Source: Orthodox Church in America ANCHORAGE, AK [OCA] Following the canonization services for the Righteous Olga of Kwethluk in her home village, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon and his delegation traveled to Anchorage over the weekend of June 21–22, 2025 to continue the celebration of St. Olga’s Glorification. Nearly one thousand faithful gathered at St. Innocent Cathedral to honor the newly glorified saint. Upon arrival at the cathedral for the All-Night Vigil on Saturday evening, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon processed into the church bearing the relics of St. Olga. These were set out for veneration by the faithful. The veneration of the relics and anointing of the…
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Source: The National Herald Australian actor Mel Gibson went to the renowned monastic community of Mount Athos to spend a few days there in northern Greece and was staging at the Serbian Hilandar Monastery and taking part in daily liturgical services, said religious websites. The 69-year-old reportedly told the monks that he has “never felt such a strong connection with God anywhere as here.” He is known for directing the 2004 film The Passion of Christ and his devotion to Christianity. In a recent interview on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Gibson candidly discussed the challenges Christianity faces within the…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America The first 2025 session of the CrossRoad Summer Institute took place from June 7-17, with Hellenic College Holy Cross hosting thirty-five high school students in Boston, Massachusetts. The teens were immersed in a program of faith and experience, challenged to dive deeper into what it means to be an Orthodox Christian in the 21st century. CrossRoad curriculum focuses on three important questions: 1) who am I? 2) who is God? and 3) who is my neighbor? In the first stage of the program, participants explored an Orthodox understanding of vocation: “your unique and ongoing…
Source: Public Orthodoxy Dr. Paul Ladouceur Orthodox Theologian Editor’s Note: Dr. Paul Ladouceur, distinguished theologian, teacher, and cherished voice in the Orthodox Christian tradition, fell asleep in the Lord on Friday, June 13, 2025. He was 81. He submitted this essay to Public Orthodoxy just before his passing. Paul was not merely a contributor but a beloved friend of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center and a frequent, passionate voice for Public Orthodoxy. May his memory be eternal! George Florovsky’s appeal for a “return to the Fathers,” which he called “neopatristic synthesis,” is often misunderstood, especially his notion of “the mind of the…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has just received the Ecumenical Award of the Catholic Academy of Bavaria “in recognition of his contribution to the Ecumenical Dialogue, that is, the effort to bring Christian Churches closer together.” At the ceremony in Munich on June 6, 2025, Bishop Dr. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, President of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), delivered a heartfelt tribute to the Ecumenical Patriarch that beautifully expressed some of His All-Holiness’ innumerable accomplishment in nearly thirty-four years as the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide. Bedford-Strohm stated that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew…
Source: Assembly of Orthodox Canonical Bishops of the USA Approved by the Executive Committee on June 23, 2025 Mourning the loss of at least 25 lives and lamenting the suffering of more than 60 wounded faithful Orthodox Christians violated during the Divine Liturgy at Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Dweil’a on June 22, 2025, we, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, condemn the terrorist attack on the innocent parishioners as a cowardly display of extremism. As many leaders of various religions have expressed over the past half century, we promulgate the sentiment that…
Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA Relations between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) continue to worsen. Certainly, a major factor has been the loss of UOC churches to the OCU. The loss of churches is a complex issue. There are situations where a UOC religious community voluntarily decides by a fair vote to change its affiliation to the OCU. However, difficult questions can arise as to who is eligible to vote. If a village has only one church, should villagers who rarely attend services be able to vote or should the voters be limited…
Source: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Cardiff, Wales, UK | In the course of a busy and eventful week accompanying Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on his Patriarchal Visit to the United Kingdom, the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on Monday, June 23, 2025 hosted a luncheon in Cardiff, Wales, in honor of the Very Rev. Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios, Director of the Private Patriarchal Office, and devoted assistant to the Ecumenical Patriarch. His All-Holiness and Father Aetios. The occasion for the luncheon was the fact that Father Aetios received word, in the presence of His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch; His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel,…
Source: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Dear Brother Archons and Friends of the Ecumenical Patriarchate: An unspeakable atrocity took place on Sunday, June 22, 2025 in Dweila, a village on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria. A suicide bomber entered the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church during the Divine Liturgy and detonated his explosive vest, murdering twenty-two people and injuring another 63. According to Noureddine Al-Baba, a spokesman for the Syrian Interior Ministry, the attacker was linked the Islamic State terrorist group, which several years ago controlled large swaths of Syria. In a phone conversation with His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch…
Source: Orthodox Church in America ANCHORAGE, AK [OCA] On June 18, 2025, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon traveled to Alaska to preside at the services for the glorification of the Righteous Olga of Kwethluk, where hundreds of pilgrims gathered for the event from across Alaska and North America. His Beatitude and his delegation, which included Archpriest Alessandro Margheritino, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America and Deacon Alexander Woodill, were greeted at the Anchorage airport on Wednesday, June 18, by His Eminence Archbishop Alexei of Sitka and Alaska, along with diocesan clergy and faithful. On Thursday morning, June 19, His Beatitude, together with a delegation of…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SPRINGFIELD, VA [OCA] Links are now available to livestream the upcoming glorification services of the Righteous Olga of Kwethluk. The faithful of the Orthodox Church in America are invited to watch the services that mark an important occasion in the life of our Church. The following services will be broadcast live: Primatial All-Night Vigil for the Glorification of Saint Olga – Kwethluk, Alaska Date: Thursday, June 19 Time: 4:00 PM AKDT Livestream: https://youtube.com/live/iUpL1KWTgxc?feature=share Primatial Divine Liturgy for the Glorification of Saint Olga – Kwethluk, Alaska Date: Friday, June 20 Time: 9:00 AM AKDT Livestream: https://youtube.com/live/S53n8pgekLI?feature=share Primatial All-Night Vigil in Honor of…
Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA Youngstown, OH On June 12th, clergy and laity gathered at St. John the Forerunner parish for an informational and brainstorming session on Inter-Parish Associations. Participants presented creative ideas for collaborative ministry, and parishes in the area expressed excitement in taking the next step toward officially becoming an Inter-Parish Association. Following the event, Spyridoula Fotinis, the AoB Director of Inter-Parish Associations, said, “we are excited by the enthusiasm of the Orthodox Christian community in Youngstown and look forward to working with them to establish their IPA and their ministries in the area!”…