Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Happy New Year to all our supporters and friends! I had the privilege of representing Orthodox Christian Laity at the Inaugural Conference of the International Orthodox Theological Association (IOTA). The meeting was entitled “Pan-Orthodox Unity and Conciliarity.” It took place in the City of International Orthodox Academic Dialogue, Iasi, Romania, from January 9-12, 2019. What a prayerful and positive way to start the New Year! Over 470 Orthodox theologians, clergy, professionals and ecumenical observers participated, representing 40 countries. About 73 workshops were offered by at least 300 presenters. It has been called the largest gathering of…
Browsing: OCL
The Board of Orthodox Christian Laity wishes you and your loved ones a blessed Christmas and New Year! Christ is born! Glorify Him! Read the Nativity Pastoral Letter of His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel HERE or below: The Birth of Our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ “And I will make my home among them and live with them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” 2 Cor. 6:16 (Lev. 26:11-19) May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace, and from us, hierarchal blessings! Christ is born! Let us glorify Him!…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Very Reverend Chad Hatfield – “Pan-Orthodoxy: Truth or Fiction?” Paula Kappos: Zoe For Life Cleveland’s Eastern Orthodox Women’s Guild: Karen Felon Paul Finley: FOCUS Local Director History of Pan-Orthodoxy in Cleveland: Father Remus Grama Cleveland”s Orthodox Christian Brotherhood of Priests: Father Alessandro Margheritino IOCC Cleveland Roots – Bert Moyar
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Board Members present in person: George Karcazes, George Pontikes, Andrew Kartalis, Peter Petkas, William Souvall, Peter Zarras, John Regule and advisory board member, His Eminence Archbishop Nathaniel. Guests introduced were: William Caras, Fr Nicholas Greanias, Fr Remus Grama, and at 11:00 am, Fr Chad Hatfield. Board member Argo Georgandis Pyle joined the meeting by phone. Meeting was convened at 9:30 am at the St. Mary Romanian Orthodox Cathedral with a prayer by Archbishop Nathaniel. Special prayers were offered for Roy Snyder and Chris Xeros. Reports were sent to all board members and advisors before the meeting,…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity The hospitality and participation of the Orthodox faithful of all jurisdictions in the city of Cleveland on the weekend of October 19-20, 2018, was overwhelming! Over 170 faithful people of all jurisdictions participated in a program showing all of us what we can truly accomplish when we work in unity. You can see and feel the unity and love by calling up each speaker’s presentation and the short overview video that is posted on OCL’s YouTube channel. Cleveland is a model of Pan-Orthodoxy living and working in practical and meaningful ways. These videos are presented as…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity I am excited and looking forward to serving as Orthodox Christian Laity’s fourteenth president. I have been a member of the board of Directors of Orthodox Christian Laity for 15 years. My home town is Houston, Texas, and I attend the same church that I was baptized in, the Annunciation Cathedral. I have been blessed to have had some outstanding priests and teachers to guide me through the faith. Although I can speak Greek, I am committed to seeing the Church as a mission reaching out to all people in a Christ-centered way, revealing our faith…
Source: Ancient Faith Ministries Panorthodoxy September 24, 2018 Length: 14:22 Bobby Maddex interviews George Matsoukas, the Executive Director of Orthodox Christian Laity(OCL), and Andy Kartalis, a Vice President of the board of OCL, about their upcoming conference on Panorthodoxy. CLICK HERE to listen to the interview. Cost to Attend (covers the cost of continental breakfast and lunch): $15 Please pay in advance by calling St. Mary Romanian Orthodox Cathedral (216) 941-5550 or Andy Kartalis (216) 831-2263 / andrew kartalis@gmail.com. CLICK HERE to view the Conference program. Conference Hotel: Cleveland Airport Marriott $89 per night (Deadline – Sept 28) – Mention: OCL Conference…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Editor’s Note: Pan-Orthodox Cleveland is the setting for the 9th meeting of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops charged with bringing the separate Orthodox ethnic divisions together. They meet the first week in October. They are really meeting under the radar. Many faithful people actively involved in the life of the church in Cleveland do not even know that the meeting is taking place. What a shame! Over fifty bishops meet and the church faithful at large do not have access to their discussions. Why are not the minutes, results of surveys and discussions made public? If the bishops got out into the…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity It is time for the Orthodox Christian laity to speak up and to act. We come to the end of the ecclesiastical year and the beginning of a new one. This is a time for serious reflection concerning canonical leadership and responsibilities related to church governance. What do we expect from the Assembly of Bishops? We begin the new ecclesiastical year with the meeting of the Assembly of Bishops which will take place in Cleveland on October 1-4, 2018. As of late August, there is no information on the Assembly’s web site about the meeting. The…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Orthodox Christian Laity prayerfully remembers and honors the memory of the Servant of God, Jeffrey Semon of Monroe, Connecticut, who fell asleep in the Lord 2017. Mr. Semon was a supporter of Orthodox Christian Laity and honored our mission by remembering OCL in his will. May His Memory be Eternal! Twenty four people and organizations were named in his estate. We are grateful and thankful to be one of the recipients of his gifts.
Source: Voyage Chicago Magazine Today we’d like to introduce you to George Matsoukas and George Karcazes. Orthodox Christian Laity is a movement and catalyst supported and founded by laypersons who are members of the Orthodox Christian faith. In the United States, the Orthodox Christian faith is seen as a fragmented, ethnic Church made up of 14 different ethnic jurisdictions… i.e. Greek, Russian Romanian, Serbian, Antiochian, etc. In reality, they are one faith and have been in the USA for over 200 years. Missionary Russian monks, led by St Herman of Alaska, established the Orthodox Mission in Kodiak, Alaska in 1794.…