Byzantine, Texas

( OrthoChristian ) - Holy Trinity Monastery and Seminary in Jordanville, New York, the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, had to be evacuated on Thursday afternoon, September 28 due to a bomb threat. The threat was called in due to the perpetrators’ belief that Jordanville supports the war in Ukraine. This was reported to OrthoChristian by multiple sources. While OrthoChristian is unaware of any statements about the war coming from Holy Trinity Monastery and Seminary in particular, the monastery site does have a page entitled, “Concerning the War in Ukraine,” which hosts links to the Archpastoral Epistle of His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion, the recently deceased First Hierarch of ROCOR, from February 24, 2022, the day the war started, in which he called all to fervently pray for peace, and the address of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, also from the first day of the war, in which he condemned and called for an end to wha...

( OCA ) - On Saturday, September 16, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon and other hierarchs of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America gathered at Saint George Cathedral in Boston, MA, along with clergy and faithful of the Albanian Archdiocese and across the Orthodox Church in America, for the ordination to the Holy Episcopate of Bishop-elect Nikodhim (Preston), as Bishop of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese. The Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America elected Archimandrite Nikodhim as Bishop-elect of Boston at their regular Spring Session on April 25, 2023. On Friday evening, His Beatitude led the hierarchs in a Service of Thanksgiving and the Nomination and Proclamation of a Bishop. Before the service began, Priest Mark Doku, Chancellor of the Albanian Archdiocese, read the official announcement of election. Following the service, a festive banquet was held to mark the conclusion of the Albanian Archdiocese Assembly, which had been held at St. George Cathedral on...

The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross. Blessed feast day to all ☦️ pic.twitter.com/IibE2pLHLa — 🇷🇺💪OrthoBro☦️ (@bro_ortho) September 27, 2023

As promised, here's my review of  The Heavenly Gift: The Art of Liturgical Bread-Making . So, what is even in this book? I was curious myself as normally I just give people who want to bake prosphora a seal, printed PDF instructions, and a promise that I am not going to judge them if the end product isn't "perfect." I have also hosted classes where we baked bread together and I explained the proskomedia process so that they could see what happens to the fruits of their labors after the bread has cooled. The resultant glut of stored prosphora from that event was appreciated. This book is actually many resources bound into one. There's an historical chapter that outlines how we developed the bread process that we use today. There are stories related to saints and prosphora in the Church. There is discussion of artoklasia . There is of course a detailed (and well illustrated) chapter on the bread-making itself. Finally, there are full-color pictures of loaves with d...

( Holy Cross Bookstore ) - ΙΕΡΟΤΕΛΕΣΤΙΚΟΝ: A Handbook on Orthodox Liturgical Practice by Alkiviadis Calivas is a comprehensive guide that offers deep insights into the traditions, rituals, and customs of Orthodox Christian worship. With scholarly precision, it provides essential information for practitioners and scholars alike, enriching their understanding and appreciation of the liturgical heritage. This book serves as an indispensable resource, shedding light on the significance of each element within Orthodox liturgy fostering a profound connection with the timeless and sacred aspects of the faith.  Holy Cross Bookstore's marketing emails notified me of this new book just a few days ago and I quickly purchased it. It's actually an expansion of an earlier text and covers not only liturgical points but also dedicates many pages to theological topics. You could easily read this book all the way through or read selections as the spirit guides. The topics covered are: Daily Pra...

If you don't already own something from New Rome Press, you may not be aware of the quality not only of the content but also of the construction of their books. They are all quite sturdy and beautiful (requirements for a book of this type for sure). I'm going to be ordering copies for my parish bakers and expect this book to be a standard tome in many church libraries rather soon. Currently, I send them a PDF or print off some instructions for them. How nice will it be to give them a seal, this book, and a blessing to get them started? A more complete review will be forthcoming after I have used it. ( New Rome Press ) - The Heavenly Gift: The Art of Liturgical Bread-Making is much more than a recipe guide for prosphoro and artoclasia. It brings to light the joy and unique privilege of preparing and offering liturgical bread for the celebration of the Immaculate Mysteries through a concise study of its history, meaning, purpose, and preparation. The reader will also find storie...

( Tennis Majors ) - No one works harder than Novak Djokovic in training, no one prepares better for matches, no one is more disciplined when it comes to practice or getting the best out of his game. It’s part of the reason he’s won 24 Grand Slams, along with his talent and incredible dedication and motivation that does not seem to be wilting with his age. But sometimes, even someone as great as Djokovic needs something extra, something to get him over the line when his mind starts to question whether his body has anything left. It’s then that he calls on greater forces. “(I can rely) on God and guardian angels,” Djokovic told Serbian media, after winning his record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title at the US Open on Sunday night. “In moments when I don’t feel my legs anymore, when I don’t have any strength left, when the ball is blurry… in those moments, I hope for divine intervention.” Novak Djokovic is asked what he’s thinking in that moment when he goes down on his knees after winnin...

( AOC-ANA ) -  My dearly beloved, I am asking you today, what does every Orthodox family need? However, this question is not just for families that are in church today, but for the families who are at home, and families who have lost their way to church.  There are so many families that I have served. I have buried their great grandparents, grandparents, parents, and children. I have churched and baptized several generations of children and grandchildren. We have celebrated countless Orthodox weddings, and as a community have stood as a pillar as the example of how Christian love and values can prosper and grow. This is the Great Commission that Christ has given us: to love one another as one family and one Church. Today, we must hold onto the sacred traditions of the Church. It is not the food, but the Holy Orthodox Faith, even though both can be part of how we express love. Our faith can only be practiced in and through the Church. The faith that we experience in worship is ...

This is a snippet from a two-part post available at the links below. People love the KJV. Most people anyway. Worth reading for both those that do and those not so enamored. ( OrthoCuban ) - Orthodoxy in the USA and Canada has an English conundrum. No, I am not talking about the country of England. I am talking about the language used. At least two of our jurisdictions argue that the only proper version of English to use in prayer and worship is 18th-19th-century English. No earlier or later English may be used. How did a part of Orthodoxy arrive at such a conclusion? The Bible’s King James Version (KJV) is partly responsible for our odd conclusion. But it is not even the original 1611 publication of the KJV. Instead, the later editions of the 18th and very early 19th centuries are what have influenced modern English-speaking Orthodoxy in the USA and Canada. One need only go to the website of the Antiochian Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines to see that formal ...

( Patreon ) - Join our Bookclub with Prof. Christopher Veniamin, a spiritual child of St. Sophrony the Athonite. Our first Bookclub meeting will take place on September 27th at 9:00pm Eastern Time. The subject of our first Bookclub will be “Principles of the Christian Spiritual Life”, the first part of which will focus on Sts. Silouan and Sophrony the Athonites, and our main text will be Saint Silouan the Athonite. We shall read and discuss excerpts from Saint Silouan the Athonite, St. Sophrony’s seminal book on the life and teaching of his Elder, St. Silouan. Our meetings will cover such themes as Discovering the Will of God, Repentance, Obedience, Prayer, the Role of Thoughts in the Spiritual Life, and the Spiritual Father and Child Relationship, and provide plenty of time for discussion. “Saint Silouan the Athonite is a veritable treasury, a distillation of Patristic wisdom throughout the ages.” Prof. Christopher Veniamin, D.Phil. (Oxon.)   Meetings will be held via Zoom. Bookc...

( OAJ ) - I’m very pleased to announce that I’ve partnered with the Sacred Arts Institute at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary to produce a major book featuring the best of North America’s Orthodox Liturgical Arts. This will be a high-quality art book focused on presenting excellent color images. We will feature historic and contemporary churches, icons, furnishings, metalwork, textiles, manuscripts, and more. The focus will be on works of great beauty that adapt Old-World Orthodox tradition to New-World culture and contexts. We need your help! With this announcement, we are making a continent-wide call for submissions and suggestions. Perhaps you know of interesting churches or beautiful artworks in the USA, Canada, or Mexico. If you’re an iconographer, furniture maker, or embroiderer, perhaps you’d like to make an artwork especially for this book. This project will be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to promote the artistic styles and standards which North American Orthodoxy seeks to exemp...

Let's take a look at these one-by-one. The best way to protect the priesthood is to have a very high standard for even going to seminary. History in this country has shown us that when a bishop approves every Tom, Dick, and Harry to go to seminary that SOMEONE is going to pick that man up for ordination. And, my goodness, have we had some doozies get ordained and call all manner of chaos in parishes and online. A very fair rule of thumb here. If your name is Christian, just stick with it. I'll also add, parents, if you name your children something like Wesley and Calvin but then baptize the boys as Arseny and Gleb, please stop. Either be bold and use a rarified Christian name or be comfortable with an Andrew or Thomas. He's right. If you accepted Chrismation and now want a Baptism, it's too late (short of driving a DeLorean 88 mph) to adjust now. And those men trawling parishes offering secret baptisms need to stop and the hierarchs need to help them do so.  I would nev...

Matthew Namee is doing work no one else is doing. It's important work and brave. Who else would go to a conference at Holy Cross and tell all in attendance that Constantinople's claim to diasporal territory is a convenient fiction? Who else would do a deep dive into the US government's meddling in Orthodox administration? If you have some names, happy to add them to my reading list. ( Orthodox History ) - It almost goes without saying that the Orthodox world is a mess right now. The situation in Ukraine alone is a disaster: a Russian invasion of the country backed by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) by the state, and a recognized-by-only-some Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) that was created by the Ecumenical Patriarchate by joining together and legitimizing two schismatic church bodies. Moscow has broken communion with Constantinople and the other churches that have recognized the OCU: Alexandria, Cyprus, and Greece. In Africa...

( GOARCH ) - For the maintenance of their armed forces, the Roman emperors decreed that their subjects in every district should be taxed every year. This same decree was reissued every fifteen years, since the Roman soldiers were obliged to serve for fifteen years. At the end of each fifteen-year period, an assessment was made of what economic changes had taken place, and a new tax was decreed, which was to be paid over the span of the fifteen years. This imperial decree, which was issued before the season of winter, was named Indictio, that is, Definiton, or Order. This name was adopted by the emperors in Constantinople also.  At other times, the latter also used the term Epinemisis, that is, Distribution (Dianome). It is commonly held that Saint Constantine the Great introduced the Indiction decrees in A.D. 312, after he beheld the sign of the Cross in heaven and vanquished Maxentius and was proclaimed Emperor in the West. Some, however (and this seems more likely), ascribe the i...

I made the grave error of posting about something with secondhand knowledge. I'm pleased to be corrected and to post these updates in full below. Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary did not “lose its accreditation,” it lost its accreditor.  New York State Board of Regents (NYSBOR) and the New York State Commissioner of Education was a USDE-approved accrediting body until May of 2023, when they voluntarily allowed their certification to lapse. NYSBOR got out of the accreditation business.  HTOS was in good standing, and no adverse action was proposed.  The statement “lost its accreditation” without noting that the fault was on the accreditor, implies that the fault was on the institution, which is incorrect.  All institutions accredited by NYSBOR were informed that they would need to find a new accrediting body.   The time between the date of notification that NYSBOR was voluntarily withdrawing and the NYSBOR’s USDE certification expiration date was insufficient...

It was wonderful hearing that Jordanville had expanded their academic offering to provide a Master of Divinity program to the existing undergraduate degree. In addition they received accreditation. The cost has always been reasonable and the immersive experience (for those up for it) has formed many men seeking the priesthood. Sadly, it seems Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary lost its accreditation recently and is working to have it restored. My experience with accrediting bodies (specifically SACS) is that they do not move quickly. They think in terms of six-month blocks and years and not months or weeks, so I would be surprised if this got rectified in 2023. For added context, about half of the seminaries serving Orthodox students in North America do not have ATS or regional accreditation. But for those students who rely on loans (or receive grants), loss of this status can make continued attendance difficult. An update will be posted when available.