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Source: Haaretz Monks of the Russian Orthodox Monastery of Saint Mary Magdalen complain that local residents enter the grounds without permission to swim in the hot springs and have barbecues. Israeli authorities have confiscated land belonging to the Russian Orthodox Monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene, on the Kinneret near Tiberias, for the development of a recreational area, according to the Orthodox Christian Network website. The monastery is located close to the modern town of Migdal, formerly Magdala, where Mary Magdalene was reputedly born. The land was acquired in 1908 by Archimandrite Leonid Sentsov, then-director of the Russian mission in the…

Source: The Arab Source by LEITH FADEL Yesterday, an Antiochian Orthodox priest was kidnapped by Jabhat Al-Nusra from his monastery outside of the west Idlib city of Jisr Al-Shughour. Sources in the area confirmed the kidnapping of Father Hanna Moussa of Qanaya from the St. Joseph Monastery by members of the Al-Qaeda linked terrorist organization, following his morning prayers in the predominately Christian village. Like many of the villagers of Qanaya, Father Hanna refused to leave the village he spent much of his life in, despite threats from Syrian Opposition forces. Father Hanna was not the only civilian to be kidnapped…

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America NEW YORK – On the invitation of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nikos Anastasiades, and with the unanimous agreement of the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America will embark on an official visit to Cyprus, October 20-27, 2014. During his visit, Archbishop Demetrios will meet with His Excellency the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nikos Anastasiades, His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus, and governmental, academic and institutional officials. His Eminence will also visit holy historic sites and philanthropic institutions. [subscribe2]

Source: International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — From the smallest rural towns to the biggest cities, two-thirds of America’s children living in poverty have no books at home, according to the nation’s largest literacy program, Reading is Fundamental. Children with no regular access to books and reading are at greatest risk for struggling in school and in adulthood. Unfortunately, books are often inaccessible for children whose families are trying to makes ends meet and the cycle of poverty and low educational achievement are reinforced. International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is working to promote literacy and learning for…

Source: Vatican Insider Synod on the Family: “La Civiltà Cattolica” undusts a forgotten chapter in history. Despite their proclamations in defence of the indissolubility of marriage, the Tridentine Fathers decided not to exclude the possibility of second unions in old “Greek rites” practiced in the Greek islands that were under the dominion of Venice ANDREA TORNIELLI VATICAN CITY It is a little known chapter of history which Italian Jesuit periodical La Civiltà Cattolica has decided to cast light on in the issue that will be out once the Synod on the Family begins. Journalists revealed the content of this issue…

Source: St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary Former longtime St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Old Testament professor, The Very Rev. Paul Schneirla, pastor emeritus at St. Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church in Brooklyn, New York, reposed in the Lord on Saturday, September 20, 2014, at age 98. Father Paul came to St. Vladimir’s as a student in the early 1940s, when the campus was still located in New York City. He was ordained a priest in 1943 and served Antiochian Orthodox parishes in Iron Mountain, MI and Allentown, PA before moving to New York to serve at St. Mary’s in Brooklyn, from 1951 until…

Source: Vatican Insider Divisions among the Orthodox Churches are delaying the process of theological dialogue with the Catholic Church on the issue of primacy. The Amman session led to another dead end GIANNI VALENTE ROME Dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches is showing no signs of progress. The latest plenary session of the mixed Commission created to deal with the theological obstacles that stand in the way of full communion between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The Commission’s members – 23 Catholic delegates and two delegates representing each of the 14 autocephalous Orthodox Churches – met in the Jordanian…

Source:  Bangor Daily News By Renee Ordway, Special to the BDN Community support is often talked about but can be difficult to measure until you need it. The son of a career military man, Lee Speronis moved a lot, and he has relocated a few times as an adult as well. In 2003, however, Speronis and his wife, Cathy, and their two children settled in Bangor and have stuck around for the last 11 years. In the past couple of weeks, Speronis has come to appreciate his chosen community more than he thought possible. Two weeks ago Speronis, president of…

Source: Anglican Communion News Service (ACNS) In the name of the Triune God, and with the blessing and guidance of our Churches, the International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue (ICAOTD) met at St George’s Anglican Cathedral, Jerusalem, from 17 to 24 September 2014. The Commission is grateful for the generous hospitality extended by Bishop Suheil Dawani and the Diocese of Jerusalem. His Beatitude Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Bishop Suheil welcomed the Commission and affirmed their prayerful support for the dialogue. The Commission was presented with resources both Anglican and Orthodox on issues concerning the beginning…

Source: The Detroit News by Marney Rich Keenan In the ’80s, Janet Damian was drawn to Ss. Peter and Paul Orthodox Cathedral on Gilbert Street because services were said in English instead of the customary mother tongue of her Romanian Orthodox church. When her grandmother objected, she reasoned: “The scriptures never said you must worship in a foreign language.” Now, 30 years later, the short-in-stature, but tell-it-like-it-is powerhouse is heaven-bent on making her church, the oldest orthodox church in Detroit, relevant again because of what the scriptures do say. Specifically: “… as ye have done unto one of the least of…

Source: CNW OTTAWA, Sept. 23, 2014 /CNW/ – The 118th Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church will visit three congregations inOttawa and Kingston, as well as Canada’s first Coptic monastery in Perth, ON The Coptic Orthodox communities in Ottawa and Kingston celebrate the first official visit to their respective cities by His Holiness, Pope Tawadros II, Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of St. Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development greeted His Holiness, upon his arrival at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on September 5, and…

Source: 10 News – Tampa Bay / Sarasota by Grayson Kamm, WTSP Palm Harbor, Florida — Divine providence. A priest says that’s what led a newspaper delivery driver to spot and save a burning church Tuesday morning. Her 911 call got firefighters there in time to save something extraordinary inside. Carol Dyer started driving her paper route late, in another part of town. But she says something steered her to Riviere Road, right past St. Raphael Greek Orthodox Church. “It was the Holy Spirit of God. Point blank,” Dyer told me. “I started doing that neighborhood down there, and I just…