| 3. Seek appropriate funding of parish-based deacons. Each newly appointed deacon, with his or her financial needs, is a unique person. The responsibility for meeting financial needs rests largely with the individual himself and with his parish. If the parish wishes the individual to spend a significant number of hours each week in serving the parish, then the parish will need to accept the responsibility for supplementing the new deacon’s income, if necessary. While diocesan endowments (if available) and charitable foundations might be helpful, especially in the early years of a new deacon’s service, the parish itself will need to structure its finances in such a manner that those who are willing to serve as deacons can be confident that their changing financial needs will be discussed confidentially within the parish setting, with suitable plans being developed. One way forward might be for bishops to agree a pilot scheme to match funds raised by two or three parishes for the first three years of a new deacon’s service, perhaps to an annual sum of £2,000 from the bishop and £2,000 from the parish. While this would not be a living wage, the possibility of such an arrangement would make it clear to a layman (and his wife) that significant financial support would be available in return for significant service to the parish. 4. In implementing the above steps, explore the possibility of women deacons. Each of the above three steps will need to be implemented within a specific jurisdiction before serious consideration can be given to the appointment of women deacons. The appointment of a woman as subdeacon should not be undertaken until there is a consensus within a particular jurisdiction that it might be possible for a female subdeacon to become a deacon, if this was discerned by the candidate, the community, the parish priest and the bishop as a suitable course of action. Before female deacons could be appointed, it would be essential that a permanent diaconate be already established within a diocese (and preferably within the specific parish) so that there was a clear understanding among all parties that women deacons would not become priests. In the early Church, female deacons were involved in the preparation of women for baptism and in the exercise of pastoral care within the congregation. Although there is little or no historical precedent for the liturgical service of female deacons there is no reason to suppose that such service would be inappropriate today. Many women within the Church who do not necessarily believe they themselves are called to become deacons would be greatly supported by the Church’s vision for the role of women in the contemporary Church. |
| Andreas Stratelates “destroyed the enemy.” 130 . Christ and Caesar Still there is a line that the hymnographers are careful not to cross. Commending bravery on the battlefield and invoking divine help in times of war, the Byzantine hymns are careful not to glorify military heroism as a cause of sanctity. 131 The military trade may be seen as a fitting preparation for the ‘good fight,’ but crowns of sanctity are to be found elsewhere. When praising holy warriors, the emphasis is either placed on the good deeds achieved in their position or their martyrdom for the faith. An example of a soldier engaged in good deeds is Longinus the centurion (October 16) who, standing at the Cross, came to faith and chose to accept martyrdom. His service makes no reference to his military trade. A fourth-century saint, John the Soldier (July 30), serving in the imperial army of Julian the Apostate (361–363), saved persecuted Christians rather than killing them as he was ordered. His military service to one of the worst enemies of the Church is itself not condemned in his service; rather his ‘military insubordination’ is praised. “Having authority over the corruptible army of the criminal Emperor Julian, you were sent to kill the Christians,” the Church sings in his memory; “but you, O blessed one, protected them.” 132 Indeed, his position showed to be beneficial: “Through your military authority, you showed great mercy for the Christians… disregarding the instructions… and tortures imposed by the evil emperor.” 133 Similar was the case of the military commander Varus (Ouaros, October 19), with the difference that he did not peacefully retire from service like John but rather chose to follow a group of persecuted monks into martyrdom. “Seeing the unjust suffering of the battalion of holy passion-bearers,” the service says in a text attributed to Joseph the Hymnographer, “you showed commendable courage and joined them in their trials.” 134 Striking, also, is the case of Sebastian of Rome (December 18), a secret Christian who served as head of the imperial guard under the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian (284–305) during some of the fiercest persecutions the Church ever endured. Sebastian used his high position to assist imprisoned Christians, encouraging them not to betray Christ even in the face of death. His zeal converted not only the head of the prison but also many regular prisoners, creating a considerable Christian community within the prison walls. Denounced, Sebastian led his community on the way to martyrdom, as is sung during matins: “forward you led the honorable army, strengthened by the divine weapon of Faith …” 135 |
| 936 «Резолюцией от 7 Июля с. г. за 427 русский униатский св. Николаевский приход в Salem, Mass., принимается в лоно православия и на место настоятеля к нему перемещается из W. Troy, N.Y., свящ. Иаков Григорьев, а в W. Тгоу временно командируется эконом Архиерейского дома иером. Иоанникий (Кийко)» (Официальный отдел//АПВ, 1906, т. X, 14, с. 289). Также см. письмо прот. Александра Хотовицкого архиеп. Тихону от 14/27 июля 1906 г. [Святой Александр (Хотовицкий). Документы, письма, статьи и стихи. Ч. 1. С. 173–175.] 937 Посещение Его Высокопреосвященством, Высокопреосвященнейшим Архиепископом Тихоном православного прихода в Salem, Mass.//АПВ, 1907, т. XI, 6, с. 108. 938 Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic (Greco-Russian) Church, compiled, translated and arranged from the old Church-Slavonic Service Books of the Russian Church, and collated with the Service Books of the Greek Church, by Isabel Florence Hapgood. Boston – New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Co., 1906. Из рапорта преосвящ. Алеутского Святейшему Синоду от 25 января (ст. ст.) 1907 г. за 22: «Имею честь смиреннейше доложить Вашему Святейшеству, что ныне закончено издание перевода г-жи Хапгуд на английский язык Православного богослужения («Service book»). Означенный перевод (в особых бандеролях) посылается мною Членам Свят. Синода и в Синодальную библиотеку. Вследствие технических трудностей при печатании и общей здесь дороговизне, издание книги обошлось в четыре тысячи долларов, из коих две тысячи рублей было отпущено Свят. Синодом в 1904–5 гг. Остается пока еще непокрытым дефицит по изданию в тысячу пятьсот руб., об отпуске каковой суммы и имею честь усерднейше просить Ваше Святейшество. Вместе с сим долг имею почтительнейше ходатайствовать пред Вашим Святейшеством о награждении г-жи Хапгуд за труды её по переводу и Протоиерея Александра Хотовицкого за труды по изданию перевода библиями, от Святейшего Синода выдаваемыми» (РГИА, ф. 796, оп. 184, год 1903, д. 5355, л. 4–4 об.). 939 АПВ, 1907, т. XI, 10, с. 175. |
| Most elective, republican systems today are inherently non-theistic in their political constitutions (God does not appear as the ultimate authority and judge of mankind), and thus, their notions of political accountability are completely divorced from God or any notion of objective Truth, salvation, redemption, or eternal consequences. Nothing intrinsic to the nature of the elected office of president or prime minister beholds occupants of either office to see themselves as accountable to God for their exercise of that office. Conscientious presidents and premiers throughout history have naturally held themselves accountable to both God and their people, but this is not something which the elected roles themselves prescribe. In monarchies, on the other hand, the monarch’s accountability to God for their service on behalf of their people is at the very foundation of the office and role itself. This accountability of service is stressed numerous times in the foundational prayers and supplications used in their rites of coronation. It is the primary and defining source of their political authority and legitimacy. An individual president or prime minister might personally believe themselves to rule with God’s help; no monarch may dare to rule without it. Announcement of the Coronation of Nicholas II From an iconic Christian perspective, bearing in mind above all else the transformational reality of Christ the God-Man’s incarnation, which sanctifies and raises up human nature to its natural and divine potential, Christian monarchy alone of all forms of political authority has at its core the ideas of self-sacrifice, loving service, individual and collective transformation and growing in holiness, and accountability directly rooted in the Christian Gospel. Of all forms of government, Christian monarchy alone directs and compels those in paramount authority to pursue that which is objectively good and true, because Christian monarchy alone is rooted in, believes in, and is defined as succeeding or failing based on to what extent its rulers foster, pursue, and protect that which is objectively good and true—the corporate and ever-deepening life of the people in Christ. |
| There have been cases in the life of the Russian Church when services have been composed to saints not yet glorified by a special synodal decision; these have passed into private use. Thus, in the sixteenth century, Photius, a monk of the monastery of Volokolamsk, composed a service to the departed Joseph of Volotsk and submitted it to Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow (reigned 1543–64). “The great beacon and teacherof the whole world, His Eminence Metropolitan Macarius,” the superscription of the service states, “having reviewed this service, blessed the Elder Photius to use it in his cell prayers until the celebration of a synodal exposition.” Similar occasions of the blessing by the higher ecclesiastical authorities of personal initiative in the composing of services to ascetics as yet not glorified by a synodal decree were hardly frequent. In one of the sborniki (anthologies) of St. Cyril " " s White Lake Monastery is found an article “On the Vainglory of Young Monks that Compose New Canons and Lives of the Saints.” The anonymous author of the article opposed monks who, “striving for earthly glory and desirous of attracting the attention of those in authority, compose canons to, and lives of, the departed whom God hath not glorified.” In his conclusion, the author admonishes compilers of canons and lives, saying: “O ye childish ones, do not compose new canons and lives to be sung by individuals at home or in monastic cells, without the blessing of the Church.” In essence there is no distinction between saints celebrated by the whole Church and local saints. Saints of both classes are glorified by a resolution of hierarchal authority. The faithful turn to both with their prayerful entreaties for assistance. The Church calls both “saints.” In the Russian Church, as among the Orthodox Churches of the East, local saints in many instances pass on to the category of saints of the universal Church. One of the marks distinguishing universally venerated saints from local ones is that the names of saints generally revered are included in the divine service books. |
Не удалось извлечь искомое из базы ((( |
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| The conference recommends that diocesan administrations more actively attract the conference participants in their work in the sphere of social service and charity. The conference made the decision to prepare and publish materials on the conference’s work for the website of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and other Orthodox resources. This resolution will be published on the website of the organizer of the conference—the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, on information sites of the conference’s participants, and informational resources of the conference partners. The conference participants recognize the defining role of youth in preserving and expanding the experience of social service. “Shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works,” wrote Holy Apostle James. These words are more than applicable today. Speaking before the conference of Orthodox youth, Bishop Panteleimon of Orekhovo-Zuevsk called upon the youth to advance on all fronts of social service and charitable work. He recalled the words of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, that “at every parish of the Russian Orthodox Church, at least one good work towards the needy must be made manifest. This is important not only for those who ask for help, but for the unity of the church community, so that we all learn to love together.” We call upon the Orthodox Christian youth to preserve and strengthen faith, displaying it to the world through acts of love and mercy, to develop social service within the Church, to contribute our energy and love, filling it with new life. St John of Shanghai and San Francisco, under whose protection the conference was held, will be our guide and helper in our good works. Unanimously adopted by the participants of the 13th All-Diaspora Russian Orthodox Youth Conference Code for blog 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. |
| Considering the stark contrast between the Orthodox doctrine of the Ancestral Sin and the Augustinian doctrine of Original Sin, and the different understanding of baptism that these doctrines lead to, is it not surprising that some Orthodox speak of baptism in Augustinian terms – of the forgiveness of Original Sin – especially considering that the Orthodox service for baptism makes not a single reference to it? The closest we come to mention of the Ancestral Sin (Πρωπατρορικ μρτημα) in baptism is in the first prayer of the Service for the Making of a Catechumen (which was originally completely separate from the service of Baptism): “Remove far from him/her that ancient error” (παλαι πλνη). If one of the main purposes of baptism was the forgiveness of Original Sin, surely it would be worth mentioning in the baptism service! But the idea of ‘Original Sin’ being “forgiven” is nowhere to be found in the Greek Fathers or in the hymns and prayers of the Orthodox Church. For it is an idea which is alien to Greek Patristic thought. The Ancestral Sin is a condition, primarily of mortality and corruptibility, which needs healing, an inherited ‘illness’ which means that free will – or ‘the Image of God’ as the Greek Fathers preferred to put it – though kept intact, is in need of divine grace in order to progress along the path to attaining God’s ‘likeness’, the path to theosis or ‘deification’. Conclusion Bearing in mind the significant differences between the Orthodox and the Augustinian views of ‘Original Sin’, it surprises me that some Orthodox Christians are so quick to employ the term, claiming that the Orthodox Church holds to the doctrine of ‘Original Sin’, and qualifying this simply by saying that it does not embrace the doctrine of ‘Original Guilt’. I do not think that this is adequate for expounding the Orthodox position on Original Sin. Although Augustine was recognised as a saint by the Orthodox Church, [vii] it has never accepted his teaching on Original Sin. If what I have written above is correct, then the Augustinian doctrine of Original Sin is wholly un-Orthodox, and it led, I believe, to a whole series of heresies in the Latin Church, such as Predestination, Purgatory, Limbo and the Immaculate Conception. We Orthodox would do well to distance ourselves from the well-known Augustinian position on Original Sin by employing a less familiar term: Ancestral Sin. It is not merely a case of semantics. For an erroneous understanding of this doctrine has serious repercussions for our understanding of sin and the Fall, for grace and free will, for baptism, the human condition and man’s deification. In short, how we understand the Ancestral Sin has direct implications for our whole soteriology – our understanding of the salvation of man and the world. |
| Accept The site uses cookies to help show you the most up-to-date information. By continuing to use the site, you consent to the use of your Metadata and cookies. Cookie policy His Holiness Patriarch Kirill sends messages in connection to bill No.8371 considered by Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine DECR Communication Service, 19.10.2023. On October 19, 2023, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ sent messages to the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches, several religious leaders, and leaders and representatives of international organizations. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church shared with them his anxiety over the discriminatory bill being considered by the Ukrainian Parliament, Patriarchal press service reports. On October 19, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed in the first reading bill No. 8371 aimed at the ban of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The bill provides for the prohibition through judicial procedures of every religious community on the territory of Ukraine in the instance when it is ‘affiliated’ with foreign religious organizations. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill noted in his message that ‘without sufficient clarifying the notion of this ‘affiliation,’ the afore-mentioned bill empowers the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience with the right of judgment on any concrete case. This service is headed by a person hostile towards the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and, being guided by criteria known to nobody, it will carry out the so-called “religious expertise” in cases on which the court will rule. One does not have to be a lawyer to understand that the proposed scenario opens up great possibilities for the most varied wrongdoings.’ ‘The initiators and supporters of the passing of this bill in Ukraine include top-level government officials, deputies of the Verkhovna Rada, radical politicians and public figures. They do not hide the fact that the bill is directed against the largest religious community of Ukraine and is aimed at the liquidation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as a centralized structure with each of all its dioceses, parishes and monasteries and convents,’ His Holiness stated. |
| In those distant years there was a custom to invite well-known archdeacons on local or patronal church feasts. One of the greatest favorites of Orthodox Moscow was Fr. Mikhail Kholmogorov. His peculiar appearance was immortalized by Pavel Korin in his famous canvas, " Departing Rus " . Unlike Fr. Vladimir Prokimnov, another famous Moscow clergyman, Mikhail Kholmogorov continued his church service to the end, and during the last years of his life served in the former Jerusalem Metochion in the Arbat. His voice lost its former strength but preserved its noble timbre even in old age. The archdeacons had their favorite repertoire: Lyubimov " s " Blessed is the man " , M. Strokin " s " Lord, now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace… " , P. Chesnokov " s " Save us, O Lord " , A. Arkhangelsky " s " Creed " , Communion " concertos " by various composers. I happened to attend a church service conducted by Maksim Mikhailov; true, it was not long before he became a professional singer. Needless to say, in those years clergymen were very highly qualified; they knew liturgical services by heart and could do well without the service book. Sermons were of a purely religious nature, without any excursions into science and politics. There was no abuse of apocryphal traditions. It never occurred to anyone at that time to touch upon issues which preachers sometimes discuss today: whether or not the Mother of God experienced pain during the birth of the Savior, what did She look like, who to pray to before shopping, etc. And, of course, there were no lists on church walls recommending what saints to pray to for specific occasions, like Martyr. Antipas for a tooth-ache, St. Artemy for a rupture, and so on. Church awards were generously dispensed. Practically all Moscow priests were mitred, which is quite understandable—they were elderly people and had a long record of priestly service. Sisterhoods became widespread. Young girls, adult and elderly women, wearing modest dark clothes and white headscarves, maintained order during divine services, lighted candles, adjusted lampadas, led children and infirm worshippers to the Communion chalic, the Cross and icons, and went about the church with a plate, collecting parishioners " modest donations. |
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