[ditty_news_ticker id="27897"] May, 2013 - Orthodox Christian Laity - Page 2
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Monthly Archives: May, 2013

Source: Ceske Noviny Mikulcice – About 2000 people attended the liturgy the Orthodox Church Constantinople patriarch Bartholomew celebrated in Mikulcice, a place linked to the medieval Christian missionaries SS Cyril and Methodius, in spite of the rainy weather today. The organisers expected up to 10,000 visitors to come but a number of them were evidently discouraged by the adverse weather. The liturgy, in which a dozen of Orthodox Church dignitaries took part, was held to mark the 1150th anniversary of the arrival of SS Cyril and Methodius in Great Moravia from Thessaloniki, then the Byzantine Empire. Pilgrimages to Mikulcice take…

Source: The Daily Star – Lebanon ISTANBUL: Two Orthodox bishops kidnapped in Syria last month are “in good health,” though there is no news on their whereabouts, an opposition official told reporters Saturday in Istanbul. “Two or three days ago, a doctor visited the two bishops. They are in good health,” said Abdul Ahad Steipho, member of the main opposition’s National Coalition and of its committee established to follow up on the kidnappings. Steipho added that his committee’s attempts to enter into direct telephone contact with the kidnappers or the bishops have so far failed. “We are receiving a lot…

Source: Orthodox Church in America SOUTH CANAAN, PA [OCA]  Final preparations for the 109th Annual Pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk Monastery here over Memorial Day weekend, May 24-27, 2013, are underway. “It is always a joy to welcome hierarchs, clergy and faithful from the Orthodox Church in America, other Orthodox jurisdictions and guests from near and far,” said Igumen Sergius, the Monastery’s Abbot. A detailed schedule of the weekend’s divine services and other events is available in PDF format. In related news, Saint Tikhon’s Seminary will hold its 71st annual Commencement on Saturday, May 25. The day will open…

Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA] Members of the Lesser Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America received updates from the Church’s officers during their meeting at the Chancery here May 21-22, 2013. According to Archpriest Eric G. Tosi, OCA Secretary, “the purpose of the meeting was to continue the work of the Holy Synod between sessions, address critical concerns, and plan for upcoming meetings.” The meeting was chaired by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon.  Also in attendance were His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel; His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin; and His Grace, Bishop Melchisedek, who attended some of the…

Antonis H. Diamataris – Publisher/Editor of The National Herald Special to The National Herald Source: The National Herald It might appear to be an innocent omission. It is not. Not only it is an important issue in itself, it reveals that the Church in America is on the wrong course. The National Herald revealed last week in its Greek edition that the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York no longer displays the Greek flag. The American flag and the flag of the Patriarchate fly above the main entrance, and we have no problem with that. “We have…

by George Matsoukas, Executive Director of Orthodox Christian Laity The Orthodox Christian Church is in the Paschal Season.  Having attended the many services of preparation for the Resurrection of Christ and as we await Pentecost, we know that the Holy Spirit is present everywhere and that brothers and sisters must dwell together in unity, which is the Christian norm.   During this season, we must continue to pray that the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops finds the humility to move ahead with their work of developing the blueprint and foundation for a unified Church in the United States.  We must pray…

Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA]  On May 13, 2013, the Board of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) unanimously approved the application forwarded by the Orthodox Church in America’s Department of Institutional Chaplaincies seeking formal faith tradition membership in the organization.  The original application had been submitted to ACPE in December 2012. ACPE primarily certifies clinical pastoral education supervisors who run CPE programs and accredits training programs they conduct.  The organizaton held its annual conference in Indianapolis in mid-May. ACPE was formed in 1967 to bring together two organizations—the Council for Clinical Training and the Institute…

IOCC Responds To Victims of Oklahoma City Tornadoes May 21, 2013 Candice Lopez and Stephanie Davis sift the remains of a neighbor’s home after it was destroyed by a series of tornadoes near Shawnee, Oklahoma. (Photo: Brett Deering/Getty Images) As survivors sift through the devastation left behind by tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma City and claimed the lives of 24 people, nine of them children, please join IOCC in praying for the families and lost loved ones. IOCC has been in contact with the Orthodox community in the Oklahoma City area as well as its ecumenical partners and is assessing…

Source: B92 BELGRADE — Patriarch Irinej, along with 12 bishops, on Tuesday served liturgy in Belgrade, marking the start of the regular spring session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops. The gathering is set to last for several days. Irinej said a prayer for a successful gathering of the Church’s top legislative body, for the well-being of the Church and the people who faced serious challenges. In his sermon at the end of today’s liturgy, the patriarch stated that Kosovo and Metohija will remain Serbian. He also prayed for God to save Kosovo and Metohija where Serb Orthodox holy places,…

Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America 2013 Prison Ministry Awareness Sunday Encyclical June 9, 2013 Be diligent to come to me quickly; for Demas has forsaken me…only Luke is with me. 2 Timothy 4:9-11 To the Most Reverend Clergy, Venerable Monastics and Devout Laity of the Orthodox Churches in North and Central America: Dearly Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Christ is Risen! We greet you in the surpassing joy of the Risen Christ. By the grace of God, we are blessed to observe the Sixth Sunday of Pascha, which this year falls on June…

Source: Catholic World News At a conference commemorating the 1700th anniversary of the Edict of Milan, in which Emperor Constantine decreed the toleration of Christianity in the Roman Empire, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople said that “the divinely-inspired Emperor established in action and legislation the fundamental principles on which modern Christian societies – and by extension and analogy, the entire world – are based to this day.” “The basic human rights, for which all peoples and societies strive, but which are frequently perceived in a sense of retribution that does not resemble the spirit of the Gospel or Christianity, comprise…