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George Matsoukas

Musings of the OCL Executive Director: A New Ecclesiastical Year – So What?

By Webmaster on August 30, 2018 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

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…

George Matsoukas

Musings of the OCL Executive Director: June 2018

By Webmaster on June 29, 2018 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity The Laity must find its voice to renew Orthodox Christianity in USA. The appointed donor elites, the clerical handlers, the old world governments, synods and patriarchates, the Assembly of Bishops, who refuse to assume responsibility to establish canonical order, and the apathetic laity, all bear responsibility for the malaise, bankruptcy and mortgaging of the Institutions established by our grandparents. The status quo is unacceptable. Renewal involves open and free discussion by those who have been blocked out of governance, including hierarchs, clergy and laity across jurisdictions. Millions of dollars will be expended in the next few…

Pope Francis talks with Metropolitan Rastislav, primate of the Orthodox Church in the Czech and Slovak Republics, during a meeting in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican May 11. The pope said seeking Christian unity is more urgent than ever because of the ongoing persecution of Christians. (CNS photo/Vatican Media) See POPE-ORTHODOX-SAINTS May 11, 2018.

Christian persecution urgently calls churches to seek unity, pope says

By Webmaster on May 11, 2018 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: Crux Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service ROME – Seeking Christian unity is more urgent than ever because of the ongoing persecution of Christians, Pope Francis told an Orthodox leader. Meeting with Metropolitan Rastislav, primate of the Orthodox Church in the Czech and Slovak Republics, the pope said the “suffering of many brothers and sisters persecuted because of the Gospel urgently calls us to act in seeking greater unity.” The primate met with the pope at the Vatican May 11 as part of a May 9-12 pilgrimage to Rome; during his visit he also met with Cardinal Kurt Koch, president…

ORTHODOX BIKER CLUB TOURING BALKAN MONASTERIES TO PROMOTE ORTHODOX UNITY

By Webmaster on March 20, 2018 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: OrthoChristian.com Moscow – A cultural-historical tour designed to bring Russians and citizens of the Balkan regions together began in Serbia yesterday. The “Night Wolves” Russian Orthodox biker club is participating in the “Russian Balkans” tour, which includes visits to a number of Orthodox churches and monasteries, reports RIA-Novosti. The tour is open to all and will travel more than 1,200 miles throughout Serbia and Republika Srpska-Bosnia and Herzegovina until March 28. The bikers and the other participants will pass through dozens of settlements and visit Orthodox churches and monasteries, as well as objects of military glory associated with the history of…

George Matsoukas

Musings of the Executive Director: “The Road Not Taken”

By Webmaster on January 31, 2018 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories, Uncategorized

Source: Orthodox Christian Laity For thirty-one years, Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) has been the voice crying in the wilderness. The cry has been for renewal of our ancient, apostolic faith within our pluralistic, American, cultural context. The hallmarks of this renewal are characterized by the de-tribalization of the separate Orthodox Christian jurisdictions that evolved here, so that they could work in canonical unity; administer the Church in ways that are accountable and transparent; and respect and include the input of the laity in matters of administration, governance and our journey together as a community of faithful. OCL has not wavered…

Response to The Chieti Document is Another Step Forward for the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches’ Common Understanding in Service of Unity

By Webmaster on December 14, 2017 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA WASHINGTON—The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation (NAOCTC) has released its response to the most recent document produced by the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. Entitled, “Synodality and Primacy During the First Millennium: Towards a Common Understanding in Service to the Unity of the Church,” this work of the international dialogue was released in September 2016. It is often referred to as, “The Chieti Document,” because it was finalized during a meeting in Chieti, Italy. The NAOCTC, which is co-chaired by Cardinal…

THE GOLDEN AGE OF LIGONIER AND OTHER MYTHS OF ORTHODOX UNITY IN AMERICA

By Webmaster on December 6, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News

Source: Public Orthodoxy by Mark Arey As the last General Secretary of SCOBA (the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas) and the first Secretary (albeit for less than an hour) of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, I have always marveled at the ‘Golden Age’ syndrome around “Ligonier” of many Orthodox Christians when it comes to Orthodox unity in the Western Hemisphere. There are still many who believe that the Ligonier gathering in 1994 of most of the Orthodox Bishops in America (represented by SCOBA primates) was an inflection point for Orthodoxy in…

Archpriest Michael Lafoon

SOME THOUGHTS ON ORTHODOX UNITY IN NORTH AMERICA

By Webmaster on October 19, 2017 Governance & Unity Essays, Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

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…

Places of Greater Orthodox Unity in America: the State of Local Parish-to-Parish Inter-Orthodox Cooperation and Communication

By Webmaster on September 15, 2017 Governance & Unity News, Grassroots Unity in Action, Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

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…

“Orthodox-Catholic Prayer for Unity and Life” Set for January 23

By Webmaster on January 9, 2017 Orthodox News, Orthodox News Top Stories

Source: St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary [SVOTS Communications / Yonkers, NY] On Monday, January 23, 2017, at 7 p.m., St. Vladimir’s Seminary will co-sponsor an “Orthodox-Catholic Prayer for Unity and Life” event at the Parish of St. John Nepomucene and St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, 411 East 66th Street, New York, NY. Other sponsors include the host parish and the Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer and St. Catherine of Sienna. An Orthodox Christian service, the “Akathist for the Unborn,” and a Roman Catholic service, the “Divine Mercy Chaplet,” will be held during the evening. His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA),…

Communique: Any clarification regarding faith must be made in ecclesial communion, not in disunion

By Webmaster on December 22, 2016 Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Basilica.ro Published by Aurelian Iftimiu Please find below the position of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church about recent evolutions in Romania regarding reception of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church (Crete, 2016): During the working session of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, gathered on Friday, 16 December 2016, under the chairmanship of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, in the Synodal Hall of the Patriarchal Residence, the Holy Synod noted with sorrow the recent evolution of negative reactions regarding the reception in Romania of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox…

‘Unity cannot be imposed on churches’ – Russian Orthodox Church spokesman to RT

By Webmaster on June 14, 2016 Governance & Unity News, Governance Top Stories

Source: Russia Today The landmark meeting of the heads of all Orthodox Christian churches could be postponed as five out of 14 churches have pulled out. The head of external relations at the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion, explains the situation to RT. After decades of preparation, the historic Pan-Orthodox Council was scheduled for June 16-25 in Crete, but several churches have either refused to attend, or called for the event to be postponed, including the Antiochian, Bulgarian, Georgian and finally Russian. “There are many problems among various Orthodox Churches… These disagreements might seem small but, for historical churches, these…

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Browsing: Unity