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Archpriest Michael Lafoon

SOME THOUGHTS ON ORTHODOX UNITY IN NORTH AMERICA

By Webmaster on October 19, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: The Word Logically, one should probably begin an essay with this title by expounding the historical background of the Church in our corner of the world. This information, however, is easily available elsewhere. My aim instead is to discuss the current situation, and what, if any, change is on the horizon. Since my childhood (I was born in the middle of the previous century), I have been told that we Orthodox Christians (that is, the Church of the ancient Seven Ecumenical Councils) are sacramentally one, but on account of a multitude of historical factors, exist in North America in…

Essential Reading for Understanding the Crisis in the GOA

By Webmaster on October 11, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity The Recognition Programs Coordinator of iUniverse has informed George E. Matsoukas that his book, A Church in Captivity: The Greek Orthodox Church of America, is now part of the Reader’s Choice Recognition Program. Upon its publication in July 2008, iUniverse honored the publication with its selection as an Editor’s Choice book. The book is also included in the Spring Arbor database catalog of Christian Bookstore vendors. Reviews of “A Church in Captivity: The Greek Orthodox Church of America” “These personal essays … are recommended reading for any … Christian interested in the perspective of an objective protagonist of recent Orthodox Church history in America. The author is to…

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Analysis: In Light of the Upcoming Greek Archdiocesan Council Meeting

By Webmaster on October 9, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: The National Herald By Theodoros Kalmoukos The message recently sent by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America to submit explanations about the Archdiocese’s finances immediately, to the patriarch and the Patriarchate’s Holy Synod, as The National Herald reported, was certainly ominous. Beyond the specific directive, the patriarch’s decision, communicated directly by him, clearly indicates that the time has come for Archbishop Demetrios to depart willingly and spend his remaining years in peace and quiet. It was a way for the patriarch to tell his archbishop to step down, rather than be dethroned,…

George D. Karcazes

Letter To the Editor of The National Herald on Church Leadership

By Webmaster on September 30, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity How is it possible that in 2017, almost a thousand years after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks, the leadership of the Orthodox Church in the world, but especially in the United States, continues to operate as though it is still a part of the Eastern half of the Roman Empire? Our Churches have “Bishop’s Thrones” that were long-ago erected for the Emperor to sit upon. Our Hierarchs carry miters, and wear robes and crowns evocative of long-gone Emperors. While nostalgically retaining some of these displays and accoutrements may not in themselves be harmful;…

George Matsoukas, Executive Director of Orthodox Christian Laity

State of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese: Musings of the OCL Executive Director

By Webmaster on September 30, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity I have been on a holiday for most of the month of September and out of touch with the news that interests me… local, national and church news. After catching up with mail, emails, and quickly looking over weekly periodicals, etc. , I read about the issues of leadership, management and debt in published reports, that are being denied by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. The issues involved go beyond what is in the reports. The crisis is systemic. It involves the Charter that was imposed by the Patriarchate. It involves the dismemberment of the Archdiocese into…

AMERICAN ORTHODOXY

By Webmaster on September 17, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: Public Orthodoxy by Richard Barrett Who gets to decide what it means to be Orthodox in America? Greeks? Russians? Converts? Foreign bishops? How do “cradle” and convert identities come together – or not? How do “diaspora” narratives that tie Orthodoxy to nationalism translate in an American context? What does Orthodoxy mean in the American religious marketplace of ideas? Is it really the fastest growing religious group in America, as some have claimed, or is it a solution looking for a problem? Perhaps the most important–and difficult–question is, “Will there ever be an American Orthodoxy?” Many Orthodox in America, of course,…

They Should Beg for Forgiveness, and Some Should Resign

By Webmaster on September 11, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: The National Herald Theodoros Kalmoukos Analysis: The least that His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, the Holy Eparchial Synod, the Archdiocesan Council, and the Finance Committee should do is to publicly ask forgiveness from the parishes and from the Greek-American community in general for the bankruptcy of the Archdiocese. Maybe the archbishop is trying to hide behind Jerry Dimitriou’s resignation, but the reality is that Demetrios, not Dimitriou, is the archbishop. Dimitriou was an employee of the Archdiocese, certainly a high ranking one, but it is not just and fair to place all the heavy blame and the responsibility on him.…

EPARCHIAL SYNOD OF THE GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA - GOA/Dimitrios Panagos

WHY THE SELECTION OF THE NEXT METROPOLITAN OF CHICAGO MATTERS

By Webmaster on July 26, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity The Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) supports the decision of Archbishop Demetrios and the Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to elevate Bishop Sevastianos to lead the Metropolis of Chicago as its new Metropolitan. As Elaine Jaharis pointed out in her recent Open Letter published in The National Herald, the stakes for the Metropolis of Chicago, the Archdiocese and the Ecumenical Patriarchate could not be higher. The Orthodox Christian Laity has supported the efforts of the Ecumenical Patriarchate where it believes that those efforts have merit: (a) The convening of pre-conciliar meetings over the years; (b) the…

His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Archbishop Demetrios and Hierarchs of America in Defiance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate

By Webmaster on July 21, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance Top Stories

Source: The National Herald Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – The Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America defied the Synodical decision of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to revise the List of Candidates for the elevation to Episcopacy. Instead in a unprecedented move they decided that the Archbishop with a representation of hierarchs travel to Constantinople to try to convince Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to reverse the initial Synodical decision that canceled the election of Bishop Sevastianos of Zela as Metropolitan of Chicago. The decision was taken on Thursday July 20 in a special session of the Eparchial Synod convened…

INFORMATION FOR CHURCH MEMBERS AND DONORS

By Webmaster on July 20, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

You may be interested in this ruling from the Tucson Court…. a case where a US Court upholds the well settled doctrine: “So long as a court does not cross into ecclesiastical matters, it is appropriate to apply neutral legal principles, including those based in contract, in resolving a dispute involving a religious organization.” If the New York courts had followed this doctrine in the Declaratory Judgment action filed challenging the imposition of the 2003 Charter by the EP without the approval of the Clergy-Laity Congress in accordance with the revision provisions of the previous Charter the GOA would not…

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Recent Comments
- State of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese: Musings of the OCL Executive Director (3)
  - Anthony Carris - Father Timothy, though we do not always agree on certain subjects this outstanding essay of 9/30/17 is right on target. Lukewarm Christians who are the... – Oct 19, 10:57 AM
  - James Feyler - For those who are interested, I highly recommend Remember Thy First Love by Archimandrite Zacharias. The Three Stages of the Spiritual Life in the Theology... – Oct 01, 12:51 AM
  - Fr. Timothy Cremeens - Dear Brother in Christ, George: I read your reflection with the usual conflicted emotions of deep sadness and anger. Sadness, however, wins out. I am... – Sep 30, 11:21 AM
- Analysis: In Light of the Upcoming Greek Archdiocesan Council Meeting (1)
  - Greatly Saddened - Theodoros Kalmoukos, has always been there to report things as they are, and not how we would like them to be. Reporting the truth isn't... – Oct 11, 3:15 PM
- Dismissed Archdiocese Finance Chairman George Vourvoulias Speaks Exclusively to TNH (4)
  - Greatly Saddened - It is simply amazing that a person who was Chairman of the Finance Committee could stand up at the Clergy-Laity Congress, along with Jerry Dimitriou... – Oct 11, 12:51 PM
  - Greatly Saddened - George Vourvoulias should have been fired on the spot from the Archiocesan Council as well. He should have taken it upon himself to resign from... – Oct 11, 11:32 AM
  - Timothy Nicholas - The dismissal of Mr Vourvoulias was necessary move by the Archdiocese. His efforts to have the Chicago Chancellor bishop Demetrios of Mokessos replace the late... – Oct 10, 9:13 PM
  - Timothy Nicholas - It seems to me that although the National herald has been an instrument of unity for our Greek community in this country, in this case... – Oct 10, 8:56 PM
- GREEK ARCHDIOCESE RELEASES INFORMATION ON ITS FINANCIAL SITUATION (1)
  - Anonymous - There is no mention of forgiveness and seeking repentance in this communication. It is a crafted statement from a PR firm using the past to... – Oct 10, 8:17 PM
- Letter To the Editor of The National Herald on Church Leadership (3)
  - Peter - Daniel, What you describe in your response was true for Christians in the first century. The leaders of the early pre-Constantinian church were humble, most... – Oct 04, 7:06 PM
  - Daniel Gettman - Greetings, George, As a late convert to Orthodoxy at age 40, after being raised Roman Catholic and swimming in the ever dividing sea of protestantism... – Oct 01, 2:14 AM
  - Fr. Timothy Cremeens, PhD - Dear Brother in Christ, George: All I can say is "Lord, have mercy" and "Amen, amen!" – Sep 30, 11:34 AM
- They Should Beg for Forgiveness, and Some Should Resign (3)
  - Father Steven J. Vlahos - Deficiencies, anomalies and irregularities in the administration, governance and operations in the management and supervision of the archdiocese and metropolises of the Greek church are... – Sep 30, 10:03 AM
  - George D. Karcazes - If Mr. Kalmoukos is correct, the parishes should NOT have to come up with more money to cover any "deficit" run-up by mismanagement by the... – Sep 24, 11:13 PM
- WHITE SUPREMACY AND ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY: A DANGEROUS CONNECTION REARS ITS HEAD IN CHARLOTTESVILLE (3)
  - Ron - I find the possibility of white nationalism infecting our Orthodox Church to be most disturbing. Clearly these converts have no understanding of unconditional love, looking... – Sep 15, 1:47 PM
- Orthodox Theologies of the Afterlife: Review of “The Departure of the Soul” (15)
  - Bill Stotis - Mr. Carris, Are we both really "oceans apart on Monasticism" or is it that we "oceans apart" on just one Monks theology and movement? Because... – Sep 15, 12:47 PM