Source: International Orthodox Christian Charities Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — Syrian civilians evacuated from the embattled city of Homs under a UN-negotiated cease-fire are being aided by International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) as they flee to safety. IOCC and its church partner in Syria, The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East (GOPA), are in Homs assisting in the evacuation that began this weekend and are providing emergency relief to the Syrian people fleeing the city. Among the evacuees were ten youths who were immediately taken to the nearest medical facility for needed vaccines and medical attention. IOCC/GOPA also assisted…
Browsing: Uncategorized
Source: Orthodox Church in America His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, offered the invocation at the annual Rose Dinner, held at the Regency Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC on Wednesday evening, January 22, 2014. The annual event was a culmination of 2014 March for Life programme. The keynote speaker at the dinner was Ryan Bomberger, Founder of the Radiance Foundation and a tireless activist for life, who addressed the theme of this year’s March—“Adoption: A Noble Decision.” He drew upon his own experience of being adopted and raised by a loving Christian family and having become an…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA] – In response to a letter from the Orthodox Church in the Czech Lands and Slovakia, dated January 13, 2014, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, sent a congratulatory message to Sister Church’s newly elected Primate, Metropolitan-elect Rastislav, Archbishop of Presov and Slovakia. Metropolitan-elect Rastislav was elected at the 13th General Assembly of the Church in the Czech Lands and Slovakia on January 11, 2014. “I accept this result of the elections as my service to our Orthodox community which, after the abdication of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Christopher, found itself in a challenging ecclesial…
Source: The American Conservative By ROD DREHER NCR’s John Allen reports on the kidnapping of the Syrian Orthodox nuns by rebel forces: The monastery’s mother superior, Sr. Pelagia Sayyaf, and 11 other Orthodox nuns were taken away to the nearby rebel stronghold of Yabrud. Though some rebel sources insisted that the sisters had been evacuated for their own safety, most observers regard it as a kidnapping, something that’s become a sad fact of life for the country’s Christian minority. Last February, the website Ora pro Siria [1], operated by Italian missionaries in Syria, launched an emergency fundraising appeal it called “Ransom a Christian.”…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SILVER SPRING, MD [OCA] – Funeral services for Mr. James Paffhausen, 88, father of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, will be held at Philip D. Rinaldi Funeral Service, 9241 Columbia Blvd., Silver Spring, MD at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, December 6, 2013. Mr. Paffhausen fell asleep in the Lord on Wednesday, December 4. He had recently undergone surgery.
Source: Huffington Post Religion News Service | By Jacob Resneck ISTANBUL (RNS) In this ancient city, there are few sights more iconic than the dome of the Hagia Sophia, towering over the old city for more than 1,400 years. But recent conversions of former Byzantine-era churches from museums into mosques, encouraged by religious and political leaders, have caused alarm among religious minorities and Turkey’s Christian neighbors. “We currently stand next to the Hagia Sophia Mosque,” Turkey’s deputy prime minister, Bulent Arinc, remarked last month during a dedication of a museum of Caucasus carpets and rugs in the Hagia Sophia complex.…
Source: Journey to Orthodoxy “I wanted to show that the Church always lived with its people and was present at all events: from public events to sports. That’s why I took part in this marathon. I could see that the people liked it: whenever I was running, I was applauded more energetically than other participants. Some people asked for prayers. And I was praying while running!” Father Athanasios, 43, was probably the most unique runner and very different from other participants of the Athens classic marathon, reports Romphea. Although he did not break any records, he managed to make a tremendous…
November 30, 2013 Christmas Lenten Season Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: We are very happy to report that because of your most generous response to our recent Angel Fund Drive along with this year’s membership outreach in March and special gifts by board members and friends, OCL has been able to maintain its website, manage its administrative expenses and present an outstanding 26th Annual Meeting and Program. Your prayers and financial support were critical! We hope that the two Informational programs developed and presented this year on the work of The Assembly of Bishops will be replicated across the…
Source: Asia News by Nina Achmatova The idea is to amend the Charter to enter Christianity as “the foundation of national identity and cultural heritage of Russia.” The Patriarchate supports the initiative , but calls will be addressed in a public debate . Defending human rights warns it is likely to raise a “civil war” in the minds of people. Moscow (AsiaNews) – The proposal of some lawmakers to amend the Constitution to insert, in its preamble, the exclusive role of the Orthodox Church in Russia has generated heated debate in a multi-religious country where issues related to the coexistence…
Source: The National Herald by Constantine S. Sirigos NEW YORK – The annual Founders Dinner of Faith: An Endowment for Orthodoxy and Hellenism filled the second story dining room of the famed Le Cirque restaurant in Manhattan on November 19 with enthusiastic members and friends of the philanthropic organization that was established as a response to a challenge issued by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios in 2004. The guests were welcomed by Peggy Sotirhos Nicholson, Faith’s Executive Director, and Archbishop Demetrios offered the opening prayer. Sotirhos introduced Michael Jaharis, businessman, philanthropist, and Vice Chair, who hosted the event with his wife,…
Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and South America Mississauga, ON – The North American Orthodox Catholic Theological Consultation issued a statement on the plight of Christians in the Middle East at their meeting in Mississauga, Ontario, Oct. 24-26, calling for the release of a Greek Orthodox Metropolitan and a Syriac Orthodox Archbishop, both from Aleppo, Syria, and repudiating the kidnapping, torture and killing of not only Christians but all civilians. The full statement is available here. The group meets every five years in Canada. Hosted by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, this year’s meeting was at…