Browsing: Governance & Unity News

Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America convened for a second day of meetings on Wednesday in Dallas, Texas. The session opened with a special video message from His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the members of the Assembly. “We are addressing you because the time has surely come for us to move beyond words to actions . . . We are called to put our theory and theology into policy and practice. We are called to move beyond what is ‘mine’ and what is…

Source: Orthodox Church in America [Syosset, NY]  A Preliminary Response of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America to proposals with regard to canonical restructuring, a topic of discussion at the fifth meeting of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America in Dallas, TX September 15-19, 2014, was issued and distributed to all bishops on September 17. The text of the Preliminary Response reads as follows. PRELIMINARY RESPONSE OF THE HOLY SYNOD OF BISHOPS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA TO THE PROPOSALS FOR CANONICAL RESTRUCTURING September 17, 2014 “The light of…

Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America More than 35 members of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America joined in celebrating the Divine Liturgy Tuesday morning, September 16, at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Dallas, Texas. At the conclusion of the Liturgy, the bishops offered a memorial service for the repose of the soul of Metropolitan Philip of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese. The bishops are gathered in Dallas for the fifth annual meeting of the Assembly of Bishops. In opening remarks following the Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Demetrios,…

Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, in a special video message presented during today’s opening session, addressed the members of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. “All of the Primates of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches look to your Assembly with hope and optimism, recognizing with spiritual joy and pride that you comprise the largest in number and broadest in representation of our Churches,” His All-Holiness remarked.  “As you gather in Dallas over the next days, remember that . . . you are visibly and tangibly expressing both the unity and…

Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America Dallas, TX — The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America commenced its fifth annual meeting Monday, September 15, with a Pan-Orthodox Clergy-Laity Gathering in Dallas, Texas. Some two hundred people attended, including more than 30 bishops representing the member jurisdictions of the Assembly. The evening began with a Doxology—a service of thanksgiving—presided over by the Chairman of the Assembly, Archbishop Demetrios of America.  His Eminence welcomed those in attendance, remarking that the Doxology was an opportunity to thank God for all His gifts and…

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity July 21, 2014 The Most Reverend JOSEPH Metropolitan of New York and North America Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America P.O. Box 5238 Englewood, NJ 07631-5238 Your Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH, “Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” The Members and Board of Directors of Orthodox Christian Laity congratulate you on your election as Metropolitan of New York and North America of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. We ask your blessing. The Holy Synod of Bishops of the ancient Patriarchate of Antioch, and the faithful…

Questions for consideration by the Assembly of Bishops as they continue to work for Canonical Order in the USA submitted by George Karcazes, Executive Committee Member of Orthodox Christian Laity Article 28 of the Chambesy documents  of the Meeting of the Patriarch in 2008  challenges Assemblies  of Bishops to meet and develop blueprints “to bring the Church in their respective territories into Canonical Order.”  What does this mean in the context of America, where we have overlapping “jurisdictions” based on Old World ethnic ties and multiple bishops in the same “cities” or territories?  Chambesy said: “Come up with a plan..…

Source: The National Herald To the Editor: The article about felony theft charges against the Priest who served in my Parish over the past two years raises questions about ethics taught to seminarians in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. The interview given to TNH by Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos, Chancellor of the Metropolis of Chicago, provides a window into his personal ethical compass. While his responses are disappointing to the point of being embarrassing, his defense that “everybody else is doing it” begs the question: “How common are his views among the Clergy and his fellow Bishops?” Are his…

by Steven P. Stamatis  Repeated calls from Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) for Orthodox Unity often results in gatherings to discuss Unity and the need for a Great and Holy Church Council. The participating hierarchy who usually attend include the Serbian Orthodox, Romanian Orthodox, Antiochian Orthodox, Russian Orthodox and other dignitaries from the Orthodox landscape. Conspicuously absent almost every time are the Greeks. The Greek Orthodox hierarchy continues to abstain from these “unauthorized,” laity-driven pan-Orthodox discussions and remains silent in the sidelines. Claims of “Royal Priesthood” status notwithstanding, these Metropolitans do not recognize the laity’s  authority to convene such discussions. Furthermore, they,…

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity The theme of the 42nd Clergy Laity Congress, “The Orthodox Christian Family: A Dwelling of Christ and A Witness of His Gospel,” is very appropriate for us in this time of transition.   For it is truly within the home that the Orthodox faith will be learned, survive and grow by the example and actions of each of us.  However, for many, parish life and archdiocesan settings are an antithesis to the theme of the 42nd Congress.  HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE On September 18, 1999, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios was enthroned as the sixth Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox…

Source: Orthodox Christian Network By Andrew Estocin in The Sounding In all of God’s earthly creation, only the human person has the ability to ask questions and seek answers. Asking questions reflects the fact that men and women are created in the image and likeness of God. Asking questions is also part of the gift of reason and therefore needs to be cultivated with virtue and compassion. In America’s highly charged political climate, every question asked is considered suspect for its motives. However, questions in the Orthodox Christian Tradition are not viewed with suspicion but are instead welcomed with open arms. Orthodoxy does not…

Source: FOCUS North America Mission Vision and Values Who We Are FOCUS North America is a national movement of Orthodox Christians, united in faith and joined by a desire to provide action-oriented and sustainable solutions to poverty in communities across America. FOCUS has operations and youth volunteer experiences in more than 20 cities in the United States. Mission Statement As an expression of Christ’s love FOCUS North America serves the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned by providing Food, Occupation, Clothing, Understanding, and Shelter. Why We’re Here Through the provision of social and human development services, FOCUS North America…