| Patriarch Yazigi Calls for Dialogue and Peace in Syria admin 02 January 2013 January 2, 2013 The new year celebrations were restricted this year to prayers without exchanging congratulations due to the events taking place in Syria and in honor for the martyrs who offered their souls for the sake of the homeland. A Divine Liturgy was held on Tuesday at the Mariamite Cathedral for Roman Orthodox in Damascus marking the New Year. The Liturgy was headed by Patriarch of Antioch and All the East for the Greek Orthodox, John X Yazigi. His Beatitude said “Let’s start a new year with amity and peace …We wish a year of welfare that carries peace, tranquility and grace to the Syrian people.” The Patriarch prayed to God to save the Syrian people and eliminate differences, and protect the Syrians who love peace and life. His Beatitude pointed to the ties binding the Syrian and Lebanese peoples, adding ”Citizenship is what makes everyone equal, and guarantees freedom and wellbeing,” saluting on this occasion the people of Palestine, the birthplace of Jesus, and the people of Iraq. Religious liturgies were held across the country in celebration of the new year. The speeches called for work to spread love and fraternity in the interest of all. Source: Syria Online Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Patriarch Yazigi Calls for Dialogue and Peace in Syria admin January 2, 2013 The new year celebrations were restricted this year to prayers without exchanging congratulations due to the events taking place in Syria and in honor for the martyrs who offered their souls for the sake of the homeland. A Divine Liturgy was held on Tuesday at the Mariamite ... Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. |
| Russian patriarch sends Easter greetings to non-Orthodox church leaders Source: Interfax-religion Natalya Mihailova 06 April 2015 Moscow, April 6, Interfax - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on Sunday sent Easter greetings to Pope Francis and the leaders of other non-Orthodox churches worldwide. “As we praise the Lord for His ineffable benevolence for the human race, we will seek to strengthen cooperation between Christians in the name of the triumph of Divine truth, and the assertion in society of lofty evangelical ideals of love, goodwill, mercy, and genuine spiritual and moral values,” a statement from the Moscow Patriarchate quoted Patriarch Kirill as saying in a letter to Pope Francis, Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of All England and head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, chairman of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany, and other Christian leaders. “May the All-wise Creator keep you strong in body and spirit,” the patriarch said. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Russian patriarch sends Easter greetings to non-Orthodox church leaders Natalya Mihailova " As we praise the Lord for His ineffable benevolence for the human race, we will seek to strengthen cooperation between Christians in the name of the triumph of Divine truth, and the assertion in society of lofty evangelical ideals of love, goodwill, mercy, and genuine spiritual and moral ... Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. |
| Why is Attendance Declining in Russian Churches in the West? Archpriest Serafim Gan There are, of course, many reasons. The old emigration was more ideological: it was concerned with the instruction and upbringing of future generations in the spirit of Orthodoxy, with love for the Church, for the Homeland, and for our rich Russian culture saturated with spirituality. It created churches, schools, and social and patriotic organizations. It was aflame with love for Russia and its ideals of holy Russia. Many of the founders of “Russia abroad” have already gone to the better world; and the new emigration has a more economical character. Although, to tell the truth, a considerable part of this new emigration visits churches when homesick, where consolation and, in a way, a piece of Russia can be found. Nevertheless, the majority of these people loses the language quite quickly and forgets about its ancestry, while those trying to remain Russian and Orthodox have problems in bringing up their children in a corresponding spirit. Parents, descendants of the old emigration, have the same problem. Their children assimilate and integrate into the local environment, forgetting about the great heritage of their grandfathers and grandmothers. In our complicated foreign conditions, this is analogous to falling away from the faith, since here rejection of one’s ancestry amounts to renouncing one’s life in the Church. As for local converts, who are zealous when they begin their integration into the Orthodox Church, they often “unconvert,” as one ever-memorable bishop of the Russian Church Abroad put it. But, thank God, this does not happen to all of them. Besides the aforesaid, we do not sufficiently explain the divine services; we do not penetrate together with our parishioners into this bottomless treasury of wisdom and piety that our liturgical traditions represent. Therefore, many people stand in church uncomprehendingly, losing interest. But the more people know, the more they will become interested and begin to penetrate the meaning of the divine services, thereby acquiring benefit and strength. |
| Ancient Faith Publishing Offers Books for Lenten Reading Natalya Mihailova 28 February 2014 Two books from Ancient Faith Publishing by Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou provide food for thought during the Lenten season. In the new release Thirty Steps to Heaven: The Ladder of Divine Ascent for All Walks of Life , Archimandrite Vassilios interprets the weighty classic, The Ladder of Divine Ascent , for the ordinary Christian, helping non-monastics to see how to apply the principles of The Ladder in everyday life. In Meditations for Great Lent , he uses hymns from the Lenten Triodion and the Scripture readings appointed for the season, to reveal how our fast can be made acceptable: to fast not only from food but from sin; to fast with love and humility, as a means to an end and not an end in itself. Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou is a priest of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. He was born in London in 1977 and holds degrees in Pastoral and Social Theology, Classics, and Byzantine Music. He is also the author of Meditations for Advent (Ancient Faith Publishing), Journey to the Kingdom: An Insider’s Look at the Liturgy and Beliefs of the Eastern Orthodox Church (Paraclete Press), and numerous articles on Christian Orthodox faith and theology. Source: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Ancient Faith Publishing Offers Books for Lenten Reading Natalya Mihailova Two books from Ancient Faith Publishing by Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou provide food for thought during the Lenten season. In the new release Thirty Steps to Heaven: The Ladder of Divine Ascent for All Walks of Life, Archimandrite Vassilios interprets the weighty classic, The Ladder of ... Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. |
| Archive Albanian Church refuses to recognize “Orthodox church of Ukraine” created by Patriarchate of Constantinople 10 March 2019 year 09:05 In compliance with the decision taken by the Holy Synod of the Albanian Orthodox Church at its session on the 4 th of January 2019, the Albanian Church refused to recognize “the Orthodox church of Ukraine,” recently created by the Patriarchate of Constantinople. It is stated in the letter sent by His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople on the 14 th of January 2019 and published in accordance with the decision of the Holy Synod of the Albanian Orthodox Church of the 7 th of March 2019. The text of the letter is given below. Your All-Holiness and Most Divine Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch, the greatly beloved in Christ God brother and concelebrant of our Mediocrity, Bartholomew, embracing Your Most Divine All-Holiness in the Lord, we affectionately greet you. “Christ our God has appeared and has enlightened the world.” May He enlighten the perceptions, the decisions and the actions of all the Orthodox in the new year, guiding aright the Church “which He purchased with His own blood” to the path of peace. Gathering in Synod on January 4, 2019, we thoroughly read the letter that Your Most Divine All-Holiness sent on December 24, 2018 and extensively treated the issue of granting autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine. With sincere respect and love, as always, we summarize the assessment of the Albanian Church, chiefly with regard to the issue of the activities of the Holy Spirit. Our criticism of the Church of Russia for refusing to take part in the Great and Holy Orthodox Council on Crete is already well-known, as well as similarly recently for hastiness in breaking Eucharistic communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Specifically, in our letter (November 7, 2018) where, among other things, we pointed out to His Beatitude the Patriarch of Moscow Kirill, “… Is it possible that the decision and order of the Hierarchy of the Church of Russia may cancel the energy of the Holy Spirit in the holy Orthodox churches that operate under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate? … We proclaim that it is impossible for us to agree to such decisions. It is imperative that the Holy Eucharist, this mystery of unfathomable sacredness and unique importance, remains far removed from all ecclesiastical disagreements.” |
| Archive Primates of Church of Alexandria and Russian Church celebrate Liturgy in Moscow Kremlin on commemoration day of Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles 28 July 2018 year 17:18 On 28 July 2018, commemoration day of the Holy Grand Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, the celebrations marking the 1030 th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia were held in all dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church. To take part in the celebrations, His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa and delegations of the Local Orthodox Churches arrived in Moscow. To begin the commemorative events, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin by His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Concelebrating with the Primates were the heads and members of the delegations of the Local Orthodox Churches: Concelebrating with the Primates of the Church of Alexandria and the Russian Church was an assembly of hierarchs and clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church. Praying at the Liturgy was also Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis, representative of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Brought from the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour to the Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin were the icon of the Holy Grand Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, and the reliquary containing a particle of his holy relics. After the Litany of Fervent Supplication His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said a prayer for peace in Ukraine. Before the communion, Archbishop Sergy of Solnechnogorsk read out the Message of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church to the Archpastors, Clergy, Monastics and Laypeople on the 1030th Anniversary of the Baptism of Russia. After the Liturgy His Holiness Patriarch Kirill greeted His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria, saying in particular: “We are glad that celebrating the Divine Liturgy with us today was His Beatitude Patriarch and Pope of Alexandria and All Africa. The See of Alexandria is the second in honour among all the Patriarchal sees. We greet Your Beatitude with particular cordiality, for you speak Russian, understand Russian and love the Holy Rus’. You lived in Odessa for many years as the representative of the Patriarch of Alexandria to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, for historically the Representation of the Church of Alexandria was located in Odessa. And I am happy that it was you who celebrated the Divine Liturgy today with your Moscow brother, with the assembly of clergy and worshippers here, in the Cathedral Square of the Kremlin, in the heart of our country. I cordially greet you. |
| Ecumenical Patriarch’s Fifth Visit to Sumela Monastery Source: Greek Reporter Ioanna Zikakou 20 August 2014 Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew visited Sumela Monastery in Turkey for the fifth consecutive year and officiated the Divine Liturgy held in the historic monastery. Hundreds of worshipers attended the liturgy for the Dormition of Virgin Mary in an atmosphere of piety and emotion. People arrived in Trabzon by air, car or even bikes in order to attend the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy at the Panagia Sumela Monastery on Mount Mela. The Ecumenical Patriarch did not fail to mention the difficulties faced by both the clergy and people in order to perform the liturgy in the historical monastery. During the service, Bartholomew said: “From this holy place, we are addressing the political parties and especially the religious leaders. Let us not maul our world and this region. Let’s know each other better and love each other. Let us sacrifice and compromise. Young people, families, mothers and fathers should not suffer or cry anymore.” Also congratulating President-elect and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoan, the ecumenical patriarch wished him success in his new post. In the service, which was attended by 500 people, carols were sung and prayers read. Following the service, Bartholomew delivered two speeches, in Greek and in Turkish, and thanked the people of the Black Sea region for welcoming the service. Bartholomew said: “This rare summit unites the prayers of Turks, Greeks, Russians, Ukrainians, Poles, Georgians and millions of Orthodox people. The ancestors of our church went through difficult times to preserve their belief. Today, hundreds of thousands of Christians experience similar conditions. The escalating religious and sectarian strife in the Middle East and Africa is now threatening humanity. Though able to find solutions to economic problems, humans fail in the fields of religion and belief.” In June 2010, Turkey gave permission to the Ecumenical Patriarchate to officiate a Divine Liturgy for the Dormition of Virgin Mary, on August 15, in the historic Monastery of Panagia Sumela. |
| On the Day of Sts Cyril and Methodius, Primates of the Church of Jerusalem and the Russian Orthodox Church celebrate Divine Liturgy in the Kremlin Church of the Assumption admin 27 May 2013 May 24, 2013 On May 24, 2013, the commemoration day of Ss Cyril and Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles, Teachers of the Slavs (Patriarch Kirill’s name day), and the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Assumption in the Moscow Kremlin. The two patriarchs were assisted by a great assembly of bishops and priests, including representatives of Local Orthodox Church at the Moscow Patriarchate and the delegation accompanying Patriarch Theophilos. Among the congregation were governmental and parliamentary officials as well as leaders of Synodal departments and mothers superior of stauropegial convents. During the Litany of Fervent Supplication, a prayer was lifted up for the health of Patriarch Kirill, after which Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna read a Prayer of Thanksgiving on the Day of Honouring His Holiness the Patriarch. After the liturgy, Patriarch Kirill delivered a homily, saying in particular: ‘Today the Paschal joy is augmented by the festivities in honour of Ss Cyril and Methodius Equal-to-the-Apostles, Teachers of the Slavs. The holy brothers laid the foundation for the spiritual life of the Slavs and handed over to our ancestors the great treasure of the holy Orthodox faith. Gratefulness for the feat performed by the Teachers of the Slavs is invariably kept in our hearts. Every time we celebrate their memory, we remember the sources of our faith and our devotion. Therefore, we cherish in a special way the presence here of living bearers of the spiritual tradition of Byzantium, representatives of Eastern Patriarchates, whom we treat with great respect and love. With the baptism, Russia received from Orthodox Byzantium a new worldview system, in which the Holy Land has always occupied a special place. It is from that land that the liturgical rules and tradition came to us. With the spread of liturgical texts, our ancestors learned to revere the Holy Zion, ‘the Mother of Churches’ and ‘God’s Abode’ (Sunday Canticle, Tone 8). The continuous flow of pilgrims to the holy places was supplemented by a streamlet from northern countries to become with time one of the major sources of prosperity and preservation of the Orthodox holy places in Palestine. |
| Radonitsa During Holy Week and Bright Week, the Church focuses all of her attention on celebrating the Paschal mystery -- the crucifixion, death and resurrection of the God-Man Jesus Christ -- so she does not hold memorial services for the dead (aside from remembering them in the proskomide of the Divine Liturgy) from Lazarus Saturday through Thomas Sunday (the second Sunday of Pascha). [Nine days after Pascha, on the Tuesday after Saint Thomas Sunday many Orthodox Christians celebrate “Joy Day,” a Paschal commemoration of the dead] During Holy Week and Bright Week, the Church focuses all of her attention on celebrating the Paschal mystery — the crucifixion, death and resurrection of the God-Man Jesus Christ — so she does not hold memorial services for the dead (aside from remembering them in the proskomide of the Divine Liturgy) from Lazarus Saturday through Thomas Sunday (the second Sunday of Pascha). On Monday of Thomas Week, the Church resumes memorial services for the dead. Among the Orthodox Christians of Belarus, the Czech Lands, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine and elsewhere, Tuesday of Thomas Week is observed as “Joy Day” (“Radawnitsa,” “Radonitsa” or “Radunitsa” in the various Slavic languages, names that come from the Slavic word for “joy”). Joy Day is a happy commemoration of the dead, on which we bring the joy of Pascha into the cemeteries to our dead brothers and sisters in Christ. We remember them in the Divine Liturgy and memorial service of the day. We prepare and eat “memorial wheat” (known as “kollyva,” “kolyvo,” “kutya,” “kuts’tsya” or “kut’tya” in various languages) blessed in church to remind us of Christ’s words about death: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” (John 12:24). We visit the graves with the presbyters, who offer supplications for the dead and bless them with holy water. We leave dyed eggs, symbols of the Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection, on the graves as a token of love and prayer for the dead |
| The Day of St. Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles marked by Divine Liturgy celebrated by heads and hierarchs of Local Orthodox Churches at Kiev Monastery of the Caves admin 29 July 2013 July 28, 2013 July 28, 2013 – Thousands of people congregated at the Kiev Monastery of the Assumption for the solemn liturgy to mark the commemoration day of the Holy Prince Vladimir Equal-to-the-Apostles, the Baptizer of Rus’. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the cathedral square by heads of Local Orthodox Churches including Patriarchs Theodore II of Alexandria, Theophilos of Jerusalem and All Palestine, Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Iliya II of All Georgia, Irinej of Serbia, Neophyte of Bulgaria, Archbishop Chrisostomos II of New Justiniana and All Cyprus, Metropolitan Sava of Warsaw and All Poland, Metropolitan Tikhon of America and Canada and Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine. They were assisted by a great assembly of hierarchs representing Local Orthodox Churches. Among the worshippers were S. Lyovochkin, head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, K. Grischenko, Ukraine’s vice-prime-minister, A. Popov, head of the Kiev city administration, members of the Ukrainian government, people’s deputies, and representatives of the delegations from the states participating in the celebrations. During the service, liturgical exclamations were made in Church Slavonic, Greek, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Albanian and English. After the liturgy, people greeted the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, exclaiming, ‘Kirill is our Patriarch!’ ‘I wholeheartedly thank you for supporting me as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, for your love, which I can feel when I come to Ukraine. This warmth, this spiritual enthusiasm and joy I see here warm my soul and help me to bear my primatial cross’, he said in response. The homilies were delivered by Patriarch Kirill and Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem and All Palestine. His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine greeted the congregation and thanked Patriarch Kirill and all the guests for their participation in the celebrations. |
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