Source: Amazon A new book by educator and former Illinois elected official Michael J. Bakalis is causing a growing discussion and debate among religious leaders of the Eastern Orthodox Church in the United States. Bakalis has served as Illinois State Superintendent of Education and Illinois State Comptroller. President Carter appointed him deputy undersecretary to the United States Department of Education. He later became a professor at Northwestern University and is currently the president of a not-for-profit educational management and consulting organization. Michael Bakalis’ book, A Church at the Crossroads: The Crisis in American Orthodox Christianity and the Decisions Needed for…
Browsing: Governance & Unity Essays
Child of Governance
Source: The National Herald Analysis by Theodore Kalmoukos The passing and particularly the Funeral Service of the late Archbishop Anastasios of Albania offers a unique opportunity to begin a new chapter in the restoration of the unity of the divided Orthodox Church in the world. Let me address the issue: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was the first to express his intention to travel to Albania for Anastasios’ funeral service—a decision both correct and commendable. In the face of the enigma and universal reality of death, everything else must take a secondary position, or relationships and stances must be reassessed. I am…
By Steven P. Stamatis, M.A. The mid-December edition (2023) of the National Herald featured an analysis by Theodore Kalmoukos regarding the “Drama at the School of Theology.” The author is correct. The continuous theater at Holy Cross School of Theology has reached the level of a Greek tragedy. Sophocles, an ancient Greek dramatist, would be proud to witness the maneuverings of hierarchy and administrators and observe the resetting, disarray and decline of the only Greek Orthodox institute of higher learning in America. Kalmoukos calls to our attention the dismissal of key professors who have added prestige to the school throughout…
Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA On December 19, President Putin held his annual end-of-the -year question-and-answer session. This year it was a combination of a press conference and an “open line” where the Russian public could telephone and ask questions. The session lasted for more than four hours. The official transcript of the entire session is found at http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/75909. During the session, there was a question relating to the religious situation in Ukraine. The question was asked by Alexandra Suvorova, one of the moderators of the session. The question and answer are as follows: Suvorova: There was also a question…
Source: ACADEMIA Bohdan Hladio 2021, Master of Theological Studies Thesis Publication date: 2021 Publication name: Master of Theological Studies Thesis Autocephaly is on the one hand normative in regard to Eastern Orthodox Church polity, yet due to the lack of clarity within the canonical legislation of the Orthodox Church as well as specific historical exigencies the construal or understanding of autocephaly has varied widely in different historic eras. On April 10th, 1970, the Patriarchate of Moscow issued a Tomos of autocephaly (“independence and self-governing status”) to the Russian Orthodox Greek-Catholic Church in America (now called the Orthodox Church in America or…
Source: St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary View the PDF here or click on the image below Articles in this issue Preamble: Holy Wisdom-Holy Sophia (English & Ukrainian) – EDITORIAL TEAM Wisdom: Those Who Came Before Us (English & Ukrainian) – GAYLE E. WOLOSCHAK, PHD Letter of Introduction for Quarterly (English & Ukrainian) – METROPOLITAN ANTONY Welcome Message – ARCHBISHOP DANIEL Thousand-day Anniversary of the Onslaught Against Ukraine (English & Ukrainian) – COUNCIL OF BISHOPS OF THE UOC OF THE USA AND DIASPORA Ukrainian Orthodox Church Independence as a Decolonization Movement (English & Ukrainian) – VERY REV. BOHDAN HLADIO Pluralism,…
Source: Public Orthodoxy Where Do We Go from Here? by Dr. Sarita Melkon Maldjian, Professor at Seton Hall University Following the two-year long process of the Synod of Synodality led by Pope Francis, we must ask why it is mainly Western Catholic women advocating for the right to be ordained. The Orthodox, Apostolic, and Eastern Catholic churches need to be fully included in this conversation. As an American member of the Armenian Apostolic Church, I have never seen a diasporan Armenian church thrive without its hard working, devoutly faithful women members. Looking at the history of deaconesses in the Armenian Apostolic Church is…
Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA On October 26, 2024, the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of the Catholic Church issued its Final Document on the subject, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission.” At the present time, the Final Document is only available in Italian and can be read at https://www.synod.va/content/dam/synod/news/2024-10-26_final-document/ITA—Documento-finale-26.10.pdf . Official translations in other languages will be available in the near future. However, in the meantime, I have attached a Google English translation of the Final Document. The Final Document is the culmination of a long process that began three years ago and included consultations at…
Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA On October 20, a very important election was held in Moldova. In the election for president, the current president Maia Sandu received 42% of the vote and will face a November 3 runoff against Alexandr Stoianoglo, who received 26%. However, the greatest media attention has been focused on a referendum which posed the following question to the voters: “Do you support the amendment of the Constitution with a view to the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union?” With almost all of the votes counted, the “yes” votes are prevailing by an…
Source: Public Orthodoxy Varvara Gulina Doctoral Student at San Diego State University Imagine a young woman who has just been sexually assaulted by a priest during confession. Leaving what was meant to be a sacred experience, she feels lost and unsure of whom to turn to in her parish, wondering if anyone would truly understand or believe her. Now picture another woman enduring domestic violence at home; after mustering the courage to confide in a bishop, she is met with the suggestion that she simply needs a change of scenery, leaving her feeling invalidated and dismissed. Envision a young woman…
CLICK HERE to view and download the PDF of the above flier. If you are not able to attend in person, register to participate live via ZOOM at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMtcuurqzstG9fHQtDDpwqZwG28ptvgb30d After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. OCL ANNUAL CONFERENCE PROGRAM 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.: Registration and continental breakfast 10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.: Archbishop Nathaniel will open the Meeting with a prayer. An OCL Board member will introduce Fr. Nick Anton. 10:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: Fr. Anton will deliver his address on the theme: Inter-Parish Associations and Dialogue Across Orthodox…