Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA] The Office of Pastoral Life of the Orthodox Church in America will hold their second Pastoral Life Conference for all OCA clergy on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 2:00 pm. The theme of the online conference will be Nurturing Spiritual Brotherhood. Dr. Albert Rossi, Director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, will offer the keynote address at the start of the Conference. His Grace Bishop Alexis, chairman of the Office of Pastoral Life, will be part of a closing panel that will address questions and concerns arising from the participants.…
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Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA] Sponsored by the Archdiocese of Western Pennsylvania, Diocese of the Midwest, and Bulgarian Diocese, the seventh annual Parish Development Forum was held online on July 9, 2020. One hundred forty participants, including four Bishops represented parishes from every Diocese of the Orthodox Church in America as well as Antiochian, Greek, Ukrainian, and Serbian jurisdictions, as well as the Coptic Orthodox Church. The Forum theme—“The Orthodox Parish: Charting a Course in Challenging Times” – was shaped in two keynote addresses offered by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, entitled “Orthodox Christian Communities in 2020”, and Father Sean Levine who…
Source: Orthodox Church in America On Wednesday, November 13, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the feast of Saint John Chrysostom, and commemorated the seventh anniversary of the election of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy His Eminence, Archbishop Michael of New York and New Jersey, Secretary of the Holy Synod, read the following proclamation of the Holy Synod announcing the anniversary celebrations for the Canonization of Saint Herman of Alaska, and the reception of the Tomos of Autocephaly. Proclamation of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox…
Source: Orthodox Church in America Southbridge, MA [OCA] His Eminence, the Most Reverend Nikon, Archbishop of Boston, New England, and the Albanian Archdiocese, fell asleep in the Lord on Sunday, September 1, 2019. Archbishop Nikon was born Nicholas Liolin in New York on October 9, 1945 to a pious Orthodox family. He pursued his elementary and secondary studies in New York City, where he developed an abiding interest in the theatre arts, securing leading roles in several high school productions, and in the biological sciences. Tonsured to the Order of Reader by Metropolitan Theophan (Noli), he studied at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox…
Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle, WA USA Today, several websites have posted the news that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has written a letter to Montenegro President Milo Đukanović expressing “consternation” that the President supports the creation of a separate Orthodox Church of Montenegro. In this regard, the letter states that the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and all other Orthodox Churches, recognize as the only canonical Orthodox jurisdiction in Montenegro, the jurisdiction under Metropolitan Amfilohije of the Serbian Patriarchate. A photocopy of the letter in English can be read at https://cerkvarium.org/novyny/pomistni-tserkvy/vselenskij-patriarkhat-viznae-chornogoriyu-kanonichnoyu-teritorieyu-serbskoji-tserkvi-varfolomij-prezidentu-chornogoriji . Today, the Serbian Patriarchate posted on its website a Serbian translation of the…
Source: Orthodox Church in America DEREYAMANLI, CAPPADOCIA, TURKEY [OCA] Orthodox Christian faithful who trace their roots to Cappadocia filled the Church of the Mother of God here on the Sunday of All Saints—June 23, 2019—as His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon concelebrated the Divine Liturgy. Metropolitan Tikhon and a delegation representing the Orthodox Church in America that included Archpriest Alexander Rentel, Chancellor, and Archdeacon Joseph Matusiak had been invited by His All-Holiness to participate in the annual pilgrimage to Cappadocia in conjunction with a three-day pilgrimage to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. His Eminence, Metropolitan Paisius…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA] During the first day of their Spring Session at the Chancery May 7, 2019, the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops confirmed the nomination by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon of Andrew D. Smith as Treasurer of the Orthodox Church in America. Endorsed by the Metropolitan Council at a special meeting on Thursday, April 18, he succeeds Melanie Ringa, who has served faithfully as Treasurer since 2009. Received into the Orthodox Faith at Holy Apostles Church, Columbia, SC in 2012, Andrew earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration in 2004 and…
INDIANAPOLIS, IN [Lilly Endowment/OCA] Orthodox Christian clergy and the parishes they serve may wish to take advantage of grant awards being offered through the Lilly Endowment’s Clergy Renewal Programs for 2019. Through its religion grant making, the Lilly Endowment seeks to deepen and enrich the lives of American Christians largely through initiatives to enhance and sustain the quality of ministry in American congregations and parishes. The program is administered by the Center for Pastoral Excellence at Indianapolis’ Christian Theological Seminary. The Lilly Endowment provides funds to congregations to support renewal leaves for their pastors. Renewal periods are not vacations but…
With the Nativity Fast—also known as “Advent”—beginning on November 15, the spirit of the season is presented as a time of personal and collective preparation for the celebration of the pivotal point in salvation history—the Incarnation of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. Underscoring the significance of this liturgical season are numerous online educational resources for class and personal use from the Orthodox Church in America’s Department of Christian Education [DCE]. “The Nativity Season: Introduction” offers five engaging lessons that could easily be subtitled “Everything You Always Wanted To Know About the Nativity Fast.” Separate study units are available…
Source: Orthodox Church in America 09.26.2018 09/016 To the Clergy, Monastics, and Faithful of the Orthodox Church in America: Christ is in our midst! I write in reference to recent developments respecting the Orthodox Church in Ukraine which have received much media attention. The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America has been closely following these developments inasmuch as they have an impact in our own communities. Many of our parishes have been affected by the painful historical ecclesiastical divisions that have existed in Ukraine for decades. In recent years, these ecclesiastical divisions have been overtaken by…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA] The Fall Session of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America was held at the Chancery from Tuesday, October 23, 2018 through Thursday, October 25, 2018. As reported earlier, the gathering opened with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in Saint Sergius of Radonezh Chapel, at which His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon presided, after which the OCA’s outgoing officers were especially recognized for their years of devoted service to the Church. The Holy Synod invited the diocesan chancellors and treasurers to participate in their first session, which focused on matters related to…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Roy Snyder, George Matsoukas and George Karcazes at the OCL Display Booth. They attended the opening session of the 19th All American Council in St. Louis, Missouri on July 24, and were inspired by the tribute to Fr Alexander Schmemmen and the theme of the conference: “For the Life of the World”. Metropoliam Tihkon presented his vision of the Four Pillars as a guide for the future of the OCA.