Byzantine, Texas

( Orthodox History ) - There’s a remarkable amount of diversity in how the various Autocephalous Churches choose their primate. Of the 15 Churches discussed in this article, at least eight include the laity to some extent. That involvement ranges from simply having a voice in the nomination process to having a vote in the election itself. At least five of the Churches have no lay involvement at all, with only bishops electing the primate. One of those five, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, puts the decision into the hands of only a tiny minority of its bishops, while another, Serbia, uses the “apostolic” method to determine which nominee becomes its Patriarch. For both the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the approval of a non-Orthodox government is also required. To make things even more complicated, it’s fairly common for the Churches to modify their election processes. If I were to revisit this article in a decade, it’s likely that some of it would be out of da...

A letter to Met. Michael of Prague (Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia) from the Ecumenical Patriarch. Right now the Ecumenical Patriarchate is making moves that confound me. The continuous push to find some authority out of the Crete meeting even as much of Orthodoxy didn't show up and never ratified the documents even when they were sent to them. The Ukrainian autocephaly issue that remains a very divisive issue. The dissolution without explanation of the church organization in Western Europe. And now this. In a time when irenic overtures might serve to allay some fears of a rising "first without equal" mentality, the below will serve as a proof text to anyone who feels this is all about power and prestige and has very little to do with being the "first in service" to the Body of Christ. ( Orthochristian ) - February 1, 2021 No. 124 Your Eminence Metropolitan Michael of Prague, beloved brother in the Holy Spirit and concelebrant of our mediocrity,...

 ( Pemptousia ) - The nature of the love of God is a crucified love. Without crucifying ourselves, we cannot acquire divine love which has this character. When we give ourselves to prayer of repentance, we sometimes come to experience this divine love to a certain extent, but in order to keep it in us we need again to be crucified. The greater the love the greater the crucifixion needed in order to maintain it. The Cross in the life of the monks is the love for our brother, to love our brother is our life, to protect him, defend him, help him and pray for him as for ourselves. The love of the brother is the applied love of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit in the life of the monks. If we have spent many years in the monastery and yet we have not come to love our brother as our life, that means we have done nothing. Often the lessons of the monastics apply to us as much as them. This certainly does. Monks are people of gratitude. A monk will never forget even the...

Joyous day! Prayers for Patriarch Porfirije (Perić) who was elected head of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Formerly, he was Metropolitan of Zagreb and Ljubljana and was seen early on in this process as a likely candidate. ( SOC ) - The Holy Assembly of Bishops elected His Eminence Metropolitan Porfirije of Zagreb-Ljubljana, PhD, as the new Serbian Patriarch, in its convocation in Memorial Cathedral of Saint Sava in Belgrade on 18 February 2021. Immediately after the election a thanksgiving service was officiated and  Many years was chanted to the Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovac and Serbian Patriarch Porfirije. Bells at Saint Sava Cathedral in the Vracar district of Belgrade rang a few minutes before 4:00 pm indicating that the 46th Patriarch of Serbia was elected. AXIOS! Newly-elected Metropolitan Dr. Porfirije (Peric) of Zagreb-Ljubljana was born on 22 July 1961 in Becej, northern Serbia, and was baptized as Prvoslav. He finished primary school in Curug, and the...

( SOC ) - The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops has declared 2021 the Year of the Youth. Plan to attend this important conference designed for emerging leaders and those seasoned leaders who are committed to developing our youth through mentoring, education, collaboration, and shared ministry. God willing, it will be held in person at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, New York. Expected dates of September 17-19, 2021. Registration information to come out eventually. Don't miss these top-notch presentations by: Fr. Elias Dorham - Leadership Coach and Holy Transfiguration Michelle Moujaes - Faithtree Resources Steve Christoforou - Y2AM and Be the Bee Christina Andresen - Orthodox Christian Fellowship Anna Kallis - The Telos Project Fr. Kosmas Kallis - Chicago Y2AM Katrina Bitar - Youth Equipped to Serve of FOCUS North America Fr. Tim Hojnicki - St. Raphael School and Holy Apostles Church

( Coptic Literature ) - Saint Shenouda Press is a new project by St Shenouda Monastery, in Putty, New South Wales, Australia that I find its fresh and modern look a very much welcome endeavour. It translates into English and publishes some of the great classics in Coptic, Arabic, and Syriac. It also publishes contemporary English books. It also accepts manuscripts and translated work for publication. It publishes books using On Demand Printing, which is the latest technology in the publishing world. They accept orders from the US, UK, Canada &Australia without the extra add on cost of international shipping as they only charge for local shipping. Furthermore, their books are made available in major online book outlets. Their mission, as they state it, is to provide everyone the opportunity to enjoy contemporary high-quality Christian books and to order and receive the best books. You can access Saint Shenouda Press here .

( ONN ) - ‘We wish the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija the strength to endure and persevere in the parts they hold sacred, and to protect their shrines.’ In an exclusive interview for the Christmas double issue of Kurir, His Holiness Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem spoke about his church’s position on Kosovo and Metohija, pointing out that the only canonical church in Montenegro is the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral. Patriarch Theophilos also touched on the death of the Serbian Patriarch Irinej and Prince-bishop Amfilohije, the conflict between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Moscow Patriarchate, the importance of Saint Sava, as well as the fight against the coronavirus and the use of vaccines. The Serbian Patriarch Irinej passed away recently, following the passing of Metropolitan Bishop of Montenegro and the Littoral Amfilohije. The Serbian Orthodox Church has thus suffered two heavy blows. How familiar are you with the current situation in the Serbian Orthodox...

( GOARCH ) – On Wednesday, February 3, 2021, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America convened the Holy Eparchial Synod via videoconference for a regularly scheduled meeting. The discussion focused on the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821. Pertinent to this discussion, the following items of the agenda were reviewed and discussed: 1) A presentation by the esteemed Archon Demetrios Logothetis, Vice-Chairman of the National Coordinating Committee, outlining the Committee’s strategic planning and efforts, as well as the promotion of activities in honor of the historic 200th Anniversary of the Greek Revolution. The events will focus on the three following areas of interest to all faithful and the entire Omogenia: a. The provision of resources and promotion of activities, efforts and celebratory events throughout the Archdiocese and, generally, the Hellenic-Christian community. b. The implementation of an educational program for all ages, whose aim will be to better i...

( Owen Cyclops ) -  This is part of a series I did where I "inverted" anti-religion Soviet propaganda. In the original, you can see the priest, literally "supported" by the laity - represented as a drunk man, are seen as a hindrance to technological progress and the general progress of society. Here, I've flipped that idea by making their cause explicitly righteous. The broadcasting tower they're acting on isn't just a mundane piece of machinery: this one is explicitly satanic and they, together, are working against the devil and his general machinations. This and other prints available  here .

( Notes on Arab Orthodoxy ) - The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Germany has recently acquired a former Roman Catholic monastery in the town of Blankenheim (in the Eiffel hills about an hour southwest of Bonn and 90 minutes east of Liège, Belgium), where they plan to establish a women's monastery and retreat center. The property requires extensive renovations and Archdiocese is now raising funds to that end. For a video about the site, the plans for it and a way to contribute, visit the GoFundMe .

( St. John - Memphis ) - You have found this link because you have volunteered or been asked to organize your church’s library. Get ready for a fun job! I say fun, because you get to wear many hats: storyteller, public relations specialist, creative director, detective, CEO, and data-entry clerk! The bad news is that the job is time-consuming on the front end and the pay is low, or probably non-existent, but the good news is that you are bringing the life of the Church and the lives of holy men and women to adults and children seeking the Kingdom of God. And there’s even more good news! You don’t have to do this alone, and you are probably the only person who will know if you make a mistake... Complete article here .

( Basilica ) - During this year’s first meeting of the Romanian Patriarchate’s Church Painting Committee, t he Patriarch of Romania urged the new members to draft an iconographic guide and a set of norms for the restoration of the ecclesiastical heritage used in worship. “The Church Painting Committee is now called, during this term, as the most competent central forum, with a consultative role in matters of church art in the Romanian Patriarchate, to respond promptly to urgent needs, felt for several years in the field of church painting and restoration,” Patriarch Daniel stressed February 1. The two sets of rules and norms for iconographers and church restorers is expected ‘to capture from an interdisciplinary perspective (historical, theological and artistic) the main themes of Orthodox church painting, comprising several sections, richly illustrated where appropriate, and each accompanied by an extensive and updated bibliographic repertoire.’ The set of norms for church restoration...

( Orthodox Times ) - The second webinar of FoRēL – Female Religious Leaders will take place on Monday, February 8 at 1 PM ET. The conversation will focus on “Female Religious Leadership: Interfaith Perspectives” and will feature Alyaa Ebbiary, Faith and Belief Forum, Rabbi Melinda Zalma, Jewish Community Relations Council of NY, Mira Ungewitter, Pastor and Projekt: Gemeinde, and Spyridoula Fotinis, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Mother Teresa. Joan of Arc. Fatima az-Zahra. Malala. Anne Frank. Queen Esther. Indirah Gandhi. A few impactful women come to mind when we think of female leaders of different faiths. But many faiths have a complex relationship with female leadership. In many faith traditions, women are barred from certain positions simply because they are women. Why is this? Are there female priests? Rabbis? Gurus? In this webinar, we will speak with four female religious leaders from different faith traditions. How do they understand their leadership? What is their ex...

Anyone know what deal the GOA made with the Oriental Orthodox? ( SCOOCH ) - On Thursday, January 21, 2021, His Eminence Mor Dionysius John Kawak, Very Rev. Fr. Joseph Chamoun, and Deacon George Kiraz attended the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches (SCOOCh) meeting Via ZOOM. During the meeting they discussed the pastoral agreement between the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches (SCOOCh) and other related issues.

( ROC ) - The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives has stated that from now on in the Congress there is no room for such obsolete notions as mother, father, daughter, etc. All terms, as well as pronouns will be gender-neutral. Thus, instead of “chairman” they will just say “chair,” instead of “grandson” or “granddaughter” they will be using universal “grandchild,” and so on. Commenting on these novelties, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, noted that echoes of these discussions could be heard in Russia as well. For instance, disputes are under way as to the necessity of gender-specific job titles. “In the Russian language, as a rule, feminine names are applied to women, and masculine ones to men. Although there are exceptions. For example, the noun “professor” is masculine, but it can refer to both men and women. The word “writer” is also applicable to men and women, albeit for women there is the...