Browsing: Governance & Unity News

Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – At the recent session of the Synod of the Phanar, which convened on May 17 and 18, the issue of the Semi-Autonomous Church of Crete was briefly addressed. According to a letter dated April 23, 2024, revealed by The National Herald, the Church of Crete communicated to Patriarch Bartholomew that he should refrain from intervening in the affairs of the monasteries on the island. Specifically, the matter was brought up during the reading of correspondence amid other letters on different subjects. Today, we reveal that when the letter from the Church…

Source: Orthodox Church in America SPRINGFIELD, VA [OCA] The canonization of a human being is the ultimate proof of God’s love: He cares for us so much that he enables us to live a life filled with His light, and to shine that light out to the world. Not every person achieves this, of course, but those who do can be canonized by the Church and called saints. On Saturday, June 1, 2024 at 1:00 PM (EST) the Clergy Wives Advisory Group will offer a Zoom retreat entitled “The Road to the Canonization of Blessed Matushka Olga of Alaska.” We will…

Source: Orthodox Church in America YONKERS, NY [OCA]  St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) announces the retirement of the Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield as SVOTS President and Rector of Three Hierarchs Chapel, effective July 1, 2024. His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, along with the Board of Trustees, received and accepted a request for retirement from Fr. Hatfield on Friday, May 17 at the 2024 Spring Semi-Annual Meeting of the Board of Trustees. During his seventeen-year tenure at SVOTS, as Chancellor and then President, Fr. Hatfield oversaw significant developments at…

Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – Bishop Constantine of Sasima is the new Metropolitan of Denver, according to the ‘triprosopon’ (the list of three candidates) prepared by the Eparchial Synod of the Archdiocese of America, which met on Monday, May 13 under the presidency of Archbishop Elpidophoros. During the voting, Bishop Constantine, who serves in the Metropolis of Denver as the chancellor, received eight votes. Bishop Sevastianos of Zela, chancellor of the Metropolis of Atlanta, received two votes, and Fr. George Nikas, presiding priest of the Holy Trinity community in Salt Lake City, UT, also received two…

Source: The National Herald Boston – The presence of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the official dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in honor of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, following their official meeting in Ankara on Monday, May 13, remains an enigma. The Patriarch sat at the table with the foreign ministers and directors and officials of the intelligence services of both countries, with whom he had cordial conversations. The National Herald has learned that his attendance at the official dinner was not pre-arranged but was instead a last-minute invitation from the Turkish Presidency on Monday morning. According…

Source: The National Herald TORONTO – The Patriarchal Toronto Orthodox Theological Academy is in its 26th year of operation. Through the years 63 young men have graduated and thirty have been ordained and serve in the churches of Canada. In 2024 four young men graduated, and two of them have already been married and ordained priests. The graduation ceremony took place at the Metropolitan Center of the Archdiocese and Theodore Papadatos, a senior official of CIBC, was the Master of Ceremonies. There were more than five hundred attendees. The event took place on May 11 and had a rich program,…

Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – A matter has arisen with the Turkish authorities regarding the renewal of residence and work permits for clerics and other employees at the Ecumenical Patriarchate and parishes in Constantinople and elsewhere. Specifically, the Patriarch’s Archdeacon, Fr. Alexandros Koutsis, originally from Zakynthos, was forced to leave and has already returned to Greece, along with a cleric from Antalya and another from Smyrna. It is noted that residence and work permits in Turkey are renewed biennially. Information obtained by The National Herald indicates that this issue is part of Turkey’s general approach towards…

Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – The Archdiocese of America is increasing the annual financial assessment of each parish by 5.9 percent for 2025 and 3.0 percent for 2026, according to financial documents obtained by The National Herald. It is emphasized that this increase, in conjunction with the financial budget of the next two years, 2025 and 2026, was discussed and approved by the Archdiocesan Council at its remote meeting on Monday, May 13. The National Herald was informed that at least seventeen members of the Archdiocesan Council voted against the proposals. It was not said how…

Source: Orthodox Church in America BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, OH [OCA] Registration is now open for the 2024 Parish Development Forum, to be held from 1:00 PM EDT on Tuesday July 9 through noon on Thursday July 11. Host site for the Forum is Archangel Michael Orthodox Church, Broadview Heights, OH.  The Forum is co-sponsored by the Orthodox Church in America’s Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania, the Diocese of the Midwest, and the Bulgarian Diocese. “The Parish Development Forum is a conference which encourages discussion of timely topics and discovery of practices used by healthy, vibrant Orthodox parishes,” said Joseph Kormos, Forum co-chairperson and Parish Development Ministry Leader for the Archdiocese…

Source: St. Phoebe Center for the Deaconess Harare, Zimbabwe On May 2, 2024, Holy Thursday, Angelic Molen of Harare, Zimbabwe, was ordained Deaconess Angelic in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa (the Orthodox Church in the continent of Africa) by His Eminence Metropolitan Serafim of Zimbabwe (Kykotis) in St. Nektarios Mission Parish at WaterFall. This historic event would not be possible without the approval and support of the Alexandrian Synod and His Beatitude Theodorus. The ordination of Deaconess Angelis was the culmination of efforts around the world to renew the ancient order of deaconesses in the Orthodox…

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Prot. No. 104/2024 Archepiscopal Encyclical on Great and Holy Pascha, 2024 May 5, 2024 Unto the Most Reverend and Right Reverend Hierarchs, Pious Priests and Deacons, Monks and Nuns, Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils, Honorable Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Members of Leadership 100, Day and Afternoon Schools, Philoptochos Societies, Youth, Greek Orthodox Organizations, and entirety of the Christ-loving Plenitude of the Sacred Archdiocese of America: You who fast, and you who fast not, rejoice today! The table is laden; let all fare sumptuously. (Catechetical Oration of the Holy Chrysostom) [i] My beloved…

Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle  USA As previously reported, Metropolitan Vladimir of Chisinau and All Moldova wrote a surpisingly strong letter to Patriarch Kirill on September 5, 2023. (https://cubreacovblog.wordpress.com/2023/10/20/mitropolitul-vladimir-cantarean-ne-aflam-intr-o-situatie-de-faliment-institutional-mitropolia-basarabei-a-demonstrat-ca-este-o-forta-care-nu-mai-poate-fi-oprita/ )  The letter contained many grievances including the failure of the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate to elect Archimandrite Filaret (Kuzmin) as a bishop as requested by the Synod of the Orthodox Church of Moldova (OCM).  Some people speculated that such a strong letter might be the first step in the OCM leaving the Moscow Patriarchate.  The Moscow Patriarchate acted quickly.  At its Synod meeting on October 11, 2023, Archimandrite Filaret…