Orthodox Christian Laity

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Readers’ Questions/Comments About the Charter Crisis in the GOA

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By on Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Uncategorized

Did you know that the GOA was established as an autocephalous church in America & Canada in 1924? (See seal to the left) Did you know that pressure was applied from abroad in the late 1920s to rescind the autocephaly? See Dr. Paul Manolis’s three-volume study of the GOA which documents the forced alteration of synodical minutes to eliminate references to the autocephalous status here. Did you know that the GOA is incorporated in NY and is a tax-exempt corporation? (See seal below to the right). Did you know GOA has had 6 different charters in 99 years – a…

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Fr. Alex Karloutsos to Retire From Archdiocese; Remain Active in Select Projects

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By on Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Pappas Post written by Gregory Pappas Long considered one of the most influential clergymen in the history of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, Rev. Alexander Karloutsos– known to Presidents and faithful simply as “Fr. Alex”– has submitted a request to retire. According to a letter dated March 25, 2021, Fr. Alex requested retirement from Archbishop Elpidophoros effective May 3, 2021. Karloutsos, who also serves as a priest at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Kimisis Tis Theotokou in the Hamptons, on Long Island, has served in various functions at the Archdiocese. He has simultaneously served as spiritual advisor to…

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St. Nicholai: The Last Years – A Video Presentation by Bishop Irinej (Dobrijevic)

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By on Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: St. Tikhon’s Seminary St. Tikhon’s Seminary – St. Nicholai Velimirovic Lecture (March 23, 2021) “St. Nicholai: The Last Years” – A presentation by His Grace Bishop Irinej (Dobrijevic) of the Eastern American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Bishop Irinej’s thesis at St. Tikhon’s Seminary was “Bishop Nicholai Velimirovic: A 1921 Mission to America.”

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Monk's Lagoon, Spruce Island, Alaska

US Religion Census 2020: Dramatic Changes in American Orthodox Churches

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By on Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Orthodox Reality The report, “US Religion Census 2020: Dramatic Changes in American Orthodox Churches,” is now available. The report presents detailed information on parishes, membership, and rates of worship attendance for fourteen Eastern Orthodox and nine Oriental Orthodox Church bodies. It also describes significant changes in American Orthodox Christianity since the previous Census in 2010: membership decline in most Eastern Orthodox Churches, impressive growth of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, new parishes founded after 2010, and much more. The report can be downloaded here: https://orthodoxreality.org/latest/second-census-2020-of-american-orthodox/ The data were obtained directly from over 3,000 US Orthodox Christian parishes. Overall, 97% of…

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A BLESSEDLY UNPREDICTABLE COUNCIL

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By on Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: First Things by Cyril Hovorun Originally published on July 7, 2016 I had begun writing about the results of the Pan-Orthodox Council, which recently finished its work in Crete, before it was actually convened. The working title I chose then was “Pentecost 2016: A Doomsday for the Orthodox.” At the time, I was desperate about the Council and its outcome, along with many other Orthodox, who were shocked that four of the fourteen Orthodox churches had decided at the last minute not to go to Crete. There seemed no reason to hope that a “Vatican-II effect” would occur at…

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40 Years Since the Repose of the First OCA Primate

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By on Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Orthodox Church in America March 18, 2021 marks the 40th anniversary of the repose in 1981 of His Beatitude Metropolitan Ireney (Bekish), the first Primate of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church in America (OCA).  When Metropolitan Ireney signed the agreement with the Church of Russia on autocephaly for the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America (popularly known as the Metropolia) and the Tomos of Autocephaly was granted by the Patriarch of Moscow in the spring of 1970, he had already served as Primate of the Metropolia for nearly five years.  He would continue his Primatial service within the Autocephalous Orthodox…

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His Eminence Archbishop Eplidophoros at St. Nicholas National Shrine in Manhattan. (Photo: TNH/Zafeiris Haitides)

Archbishop Elpidophoros Interviewed by TNH about the Clergy Pension, Holy Cross and St. Nicholas

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By on Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: The National Herald BOSTON – The problem of the clergy’s pension made Archbishop Elpidophoros lose sleep at night as he revealed in an interview with The National Herald just hours before he departed for Constantinople to meet with His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and to attend the enthronement of His Eminence Metropolitan Geron Emmanuel of Chalcedon. The Archbishop said that “the explosive problem of the clergy pension plan did not allow me to sleep during the first months of my ministry in America. I knew that the funding deficit of about $65 million had constantly grown and ultimately would…

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NEW BOOK: Under One Roof – Uniting the Orthodox Church of America

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By on Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: BookLocker Under One Roof: Uniting the Orthodox Church of America by George E. Matsoukas This collection of essays written between 2012-2020 addresses the status of the Orthodox Church in the U.S. and emphasizes the mission of Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL): unity, accountability, conciliar governance, education and renewal. CLICK HERE TO ORDER About the Book This is the second collection of essays, compiled from opinion columns written during the period 2012-2020, when George Matsoukas served as executive director of Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL). The first collection, “A Church in Captivity: The Greek Orthodox Church of America,” is also a collection…

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From the first visit of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America to Hellenic College-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 2019. Shown from L to R: Fr. Emmanuel Clapsis, Archbishop Elpidophoros, Professor Evie Zachariades-Holmberg, and Metropolitan Methodios of Boston. (Photo: HCHC)

Dismissed Professors Suing Hellenic College/Holy Cross

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By on Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: The National Herald BOSTON – Two of six professors recently dismissed by Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Dr. Evie Zachariades-Holmberg, professor of Greek Language Liturgical and Patristic Greek, and Fr. Emmanuel Clapsis, professor of Dogmatics, are suing the School because of their dismissal. They were dismissed in August in a decision made by the Board of Trustees due to the School’s financial crisis, declaring “financial exigency” as the reason, which was revealed by TNH on August 14, 2020. Four of the six dismissed professors had tenure, including the two who are suing the School.…

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Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation Board of Trustees Meets and Announces Four New Founding Members

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By on Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Orthodox Observer Opening the first meeting of the New Year in prayer and with inspiring introductory remarks by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, the meeting of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Foundation for the Sacred See of Saint Andrew met on Saturday, February 6, 2021, via Zoom. In his opening remarks, His Eminence stated: “I want to offer my deep and abiding gratitude to the Order of Saint Andrew, and particularly to the Archon Commander, Dr. Limberakis, for making this next-generation platform to enhance the work of our Mother Church of Constantinople possible. I know that it has been…

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Metropolitan Isaiah (Kykkotis) of Tamassos and Orinis of the Church of Cyprus

Primacy of Constantinople is the primacy of service, not of power

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By on Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Russian Orthodox Church In his interview for Romfea Greek news agency, Metropolitan Isaiah of Tamassos and Oreini, hierarch of the Church of Cyprus, emphasized that by recognizing the schismatics in Ukraine the Patriarchate of Constantinople showed disregard for the religious rights of 13 million believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church who do not want to sever relations with the Russian Church. The hierarch pointed out that certain geopolitical processes have had their impact on the current situation in the Orthodox world and said that when it comes to the Ukrainian ecclesiastical issue it is erroneous to confuse the “the…

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