Byzantine, Texas

( Orthodox Christianity ) - The possibility of canonizing Metropolitan Joseph (Semashko) of Vilnius and Lithuania, the initiator of the reunification of Belarusian Uniates with the Orthodox Church, was discussed at a press conference dedicated to the 220th anniversary of his birth and the 150th anniversary of his death on Tuesday. 2018 has been declared the year of Met. Joseph in the Belarusian Exarchate. The primate of the Belarusian Church His Eminence Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk stated that if Met. Joseph will be glorified, most likely he will be canonized as a Church-wide saint, rather than locally-venerated. Met. Joseph was a special person, his ministry being associated with many countries, reports the site of the Belarusian Orthodox Church. Met. Pavel did note that he believes it is too early to speak of the canonization of Met. Joseph, although the nature of his missionary work testifies to his extraordinary abilities and considerable service to the Church and the peopl...

( Pro Christianis ) - The biggest Christian city of Iraq is alive! Qaraqosh which once had a population of 48,000 Syriac Catholics is experiencing a revival, 5,700 families are back and celebrating Palm Sunday together!!

"Why Do the Orthodox Sometimes Celebrate Pascha (Easter) on a Different Day from Roman Catholics?" by  Priest Basil Biberdorf Sigh. It's time for that annual round of ABSOLUTELY WRONG "Why Orthodox Pascha [Easter] doesn't line up with Western Easter every year" articles. It's very simple. The basic principle is: Pascha happens the first Sunday following the first full moon following the vernal (spring) equinox, which is assumed as the invariant date of March 21. This was established by the First Ecumenical Council, held in Nicaea in AD 325. The differences arise because: The Orthodox use March 21 on the Julian (Old) Calendar, which differs by some 13 days from the Gregorian (New) Calendar. If a full moon occurs in this interval, the Paschal dates will be off by quite a bit. The full moon is determined not by observation but according to tables that say when it is according to the year in a cycle. The Orthodox have a different table than the...

"If your kid is like this (Gollum), and you would like to see your son this way (knight), call this number and I will teach your kid to go to church!" - Priest Alexander Permyakov

( Eventbrite ) - A five-day program offering Orthodox Christians of all jurisdictions an opportunity to enhance their knowledge of the faith and enrich their spiritual lives. Courses include: Introduction to Orthodox Spirituality – V. Rev. Dr. Maximos Constas This course is designed as a general introduction to the history, literature, and practice of Orthodox Spirituality. The course begins with (1) an introductory lecture exploring the meaning and place of spirituality in the ​Orthodox ​Church, and the challenges of following a spiritual path in the modern world. We will then survey (2) the major sources of Orthodox spirituality, from the Sayings of the Desert Fathers to the work of modern elders and spiritual teachers. Our third meeting will focus on (3) the various stages of the spiritual life, with emphasis on actual practices and ways of living. The final two meetings (4-5) consider the Philokalia and the Prayer of the Heart (the “Jesus Prayer”). Reading Scripture through ...

Orthros, Divine Liturgy, and the Ordination of His Grace Metropolitan-elect of Chicago Nathanael Symeonides by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios Geron of America, presiding at the services; concelebrating members of the Holy Eparchial Synod, and other Hierarchs from around the world on Saturday, March 17, 2018, at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (319 E 74th Street, NYC).

( ROC ) - On 1-4 March 2018, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church visited Ethiopia to discuss with representatives of the Church of Ethiopia various issues pertaining to the resumption of active contacts between the two Churches. The delegation included Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), secretary for inter-Christian relations of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, and Deacon Dimitry Serov, executive secretary of the Student Exchange Commission. On March 1, the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church met with representatives of the Patriarchate of Ethiopia: Bishop Aregawi Haile Maryam Melesse of South Gonder; Bishop Philipos Ashageré of South Omo; Priest Elias Abreha, general manager of Tinsae Publishing Organization; Archimandrite Kaletsdiq Mulugeta, head of the Foreign Relations Department; and Deacon Michael Feleke, director of Broadcasting Service Agency. The par...

Some may remember my unkind words for the atrocity that is deaconate . It's now that time of year where institutions are flooding the Internet with event announcements and using the phrase "First Annual." This is not a thing. It's inaugural. If you ask me to blog a poster for your event ant it says "First Annual," I'm not going to do so until you fix it.

( Christian Today ) - The Serbian Orthodox Church plans to change its name to stress connections with Kosovo, the former Serbian province that gained independence in 2008. The controversial move is seen as clashing with the Serbian government's conciliatory efforts with Kosovo. Patriarch Irinej of the Serbian Orthodox Church told the Belgrade-based Kurir newspaper yesterday that through a draft change to its internal constitution, it will be renamed as the Serbian Orthodox Church-Pec Patriarchate. The change references Pec, now a largely Albanian town in Kosovo but once the centre of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Serbian Patriarchate of Pec existed from 1346-1766 before it was lost to Ottoman Turks, but the Church sought to recover the historic connection when Serbia regained independence in 1879. 'Pec remains ... (a testimony) to our past, of patriarchs and archbishops, and no matter what happened, Pec remains the historical centre of our Church,' Irinej said. ...

( ROCOR-WAD ) - With the blessing of Metropolitan Hilarion First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, our Ruling Bishop, His Eminence KYRILL Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America has been granted a leave of absence for the purpose of addressing his health. His Grace Theodosy Bishop of Seattle has been appointed Тemporary Аdministrator with all of the privileges of a ruling hierarch. His Grace Irenei Bishop of Sacramento will assist Bishop Theodosy with the administration of the Diocese. At all Divine Services where the Ruling Bishop is commemorated, Archbishop Kyrill’s name is to be remembered as usual. During the period of this temporary situation in all monasteries and churches of the Western American Diocese, Bishop Theodosy’s name will be raised up following Archbishop Kyrill’s, using the formula “our Lord His Grace Theodosy Bishop of Seattle.” His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill invokes God’s blessing upon the labors of Bishop Theodosy and Bish...

You can also read this  if you're interested in a different opinion. Moscow, March 12 ( Interfax ) - Press secretary of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia priest Alexander Volkov considers strange statements made by a priest of the Armenian Church Samuel Agoyan, who said that he had seen thrice how patriarchs light wax candles from an oil lamp in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, which means that there is nothing mystical in the Holy Fire. "Such statements especially from a representative of non-Orthodox Church sound strange and make us doubt the decency of people who voice them," Father Alexander told Interfax-Religion on Monday. The priest considers the statement strange as theoretically any events of the spiritual life can be treated with criticism and mistrust. "Descent of the Holy Fire is a great event for millions believers that strengthens their faith and supports them, and the Russian Orthodox Church as well as other Orthodox Chur...

( Eparchy of St. George ) - Between March 5-7, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri, Bishop John Michael Botean participated at the Eastern Catholic Associates (ECA) meeting, the national organization of Eastern Catholic bishops in the United States. This gathering hosted by Bishop Elias Zaidan at the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon and lead by the current president of ECA, Bishop Kurt Burnette, Bishop of the Ruthenian Eparchy of Passaic, NJ was an appropriate time to discuss issues and projects pertinent to the Eastern Catholic bishops’ activity in the U.S. territory.

( Radiate His Light ) - Passion week (or Holy Week as it is known in the West) is fast approaching and begins with Hosanna Sunday on March 25. "As joyful as Hosanna Sunday is, the days of Passion Week are more important. The first three days of Passion Week are marked by the celebration of the Service of “Coming to the Harbor” (Monday and Tuesday), and the “Service of the Rite of the Lamp” (Wednesday). The three principal days of Passion Week are: Thursday of the Mysteries, Great Friday of the Crucifixion, and Great Saturday of the Light. On Thursday of Mysteries, the whole Church commemorates the Institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Lord’s Supper with the Apostles. In focusing on the ritual of the Washing of the Feet, the Maronite Church emphasizes clearly the legacy of love and service that is at the heart of the meaning of the Eucharist, as well as the sacrifice of love on Calvary, with its forgiveness of sins, sacramentally re-enacted in each celebration of the D...

DAMASCUS, Syria ( Crux Now ) - The patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church denounced a statement issued by the head of the World Council of Churches regarding the situation in Syria, in particular the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus. “We are deeply appalled by your statement on Syria,” Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II of Antioch wrote the Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse-Tveit, general-secretary of the World Council of Churches, regarding the Feb. 26 statement. “You mention 550 victims killed in Eastern Ghouta, including more than 130 children. However, you neglect to mention hundreds of civilians, including many children, killed by the mortars and missiles coming from Eastern Ghouta, especially when most of these mortars have long targeted areas populated by Christians from churches which are members of WCC,” the patriarch, a native of Qamishli, Syria, wrote in the March 2 letter. “Targeting of civilians on all sides should be indeed condemned,” he stressed. H...

This turns my stomach. A war on women is being waged and it's not a dictatorship doing this, the people are voting it in. There are no protections for these children either and the horrors of this are already known; sexual abuse, slavery, and suffering. ( Christian Post ) - Washington state is set to legalize commercial surrogacy, a move children's rights advocates say amounts to the selling of babies, bases the definition of a parent on "intent," and opens avenues for child abuse and other horrors. Just before 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Washington state House of Representatives passed the "Uniform Parentage Act," along party lines with every Democrat in favor and every Republican opposed. The bill had previously passed the state Senate with total Democratic support and three Republicans. The state's Democratic governor, Jay Inslee, is expected to sign the legislation. "For House Republicans, this bill was a matter of conscience,''...