Browsing: Governance & Unity News

Source: Orthodox Church in America WASHINGTON, DC [OCA] The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America met in conjunction with the Enthronement of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon at Saint Nicholas Cathedral here January 26-27, 2013. elected His Grace, Bishop Michael of New York and New York and New Jersey to serve as Secretary of the Holy Synod. established the composition of the Lesser Synod of Bishops, which will include Metropolitan Tikhon; Bishop Michael, Secretary; His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit and the Romanian Episcopate; and His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin of San Francisco and the West. heard the…

Source: MYSTAGOGY The following essay was recently written by His Eminence Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos in response to a scandal that has been occurring in his Metropolis which also recently brought him to break communion from one of his local monasteries, the well-known Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration in Nafpaktos. Yet it still provides an excellent template to distinguish generally what healthy and sick monasticism is according to Orthodox tradition. By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou Monasticism is the glory of the Church, and the monks, as taught by St. Gregory of Nyssa, are the crown of the…

Source: Ekklesia By agency reporter “It is impossible to speak exclusively for the unity of the church and be indifferent about the unity of humankind,” said Dr Petros Vassiliadis, at an academic gathering held in his honour in Thessaloniki, Greece. Vassiliadis, a Greek Orthodox theologian and formerly a representative of the Church of Greece on the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission for World Mission and Evangelism (CWME), called for a broader understanding of ecumenical dialogue. The symposium was entitled ‘Ecumenical dialogue in the 21st century: Realities, challenges and perspectives’. It was organised in Vassiliadis’ honour by the theology department…

There are nearly two hundred Orthodox women in North America who have received graduate degrees in Orthodox theology, primarily from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology or St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. A number of these Orthodox women, committed to Christ and to His Gospel, have come together to form SAINT CATHERINE’S VISION. Blessed by the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA), this group came together in reunion held at Antiochian in November of 2005. Founded in a discipline of love, seeking the discernment of the Holy Spirit, Saint Catherine’s Vision strives to explore, study, and…

Mission The Sts. Cyril & Athanasius Institute for Orthodox Studies serves and supports the Orthodox Church by fostering theological education, scholarship, worship and prayer. Promoting the acquisition of higher learning and scholarship in the context of traditional Orthodox life, practice and thought, it offers a venue for foundational and higher study in theological, historical, liturgical and practical areas of Orthodox Christianity. Goals and Aims The Institute, as a new venture of the Orthodox Church in North America, will be a centre for higher learning in Orthodox Christianity, fostering and supporting the life of the Church and its mission in the…

Source: The National Herald [NOTE: In last week’s edition (TNH, Dec. 15) we published a story about a speech that Archdiocesan Council VP Michael Jaharis delivered on October 18 to the Council’s Executive Committee and General Session. Many of you requested that we publish the entire speech so that you may draw your own conclusions. As per your request, here is the entire speech] Your Eminence and Colleagues, A funny thing happened on my way to Phoenix this summer… which deterred me from giving a variation of this address to a larger audience. In my remarks today, I am going…

Council Vice Chair is Diligent in Providing Detailed Comments By Theodore Kalmoukos Translated from the original Greek BOSTON, MA – Michael Jaharis, Vice Chairman of the Archdiocesan Council of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, addressed the body in its last meeting in diligent and documented way about the essential and serious administrative problems of the Archdiocese. Initially, Jaharis had planned to deliver his speech at the 41st Clergy-Laity Congress in Phoenix, AZ last July, but a sudden minor health issue forced him to return to New York. Concerning the present administrative structure of the Archdiocese with the elevation of the bishops to…

Source: The National Herald Analysis By Theodore Kalmoukos Special to The National Herald Michael Jaharis, Vice Chairman of the Archdiocesan Council, raised some very important issues about the life of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in America in his speech to the Council, which is published here. He touched upon the problems that were created with the elevation of the local ecclesiastical districts to Metropolises. In essence, the current administrative structure refutes the unity and the coherence of the Church. Ecclesiologically speaking, it is a very strange ecclesiastical and administrative structure simply because the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is one…

Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA] Approved minutes of the 17th All-American Council are now available on the web site of the Orthodox Church in America. The Council, at which His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon was elected Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, was held on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at Holy Trinity Church, Parma, OH.

Source: Orthodox Church in America On Saturday morning, December 8, 2012, the annual Assembly of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC was held at Saint Luke Church, McLean, VA. The gathering opened with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, at which His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, presided. Concelebrating were Priest John Vitko, host pastor; Protopresbyter Daniel Hubiak and Archpriest John Jillions, former and current chancellors of the OCA respectively; Protodeacon Blagoje Siljegovic; and Deacon Patrick Gariano. Metropolitan Tikhon chaired the plenary sessions, assisted by Archpriest Gregory Safchuk, archdiocesan chancellor; Father Vitko, secretary; Archpriest Dennis Buck, clergy chair; and Lisa Mikhalevsky, lay chair.…

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America NEW YORK – His Grace Bishop Gregory of Nyssa was consecrated and enthroned Nov. 27, as the fourth ruling hierarch of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese, at the Christ The Saviour Cathedral in Johnstown, Pa., with more than 500 clergy and faithful in attendance. His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, who served as Locum Tenens of the Diocese, since the falling asleep in the Lord of Metropolitan Nicholas of Amissos in March 2011, presided at the ordination and enthronement of the new bishop. The Archbishop was assisted by Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta, who in…

Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA] A video address to the Church, featuring His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, is now available for viewing on the web site of the Orthodox Church in America. The address was recorded on Monday, November 26, 2012 at the OCA Chancery in Syosset, NY. “I have chosen to first address you in this direct way because it is important for Christians to communicate with one another with honesty and with clarity,” Metropolitan Tikhon said in his introductory remarks. “The medium of our communication is never as important as the message but, in this age…