Source: MYSTAGOGY Let us now turn our gaze from the East to the far West, i.e., to America. About 150 years ago, Orthodox people of every nationality began to come to this New World, first daring individuals, then small groups, until in our days they have reached, by immigration and by birth, a number equal at least to the number of Episcopalians in the United States. The first settlers were very simple people, hard workers, farmers. They were just the kind of people who were authentic bearers of that threefold Christian ideal, i.e., of spiritual vision, of moral discipline and…
Browsing: Orthodox Church
Source: Fr Novak’s Blog Dear friends in Christ, Each year the Oxford Dictionary chooses a “Word of the Year.” Last year the Word of the Year was “Post-truth.” Ever hear of that word? I hadn’t. Yet, it was the Word of the Year. According to the folks at the Oxford Dictionary, its use increased by 2000% over the previous year. Here is the Oxford Dictionary’s definition of Post-truth: “Relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” I may not have heard of the word, “post-truth”…
Source: The National Herald By Dennis Menos A year after the Holy and Great Council (HGC) – the Orthodox mega event designed to demonstrate Pan-Orthodox unity– an alarming internal rift is evident within the Orthodox Church. Fortunately, the rift is still in an early stage and as such its effect has been minimal, but considering its potential for adversely impacting Orthodox unity, every effort must be made to confront and heal it now. The rift can be traced to the Holy and Great Council held last summer on the island of Crete. It will be recalled that four of the…
Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA The electronic version of the widely popular Atlas of American Orthodox Christian Monasteries has been released by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA and made available free of charge to everyone. The PDF file with the Atlas can be downloaded free of charge here. The hard copy of the Atlas can be purchased directly from the publisher, Holy Cross Orthodox Press. Drawing on extensive research, as well as fascinating stories and insider information, the Atlas offers readers: A scholarly introduction into traditions of Eastern Christian monasticism and a history of Orthodox monasteries…
Source: St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary Seminary President Archpriest Chad Hatfield is traveling throughout Romania June 9–21, meeting with key figures instrumental in renewing collaborative efforts between educational institutions of the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Seminary. Cooperative ventures began in 2013, when the Seminary and the Faculty of Orthodox Theology at the University of Bucharest signed a formal agreement allowing for student and faculty exchanges, dialogue, and co-publications. Of particular importance was the reception of Fr. Chad by His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, at the patriarchal residence on June 12, a meeting that centered on…
Source: Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in America New York, NY – The remarks this week by Turkish President Erdogan on the so-called lack of “freedom of religion” in the United States over a single Iftar-dinner at the US State Department have demonstrated once again the absurdity of the Turkish position on human rights and religious liberty. To this very minute, Turkey’s oldest religious institution, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, goes unrecognized, harassed, and its purely Theological School on the island of Halki remains closed for nearly fifty years. Throughout the history of the modern Turkish state, the person of the Ecumenical Patriarch…
Source: The Washington Times By L. Todd Wood ANALYSIS/OPINION: Because of radical Islamic terrorism, your religious affiliation has become an existential issue across the globe. Whether you are a Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or Jew can literally mean life or death, no matter what country you are in. Western nations are not excluded from this scourge. The curse threatens the very existence of nation-states as well. Israel is routinely threatened by Iran and others — because it is Jewish. If Israel were not Jewish, it would not be targeted for destruction. The religion of a nation can also unite and…
Source: The Salt Lake Tribune By BOB MIMS Utah Mormons and Protestants are rediscovering a reverence for God by converting to Orthodoxy. CLICK HERE to view PHOTO GALLERY. It shook the fundamentalist Christian world to its roots: Hank Hanegraaff, the darling of evangelicals as host of the long-running, nationally syndicated “Bible Answer Man” broadcast, had joined the Greek Orthodox Church. Hanegraaff, for nearly 30 years president of the Christian Research Institute, an evangelical apologetics ministry, also has written 20 books opposing purported cults and heresies and non-Christian faiths. If ever evangelicals had a doctrinal superhero, Hanegraaff was he. But on…
Source: Public Orthodoxy With the Permission of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, we print an Address of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Al-Azhar and Muslim Council of Elders’ Global Peace Conference. Your Beatitudes, Eminences, Excellencies, Distinguished participants, Dear friends, It is an honor to be invited to address this Conference on Global Peace organized by Al-Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders. We wholeheartedly congratulate His Eminence Mr. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, for having the courage and vision to organize this crucial initiative in the promotion of peace by religions. During the last two decades, humanity has experienced continuous…
Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the USA The first ever, national study on evangelization and outreach in Orthodox parishes in the United States has been released by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA. Download the report in various formats: Executive Summary (pdf) Full Report (pdf) The report “Go and Make Disciples: Evangelization and Outreach in US Orthodox Parishes” explores the practices and strategies developed by some Orthodox parishes that can be viewed as “exemplary” in their missionary and outreach efforts. Examples of what the readers will find in the report include: The “secrets” of being…
Source: The Art of Transfiguration “Make no mistake, our little silkworm must die in order to become a butterfly, but the place where it dies is Christ.” – St Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle There is great spiritual hunger in our times. In fact there is far more spiritual hunger than most people realize. This is because our spiritual hunger is often awakened by an encounter with genuine spirituality. And as religion is increasingly forced out of the public sphere, we have to be very intentional to encounter the kind of wise voices that stir something within us. I…
Source: OINOSConsulting.com Read Part 1 here, Part 2 here and Part 3 here. by Frank Marangos D.Min., Ed.D. “Happy is that house which is visited by some royal personage. But more happy is the soul that is visited by the Queen of the world, the most holy Mary, who cannot but fill with mercies and graces those blessed souls whom she deigns to visit with her favors.” ~ Saint Alphonsus de’ Liguori In 626, while the Byzantine Emperor Heracleios was on a military expedition, a barbaric horde laid siege upon his territory’s defenseless capital. In desperation, the outnumbered citizens of Constantinople turned to…