Source: Olympus Press “On this amazing path we call life, we’re often compelled to change direction.” —John McKinney After writing thirty books about hiking, John McKinney, aka “The Trailmaster,” was compelled by extraordinary events to live through—then write about—an odyssey that took him to a remote monastery on Mt. Athos, Greece, where no woman has set foot for a thousand years. By turns reverent and irreverent, Hiking the Holy Mountain narrates John’s progress and setbacks on the trail and within himself, and a series of miraculous events that took place on—and off—the Holy Mountain. His friend Spiro joined him on…
Browsing: Orthodox Church
Source: Public Orthodoxy A REVIEW OF THE DEPARTURE OF THE SOUL ACCORDING TO THE TEACHING OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH by Stephen J. Shoemaker | ελληνικά | ру́сский quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est –St. Vincent of Lérins (d. 445) The monks of St. Anthony’s Monastery have recently published a beautiful and intriguing, if also deeply problematic, volume on the fate of the soul after death. Weighing in (literally) at more than 1,000 pages, the book compiles opinions from a number of Orthodox writers regarding the soul’s experience after its departure from the body, along with lavish reproductions of icons and other objects…
Source: The Word Logically, one should probably begin an essay with this title by expounding the historical background of the Church in our corner of the world. This information, however, is easily available elsewhere. My aim instead is to discuss the current situation, and what, if any, change is on the horizon. Since my childhood (I was born in the middle of the previous century), I have been told that we Orthodox Christians (that is, the Church of the ancient Seven Ecumenical Councils) are sacramentally one, but on account of a multitude of historical factors, exist in North America in…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SAN FRANCISCO, CA [OCA] On Wednesday morning, October 11, 2017, His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin of San Francisco and the West issued a letter to the clergy and faithful concerning the wild fires raging in California—a situation which he says “changes hourly.” “I ask you all to keep the people of the Sonoma and Napa valleys in your prayers,” Archbishop Benjamin writes. “As I write this, the situation changes hourly. But I can report there have been no casualties so far. Some of our faithful and the nuns of both the Kazan Skete and Calistoga have…
Source: Ekklesia A consultation with the theme ‘Ecumenical Perspective on the Role of Women in the Churches’ brought together 28 women and men to the Monastero di Bose in northern Italy from 3-7 October 2017. Participants came from major Christian traditions including Anglican, Baptist, Disciples of Christ, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Orthodox (Eastern and Oriental), Pentecostal, Reformed and Roman Catholic. There were also representatives of regional ecumenical organisations including the All Africa Conference of Churches, Caribbean Conference of Churches, Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias, Middle East Council of Churches, National Council of Churches in India, and Conference of European Churches. The event…
Source: Orthodox Church in America CLIFTON, NJ [OCA] The eighth annual meeting of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America opened on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 with the celebration of Orthros and the Divine Liturgy at Saint George Greek Orthodox Church, Clifton, NJ. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon and members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America are among the hierarchs in attendance at the meeting, which continues through Thursday, October 5. The Episcopal Assembly—comprised of the hierarchs from all canonical Orthodox Christian jurisdictions in the US—is tasked with preserving and contributing to the unity…
Source: Public Orthodoxy by Richard Barrett Who gets to decide what it means to be Orthodox in America? Greeks? Russians? Converts? Foreign bishops? How do “cradle” and convert identities come together – or not? How do “diaspora” narratives that tie Orthodoxy to nationalism translate in an American context? What does Orthodoxy mean in the American religious marketplace of ideas? Is it really the fastest growing religious group in America, as some have claimed, or is it a solution looking for a problem? Perhaps the most important–and difficult–question is, “Will there ever be an American Orthodoxy?” Many Orthodox in America, of course,…
Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA This report represents a large amount of work under the coordination and authorship of the Assembly of Bishops’ Research Coordinator, Alexei Krindatch. It is in response to the Assembly VII decision to endorse a US nationwide study on the present state of inter-Orthodox parish-to-parish cooperation on the local level. The analysis of replies to a nationwide clergy survey identified 54 cities and geographic areas with a high level of inter-Orthodox communication and cooperation. Of these, the study identified 21 cities and geographic areas in the US where well organized and active…
Source: Pan Orthodox United Our Purpose WE ARE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE Our mission is to empower young people to transform their lives and communities with Christ’s unconditional love. WE BELIEVE IN FOCUSING ON THE GOOD We believe that God is love and that His message of love needs to be conveyed to the world in today’s language. We believe that through invitation, welcoming, listening, understanding, and being an example of love, we can deliver the eternal message of Christ to those that have left the church. We know, that when we come together, and focus on the good,…
Source: OCA Diocese of the Midwest CHICAGO, IL [125 Orthodox Chicago Committee] — Proclaiming 2017 as the “125th Year of Orthodox Christianity in Greater Chicago,” the region’s ruling bishops have endorsed a historic celebration to take place on Saturday, September 30, 2017. Sponsored by the Orthodox Christian Clergy Association [OCCA] of Greater Chicago, the commemoration will include the celebration of a Pan-Orthodox Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at Lane Tech Auditorium, 2501 West Addison at Western, Chicago, followed by an anniversary banquet at the Chicago Marriott O’Hare, 8535 West Higgins Road, Chicago. Chairing the event is Archpriest Nicholas Dahdal, Rector of Saint George…
Source: Religion Dispatches BY KATHERINE KELAIDIS When I first wrote about the growing popularity of Eastern Orthodox Christianity among those on the far-right for Religion Dispatches in November of last year, I was regularly told that Matthew Heimbach’s excommunication from the Orthodox Church was the end of the problem. They told me that in making connections between the so-called alt-right and Orthodoxy I was overreacting. But last week, there was Heimbach, at the center of those organizing the “Unite the Right” march in Charlottesville—and marching, as Inga Leonova writes at Fordham’s Public Orthodoxy, while “waving ‘Orthodoxy or Death’ banners.” The events of the past week…
Source: Saint Catherine’s Vision Saint Catherine’s Vision is pleased to announce its Executive Director, Dr. Kyriaki Karidoyanes FitzGerald, has been invited to serve as a representative of the Orthodox Church at an international conference hosted by the World Council of Churches: “Consultation on the Role of Women in the Churches” to be held October 3-7th, 2017 at the Monastery of Bose, in Bose, Italy. Dr. Fitzgerald will speak on the “Challenges and Opportunities of the Role of Women in the Church from a Theological Perspective”. This international conference (and certainly, Dr. FitzGerald’s topic) is of extraordinary significance. Its impact depends…