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Analysis: An End and a Beginning in Chicago

By Webmaster on June 5, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: The National Herald Theodoros Kalmoukos On June 2, Metropolitan Iakovos fell asleep in the Lord. He was 89. It all happened so quickly, in just two days from the time he felt ill. He is the second hierarch in a very short period to pass away, and at an advanced age. Metropolitan Philotheos of Meloa died just two weeks earlier, at 93. Metropolitan Iakovos’ departure – he served the Chicago Metropolis for 38 years – marks an end for the local Church of Chicago and a new beginning will soon be inaugurated. It is widely known more or less…

The Post Conciliar Orthodox Christian Church One Year after the Holy and Great Council

By Webmaster on May 30, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Pentecost 2017 One year ago, the worldwide Christian Community was looking East to Chania, Crete to see what would result from the gathering of Orthodox Bishops called together by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to meet as a Holy and Great Council. The preparations for the meeting were 60 years in the making. In 2008, the 14 Patriarchs and self-governing heads of the Churches of the old Roman Empire, the traditional Orthodox lands, agreed to meet and began discussions to settle on an agenda. Within this 8-year time frame, 6 agenda items were agreed upon. The meeting was…

In this Friday, May 27, 2016 file photo, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow arrives to the port of Dafni, at Mount Athos, Greece. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic,file)

The Church of Russia, Prestigious and Growing

By Webmaster on April 19, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Uncategorized

Source: The National Herald By Dennis Menos The emergence of the Russian Church has the largest and most prestigious Church in Eastern Orthodoxy, after seventy years of persecution by a brutal and atheist regime that killed thousands of its clergy and desecrated its places of worship, should be a matter of pride to the entire Orthodox world. This accomplishment of the Russian Church, however,is not without troubling questions concerning its future posture and policies. Could the Russian Church, many skeptics wonder, encouraged by its newly gained power and prestige attempt to compete with Constantinople for influence over the Eastern Christian…

We Have Enough Bishops

By Webmaster on March 13, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays

Source: The National Herald By Theodoros Kalmoukos It has come to our attention that word has been circulating that the Archdiocese is thinking of electing new auxiliary Bishops “in order to take care of some celibate priests.” The last was Bishop Apostolos of Medeia, who was elected in November, 2014, and who currently serves as Chancellor to Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco. Let me remind everyone that it was Gerasimos who recommended and propelled him initially, but now his is pulling his hair out about that, to the point that he asked for Apostolos’ removal as TNH revealed last November.…

Enhancing the Role of the Ecumenical Patriarch

By Webmaster on March 8, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: The National Herald By Dennis Menos The fact that the Orthodox Church is fragmented and operates without centralized control is well known. The Holy and Great Pan-Orthodox Council held last year in Crete provided ample proof. The Orthodox Church is a consortium of 14 Autocephalous (self- governing) Churches. Each operates independently of the others, but remains in full communion with them on matters of faith, sacraments, and canonical discipline. Governance in each case is by a Primate, selected by the Church’s Synod of Bishops. There is no “head” as such of the Orthodox Church to whom he and the…

The Imperative for Restoring Orthodox Unity

By Webmaster on January 28, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays

Source: The National Herald By Dennis Menos In the history of the Orthodox Church, the year 2016 could have been momentous. It was, after all, the year of the Holy and Great Council (HGC), the once in a millennium mega event that was designed to bring together all fourteen Orthodox Autocephalous Churches in a grand demonstration of unity. Sadly, it did not turn out to be. Four Churches boycotted the event, in the process providing evidence of the disunity that sadly afflicts today the Orthodox Church. The degree of disunity, demonstrated by the absence from the Council of the Patriarchates…

What About That Number 60?

By Webmaster on October 21, 2016 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Orthodox Christian Monastery of All Saints of North America Reference: So Why Do 60% of Our College Youth Leave Orthodoxy? Editor’s Note: Thoughts on Co-Ministry (Syndiaconia) in Liturgy apply in Church Governance Apart from the too-often presence of a medieval mentality among some of our clergy, hyper-clericalism itself can be a force in de-churching people, especially youth. It sometimes appears that there is an actual effort to exclude the Royal Priesthood from actual and full participation in the Divine Liturgy and other services. Moreover, the clear dialogues and exchanges of blessings are often not observed. When I bless the people…

DIARY OF THE COUNCIL

By Webmaster on October 19, 2016 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America Reflections from the Holy and Great Council at the Orthodox Academy in Crete, June 17-26, 2016. by Bishop Maxim. 128 pages, soft bound, published in 2016 • price $15. Diary of the Council emerged from the need of its author to appropriate the problematic of the Holy and Great Council which the Orthodox Church held 2016 in the historic land of Crete. The author of these notes, disinterested in the luxury of introspection, wants that the readers understand them as well-intended and sincere, because they were written…

Message from Metropolitan Alexios

By Webmaster on October 11, 2016 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Uncategorized

Source: Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta My Beloved Ones, I am writing to you during a very active time in the life of our Metropolis. I have just returned from Detroit, where I was blessed to be a part of the 7th Annual Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops, which includes all Orthodox Bishops from across the United States, whether they are Greek, Russian, Antiochian, what have you. Over the course of the past six years we come up with ideas to “unify” our churches. I use the word unify in quotations for you to understand that I am speaking from…

First Meeting of the Assembly of Bishops, following the Holy and Great Council, in Detroit, Michigan, on Oct 4-6, 2016

By Webmaster on September 26, 2016 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Being an Assembly of Bishops in a geographic area (USA) where the Church is administratively managed in a state of canonical disorder, allowing parallel jurisdictions and more than one bishop in one city; and, since the Council held in Crete in June 2016 did not address these issues; how will the Assembly proceed? Will it address the real issues that bring about canonical order? Will it establish clear rules of procedure and parliamentary order? Who will replace Bishop Basil of Wichita as Chair of the Secretariat? How will the dissenting Georgian, Russian, Antiochian and…

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