Browsing: Governance & Unity News

Source: Orthodox Church in America BOLIVAR, PA [TiM]–On October 10th, 2021, Thriving in Ministry [TiM] hosted its annual facilitators retreat and workshop at the Antiochian Village Conference Center in Bolivar, Pennsylvania.  Sixteen facilitators and board members gathered together from Sunday evening until Tuesday noon for workshops, fellowship, and retreat.  Thriving in Ministry is a national program, as was reflected by the assembled participants.  Facilitators traveled from across the country, including California and Chicago, to participate in the event. Two new facilitators were also trained, allowing for the future formation of new groups in the south and northeast. Monday’s presentations focused on skills…

Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY — The Department of Evangelization of the Orthodox Church in America has made 8 more free printable brochures available for download. The newest titles are topics dealing with Love and Perfection, and Christmas and Theophany. The remainder of the pamphlets in the series will be updated in the coming months. A PDF text field has been included on the back section of the pamphlet for parishes and other ministries to include important contact information using the freely available Adobe Acrobat Reader or other PDF programs. The original announcement can be read here. You can support the ongoing…

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Arrives for Official Visit October 23, 2021 WASHINGTON, DC — His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was joyously welcomed today by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.  The Ecumenical Patriarch, spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide, will begin his 12-day official visit in Washington, DC. Also in attendance to greet His All-Holiness and the Official Delegation were, according to State Department Protocol, His Excellency Marios Lysiotis, Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the United States; His Excellency Arthur Sinodinos OA, Ambassador of Australia…

Source: Associated Press by: PETER SMITH, Associated Press The spiritual leader of the world’s 200 million Eastern Orthodox Christians brings an agenda spanning religious, political and environmental issues to a 12-day U.S. visit beginning Saturday that includes a meeting with President Joe Biden and various ceremonial and interfaith gatherings. Making the latest of several trips to the country during his 30 years in office, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is expected to address concerns ranging from a pending restructuring of the American church to his church’s status in his homeland, Turkey. Bartholomew’s title, patriarch of Constantinople, reflects the ancient imperial name of the…

Source: Y2AM (Youth and Young Adult Ministries) The Assembly of Bishops just created two new Pan-Orthodox Ministry Agencies! Hear from Archbishop Elpidophoros (GOARCH), Metropolitan Joseph (Antiochian), Metropolitan Tikhon (OCA), Metropolitan Savas (GOARCH), and Bishop Irinej (Serbian). (Excerpts from interviews conducted by Bill Marianes for Ancient Faith Ministries.) Check out the Orthodox Volunteer Corps, an opportunity for your adults to live together and serve together for a full year. https://orthodoxvolunteercorps.org/ And stay tuned for more details about a new Pan-Orthodox Youth and Young Adult Ministry Agency!

Source: Orthodox Church in America The Holy Synod of Bishops and Metropolitan Council of the Orthodox Church in America convened at the Sheraton Cleveland Airport Hotel in Cleveland, OH for their regular Fall Sessions, respectively on October 21 and October 18-19. On Wednesday and Thursday, October 20-21, the Holy Synod and the Metropolitan Council also met in an expanded joint meeting which included Diocesan Chancellors, representatives from the three OCA Seminaries, and Monastic Superiors. Due to the pandemic, the Metropolitan Council met in person for the first time in almost two years. His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon opened the meeting with a Moleben on Monday afternoon. During…

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity April 11, 1997 During the December 2, 1996, Orthodox Christian Laity Executive Board Meeting with His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon, Timi Loomos Freshman was asked by His Eminence to prepare a paper on the Female Diaconate so that he could further study the issue. Mrs. Freshman has been in touch with Valerie Karras, Demetra Jacquet and Dr. Ellen Gvosdev as well as a network of faithful Orthodox Christian women in the Los Angeles area. Together they compiled research and articles on the subject. Mrs. Freshman coordinated and wrote this short paper on the topic. It is presented…

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Originally posted on July 7, 2015 but still relevant today! The Challenge of Orthodox Christian Outreach The Challenge of Outreach, written in 1997, by Nikolas K. Gvosdev, Ph.D., foreshadowed the recent PEW Report on Christianity in America. The study was prepared at the request of Archbishop Spyridon. Too bad it got lost in the shuffle. We have posted it for your consideration and interest. CLICK HERE to read this excellent report. George Matsoukas

Source: The National Herald by Theodore Kalmoukos BOSTON – The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, in an official announcement, accuses Metropolitan Joseph of Proikonnisos of “uncanonical and unbrotherly behavior” because “he is the single witness in defense of an opponent of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia (Consolidated Trust), at the Supreme Court of New South Wales.” The issue was discussed at the 10th Episcopal Assembly of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia which took place on October 6 in Sydney under the Presidency of Archbishop Makarios of Australia. “It was unanimously decided to prepare a canonical file to submit to His…

Source: Vatican News In an interview with Vatican News, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk reflects on the importance of joint efforts geared towards the protection of our common home and the need for interreligious dialogue on the path to a world of fraternity. By Benedict Mayaki, SJ Pope Francis, along with scientists and religious leaders, met in the Vatican on Monday for a meeting themed: “Faith and Science: Toward COP26” as preparations for the UN Climate Change Conference scheduled to hold from 1 – 12 November in Glasgow, Scotland, continue. The Holy Father and the participants at the day-long encounter also…

Source: US Religion Census The report “The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA) from 2010 to 2020: Changes in Parishes, Membership and Worship Attendance” is now available. The 2020 US Religion Census (www.usreligioncensus.org) obtained the data directly from GOA parishes. Overall, 98% of the GOA parishes participated. The report can be downloaded here: https://orthodoxreality.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Report-GOA-From2010To2020Reduced1-1.pdf The 2020 Census has revealed that from 2010-2020 the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese experienced a significant (-22%) membership decline. But these membership changes were different in different Metropolises: some Metropolises had much larger losses of parishioners than others. GOA Metropolises also vary greatly in the strength of…

Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA WASHINGTON, DC — The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America convened in person for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, in Washington, D.C. October 2-5 for its 10th Anniversary Meeting. This is the first in-person meeting presided over by Archbishop Elpidophoros. Twenty-nine Hierarchs participated in-person and were joined by seven Hierarchs who participated virtually. In their opening session, they called to mind the losses suffered over the past year and a half, due to the global pandemic, and offered prayers for the continued…