Source: Congressman Frank Wolf WOLF ISSUES REPORT FOLLOWING VISIT TO MIDDLE EAST DURING TUMULTUOUS TIME OF CHANGE IN THE REGION Renews Call for Special Envoy to Advocate for Beleaguered Minority Faith Communities, Which are Increasingly Under Assault Washington, D.C. (March 7, 2013) – Rep. Frank Wolf today made a series of policy recommendations – including his continued push for the creation of a Special Envoy for Religious Minorities in the Middle East and South Central Asia – following a recent trip to Lebanon and Egypt, where he met with high-ranking government officials, religious leaders, humanitarian aid organizations and refugees who…
Browsing: Orthodox News
Source: The Reporter BY RYAN CHALK/ RCHALK@THEREPORTER.COM Clutching a handwritten apology, a former Fairfield pastor asked for forgiveness in front of a packed courtroom just before being sentenced to 18 years in state prison for the molestation of children at his parish. Robert E. Ruark, 65, of Suisun City, a former reverend at St. Timothy Orthodox Church, received the sentence in Solano County Superior Court after pleading guilty in January to 19 felony counts related to committing lewd acts on children. The molestation allegations spanned as far back as 1994. Known by parishioners as “Father Silas,” Ruark was arrested in…
Source: St Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary [South Canaan, PA] The Board of Trustees has announced that they have officially appointed the search committee to hire the next Dean of St. Tikhon’s Seminary. More details to follow. The Board of Trustees of St. Tikhon’s Seminary has also appointed Igumen Sergius, Abbot of St. Tikhon’s Monastery, as the Acting Dean of the seminary until a new Dean can been found. As acting Dean Fr. Sergius will report directly to the Rector of the Seminary, His Grace Bishop Michael. The Board of Trustees of St. Tikhon’s Seminary gathered in South Canaan for their…
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE Prot. No. 240 CATECHETICAL HOMILY ON THE OCCASION OF THE BEGINNING OF GREAT LENT † B A R T H O L O M E W By the Mercy of God Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch To the Plenitude of the Church Grace and Peace be with you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ together with our Prayer, Blessing and Forgiveness Beloved brothers and sisters, children in the Lord, The holy fathers, who arranged everything in an orderly manner, instituted a period of ascetic discipline and spiritual purification for…
Source: Orthodox Church in America YONKERS, NY [SVOTS/OCA] At the invitation of His Eminence, Archbishop Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas, Archpriest Dr. John Behr, Dean of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary here, traveled to Bucharest to sign a cooperative agreement between Saint Vladimir’s and the Faculty of Orthodox Theology, University of Bucharest. His visit, blessed by His Beatitude, Patiarch Daniel, began on the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee when he celebrated the Divine Liturgy in Bucharest’s Patriarchal Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen. On Sunday afternoon, Patriarch Daniel hosted Archbishop Nicolae and Father John for an…
Source: MYSTAGOGY By Dan Graves It was one of the strangest episodes in all of military and Christian history–an army killing its own best soldiers. The time: A.D. 320. The place: Sevaste, in present-day Turkey. The issue: Would Christian soldiers obey and bow to pagan gods? How many agreed to sacrifice? A legion consisted from 3,000 to 6,000 infantry plus cavalry. Apparently at least 2,960 men from the Sevaste legion sacrificed at Licinius’s order. Barely 1% bucked his demand! The famous Thundering Legion. The legion stationed at Sevaste may have been the famed Thundering Legion. Dating back to Caesar Augustus,…
Source: The Christian Post By Nicola Menzie , Christian Post Reporter n a crime that New Jersey authorities have described as heinous, a local man is believed to have shot to death two Coptic Christians before severing their heads and hands and burying their bodies in the backyard of a relative’s abandoned home. “These were grisly murders in which the defendant allegedly shot both victims in the chest at close range,” said Attorney General Chiesa in a press release. “We allege that the defendant was ruthless and calculating in the manner in which he carried out the killings and attempted…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA] – With the approval of the Metropolitan Council of the Orthodox Church in America, the OCA Department of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministry launched its Saint Peter the Aleut Grant Program. The grant will be available to any youth or young adults seeking to offset costs of attending retreats, workshops, or conferences, or to visit an OCA seminary or monastery to discern a vocation. In addition, clergy and lay people may apply for assistance to offset the costs of continuing education in the field of youth ministry. “We want to show…
Source: Orthodox Church in America WILKES-BARRE, PA [STOTS] – Hundreds of faithful poured into Saint Stephen Episcopal Cathedral here on Sunday, March 3, 2013 for a concert of liturgical music by students from three Orthodox Christian seminaries. The concert was performed by students of Saint Tikhon’s Seminary, South Canaan, PA, and Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY, both of which are celebrating their 75th anniversaries, and Holy Trinity Seminary, Jordanville, NY, which is celebrating its 65th Anniversary. Members of the brotherhood of Saint Tikhon’s Monastery also participated. The event marked the first time singers from the three seminaries have collaborated musically.…
Source: The Sofia Globe Bulgarian Orthodox Church Patriarch Neofit is to lead a “prayer for the reconciliation of the Bulgarian people” on March 10 in response to the current turbulent social, political and economic situation facing the country, the Holy Synod said. Neofit was elected Patriarch on February 24, taking office amid a series of nationwide protests and political upheaval as Bulgaria heads for early national parliamentary elections on May 12. Of Bulgaria’s population of 7.3 million, according to the February 2011 census, 76 per cent declared themselves to be Orthodox Christians. The Holy Synod said that all “Orthodox Christians…
Source: Herald-Tribune The administrator of a Venice church is accused of embezzling more than $50,000 intended to help struggling parishioners, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office reported. Robert Kondratick, 67, of the 11700 block of Tempest Harbor Loop in Venice, was arrested Wednesday, accused of embezzling church funds intended to help people who have fallen on hard times. In January, church council members contacted the sheriff’s office after discovering funds had been misused over a six-month period from June to December 2012. Kondratick, then employed as administrator of the Holy Spirit Orthodox Church, 700 Shamrock Blvd., was fired by church officials.…
Source: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America The month of March, designated as Antiochian Women’s Month by His Eminence Metropolitan Philip, is a time when the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women encourage their sisters in Christ to participate in the Liturgy and minister in their parishes and their communities. Notes President Violet Robbat, “…however large or small our roles, what is important for an Antiochian Woman is that we are focused on our faith and His church.” Resources for Women’s Month: A brochure about the 2013 project and scholarship (PDF) Metropolitan Philip’s letter about Women’s Month (PDF) A sermonette introducing…