Source: Zenit Rome Here is the second Lenten homily given this year by the preacher of the Pontifical Household, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa. 1. Bringing together what unites us The recent visit of Pope Francis to Turkey, which concluded with his meeting with the Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, and in particular the pope’s exhortation to Eastern Christian and Western Christians to share fully their common faith have convinced me of the usefulness of devoting the Lenten meditations for this year to support this desire of the Holy Father, which is also the desire of all Christendom. This desire for communion is…
Browsing: Orthodox News
Source: Seeds of Hope – Orthodox Christian Healing & Counseling When we suffer wounds, especially traumatic wounds (fired from a job, a divorce, loss of a loved one, abuse, etc.) God can bring healing. Healing takes time and often the most healing comes through others who have suffered the same kind of wounding. Wounding changes us. It leaves scars. But scars are not wounds. Scars are what remain when the wounds heal. Don’t pick at the scar. You’ll cause another wound. That wound will be different than the wound that caused the scar. Instead accept the change that the wounding…
Source: The Day By Ann Baldelli There was little ordinary about the Rev. Matthew Baker, so it’s understandable that the reaction to the 37-year-old pastor’s untimely death is extraordinary, too. Hundreds of people, some from across the country and others from around the world, are expected to converge in Norwich tonight for the wake and again in Cranston, R.I., Saturday for the funeral of the 37-year-old Baker, the newly appointed pastor of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Norwich. Just six weeks into his first stint as a Greek Orthodox pastor, Baker was killed Sunday when he was ejected from his…
Source: March on Selma – Orthodoxy and the Civil Rights Movement NEW YORK – Archbishop Demetrios, the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America will take part in the events commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the historic March on Selma, led by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in which Archbishop Iakovos of North and South America also participated, along with other civil rights leaders on March 15, 1965. Archbishop Demetrios will arrive in Birmingham, Ala., on the evening of Thursday, March 5, 2015. On Fri., March 6, 2015, the Archbishop will participate in a Press Conference to…
Source: OCP Media Network Helsinki: Orthodox Metropolitan Ambrosius of Helsinki of the Finnish Orthodox Church invited Female Evangelical Lutheran bishop Irja Askola to Altar with him during Clergy ordination at the Sunday Divine Liturgy. This has sparked much controversy. He also ordered the Deacons to pray for the Lutheran woman bishop during litany. This has angered several Orthodox faithful. Archbishop Leo – Primate of the Finnish Orthodox Church has condemned the incident and has asked Metropolitan to clarify the issue before considering any measures against him. Major Finnish newspapers have reported the incident. Archbishop Leo have released an official statement…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in Unity.” Psalm 133:1 What a joy it is to hold our OCL meeting at the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC), a truly pan-Orthodox outreach mission to the world. The agency has had its struggles and triumphs, but working together in unity, they make a difference for Christian outreach. Together with IOCC, they are examples of what we accomplish in unity. Can you imagine if the Orthodox Christian Church in the USA was united – what we can accomplish? A unified Orthodox Christian Church would be…
Source: Christian Today Lucinda Borkett-Jones Christians and Muslims living on Mount Zion have been the target of numerous hate crimes in recent years, but representatives from all three religions are taking a stand against the intolerance by repairing the mount’s graveyards. Last week a Greek Orthodox Seminary on the mount was the site of an arson attack in which one of the church’s bathrooms was set on fire. A wall was also sprayed with anti-Jesus graffiti, but no one was injured in the attack. Other incidents have seen gravestones smashed and people spitting at priests, and there has been little…
Source: Lacasuri Ortodoxe Ankara has granted Turkish citizenship to several clergy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, of which 4 are Metropolitans. A few days ago, Ankara gave Turkish citizenship to 10 clergy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, four of which have the rank of Metropolitan, namely: Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, Metropolitan Athenagoras of Kydonia, Bishop Arsenius of Austria, Bishop Maxim of Silivri. In addition, the following clergy living in Constantinople, also received Turkish citizenship: Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod, Archimandrite Bartholomew, Under-Secretary Joachim, Archdeacon Andrew, Deacon Theodore, Protosingelos Ambrose, and librarian Archimandrite Agathangelus. All clergy are Greek citizens. So far, 35 bishops…
Source: International Orthodox Christian Charities Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — Fleeing for their lives, more than 2,400 exhausted and traumatized Christians from northeastern Syria sought refuge in the towns of Hasakah and Qamishli after their small communities were terrorized this week. The attackers targeted a stretch of villages along the southern bank of the Khabour River, where they burned homes and churches, murdered a fleeing 16-year-old boy, and abducted 150 Assyrian Christian men, women and children from their homes. For those who managed to escape the attack and seek shelter in Hasakah, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), with its church partner,…
Source: Faith Matters blog Sponsored by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s Office of Inter-Orthodox, Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations, the focus of this colloquium is an inquiry into Orthodoxy Christianity’s theology of engagement in humanitarianism. Click on the flyer on the left, download the pdf, or for more information, contact: V. Rev. Archimandrite Dr. Nathanael Symeonides, Director Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical & Interfaith Relations Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Executive Assistant to Chairman, Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America Voice: [212] 774-0226 | Email: FrNathanael@goarch.org Web: www.goarch.org | www.assemblyofbishops.org Twitter: www.twitter.com/FrNathanael [subscribe2]
Source: Breitbart by THOMAS D. WILLIAMS, PH.D. The Coptic Orthodox Church has announced that the 21 Egyptian Christians murdered by the Islamic State in Libya will be commemorated in its Church calendar as martyrs and saints. Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II said that the names of the 21 martyrs beheaded by ISIS on February 14 will be inserted into the Coptic Synaxarium, the Oriental Church’s official list of Martyrs, a procedure similar to canonization in the Latin Church. An icon of the 21 martyrs, drawn by Tony Rezk, will be the official image to commemorate their supreme witness (accompanying photo). The…
Source: St Thomas Orthodox Church 21 New Egyptian Martyrs of Libya Milad Makeen Zaky Abanub Ayad Atiya Maged Solaiman Shehata Yusuf Shukry Yunan Kirollos Shokry Fawzy Bishoy Astafanus Kamel Somaily Astafanus Kamel Malak Ibrahim Sinweet Tawadros Yusuf Tawadros Girgis Milad Sinweet Mina Fayez Aziz Hany Abdelmesih Salib Bishoy Adel Khalaf Samuel Alham Wilson Worker from Awr village (name unknown at this time) Ezat Bishir Naseef Loqa Nagaty Gaber Munir Adly Esam Badir Samir Malak Farag Abram Sameh Salah Faruq “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15) “Father, forgive them, for they do not know…