Monthly Archives: April, 2013
On Sunday, April 21st, Bishop Basil of Wichita, in his capacity as Secretary of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Dr. and Mrs. George J. Farha, members of St George Cathedral in Wichita, Kansas, on behalf of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Chairman of the Assembly of Bishops. The Certificate of Appreciation was issued to the Farhas in recognition of their exceptional financial and prayerful support for the work of the Assembly. [subscribe2]
Pyongyang – Korean Orthodox Christian Chant – O Virgin Pure After General Kim Jong Il’s visit to Russia, he admired Orthodox Church of Russia, the oldest branch of Christianity, so he decided to build Orthodox Church in Pyongyang, capital of DPRK. Russian Orthodox Church trained Korean priests and Orthodox bishop came to Pyongyang and blessed the Church, now Russian Orthodox Christian minority that lives in Pyongyang along with Korean Orthodox Christians have place of worship to God.
Source: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America The following official joint statement has been released by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, and the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. (Original PDF here.) On Monday, 22.04.2013, we were surprised by the news that our brothers Bishop Paul (Yazigi) of Aleppo and Alexandretta and Bishop John (Ibrahim) Syriac Orthodox Bishop of Aleppo, have been kidnapped on their way back to Aleppo after accomplishing a humanitarian mission. We deeply regret what happened as we regret all similar acts targeting civilians, regardless of their belonging…
Source: The Catholic World Report Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew continue the 50-year legacy of Catholic-Orthodox dialogue begun by Paul VI and Athenagoras. by Christopher B. Warner Pope Francis met with fraternal delegates of the Orthodox Churches, other Christian churches, and world religions on Wednesday, March 20. These representatives had come to Rome for Francis’ inauguration Mass on Tuesday. Prior to the Wednesday’s meeting, the Holy Father and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople had a 20-minute private conversation. Father Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, said the discussion was both “beautiful and intense.” Over the past week,…
Dear Faithful Members, Friends and Supporters of Orthodox Christian Laity, The Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) brand has had a makeover. We have developed a state-of-the-art, interactive and cost-effective website. We encourage you to comment on the content and invite you to add your point of view. OCL also has a new logo. Its colors and symbolism signify that Orthodoxy in America is Christ-centered, unified, diverse and cooperative. By means of its conciliar governance ethos, Orthodoxy is maturing into a self-governing sister Church fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. In 2013, I am blessed to be serving as your President…
Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America The Bylaws of the Assembly of Bishops are now posted on the website. These Bylaws were drafted over the course of 2012 with the help of a number of Orthodox attorneys who are a part of the Assembly’s Legal Affairs Committee, to whom the Assembly is deeply appreciative. They were finalized and approved by consensus at the last Assembly meeting in September 2012. They are now being made available to the public. The Bylaws, together with the Rules of Operation approved by The Fourth Pre-Conciliar Pan-Orthodox Conference held in…
Source: The Electronic Intifada by Sarah Irving (London) Around the walls of the main gallery at London’s Mosaic Rooms hang images of broken graves, bearing inscriptions in Arabic. On some, the headstones have been smashed to pieces; on others, the covers of tombs have been removed or cracked so that skulls, limb bones and ribcages are visible. This is the destruction left by one of several incidents of vandalism at the Christian Palestinian cemetery in Lod in present-day Israel. This was once the important Palestinian city of al-Lydd, birthplace of the late Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine leader George Habash and the…
Source: U.S. News & World Report By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press ST. ANTHONY’S MONASTERY, Egypt (AP) — In a cave here high in the desert mountains of eastern Egypt, the man said to be the father of monasticism took refuge from the temptations of the world some 17 centuries ago. At the foot of the mountain, the monks at the St. Anthony’s Monastery bearing his name continue the ascetic tradition. But even this remote spot is touched by the turbulent times facing Egypt’s Christians, who fear for their future under the rising power of Islamists. Monks normally immersed in spirituality…
Source: Romania Insider Disputes over the funding of Romania’s Orthodox Church and religious organizations in general has piqued the interest of Britain’s National Secular Society. The idea of a ‘church tax’ in Romania, proposed by Romanian Green Party MP Remus Cernea, has provoked angry responses from a number of public figures, including former MEP and football boss George Becali. The church tax proposed would be similar to the system used in Germany whereby citizens have the option to donate part of the tax they pay to religious and/or non-religious organizations. The reformed system would save EUR 70 million a year,…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA] – The Department of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministry of the Orthodox Church in America recently announced that several events geared to the needs of college students and young adults are being offered in the immediate future. The OCA Diocese of New York and New Jersey will host a retreat for college students, titled “Love 2 Serve,” at Saint Basil Academy, a Greek Orthodox institution located on a beautiful 250 acre campus on the shores of the Hudson River, July 12-14, 2013. All college students and high school seniors are invited to participate…