Source: The National Herald By Theodore Kalmoukos The Ecumenical Patriarchate made a historic, correct, and bold decision to proceed with resolution of the ecclesiastical problem of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine by granting Autocephaly. As I have written in the past, there are actually two Churches in Ukraine: One under the “schismatic” Patriarch Philaret of Kiev and the other under Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine, which belongs to the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Moscow. A request was filed to the Ecumenical Patriarchate 25 years ago requesting Autocephaly, but the issue was delayed simply because the Phanar did not…
Browsing: Orthodox Church
Source: Byzantine, TX (Meduza) – The Russian Orthodox Church hopes to erect an “Orthodox Vatican” in Sergiyev Posad, just outside Moscow, that would require the demolition of several downtown buildings, according to the BBC Russian Service. Journalists learned about plans for an “open-air temple” at the walls of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius with a platform stage that would allow the church to hold outdoor mass. The new church will feature a library, a complex of various church institutions, a youth center, a “congress center,” and a media center. The “Orthodox Vatican” would gobble up real estate currently occupied…
Source: Associated Press By LEFTERIS PITARAKIS, HELENE FRANCHINEAU and SUZAN FRASER BUYUKADA ISLAND, Turkey – Each morning, Erol Baytas checks for further damage on the imposing but derelict timber building on an island off Istanbul that for decades housed orphans from the minority Greek community. The scene on the hilltop on the island of Buyukada, the largest of the nine Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Marmara, looks more like the shattered remains of a horror movie set than the majestic hotel and casino complex that it was originally intended to be. Parts of the roof have caved in, wooden…
Source: OINOS Educational Consulting By Frank Marangos, D.Min., Ed.D., FCEP “By doing good with his money, a man, as it were, stamps the image of God upon it, and makes it pass, current for the merchandise of heaven.” ~ John Rutledge The rare British Guiana 1c magenta is considered the most valuable stamp in the world. Cut in the shape of an octagon, the stamp is the only one of its kind known to exist. Issued in limited numbers in 1856, the rare impress was discovered in 1873 by a 12-year-old Scottish schoolboy among his uncle’s letters. Since its initial rescue, the…
Source: Russian Orthodox Church Department for External Church Relations In April 2018 the Patriarchate of Constantinople decided to admit for consideration the issue of granting autocephaly to “the Orthodox faithful of Ukraine.” The episcopate of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church unanimous spoke out for the preservation of its current status. However, against their will, Constantinople has set about implementing a project of the Ukrainian autocephaly. The communiqué of the Chief Secretariat of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, published on 7 September 2018, states that two hierarchs, Archbishop Daniel of Pamphilon (USA) and Bishop Hilarion of Edmonton…
Source: St. Phoebe Center for the Deaconess Saturday, November 3, 2018 1 to 5 pm Saints Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church Glenview, (Chicago) IL FREE-WILL OFFERING AT THE DOOR SPEAKER: Teva Regule, Ph.D. “The Female Diaconate in the Orthodox Church? The State of the Question” PANELISTS: Randa Karadsheh Anderson, Ph.D., Carrie Frederick Frost, Ph.D., Deacon Perry Hamalis, Ph.D. ___________________ Panelists will discuss: Why Ordination? How can a revived male and femal diaconate build up the Body of Christ? Is NOW the time? __________________ In 1988, Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios I convened an International Orthodox consultation in Rhodes, Greece…
Source: Hurriyet Daily News ISTANBUL Patriarch Kirill of the Orthodox Church of Moscow visited Bartholomew I, the patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church based in Istanbul, on Aug. 31 in an eleventh hour bid to prevent the Ukrainian church from being separated from Moscow. Against the backdrop of Patriarch Kirill’s suggestion to hold a conference on the matter, Patriarch Bartholomew said the issue had been debated for a long time and “they will go with the decision,” according to sources of the patriarchate in Istanbul. A senior official in the Orthodox Church in Istanbul also told the Associated Press reported on Aug. 31 that “there is no going back” in granting Ukrainian clerics ecclesiastic…
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 Led by His Love, An Evangelical Pastor’s Journey to the Orthodox Faith, V. Rev. Gordon Thomas Walker with Philip Walker and Andrew Attaway, 2018, Ancient Faith Publishing, Chesterton, Indiana. This book is the “journey of a gentle soul” to the Orthodox Faith. On September 5, 1986, Gordon Walker found himself, with the other leaders of the Evangelical Orthodox Church (EOC) in Englewood, New Jersey. Here was the last hope and chance of having the EOC received into the Orthodox Christian Church — the Church of the Apostles. His journey was long, patient, grueling and loving. The…
Source: The New York Times By making monasteries, of a sort, of our homes and hearts, we may develop the spiritual disciplines necessary to endure this seemingly endless trial. By Rod Dreher Mr. Dreher is the author of “The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation.” I have a Catholic friend who lives in an exceptionally bad diocese and who for years has been heaving rocks up mountains to keep his faith strong and his family in church. His resilience has amazed me. Yesterday, after a grand jury report revealed that bishops and other leaders of the Roman Catholic Church…
Source: Kathimerini The Holy Theological School on the island of Halki (Heybeliada), one of the Princes’ islands in the Sea of Marmara, has remained closed for almost 50 years, yet not a year has passed without it attracting hundreds of visitors and international attention. However, it may soon be eclipsed by a more grandiose religious establishment. While negotiations about the reopening of the seminary remain ongoing, Turkish authorities have announced a plan to erect a colossal new Islamic educational center in the middle of the island. According to an official announcement by Haydar Bekiroglu, president of the Turkish Directorate of…