Source: Church Roadmap Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I have not communicated with you for the past three years because I have been deeply immersed in doctoral church research with a singular focus on identifying how to help parishes thrive and not merely survive. I emerge from that research with a clear conclusion: Your parish’s root cause challenges are solvable. If your parish has a clear long-term vision and plan, achieved complete financial stewardship independence from festivals & fundraisers, and if you have abundant ministries and volunteers, well-trained leadership, and growing sacramental and liturgical participation – Glory to God!…
Browsing: Governance & Unity Commentary
Child of Governance
Source: Orthodox Church in America Reflections in Christ by Fr. Alexander Schmemann About the Author Protobresbyter Alexander Schmemann (1921-1983) was born in Estonia to Russian émigrés. As a child he moved to PaFrance. He taught for a time in Paris, and came to America in 1951 to teach at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. He was dean of the seminary from 1962 until his death in 1983. An Urgent Issue No one would deny that the clergy-laity issue in our church here in America is both an urgent and confused one. It is urgent because the progress of the church…
Source: Orthodox Observer By Fr. Alexander Karloutsos This has been a historic week for the Roman Catholic Church in New York. On Thursday, December 18, 2025, the Vatican announced a major leadership transition that marks the end of an era and a significant shift in the church’s direction. Pope Leo XIV officially accepted the resignation of Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who has served as the Archbishop of New York since 2009. Cardinal Dolan turned 75 in February 2025, the mandatory age for Catholic bishops to submit their retirement letter. Despite his “larger-than-life” personality and a legacy spanning 16 years of influential leadership in…
Source: Union of Orthodox Journalists Since the controversial 2018 “unification” council in Ukraine, Fr. Yaroslav Yasenets has served as a priest in the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine.” Recently, he left that structure citing a number of systemic issues which could perhaps be summarized as a prioritization of state loyalty over faith in Christ and adherence to Orthodoxy. In this UOJ-USA Exclusive, Fr. Yaroslav gives us an insider’s look at the state of the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” its capture by the state and foreign actors, its crumbling relations with Istanbul, and how its clergy—and chaplains—weaponize state resources against the Ukrainian…
Source: Orthodox History by Samuel Noble Kinsman and successor of Dositheus Notaras, the patriarch of Jerusalem Chrysanthus Notaras (1707-1731) was one of the most erudite Greeks of his time. Educated in Padua and Paris, he wrote works of theology, history, geography and the natural sciences, traveled as far afield as Moscow and Georgia, and maintained correspondences with both Western and Ottoman scholars (the latter, in Turkish). In his Syntagmation, published in Wallachia in 1715, he gives an organizational and geographical description of the entire Orthodox world of his time, enumerating the dioceses and structures of the Patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem…
Source: Public Orthodoxy Dr. George Demacopoulos Fr. John Meyendorff & Patterson Family Chair, Co-Director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center, Fordham University According to the New York Times, young, conservative men are flocking to the Orthodox Church because it provides an all-too-rare space that celebrates masculinity. This “Orthodoxy as Masculinity” narrative is not new. It has been pushed by social media monetizers and tabloid reporters for a few years. And there is some truth to it—there is an aggressive online “Orthobro” culture, consisting of recent male converts. The uptick in male seekers to the Church is, at least in part, explained by the…
A Sermon for Antiochian Village In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Your Eminence, Your Grace, Reverend Fathers, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, Good morning! Today, in this short sermon, I would like to share a few reflections on the legacy of St. John Chrysostom—from Antioch to America—and how his vision continues to shape the life of the Orthodox Church in our land. The Prayer for Unity in the Liturgy At the very beginning of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the deacon or priest proclaims in the Great…
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: 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 Christian Laity By Dr. Gayle E. Woloschak Over the years, many people have complained to me that our Orthodox Church has not achieved unity in America after decades of work. For example, the Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) has published pamphlets, held conferences, and engaged in dialogue with parishes about unity throughout its 40-year existence. I remember attending an OCL conference in Chicago in my youth, after which I was inspired (and even to this day remain inspired) to strive for unity in the Church. Nevertheless, it is easy for those who have worked for so long to become…
Source: St. Phoebe’s Center for the Deaconess September 23, 2025 Dear Supporters of the St Phoebe Center, This report is an update following the Orthodox Church in America’s (OCA) 21st All American Council (AAC) held in Phoenix AZ in July of 2025. We offer this update in love for the Church and with our prayers for its flourishing in America and everywhere. Earlier this year, many of you who are members of the OCA provided the St. Phoebe Center with your responses to the Metropolitan’s solicitation for reflections on the life of the Church in advance of the AAC. Thank…