Browsing: Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: Slate By Atlas Obscura From the scorching deserts of Sinai to the frozen tundras of Siberia, Orthodox Christianity has a history of building its churches and monasteries in inhospitable places. But only a few can rival Trinity Church on King George Island. The southernmost Orthodox church in the world, Trinity was built near Bellingshausen Station, Russia’s permanent outpost in Antarctica. In the mid-1990s Patriarch Alexius II of Moscow gave his blessing for this audacious project. The church was constructed in Russia and transported by a supply ship to its present location. One or two monks from Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra — considered…

Source: Here & Now Syrian military forces continue to battle Islamic rebels near the ancient Christian town of Maaloula, Syria, where some residents still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ. Most Maaloula residents have fled, but nuns and orphans remain holed up in Mar Tekla, one of the town’s two early Christian monasteries. They are members of the eastern orthodox Church of Antioch. Its leader in the U.S., Metropolitan Philip Saliba, is concerned about their safety. Philip is a strong supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He joined church leaders in calling for a special “Day of Solidarity” in…

Source: Catholic News Service By Carol Glatz ROME (CNS) — Recent remarks by Pope Francis about the need for a stronger pastoral approach to marriage and divorced couples, do not signal the church is overturning its laws or practice of denying communion to Catholics who divorce and remarry, said two canon law experts. When Pope Francis made parenthetical reference to the Orthodox churches permitting, in some cases, a second marriage, he was referring to an issue that has been under discussion for decades, said U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, prefect of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature. The pope…

Source: Orthodox Church in America PRINCETON, NJ [OCA] – Sunday, September 15, 2013 marked the observance of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship’s “College Student Sunday” in parishes across the US through special services, programs, and other activities.  [See related article.] Among them was a celebration, at which His Grace, Bishop Michael of New York presided, at the Chapel of the Transfiguration on the campus of Princeton University. Bishop Michael celebrated the Divine Liturgy, as he has each year throughout his episcopacy, at the chapel.  Assisting were Archpriest Daniel Skvir, Orthodox Christian Chaplain at Princeton; Archpriest Paul Shafran, a faithful supporter of the Chapel since…

by Alexandru Cautis Source: Drum european He is Syrian, he is Orthodox Christian and he just finished his studies in Romania. S.M. lives through the war in Syria as an eyewitness and views it completely differently than it is presented to us in Romania. (The Syrian asked me not to give his name; I guarantee that the following interview is an honest one, that S.M. is not forced by the Syrian authorities to talk nice about Bashar Al Assad) How does a Christian living in Syria view the current situation from Syria? I am a Syrian who studied in Romania.…

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity As part of its 26th Annual Meeting, Orthodox Christian Laity is sponsoring a Forum on Saturday, November 2 from 9:00 am to noon at the Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church in Moraga, CA (Click here for more detailed information).  The program will focus on the work of the Assembly of Bishops with an update on its September 2013 conclave. In discussing the forum, OCL President Susan Haikalis said: “Although the majority of Orthodox Christians in America support the idea of unity, few of us are aware of the work of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops…

Source: Ancient Faith Radio September 13, 2013 Length: 16:13 Direct link Play in Popup Download We talk with Fr. Peter Jackson, newly appointed OCMC missionary to Guatemala following the mass conversion of 150,000 people into the Orthodox Church. Learn about his work in training clergy and translating liturgical documents for the 300-plus churches and 8 priests. Want to help? Fr. Peter Jackson – Rector – Sts. Theodore Orthodox Church (ROCOR) Address: 96 Los Robles St., Williamsville, NY 14221 Phone: (716) 634-6712 Email: frpeterjackson@yahoo.com OCMC (Orthodox Christian Mission Center): Jackson Family Page E-mail Very Rev. Peter Jackson: fpjackson@ocmc.org E-mail Matyushka Styliana Jackson: s.jackson@ocmc.org The Jackson Family on Flickr…

Source: Pravmir.com His Eminence Philip (Saliba), Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America, head of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, sent a message to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, which reads, in particular: “We monitor with gratitude your tireless efforts in support of the Christians, and all the God-fearing people of Syria.” His Eminence Metropolitan Philip expresses his conviction that the forces responsible for stirring up the conflict in the country “have ulterior motives in mind, not the least of which is to expunge the area of Christians who have been living…

Source: Orthodox Church in America [SYOSSET, NY] Today marks the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorists attacks on New York City; Shanksville, Pennsylvania; and Arlington, Virginia. As Archpriest John Jillions, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America, writes in his “Chancellor’s Diary” entry for today, “September 11 [is] a day to remember both the desperate fallenness of this world and the indestructible marks of its creation by our good and loving God… the unspeakable violence of a few terrorists alongside the courage and divine humanity of thousands and thousands.” According to Donna Karabin, who chairs the OCA’s Department of Christian Service and…

Source: The Guardian Patrick Kingsley and Marwa Awad in Cairo Closure of St Catherine’s monastery due to security concerns has devastated tourist trade of nearby town named after it One of the world’s oldest monasteries has been forced to close its doors because of the deteriorating security situation in Egypt, devastating the economy of the remote surrounding area, it has emerged. St Catherine’s monastery was built by order of the Emperor Justinian I, who reigned from 527 to 565, on the site beneath Mount Sinai where, according to scripture, God spoke to the prophet Moses from a burning bush. But in July,…

Source: Orthodox Church in America The Orthodox Christian Translation Society [OCTS], a non-profit organization committed to facilitating the entire process of creating high-quality Orthodox translations　from project conception to publication and distribution, is accepting proposals for future translation projects. In late 2012, OCTS published its first translation, Place Your Hope in the Lord: The Poetic Spiritual Life of Father Lazar. “If an Orthodox text exists that a translator believes can and should be made available in another language, then　OCTS exists to assist them in bringing that translation to fruition,” notes OCTS Board of Directors member David Twombly. OCTS accepts proposals from skilled…

Source: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America His Eminence Metropolitan Philip writes: Beloved Hierarchs, Clergy and Faithful of our God-Protected Archdiocese: Greetings to you and your families as we begin a new ecclesiastical year. I pray you had a pleasant summer. I write to you today as our president and United States Congress contemplate military action against Syria. As those of us with deep roots in that land already know, more bombs and destabilization of the country will only lead to further bloodshed and devastation. In my opinion, based on a lifetime of knowledge in that area of the…