December, 2015 - Orthodox Christian Laity

Monthly Archives: December, 2015

Rev. Gounaris Has Gone to Canada with his Mistress – TNH EXCLUSIVE

By Webmaster on December 28, 2015 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: The National Herald BY THEODORE KALMOUKOS Rev. Anastasios Gounaris, former presiding priest of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Tarpon Springs, FL, who last June abruptly left his parish and family and departed the United States for an unknown destination, now lives in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada with his mistress, Patricia T., TNH has learned. The love story between Fr. Gounaris and Canadian Patricia, who is said to be wealthy, began in 2012 or even before that in Chania, Crete, where she and her husband are building a summer home for their retirement there. Both Gounaris and…

RUSSIAN CHURCH DOUBTS PAN-ORTHODOX COUNCIL POSSIBLE IN CURRENT SITUATION

By Webmaster on December 28, 2015 Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Interfax-Religion Moscow, December 28, Interfax – The chairman of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk has been cautious about prospects for convening a Pan-Orthodox Council. “There are doubts about the very possibility of a Pan-Orthodox Council being held at a time when some of the Orthodox Churches are in a state of unsettled conflict, and the leader of the Orthodox Church of the Czech lands and Slovakia has still not had his status recognized by a number of Orthodox Churches, to say nothing of the extremely unstable general political situation worldwide,” the metropolitan said…

The Greek Archdiocesan Byzantine Choir

By Webmaster on December 27, 2015 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: The National Herald BY THEODORE KALMOUKOS NEW YORK. The year 2010 marked the establishment of the men’s Byzantine choir of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, which possesses an authentic ecclesiastical character and performs hymns solely in the Greek language. The choir was the initiative of Archbishop Demetrios. It is comprised of young Greek-Americans who possess a mastery of the Greek language and Byzantine music, being cantors at various communities of the Direct Archdiocesan District in New York. The choir is under the care and promotion of Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos. In speaking with the National Herald, Archdeacon Panteleimon, who…

An Appeal from the Assembly of Bishops

By Webmaster on December 23, 2015 Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA Wednesday, December 23, 2015 Dearly beloved and faithful Clergy and all Brothers and Sisters in our Lord, Much has been accomplished by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the few short years of its existence. Yet much more remains to be accomplished. Until now, the Assembly has been primarily funded by dioceses, jurisdictions, individual bishops, foundations and a few significant donors. Achieving Orthodox unity is a goal that touches upon the life of every Orthodox Christian in America. With this in mind, the Assembly wishes to accord to every Orthodox…

The Curious Council

By Webmaster on December 22, 2015 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Orthodox England The Inter-Orthodox Council, with a token number of bishops from each of the fourteen Local Churches and supposed to take place in May 2016 to discuss administrative issues, is looking increasingly troubled. First, there is the schism between the Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Antioch. Then there were rumours after contacts with top US officials that the US State Department was trying to set the agenda, specifically regarding homosexuality. Then there was news from the Russian Orthodox Church that delegates from several Local Churches, notably the Russian, the Romanian (the second biggest) and the Georgian, had failed to…

Special Tour for Special St. Nicholas Shrine (Ground Zero) Donors

By Webmaster on December 21, 2015 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: The National Herald BY CONSTANTINE S. SIRIGOS NEW YORK – While the dollar amount of the pledges to the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox National Shrine is impressive – $35.76 million to date – communities rooted in humble origins in homelands like Greece are still touched by in-kind contributions, and on December 21 the principals and families of the Titan Group and Corona Ready Mix received a special tour of the construction site at Ground Zero in appreciation of their donating all the concrete for the new Church. Father Alexander Karloutsos, Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Archdiocese’s Executive…

GREEK HIERARCHS WARN THAT THE TIME OF PERSECUTIONS HAS COME: “WE ARE ORTHODOX GREECE – LET US NOT BE TRAITORS”

By Webmaster on December 20, 2015 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: Pravoslavie.ru Athens, December 17, 2015 “Adoption of the new law is officially opening the page of state persecutions against our faith. The politicians shamelessly refer to the European consensus concerning legalization of sodomy, but they conceal the fact that the post-Christian Europe has become Sodom and Gomorrah,” Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus is speaking of what is going on in Greece. Now that the so-called Anti-Racism Law which prohibits “discrimination” against homosexuals is adopted in Greece, it is time for the next step: to secure the legal status of “same-sex unions”. Metropolitan Ignatios of Larisa and Tyrnavos: “Sin is being…

Ex-Archbishop Spyridon Shares His Thoughts on the Church

By Webmaster on December 20, 2015 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: The National Herald BY THEODORE KALMOUKOS BOSTON, MA – Former Archbishop Spyridon of America discussed with TNH a number of serious ecclesiastical issues including the split of the Archdiocese into Metropolises, and the recent scandal of his former chancellor George Passias. The former prelate began by discussing prominent Dartmouth Professor John Rassias, who died recently in Vermont. Rassias led the committee appointed by Archbishop Spyridon for the reorganization of Greek Education within the Archdiocese. He said that “I was pleased to have met professor Rassias in the beginning of my archpastorship in America. I was trying to find a…

Why these Americans are ‘done’ with church, but not with God

By Webmaster on December 19, 2015 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: Christian Science Monitor By Harry Bruinius, Staff writer An estimated 30 million Americans are former churchgoers who nevertheless keep faith in God. Here are some of their stories. Kyle Rice pretty much stopped going to church a few years ago. But the marriage and family therapist in Torrington, Wyo., has hardly abandoned his Christian faith – or his deep longing to share it with others and experience God’s love within a community of believers. Mr. Rice, who is in his late 20s, has simply found that what he calls “the Sunday morning experience” – that is, the traditional institutions…

‘Insignificant’ disagreements undermine the most important summit

By Webmaster on December 18, 2015 Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Romfea.gr Without unanimity ended the Special Inter-Orthodox Committee session on the preparation of the Great Pan-Orthodox Synod of the Church, held these days in central Athens hotel. Information Romfea.gr said the Thursday session December 17 there were tensions and obstacles, made the occasion not solve several issues concerning the preparation of the draft Rules of organization and operation of the Holy and Great Council. According to participants, Dealers Orthodox Churches have expressed disagreements that threatened to blow up, the necessary unanimity considered sine qua non condition for the smooth functioning of the Great Council. Among the dissenters was and…

SPECIAL INTER-ORTHODOX COMMITTEE FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE PAN-ORTHODOX COUNCIL BEGINS ITS WORK IN ATHENS

By Webmaster on December 18, 2015 Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Russian Orthodox Church Department for External Church Relations On 16 December 2015, the Special Inter-Orthodox Committee for the Preparation of the Pan-Orthodox Council met in Athens. The Committee is to draw up draft procedure rules of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church is represented at the meeting by a delegation led by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations. The delegation also includes archpriest Nikolai Balashov, DECR vice-chairman, and Rev. Anatoly Churyakov,…

Pan-Orthodox Council: Ready for 2016, beyond

By Webmaster on December 18, 2015 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: The National Herald By Dennis Menos The need for a Pan Orthodox Council to resolve the issues that confront the Church in the modern era and also to further promote Christian unity, has been debated in the Orthodox East for many years. It came, therefore, as no surprise when the Primates of the Church announced in March 2014 that such a Council would convene in Constantinople early in 2016. The Council will bring together the Primates and Bishops of all fourteen Autocephalous Churches in the Orthodox East. Chairing the proceedings will be Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and all decisions will be by consensus.…

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Monthly Archives: December, 2015