Source: Orthodox Christian Laity On October 10-11, 2025, the Saints Constantine & Elena Orthodox Christian Parish in Indianapolis, Indiana, generously hosted Orthodox Christian Laity’s 38th Annual Meeting and Conference, themed “Orthodox Christian Unity in Action,” attracting over 50 participants. Click Here to view the event Program. Special thanks to OCL Board member William Caras for producing the video recordings and photos. Recordings of the Presentations are available below. Click Here to view the slides from Alexei Krindatch’s Presentation Gallery of the photos from the annual meeting and conference
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Source: Orthodox Observer A new documentary, entitled In His Own Words, premiered on Oct. 23, 2025 at the Huffington Ecumenical Institute of Hellenic College Holy Cross’s memorial tribute marking twenty years since the passing of Archbishop Iakovos. The film includes previously-unreleased footage and uncommonly-published photos of Iakovos and his tenure as Archbishop of North and South America.
Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA Opening Remarks of the Chairman at Assembly of Bishops XIV My Beloved Brothers and Concelebrants in the Holy Spirit, I commence my remarks today by greeting you in the spirit of fraternal love and appreciation for your presence in this Fourteenth Convening of our Assembly of Bishops. In this year when we celebrate the Seventeen Hundredth Anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, I perceive a true momentum, a genuine Kairos, inspired by the Holy Spirit within our Holy Orthodox Church, not only in these United States, but around the world.…
Source: Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago LOMBARD, IL, November 6, 2025 – Following an affirmative vote by delegates of the 2025 Clergy-Laity Assembly, the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago is returning to the City of Chicago. Subject to the approval of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA), the Metropolis of Chicago will be located at 1290 North Clybourn Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60610. Proceeds from the sale of the Burton Place property in February 2022 – previously approved by delegates of the 2019 Clergy-Laity Assembly and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America – will be used to secure the new Metropolis Center.…
Source: Orthodox Youth and Young Adult Ministries OYM recently had the opportunity to sit down with Jacob Sparks, a campus missionary with Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) serving the colleges of downtown Atlanta. Through Bible studies, reader services, one-on-one mentorship, and even creative solutions like an Uber fund to help students get to church, Jacob is working to bridge the gap between campus life and parish life. In this conversation, he shares how his own journey through OCF shaped his calling to ministry, the challenges of witnessing to Christ in an intense academic culture, and why the most meaningful evangelism often…
Source: Orthodox Observer The first panel of the Orthodox Observer’s conference “Do the Divine and Digital Intersect?” was entitled “Theological Responses to the Socioeconomic Implications of AI.” In it, Dr. Taylor Nutter and Dr. Mark Graves give presentations and participate in a Q&A with the audience.
Source: The National Herald By Ambassador Patrick N. Theros Notes and Comments on the Land Where Christ Lived, Died, and Was Resurrected Most Americans, even within our community, know little about the once-vast Christian populations of the Near and Middle East – communities that once outnumbered the Christians of Europe. Today, they survive only as scattered remnants, mostly single-digit minorities east of the Mediterranean except in Lebanon; even there, the numbers dwindle. Among the most endangered are the indigenous Palestinian Christians, whose extinction now seems possible. I recently spoke with Mother Agapia, a Russian Orthodox nun – an American who has…
Source: St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary Have you ever enjoyed a book published by St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press? Have you or has someone you know—perhaps your own parish priest—lived or spent time on campus, worshiped in Three Hierarchs Chapel, or listened to a lecture at the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium from some of the most renowned Orthodox theologians of our times? However you might have interacted with the Seminary, whatever building you stepped into, or whatever good things you might have seen come out of the Seminary over the past half-century—more than likely Theodore (Ted) Bazil played an instrumental role in making it…
Source: Orthodox Christian Attorney Network (OCAN) Washington state agrees to restore First Amendment rights of Orthodox priests Washington state recently entered a settlement ending a provision of its mandatory child abuse reporting law that would have criminalized priests upholding the sacred seal of confession. In May of this year, the state of Washington passed a law removing the clergy-penitent privilege under the state’s mandatory child abuse reporting law. The law would have required priests to breach the sacredness and confidentiality of confession or face criminal penalties including up to 364 days of jail time, a $5,000 fine, and civil liability. In…
Source: Solia Calendar 2015 – Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America – pages 200-252 The following paper was written by Rev. Dr. Gabriel Gardan with the blessing of His Grace, Bishop Petroniu of Salaj (Romania) in honor of the 30th Anniversary of the Enthronement of His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel on November 17, 2014. FROM DREAM TO REALITY: ORTHODOX UNITY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA[i] Rev. Dr. Gabriel-Viorel Gârdan, University Lecturer Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Cluj-Napoca, Romania The number of researchers who are focusing on the life of the Orthodox communities on the North American Continent[ii] is increasing considerably, and…
Source: Orthodox Observer Atop Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Seminary’s “hill of hope” in Brookline, Mass., His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America was installed as the new Chair of the Governing Board of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S. (NCC) on Oct. 14. As the first Eastern Orthodox hierarch and head of a jurisdiction to be Chair of the Board, Archbishop Elpidophoros’s installation marks a significant milestone in the history of both the NCC and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. The installation took place during NCC’s 75th anniversary and Christian Unity Gathering, meeting from Oct. 13-16 in Boston.…
Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA Staff from the Assembly of Bishops participated in the Lilly Endowment, Inc. Thriving Congregations Annual Gathering, the Orthodox Christian Laity 38th Annual Conference, and hosted an information session on Inter-Parish Associations for the Indianapolis area parishes during the week of October 8-13, 2025. October 8-10: The Thriving Congregations Annual Gathering brought together all grantees of the Thriving Congregations grant in the 2024 cohort. The grantees include 132 projects, spanning over 71 Christian denominations and movements across 30 states. The two days of the conference allow grantees to connect with one another, be…