Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America New York, NY (June 27, 2023) — On Monday, June 26, 2023, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, made a historic visit to the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center in New York. Speaker McCarthy is the most senior government official to visit the St. Nicholas National Shrine since its official opening on December 6, 2022. Speaker McCarthy was given a tour of Liberty Park and the newly constructed Church. The St. Nicholas National Shrine is a cenotaph that honors the memory of the 3,000…
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Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA Sunday, July 30, 2023, has been appointed by the Assembly of Bishops as Prison Ministry Awareness Sunday (PMAS) when all Orthodox churches of every jurisdiction recognize the importance of prison ministry for the life of the Church. OCPM Church Programs Manager, Mark Santana, has written a simple reflection on his most recent visit inside a prison, SCI Waymart, near St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (STOTS). OCPM recently held a staff retreat at St. Tikhon’s. We had the privilege of visiting with seminarians, along with the Dean at St. Tikhon’s Seminary and…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SPRINGFIELD, VA [OCA] On June 18, 2023, the Polish Orthodox Church provided an update on the support for Ukrainian refugees made possible by the fundraising efforts of the Orthodox Church in America. A video update explained that the funds collected by the OCA enabled two separate programs of Polish language instruction for refugees in 28 groups of students across 19 locations in Poland. These groups totaled 580 students, with 535 graduates of the programs. These sessions ran from March 2022 to April 2023. His Beatitude Metropolitan Sawa offered his blessing and gratitude for the programs…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has initiated a process to review and revise the Charter of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and has given its blessing to have the Archdiocese participate in that process. The Charter defines the mission and function of the Archdiocese and sets the framework for its administrative structure. The review of the Charter, designed to assess our strengths and weaknesses, and to make revisions where appropriate, is a welcome sign of a healthy and dynamic institution. The Ecumenical Patriarchate has given its blessing to His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros to…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SPRINGFIELD, VA [OCA] The 16-chapter “Essential Orthodox Christian Beliefs: A Manual for Adult Instruction,” is now available for free download. A cooperative effort of the Departments of the Orthodox Church in America, the groundbreaking work is an offering to the Church to assist clergy and parishes in their work of instructing inquirers and the faithful in the truths of the Orthodox Christian Faith. This work is not meant to replace time-trusted books and publications which have taught generations but to…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SOUTH CANAAN, PA [OCA] The 119th Annual Pilgrimage to Saint Tikhon’s Monastery was held from May 26 to May 29, 2023. His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon presided at the pilgrimage which commenced on Friday, with a welcome of the myrrh-streaming Hawaiian Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, which was greeted at the monastery archway. The icon was then carried in procession to the monastery church, where a Service of Thanksgiving was celebrated in its honor. The day continued with Vespers and Matins, followed by a communal meal for the pilgrims. Later that evening, His Beatitude attended the commencement activities…
Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – Tension was created during the recent meeting of the Archdiocesan Council, which met for two days at the Westin hotel in Detroit, due to the issue of the Charter of the Archdiocese. The issue was again brought up for discussion by Archbishop Elpidophoros despite the contrary recommendations of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. According to our information, Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago reacted by saying that the issue was “out of order” and emphasized that “the Patriarch told us during our meeting at the Phanar that we should not publicly discuss the issue of…
Source: Patriarchate of Jerusalem / Orthodox Times On Monday, May 29, 2023, the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem met under the Presidency of Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem and considered various issues of the Patriarchate, among which the following: The feasts of Holy Easter and the ceremony of the Holy Light of Holy Saturday. The departure to the Lord of the blessed memory Metropolitan Cornelius of Petra. Patriarch Theophilos’ recent trip to Brussels and His participation as a guest in the coronation of the King of the United Kingdom Charles III. The report of the deeds of…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, as a member of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, participated in its deliberation, which was convened on the 29th and 30th of May under the leadership of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. This regular session brought significant decisions for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Central among these decisions was the mandate given to the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to further examine the Archbishop’s proposals for a comprehensive Charter revision. Affirming the Synod’s previous decision, His…
Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – The 81st Commencement of Hellenic College-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology took place on Saturday, May 20, at the Maliotis Cultural Center under the leadership of Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. Synodic hierarchs, including Metropolitans Methodios of Boston, Savas of Pittsburgh, Gerasimos of San Francisco, and Bishop Konstantinos of Sasima, Assistant Bishop at the Metropolis of Denver, were also in attendance. The Commencement commenced with an invocation by Archbishop Elpidophoros, followed by a beautiful rendition of ‘Christos Anesti’ – Christ is Risen, Save, O Lord, Your People, performed by the Holy…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SPRINGFIELD, VA [OCA] The Orthodox Convert Survey, sponsored and managed by the Parish Development Forum, will close to respondents on May 29. The survey can be accessed from this link. “The survey is open to any person who decided to embrace the Orthodox faith as an adult, regardless of the parish, diocese, or Orthodox jurisdiction. Their ‘conversion decision’ could have been recent or decades ago.” said Joseph Kormos, Forum lay co-chair of the Forum and Parish Development Ministry Leader for the Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania. “Objectives of the survey are to understand, in their own words, the motivations and…
Source: Orthodox Church in America MCHENERY, IL [Diocese of the Midwest] On April 23, 2023, His Eminence Archbishop Daniel, Archbishop of Chicago and the Diocese of the Midwest made his first archpastoral visit to Sant Nicholas of Myra parish, McHenry, IL, which was recently received and erected as a parish in the diocese, focusing on outreach to Ukrainian Orthodox Christians in the area. During his visit, His Eminence presided at the celebration of the hierarchical Divine Liturgy. Concelebrating with His Eminence were Archpriest Volodymyr Kovalchuk, on loan to the OCA from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), Archpriest Tarasiy Maxim, Priest…