. With the blessing of His Eminence, Archbishop Michael, this new platform offers easy access to information about upcoming events within the youth department, features a media gallery full of press releases and photos from past events, and will allow for on-line event registration in the near future. Department of Youth Ministry

( RISU ) - Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople thanked the Primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Patriarch Sviatoslav (Shevchuk) for his support of the Pan-Orthodox Council, which he expressed in his letter. It is reported by the Information Department of the UGCC. “We are pleased to avail ourselves of this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude for your letter of fraternal wishes for the Holy and Great Council, which - with the grace of the Holy Spirit and synergies of our fellow Primates and hierarchs of the Local Orthodox Churches all over the world - was finally convened on June 19 and successfully ended on June 26, 2016 at the Orthodox Academy of Crete,” the Ecumenical Patriarch writes. Patriarch Bartholomew said in his letter: “We can assure Your Eminence that our commitment to dialogue with our Sister Church was overwhelmingly supported in the conciliar sessions and officially recorded in the final document. This, in our opinion, is certainly crucial fo...

( mospat.ru ) - On July 27, 2016, the All-Ukraine Procession with the Cross for Peace, Love and Prayer for Ukraine, an event unprecedented in its spiritual and civic significance, ended in Kiev. It was organized at the initiative of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. According to various estimations, over 80 thousand Orthodox believers took part in the prayerful march walking concurrently from the Pochaev Monastery of the Dormition in the west and the Svyatogorsk Monastery of the Dormition in the east to unite with numerous Kievers at the Kiev Monastery of the Dormition for the Divine Liturgy. Covering hundreds and thousands of kilometers, encountering difficulties on their way because of the continued civil conflict in the country, the faithful were walking to meet halfway in order to ask together the Lord and the Most Holy Mother of God to put an end to the intestine strife, to make love, peace, goodness and inter-confessional harmony triumph in the much-suffering Ukrainian land. How...