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Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Moldova (OCM) met on October 25.  The minutes of this meeting can be read at (link) However, before considering these minutes, it is helpful to review various events occurring prior to the meeting.  On September 5, Metropolitan Vladimir of Chișinău and All Moldova sent a very strong letter to Patriarch Kirill with a long list of grievances.  An English translation of the letter was provided in my last newsletter.  See (link) (20 October 2023).  The authenticity of this leaked letter has not been denied by either the Moscow Patriarchate or by the…

Source: Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry South Canaan, Pennsylvania — Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM) and St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (STOTS) have partnered together to create the new Certificate Program in Prison Ministry, the first program of its kind in the United States. The Certificate Program in Prison Ministry provides clergy and lay volunteers that are interested in prison ministry the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience to effectively lead and support people in prison. Students will learn from the most experienced chaplains and volunteers in Orthodox prison ministry in the country. “In such a specialized ministry, there has been a need…

Source: Orthodox Church in America MUNDELEIN, IL [OCA] – Almost 120 bishops and priests from across the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) participated in the National Clergy Retreat from October 17-20, 2023, at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake Conference Center in Mundelein, Illinois. The retreat was sponsored by the OCA Office of Pastoral Life as an opportunity for fellowship, prayer and education for priests and bishops. Between sessions, clergy enjoyed conversation, fellowship and the beautiful grounds of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. As His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon indicated in his remarks at the last dinner, “We are participating in…

Source: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America From the Patriarchate of Antioch The Fathers of the Holy Synod of Antioch raise fervent prayers to the King of Peace and Lord of Mercies to wipe away every tear from the eyes of the Palestinian people, and to remove all injustice, oppression, homelessness and displacement. They call on all their children to consecrate next Sunday in all the parishes of the Antiochian See for raising prayers that God may grant justice and peace in the land of peace, and to collect aid donations to relieve this afflicted people. Understanding that the…

Source: U.S. Religion Census The book, “U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Adherents,” is now available for download free of charge at: https://www.usreligioncensus.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/2020_US_Religion_Census.pdf This unique publication offers national, state, and county-level information and statistics on congregations and membership for 372 religious groups, including fourteen Eastern Orthodox and nine Oriental Orthodox Churches. The book’s ten chapters examine various aspects of church life in America and can also be downloaded individually at: https://www.usreligioncensus.org/node/1638 These chapters include: Quick Answers to Important Questions from the U.S. Religion Census Historical Efforts to Collect U.S. Data on Religious Congregations Trends in Adherents Data: 2010-2020 Patterns of Historical and Organizational Events and Conflict…

Source: The National Herald By Nikolaos Piperis When our forefathers immigrated here near the turn of the 20th century, they generally desired to maintain their Hellenism in America. Like people everywhere, Greeks hold fast to their inherited traditions, having protected them through centuries of inordinate persecutions in the Ottoman Empire. Understandably, these immigrants intended to perpetuate their culture and religion in their new country and accordingly established, in nearly every locality they stepped foot, local societies devoted to that task. These societies, which sponsored Greek schools, community centers, and churches, later transformed themselves into parishes, creating the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese…

Source: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Report from the Patriarchate of Antioch (بيان باللغة العربية) On Tuesday, October 10, 2023, at 11:00 a.m., His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, arrived at the Beirut Archbishopric. His Eminence Elias Audi, the Metropolitan of Beirut and its Dependencies, received him with the priests of the Archdiocese. After the prayer, a closed meeting took place between His Beatitude the Patriarch and His Eminence Metropolitan Elias, followed by lunch. His Beatitude answered journalists’ questions as follows: “I address you, my beloved ones, from this honorable residence in Beirut,…

Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA On Wednesday, October 11, the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate met at the Danilov Monastery in Moscow.  The meeting had not been previously announced. The minutes of the meeting can be read at (link).  Changes were made in three important positions of the Moscow Patriarchate. The first change is that Metropolitan Lazar of Simferopol and Crimea is retired by the Holy Synod. See Journal entry 92. The retirement of Metropolitan Lazar is not a surprise. He was born in 1939 (thus 84 years old) and has served as the head of the Simferopol and Crimea diocese…

Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA There have been several reports in the last few days that enough deputies in the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada) have pledged their support for the passage for Draft Law 8371.  Draft Law 8371 has been pending in the Rada for more than nine months but had not been submitted to the Rada for the first reading because of lack of majority support in the Rada.  However,  Oleg Dunda, a deputy in the Rada, stated on October 6:  “The appeal of the People’s Deputies to ban the UOC-MP has already collected about 240 signatures, and in…

Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA Among the Local Orthodox Churches, it is common for one Local Orthodox Church to have a representation church (more properly called a podvorie or metochion) at the seat of another Local Orthodox Church.  This is true of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Bulgarian Patriarchate.  The Bulgarian Patriarchate has a representation church in Moscow.  Conversely, the Moscow Patriarchate has a representation church in Sofia.  The church in Sofia is the Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Worker, located in central Sofia.  It is also known as the “Russian Church.” (link) Many come to pray here because the church is the location of…

Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA On September 14th, Foreign Affairs, the influential magazine of the Council on Foreign Relations, published an article entitled, “Putin’s Useful Priests.” The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America hereby expresses its objection and concern with the inaccurate manner with which Orthodox Christians in the United States are stereotyped by the authors. First, the article contains significant factual errors that are surprising for the renowned Foreign Affairs and disrespectful to a vital Christian community whose roots in America date over three centuries. Orthodox Christians in America – representing a plethora…

Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA On Sunday, September 25, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ issued a decree initiating canonical proceedings in the diocesan court of the Moscow Diocese against Archimandrite Cyril Hovorun.  Pending a canonical trial, the decree imposed severe limitations on the priestly service of Archimandrite Cyril.  The full text of the decree is posted at (link). A Google translation of the full decree is as follows:  Decree No. U-02/152 of 25 September 2023 // to Archimandrite Kirill (Hovorun) The written commitment of fidelity to the Russian Orthodox Church given by you was repeatedly violated, which was expressed,…

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