Browsing: Governance & Unity News

Source: Union of Orthodox Journalists Since the controversial 2018 “unification” council in Ukraine, Fr. Yaroslav Yasenets has served as a priest in the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine.” Recently, he left that structure citing a number of systemic issues which could perhaps be summarized as a prioritization of state loyalty over faith in Christ and adherence to Orthodoxy. In this UOJ-USA Exclusive, Fr. Yaroslav gives us an insider’s look at the state of the “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” its capture by the state and foreign actors, its crumbling relations with Istanbul, and how its clergy—and chaplains—weaponize state resources against the Ukrainian…

Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – The Board of Trustees of Hellenic College–Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Boston, chaired by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, decided on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, to sell a large portion of its real estate (land) to an environmental company, as The National Herald revealed on November 29, 2025. The expected sale price is $1.2 million per acre, and the School is projected to earn between $22 million and $30 million. It is emphasized that the School and its property were purchased in 1947 through the savings and contributions of the…

Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops’ Inter-Parish Associations (IPA) ministry seeks facilitators for growing IPAs across the country. The IPA Facilitator is tasked with accompanying local IPAs through the From Vision to Ministry mini course, be the main point of contact in the locale, and empower participating parishes through local leadership in preparation for the strategic planning process. IPA Facilitators will work closely with the local IPA Synergy Group and the AoB Director of Inter-Parish Associations. IPA Facilitators must be local to the specific IPA and are currently needed in the following areas: 1)…

Source: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate History was made on Friday, November 28, 2025, when His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and His Holiness Pope Leo XIV met in the ancient city of Nicaea, the site of the First Ecumenical Council in 325 AD, in order to commemorate the 1700th anniversary that historic gathering, one of the pillars and foundations of the Christian Faith in both the East and the West. On the shores of Lake Nicaea, the likely site of the Church of the Holy Fathers, where the Council of Nicaea was convened, His All-Holiness and the Pope spoke about…

Source: Orthodox History by Samuel Noble Kinsman and successor of Dositheus Notaras, the patriarch of Jerusalem Chrysanthus Notaras (1707-1731) was one of the most erudite Greeks of his time. Educated in Padua and Paris, he wrote works of theology, history, geography and the natural sciences, traveled as far afield as Moscow and Georgia, and maintained correspondences with both Western and Ottoman scholars (the latter, in Turkish). In his Syntagmation, published in Wallachia in 1715, he gives an organizational and geographical description of the entire Orthodox world of his time, enumerating the dioceses and structures of the Patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem…

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Source: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate At the Phanar, the sacred center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople on November 29, 2025, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and His Holiness Pope Leo XIV signed an historic Joint Declaration that reiterated their commitment, on behalf of both Churches, to continue to pursue dialogue for the ultimate goal of restoring full communion between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. The Declaration also reaffirms the Hierarchs’ mutual rejection of using religion to justify violence. This Joint Declaration will form the foundation of future efforts to heal ancient divisions and heed the…

Source: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate In the presence of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All the East and recipient of the 2022 Athenagoras Human Rights Award, and His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Archon Peter J. Skeadas, National Treasurer, representing the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on this historic pilgrimage, delivered in Constantinople an insightful address on the extraordinary global ministry of His All-Holiness and the central importance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Archon Skeadas noted that today, November 28 is the birthday of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros and in…

Source: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate In a historic moment—1,700 years after the First Council of Nicaea—His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and His Holiness Pope Leo XIV gathered in Nicaea, now Iznik, for a profound display of Christian unity. At the conclusion of the prayer service, they recited the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed together at the very site where it was first proclaimed and prayed: the ancient Basilica of Saint Neophytos.

Source: Orthodox Christian Missions Center Celebrating 40 Years, Fr. Martin Ritsi, and Incoming Director Dr. Nathan Hoppe The Board of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center convened on Nov 18-19, 2025 at its headquarters in St. Augustine, FL for a very special semi-annual meeting. Highlights included recognizing our 40th year of service and celebrating the upcoming completion of Father Martin Ritsis’ 27-year tenure as Executive Director.  The Board also welcomed the incoming Executive Director, Dr. Nathan Hoppe.  In his report, Fr. Martin reflected on his ten years as a missionary in East Africa and Albania and his nearly three decades of service as Executive Director:  “In the first years of OCMC’s history, the annual budget was only $100,000. There were just two missionaries and only a few staff members,” he said. “Today we have…

Source: Public Orthodoxy Dr. George Demacopoulos Fr. John Meyendorff & Patterson Family Chair, Co-Director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center, Fordham University According to the New York Times, young, conservative men are flocking to the Orthodox Church because it provides an all-too-rare space that celebrates masculinity. This “Orthodoxy as Masculinity” narrative is not new. It has been pushed by social media monetizers and tabloid reporters for a few years. And there is some truth to it—there is an aggressive online “Orthobro” culture, consisting of recent male converts. The uptick in male seekers to the Church is, at least in part, explained by the…

Source: Orthodox Volunteer Corps (OVC) Blessed Fast of the Nativity. As you begin your journey to Bethlehem, we invite you to walk a piece with OVC as well. Over the next forty days, we will share highlights from our first four years and glimpse into the next four. An early milestone on our path was October 2021. We traveled to Potomac, Maryland, to present a new idea to forty hierarchs at the annual meeting of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. We outlined a program of service: selective recruitment, matching process with service placements, weekly seminars on…