Browsing: Governance & Unity News

Source: Public Orthodoxy A Look at the Recent Influx of Converts Rev. Matthew Brown Doctoral Student in Systematic Theology at Fordham University Ever since emerging from the lockdowns, Orthodox parishes—almost exclusively English-speaking ones—have experienced a historic increase in inquirers and converts. It is probably safe to say that there hasn’t been such an intense and sustained period of growth in the history of Orthodoxy in America. What is remarkable is not only the sheer number of newcomers but also the short timeframe in which this has occurred. This past July, I participated in the Orthodox Church in America’s All-American Council,…

A Simple Introduction to Orthodox Christian Administrative Unity in the United States Who this is for: Orthodox Christians who love the Church and want to understand—without pressure or polemics—what “administrative unity” means, why it is discussed, and why it matters. 1. What do we mean by “administrative unity”? Administrative unity refers to Orthodox Christians in a given country being organized under a unified, coordinated ecclesiastical structure, rather than multiple overlapping jurisdictions based on ethnic or historical lines. It does not mean: Changing Orthodox theology or doctrine Eliminating legitimate liturgical or cultural diversity Disrespecting the episcopacy or canonical order It does…

Source: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Fr. Peter Samore, Director of Communications Photo album by Fr. Peter Samore and Fr. Christopher Dillon Maintaining Church unity and the holy priesthood – both given to this world by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself – were among the keynote addresses given by His Grace Bishop Anthony to the annual Clergy Seminar of the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West. The gathering of more than 70 priests and deacons from Feb. 10-12, 2026 at Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra, Calif. enabled His Grace and the clergy who minister with him to continue…

Source: Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick The Orthodox Studies Institute’s Matthew Namee and Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin join Fr. Andrew to talk about statistical trends in Orthodox Christianity in America and speculate about how they might play out in the coming decades.

Source: Frederica’s World Eighteen years later, what’s changed? Frederica Mathewes-Green Originally published November 25, 2025 Inside the OrthoSphere, everyone’s talking about Ruth Graham’s New York Times article about the influx of converts—particularly men—into American Orthodoxy. Funnily enough, I wrote an article about this very thing eighteen years ago. It was a surprising phenomenon, back then, that the majority of converts were young men. These guys were just showing up at the doors of Orthodox churches, usually after a lot of independent study. (There’s a saying: “Why did he become Orthodox?” “He read too much.”) Back then the predominance of male inquirers really stood…

Source: SUPRASL CLICK HERE or on the image below to view/download the PDF

Source: Orthodox Observer By Hellenic College Holy Cross February 11, 2026 BROOKLINE, MA  – Today marks the launch of The Scriptorium Initiative at Holy Cross (TSI) website for the worldwide community. The website and The Scriptorium Initiative are the creation of the faculty of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology under the vision, leadership, and assiduous work of Dean Fr. Eugen J. Pentiuc. Conceived by Fr. Pentiuc as a scriptorium (a designated room for thinking and writing—much like the scriptoria at the Qumran community or Medieval monasteries), TSI website provides special “office” locations (i.e., mini personalized websites within the rich…

Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – At the 35th Leadership 100 Conference, held in Phoenix, Arizona, Archbishop Elpidophoros of America set forth his intentions regarding the transformation of the Theological School into a university—as The National Herald had previously revealed—as well as the relocation of the Archdiocesan Cathedral of New York to St. Bartholomew’s Church in Manhattan. He also spoke of the sale of one of the two Archdiocesan Office buildings to finance the acquisition of St. Bartholomew’s, while the other building would be converted into the Archbishop’s residence. It is noted that Archbishop Elpidophoros has resided within the Archdiocesan building since the day of…

Source: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Fr. Peter Samore, Director of Communications Photo album Videos: Great Vespers | Antiochian Archdiocese Choir Concert | Orthros, Hierarchal Divine Liturgy Lifting their voices in song is how Orthodox Christians glorify and worship God in the divine services. They constantly refine their artistic expression and expand their musical knowledge to praise their Creator in their churches. From Feb. 5-8, 2026, the Department of Sacred Music gathered more than 120 church singers from across the Archdiocese for their annual Winter Sacred Music Institute, hosted this year at St. George Church in Phoenix. They were delighted to reunite with His Grace Bishop…

Source: Orthodox Church in America Tarrytown, NY [OCA] His Grace Bishop Seraphim (Sigrist), former Bishop of Sendai, fell asleep in the Lord on February 6, 2026. Bishop Seraphim was born Joseph Sigrist on December 13, 1941 in New York and baptized in a Presbyterian Church. He was brought up in Pleasantville, NY and studied at Nyack College. While studying at Nyack he began to attend the Orthodox Church and, on completing his degree there, he was received into the Orthodox Church at Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral in New York. He then began study at Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and,…

Source: Public Orthodoxy Joshua Townson PhD Candidate at the University of Oxford In October 2025, the World Council of Churches held its fourth Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt on the theme “Where Now for Visible Unity,” bringing together around 65 students for six weeks culminating in the 6th World Conference on Faith & Order. Among these students were five Eastern Orthodox, of which I was the sole convert and sole “Westerner.” Having reached the program’s end, I share reflections on a question that emerged during my participation: Where Now is Visible Unity? Many may be familiar with the stereotype…

Source: Orthodox Observer The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is pleased to announce that His Beatitude Archbishop Ioan of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania will be visiting the United States of America. At the invitation of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros, His Beatitude will offer the keynote address at the International Conference organized by the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at Holy Cross School of Theology in collaboration with the Missions Institute of HCHC. The conference, entitled “Anastasios: Archbishop, Theologian, Missionary,” will be held at Holy Cross School of Theology from March 2 to March 4, 2026, on the occasion of the first…