Browsing: Governance & Unity News

Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos DETROIT, MI – Metropolitan Nicholas of Detroit in an interview with The National Herald spoke about the recent Clergy Laity Congress in Boston, the budget which was voted again “unbalanced,” the finances of the Archdiocese, the St. Nicholas National Shrine, the Holy Cross Theological School, Archbishop Demetrios, and Autocephaly. He is the second Archdiocesan hierarch (Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta was the first), to speak with TNH about these matters. The interview follows: TNH: What are your thoughts about the recent Clergy Laity Congress? MN: I was happy because we opened the issues of…

Source: The Wheel John A. Jillions INTRODUCTION Fr Alexander Schmemann died in 1983, long before the resurgence of the Orthodox Churches in Eastern Europe could be realistically imagined with what this might mean for the emergence of a powerful Orthodox voice worldwide. Today global Orthodoxy is more free than it has been in centuries and—despite continuing divisions—has the ability to start coming together to find and speak its own voice, as the Holy and Great Council in Crete 2016 at least haltingly demonstrated. But this begs the question: what message will this new and potentially muscular Orthodoxy bring to the…

Source: Orthodoxy in Dialogue On July 20 the website and Facebook page of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America showed their first sign of life in six months. Six months! The new post consists of nothing more than a new directory of clergy brotherhoods and lay organizations. Prior to four days ago, the Assembly had posted nothing on either platform since January 30: not a Lenten greeting, not a Paschal greeting, and most certainly not a response to our White Supremacy in the American Orthodox Church: An Open Letter to the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the…

Source: OINOS Educational Consulting By Frank Marangos, D.Min., Ed.D., FCEP “Because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, many Jews read the inscription on his cross. It was written in Hebrew, Roman, and Greek.” John 19:20 Schools of theological education rest at the crossroads of society. Like the raised “bema” of the ancient Greek philosophers and the “platform step” of the Jewish synagogue (Neh. 8:4), the educational pulpit of the nation’s institutions of theological higher learning were originally established to engage the intersection of church, culture, and commerce. To continue to effectively do so, however, contemporary theological schools and…

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity In Support of Efstathios (Steve) G. Valiotis: Time for other appointed leaders of GOA to Speak Up for the Autocephaly of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese In a letter addressed to Mr. Valiotis, George Matsoukas, Executive Director of Orthodox Christian Laity, wrote: “On behalf of the board of directors, advisory board, supporters and friends of Orthodox Christian Laity, thank you for expressing your thoughts on the present condition of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and offering positive suggestions for the future of the Orthodox Christian Church in the United States.  Your remarks upon receiving an honorary degree…

by Dean Popps So, if I understand all the mumbo-jumbo emanating from the archdiocese, the Greek papers and various Clergy-Laity rapporteurs, here’s the score – The archdiocese is obligated directly or indirectly, as follows: # Perhaps as much as an additional $50m is needed to finish the ill-conceived St. Nicholas project and up to $3m a year‎ is required ad infinitum to maintain it. There is a notion involving existing pledges (receivables) to the tune of $12m to off-set this, but, given what has transpired and the complete loss of confidence in the archdiocese and the project, that number has…

Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA The first-ever national state-by-state directory of the active local and regional Orthodox Clergy Brotherhoods and associated Pan-Orthodox laity organizations has been published by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA. Thirty-six local or regional Orthodox Clergy Brotherhoods and nine Pan-Orthodox laity organizations are listed in this directory. For each Clergy Brotherhood, the directory offers contact information and, if available, website and Facebook page. We welcome any information that can help to improve and expand this directory. If you are aware of any other active local or regional Orthodox Clergy Brotherhoods and…

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity “He who only England knows, knows not England.”  –  Rudyard Kipling The month of July 1992 brought me into contact with two events in the life of Eastern Orthodoxy in the United States that provided me with the opportunity to reflect and pray.  As Executive Vice President of Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL), I was privileged to be an observer and provide OCL workshops at the 31st Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Church in New Orleans (July 3-9, 1992), and then to be an observer and exhibition participant at the 10th All American Council of the…

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity “In order to successfully confront the…challenges, we have to …become fully aware of where we are and what we are.”     –  Archbishop Demetrios, Keynote Address to 44th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress July 2018. The speech to the Archons of Metropolitan Apostolos of Derkon (today’s resort villages of Durusu/Terkos, Turkey) reflects a distorted and overreaching reality of desperation to survive in a hostile land.  It is incumbent on all of us living in the Orthodox Christian reality of the United States to be guided by the truth and to come to grips with correcting the irregular and uncanonical…

Source: The National Herald By TNH Staff BOSTON, MA – New Leadership 100 Argyris Vassiliou, gave a detailed report of the prestigious organization at the 44th Biennial Clergy Laity Congress. His remarks follow: Your Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Your Eminence Metropolitan Methodios, Respected Hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Metropolitan Apostolos and Metropolitan Maximos, Revered Metropolitans of the Holy Synod, Your Graces, Reverend Clergy, Delegates and Friends: As I stand before you, as Chairman of Leadership 100, I am reminded of my own upbringing in the Greek-American Community in Astoria, New York. Our parish of St. Demetrios was the center of our…

Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos Another Clergy Laity Congress of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the 44th in a row, has gone into  history, taking with it all that was said and done, especially at the July 5, plenary session, which I think, using the term “tragicomedy” to describe it, is an understatement. In many instances, the impression that was given was that it wasn’t a Clergy Laity Congress, meaning a synaxis of church-oriented people  with “the mind of Christ,” but rather an angry mob dressed in religiosity. I saw a clergy full of pain and anger with  the…

Source: The National Herald By TNH Staff CHICAGO – The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago announced the enactment of a series of policies and decisions designed to provide for greater transparency, accountability and communication in its operations, ministries and finances. The actions were introduced by His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael during his first 100 days as the newly enthroned Metropolitan and approved and/or implemented by the newly formed Metropolis Council. “The Orthodox faithful have long supported the Church with their time, talent and treasure, in good and tough times, and have made their concerns and expectations clear to me,” His Eminence…