Source: The Guardian The latest addition to the Russian military arsenal takes the form of an airborne church complete with parachuting priests by Oliver Wainwright The Russian military unveiled an unlikely new weapon in its arsenal this month – an army of parachuting priests. The unit of chaplains, who have joined the Russian Airborne Force to train in parachute jumping and vehicle assembly, will operate out of flatpack churches that can be airlifted in to wherever soldiers may be stationed. The church could be mistaken for a standard-issue army cabin, taking the form of a khaki-coloured shed on wheels, were…
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Monthly Newsletter from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary Email not displaying properly? View it in your browser. In the SVOTS-light April 2013 His Beatitude, Metropolitan TIKHON stands with newly ordained Priest Adam Horstman, his wife Patricia, and their children on the Feast of the Annunciation. (Photo: Leanne Parrott Photography) Our central focus at St. Vladimir’s is preparation for ministry. In March, we rejoiced in the ordination of three seminarians: Anoop Thomas to the Subdiaconate by His Grace Zachariah Mar Nicholovos, and Dns. Andre Paez of San Francisco, CA and Adam Horstman of Nicholasville, KY to the Holy Priesthood, by Archbishop Benjamin and Metropolitan Tikhon, respectively. Other seminarians…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA] – Registration is now open for “Faith in Action: Equipping the Saints for Worship, Learning and Service,” a parish ministries conference slated to be held on the campus of Marymount University, Arlington, VA July 10-13, 2013. Registration and/or additional information may be accessed here. Those who wish to register by mail may download the registration form in PDF format. Sponsored by four departments of the Orthodox Church in America—Liturgical Music and Translations, Christian Education, Christian Service and Humanitarian Aid, and Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministry—the conference will present practical and tested resources for parish-based ministries through…
Source: Democracy and Freedom Watch by DFWATCH STAFF Tbilisi, DFWatch – Illia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgian Orthodox Church, considers unacceptable to renew talks about adopting the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, Archdeacon Mikael Botkoveli, patriarch’s secretary, told journalists at the Tbilisi airport before patriarch’s departure for Helsinki, Finland, for medical treatment. “Talks have been renewed about European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages which, in our opinion, is unacceptable because it will cause strengthening of separatist movements and will create new and very difficult problems for our country,” Mikael Botkoveli remarked. He said ratification of the document is unacceptable until…
Source: International Business Times By Gabriele Barbati JERUSALEM — Every Christian knows the holiest places in Christendom are in Jerusalem. The holiest of all, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, was erected in 325, over the site where it is believed Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead. Yet, few know that it is a Muslim who opens and closes the only door to this holiest of Christian sites. In fact, it’s two Muslims: one man from the Joudeh family and another man from the Nuseibeh family, two Jerusalem Palestinian clans who have been the custodians of the…
Source: The Record ROME — In his most significant break with tradition yet, Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of two young women at a juvenile detention centre — a surprising departure from church rules that restrict the Holy Thursday ritual to men. No pope has ever washed the feet of a woman before, and Francis’ gesture sparked a debate among some conservatives and liturgical purists, who lamented he had set a “questionable example.” Liberals welcomed the move as a sign of greater inclusiveness in the church. Speaking to the young offenders, including Muslims and Orthodox Christians, Francis said…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY – On March 27-28, 2013, several leaders of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship [OCF], the official campus ministry agency of theAssembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, met at the Chancery of the Orthodox Church in America here. Jennifer Nahas, OCF Executive Director. met with His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, Archpriests John Jillions and Eric G. Tosi, and OCA Youth Director Andrew Boyd on March 27. She spoke of OCF’s growth on the grassroots level, the challenges brought about by growth, current and future programs, and ways the OCA can specifically aid in OCF’s…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA]- Currently available from the Orthodox Christian Network is a six-week series of audio presentations on the Sundays of Great Lent by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon. The weekly broadcasts may be accessed at www.myocn.net/index.php/201303284469/Come-Receive-the-Light/Personal-Journey-to-Orthodoxy.html. In related news, Ancient Faith Radio recently posted audio files of the “Holy Conversation” symposium held in White River Junction, VT March 1-2, 2013. The files are accessible atancientfaith.com/specials/holy_conversation_marriage_and_sexuality. Hosted by the Orthodox Church in America’s Diocese of New England with the blessing of His Eminence, Archbishop Nikon, this “Holy Conversation” is a result of the work of the Contemporary Issues Implementation Team. [See related…
Source: The Huffington Post By Meredith Bennett-Smith After decades of speculation, new research suggests that the Shroud of Turin, one of the Catholic Church’s holiest relics, may be the real deal. Believed by some to have been Jesus’ burial cloth, the Shroud has been the subject of much research. The latest battery of experiments led experts to conclude the cloth may have come from the first century A.D., making it old enough to have been used to bury Jesus Christ Giulio Fanti, a professor of mechanical and thermal measurement at the University of Padua, announced the findings in a book that hit shelves Wednesday in…
Source: The Telegraph By Damian Thompson There’s a quaint Anglican concept of the universal Church known as the “branch theory”. This claims that there are three main branches to apostolic Christianity: Roman, Orthodox and Anglican. It’s much favoured by Church of England clerics who aren’t very keen on “Romans”, as they call Catholics, and convey their anti-Papist sentiment in pro-Orthodox code, forever banging on about the riches of Byzantine spirituality, the mystical power of icons, etc. Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, is an example of this breed. What these pro-Orthodox Anglicans don’t stress is that ordaining women priests was just…
Source: Al Moutran by Archbishop PETER (Reprinted from: The Orthodox Church Newspaper, April-May 1994 ) There is among the Orthodox a very widespread belief that the Christian celebration of Easter must necessarily come after the Jewish Passover. This chronological order is considered imperative and bears a symbolic meaning, as it is believed to have been decreed by the First Ecumenical Council held at Nicea in 325. This belief is stated and reaffirmed in the 12th century by the Byzantine canonist Zonaras. Another famous canonist of the later Middle Ages, Matthew Blastaris, in summing up the opinions of his time on…
Source: Pravoslavie.ru His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia On March 23, 2013, the eve of the first Sunday of Great Lent—the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia lead the Vigil service at Sretensky Stavropegic Monastery in Moscow. At the end of the service, abbot of the monastery Archimandrite Tikhon thanked His Holiness for finding the opportunity to celebrate this important service with them, and also for his Patriarchal support and blessing upon the monastery’s plans to build a new church dedicated to the New Martyrs of Russia, which…