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By George Matsoukas May the MEMORY of our founding board member and longtime supporter, Eva Topping, who departed this life on December 13, be ETERNAL. In July, she moved into an assisted living home in the town of her birth, Fredericksburg, VA. Eva Topping was 91 years old. She was a devout and devoted Orthodox Christian. She was the author of one of the seven studies in the Project on Orthodox Renewal. Her topic was Orthodox Women and Our Church. She spent many years of her life writing on this topic and produced a number of books on the topic…

Source: Interfax Moscow, December 12, Interfax – The Russian Orthodox Church urges not to allow civil confrontations in Russia as the part of society is not conformed with results of votes counting at the parliamentary elections. “We can’t but express satisfaction that rallies in Russian cities are generally peaceful, in frames of law. No matter how political positions vary, the most important thing today is to keep civil peace and statehood, not to allow new 1905, 1917, 1991 or 1993,” head of the Synodal Department for Church and Society Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin told an Interfax-Religion correspondent. The priest urges…

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese NEW YORK – The Thirteenth National Philoptochos Children’s Medical Fund Luncheon was held Saturday, December 3, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Old Greenwich, CT with more than 650 attendees from throughout the United States. The event entitled “Let Us Rejoice and Embrace the Children,” was organized by the National Philoptochos and the Direct Archdiocesan District Philoptochos under the high patronage of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America and with the spiritual blessings of His Grace Bishop Andonios of Phasiane. The Children’s Medical Fund Luncheon unites supporters from across the United States every two years…

Source: Taiwan News The leader of Cyprus’ Orthodox Christian church and Israel’s chief rabbi have signed a joint declaration aimed at forging closer bonds between the two countries’ citizens. Archbishop Chrysostomos II and Rabbi Yonah Metzger signed the declaration in the Cypriot capital Tuesday. Chrysostomos said the initiative is aimed at ending any “hostility or suspicion” that had “poisoned” Cypriot-Israeli relations in the past. Metzger said Cyprus and Israel are partners and share a similar history. He says the declaration can help improve cooperation. The declaration comes amid blossoming ties between the east Mediterranean neighbors. The two countries are in…

Source: Orthodox Church in America SAN DIEGO, CA [OCA] Two historic recordings of American Orthodox liturgical singing, made in the early 1970s by the Saint John’s Girls Octet of Warren, OH, have been re-released on a single CD, titled “From My Youth: An American Orthodox Journey,” according to Musica Russica, a leading publisher of Orthodox sheet music and CDs. The two re-mastered vinyl LPs, “From My Youth” and “New Valaamo,” include 25 tracks and feature a number of arrangements and compositions by American composers, written in English at a time when the use of the English language was beginning to…

Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA] A total of $6,300.00 collected during liturgical services at the recent 16th All-American Council of the Orthodox Church in America has been donated to Saints Martha and Mary Home, Escondido, CA. “As in past years, donations received at All-American Councils were earmarked for a charity within the host diocese,” said Archpriest Eric Tosi, OCA Secretary. “His Grace, Bishop Benjamin, requested that the funds be donated to Saints Martha and Mary Maternity Home, Escondido, CA, an institution of the Diocese of the West established in 2001 to provide a private and confidential venue…

Source: World Council of Churches In a presentation to a gathering of experts on religious freedom and religious rights of minorities, the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I said there must be respect for the “inherent rights of all human beings and their aspiration and rights of religious freedom should be important components to sustain tolerance among all God’s creation.” Bartholomew made his comments on 30 November at a consultation in Istanbul, Turkey, called Freedom of Religion and Rights of Religious Minorities which is sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on International Affairs and hosted…

Source: BosNewsLife CAIRO, EGYPT (BosNewsLife)– Christians in Egypt “request prayers” amid concerns about deadly violence and political uncertainty, ahead of the country’s first parliamentary elections since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in February. The call for prayer, monitored by BosNewsLife Sunday, November 27, came amid reports that 70,000 believers already gathered for an all-night prayer vigil in one of the poorest areas of Cairo, the capital. Organizers described the November 11 gathering as the largest Christian event in Egypt “in more than a millennium”. It was held at St. Simeon the Tanner Coptic Orthodox Church in Mokattam, known as…

Source: The Independent | Catrina Steward When it comes to fixing the church roof, rarely has it been so difficult to reach agreement as at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. But, after a centuries-old stand-off between Greek Orthodox monks and rival religious sects, it looks as if the reputed birthplace of Jesus may finally get the renovation it so badly needs. With Palestine’s recent admission to Unesco, the body responsible for protecting historic sites, the Palestinian Authority hopes to win recognition for the 1,500 year-old basilica as a World Heritage site, the first step towards tapping the UN’s…

Source: The National Herald | Theodore Kalmoukas BOSTON, MA – One of the most prominent Greek Orthodox priest s in the United States, Protopresbyter George Papadeas, has died at the age of 93. Papadeas was a loving husband, a caring father and grandfather, a prolific writer and author, and a TNH contributor. In a phrase, he was the best of the best. Even at 93 he would drive halfway across Florida – from South Daytona to Ocala – to conduct liturgies and administer sacraments. He served at St. Demetrios Church in Daytona Beach as pastor until “retiring” in 1983. After…

Source: Buffalo News | Michelle Kearns The Rev. Volodymyr Zablotskyy had given up on getting back a stolen Holy Gospel book — treasured by the members of SS. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church — until a stranger handed it to a stunned parishioner over the weekend as he walked the Lovejoy neighborhood. “To me, it was very emotional,” said Zablotskyy, who read from the book with portraits of saints embedded on its red velvet cover during the Sunday service at the Ideal Street church. “I can’t express how happy I am to have it back. It was the best news…

Source: Antiochian Archdiocese | Report and Photos by Shelley Pituch View photo gallery The 2011 Orthodox Institute, held at Antiochian Village, near Ligonier, PA, over the weekend of November 3 – 6, was advertised as “an event like no other” and it proved to live up to its claim in more than one way. The theme was “Scripture through the Lens of the Holy Land” and this was the first time that the Orthodox Institute was a multi-jurisdictional collaboration between the host of the event, the Antiochian Department of Christian Education, and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, the Orthodox Church in…