| Metropolitan Tikhon, OCA delegation to visit Church of Russia At the invitation of His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon and a delegation from the Orthodox Church in America will join the Primates and representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches at services and related festivities in Moscow marking His Holiness’ 70th birthday. Metropolitan Tikhon and the OCA delegation will arrive in Moscow on Friday, November 18, 2016. Members of the delegation include His Grace, Bishop Daniel of Santa Rosa; Archimandrite Gerasim; Archpriest Nazari Polataiko; Archdeacon Joseph Matusiak and Roman Ostash. On the day of their arrival, Metropolitan Tikhon and the OCA delegation will meet with Patriarch Kirill at his residence in Moscow’s Danilov Monastery. Later they will celebrate a Service of Intercession before the relics of Saint Tikhon the Confessor in the Donskoy Monastery. On Saturday, November 19, Metropolitan Tikhon will preside at the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at the OCA’s Representation Church of the Great Martyr Catherine, after which a 40-day Memorial will be celebrated for the repose of Archimandrite Alexander [Pihach], the recently departed Dean of Saint Catherline’s and OCA Representative to the Moscow Patriarchate. Among those expected to attend the Divine Liturgy is Canadian Ambassador to the Russian Federation, John Kur. On Saturday evening, Metropolitan Tikhon and the OCA delegation will join the permanent members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches and their delegations for a welcoming dinner. Moscow’s historic Christ the Savior Cathedral will be the site of the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy on Sunday, November 20, after which a reception honoring Patriarch Kirill will be held in the cathedral refectory. The following day, a formal program marking the Patriarch’s birthday will be held in the cathedral hall, where a concert in Patriarch Kirill’s honor will be held on Tuesday, November 22. Earlier that day, Metropolitan Tikhon will meet with US Ambassador to the Russian Federation John Teft at the US Embassy. |
| In 1920 Tikhon ordered all dioceses to continue governing themselves until the return of normal conditions within the Russian Patriarchate. In response to his decree a council met in Detroit (1924) and moved to become self-governing until proper free relations with the Russian Orthodox Church could be reestablished. In the intervening years the Missionary Diocese experienced a strained relationship with its parent Russian-now Soviet-Church. Chaotic disorder persisted into the 1950s. Yet Orthodoxy in America continued to grow through immigration and conversions. The Missionary Diocese, called a metropolitan district (“Metropolia”), gained recognition as the autocephalous Orthodox Church in America in 1970 by Aleksy I and the Patriarchate of Moscow. Today the OCA includes the American descendants of Russians, Belarussians, Ukrainians, Galicians, and Carpatho-Russians, (Alaska’s) Aleuts, Eskimos, and Tlingits, and members of the Romanian, Albanian, and Bulgarian episcopates in the new world. Nevertheless, the autocephaly of the OCA did not resolve the complex question of American Orthodoxy, since there are an estimated four million Orthodox Christians in North America who look to the Church for sacramental and pastoral services, a great many majority of whom are in the OCA. In 1960 delegates from various canonical European Orthodox traditions formed the Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops in America (q.v.). The Conference is working at bringing unity among North American Orthodox Christians-including all national and ethnic backgrounds-through a traditional ecclesiastical structure built on one bishop for one geographical area. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America, an exarchate of the Patriarch of Constantinople, is the largest group in North America, headed by Archbishop Iakovos Coucouzis (qq.v.). Next in size and influence is the OCA, which has more than six hundred parishes. In addition, American Orthodoxy includes the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitanate, Romanian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Carpatho-Russian, and Albanian dioceses, among others, not to mention a substantial group of Americans who have converted to Orthodoxy, most of whom find their ecclesiastical home in the OCA. |
| “A luncheon was served with warm and fraternal conversation, both personal and ecclesiastical, including mutual introductions and the exchange of perspectives on common pastoral challenges in 21st century America,” said Father John Parker. “Father Leonid and Archpriests John Jillions, OCA Chancellor, and Eric Tosi, OCA Secretary, also were present for the luncheon, together with Canon Andrew Gross, Assistant to Bishop Foley. Besides Archbishop Melchisedek and Father Parker, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, CEO of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary , Yonkers, NY and OCA Co-Chair, participated in the meetings. Other ACNA representatives, in addition to Archbishop Foley and Bishop Ackerman, included Bishop Kevin Bond Allen, Co-Chair; Bishop Ray Sutton; and Dr. Michael Howell. A gallery of photos from the meeting also is available on the OCA website and Facebook page . Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Meeting between the OCA and traditionalist Anglicans held Natalya Mihailova Shortly after its establishment in 2009 by traditionalist former members of the Episcopal Church in the USA and the Anglican Church of Canada, the ACNA entered into informal conversations with the OCA. His Eminence, Archbishop Melchisedek of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania delivered the ... 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. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. |
| Metropolitan Hilarion presented Metropolitan Jonah with the Order of Kursk-Root Icon, First Class, the highest award given by ROCOR. In turn, Metropolitan Jonah presented the OCA’s highest award, the Order of Saint Innocent, Gold Class, to Metropolitan Hilarion. “I am tremendously grateful for this honor of the Kursk Order,” Metropolitan Jonah responded. “It is my joy and my honor to present you also with the highest order of the Orthodox Church in America, by the grace of God, the Order of Saint Innocent, Apostle to America. This gold medal is presented to Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, in grateful recognition of the alliance and recognition of the Orthodox Church in America.” Metropolitan Jonah also presented Metropolitan Hilarion with a hand-painted icon of Saint Jacob Netsvetov. “Saint Jacob was the first native American priest to be ordained on the territory of North America,” Metropolitan Jonah explained. “He was half Russian and half Aleut—a great missionary. He came returned from seminary in Russia to serve his people on the Aleutian Islands, after which he was sent by Saint Innocent to the mouth of the Yukon River, where he evangelized the Yupik people. At the end of his life he evangelized the Tlingit people. Saint Yakov is one of the greatest of the saints of Alaska, and his work is the foundation of so much of the Alaskan mission. It also is the foundation of our common work, because we are both sons of the Russian Orthodox mission and the continuation of that mission that was sent in 1794. We are both heirs of that common legacy. So it is a great joy to present to you this holy icon.” Concelebrating with the Metropolitans was His Eminence, Archbishop Justinian of Naro-Fominsk, Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA. Members of the OCA Holy Synod who concelebrated were His Grace, Bishop Benjamin of San Francisco and the West; His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania; His Grace, Bishop Melchisedek of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania; His Grace, Bishop Michael of New York and New Jersey; and His Grace, Bishop Matthais of Chicago and the Midwest. OCA clergy concelebrating included Archpriest John Jillions, OCA Chancellor; Archpriest Eric Tosi, OCA Secretary; Archpriest Leonid Kishkovsky, OCA Director of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations; Archpriest Joseph Lickwar, Chancellor of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey; Archpriest Wiaczeslaw Krawczuk, Dean of the New York City Deanery; Archpriest Samuel Kedala, Dean of the New Jersey Deanery; Archpriest Chad Hatfield, Chancellor of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary; and Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak. |
| About Pages Проекты «Правмира» Raising Orthodox Children to Orthodox Adulthood The Daily Website on How to be an Orthodox Christian Today Twitter Telegram Parler RSS Donate Navigation Metropolitan Tikhon addresses OCA Stewards Source: OCA Natalya Mihailova 24 July 2015 Photo: http://oca.org/ At a reception for current and prospective members of the “ Stewards of the Orthodox Church in America ,” His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon spoke of the importance of stewardship in the “expanding the Mission” of the Church. The reception was held during the OCA’s 18th All-American Council here on Wednesday evening, July 22, 2015. In expressing his gratitude to the many individuals in attendance, Metropolitan Tikhon related the importance of sound stewardship in the Church’s effort to proclaim the Gospel in our time. He especially noted that the videos, produced by each diocese and showcased at AAC plenary sessions, testified eloquently to the many ministries and outreach programs that are occurring throughout the OCA—ministries that, while often unnoticed, are at the very heart of our Mission as Orthodox Christians. Metropolitan Tikhon also encouraged those who had not yet contributed to the Stewards to prayerfully consider joining the nearly 200 individuals, families and parishes who already had done so since November 2013, when an initial three-week Church-wide “Become a Steward” appeal had been made. [See related story .] Funds donated by those who responded to the appeal were earmarked to provide direct support to a diverse range of departmental ministries. “A number of today’s Stewards had donated generously to the Fellowship of Orthodox Stewards, which for many years provided funding for our departments and their ministries,” explained Archpriest Eric G. Tosi, OCA Secretary. “Today’s Stewards are building upon that foundation. Those willing to go ‘over and above’ can surely make a difference in maintaining—and, of even greater importance, expanding—the Church’s much needed ministries.” |
| About Pages Проекты «Правмира» Raising Orthodox Children to Orthodox Adulthood The Daily Website on How to be an Orthodox Christian Today Twitter Telegram Parler RSS Donate Navigation Metropolitan Tikhon meets with Patriarch Kirill, US Ambassador Source: OCA Natalya Mihailova 04 December 2014 On Wednesday, December 3, 2014—one day after a delegation from the Orthodox Church in America began its official visit to the Russian Orthodox Church—His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon and the OCA delegation were received by His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill at the Danilov Monastery here. Photo: The OCA Facebook page After Metropolitan Tikhon presided at the celebration of a Service of Thanksgiving in the Patriarchal Chapel, Patriarch Kirill welcomed him and the members of the OCA delegation. “I thank you for the prayers and kind words that you have offered on my behalf and on behalf of the small North American delegation that is accompanying me on my first irenic visit to the venerable Church of Russia,” Metropolitan Tikhon said in his response to Patriarch Kirill. “I bring to you the greetings of my brothers on the Holy Synod of Bishops and the prayers of our clergy and faithful throughout North America. The Orthodox Church in America, the youngest among the Orthodox Churches, is always strengthened in spirit by its fraternal relations with the ancient Patriarchates and Churches that faithfully preserve the fullness of the Church and the experience of the Apostles, Martyrs and Saints throughout the ages.” Metropolitan Tikhon went on to reflect on the close ties between the Church of Russia and the Church in America, recalling the latter’s remembrance of the 220th Anniversary of the arrival of the first Orthodox missionaries in Kodiak, AK in 1794. [Read the complete text of Metropolitan Tikhon’s greeting below.] That evening, Metropolitan Tikhon and the OCA delegation visited Spaso House, where they were received by His Excellency, the Honored Ambassador John Tefft, US Ambassador to Russia. |
| Bishop Stephen (Lasko) was appointed by the Church in Albania in 1965 to be Metropolitan Theophan’s successor. In 1971 Bishop Stephen led his flock into the newly formed Orthodox Church in America (OCA), within which it became a distinct diocese. This move finally resolved the canonical status of the majority of Albanian parishes in America. In 2013, the Albanian diocese of the OCA, under the leadership of Bishop Nikon of New England, had about a dozen parishes. Meanwhile, Bishop Mark’s diocese continued its existence within the Patriarchate of Constantinople. After the fall of the extremely atheistic Communist government in Albania in 1990, this very small group of parishes helped significantly with the restoration of the Church in Albania, which had been virtually destroyed by the Communists. In 2013 this jurisdiction was led by Bishop Ilia (Katre), who began his tenure in 1982. The Bulgarian Orthodox in America Bulgarian immigration to America became significant after 1903, when several thousand Bulgarians arrived as the result of an insurrection in Macedonia. Being quite scattered, they generally attended Russian churches, although as early as 1907 the first Bulgarian parish was established in Madison, Illinois. Gradually, other parishes were formed, and apparently, in 1909, a small Mission was organized for them within the Russian Missionary Diocese. However, in the 1918 listing of the parishes of the Russian Diocese in America there is only one parish that is designated as “Boulgarian”-in Toronto, Ontario. In 1922, the five Bulgarian parishes in North America came under the care of the Mother Church in Sofia, Bulgaria. Bishop Andrey (Velichky) became the first bishop for this diocese in 1938. In 1949, the Russian Church in Exile oversaw the establishment of several parishes for recent Bulgarian immigrants. In 1976, most of the parishes of this Bulgarian Church in Exile joined the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), becoming a constituent diocese of the OCA. Its hierarch, Bishop Kyrill (Yonchev) (1920–2007), became the OCA’s Bishop of Pittsburgh (r. 1976–2007). At that time the Bulgarian diocese consisted of about 15 parishes. In 2013, it had about 20 parishes under the leadership of Bishop Alexander (Golitzin) of Pittsburgh (b. 1948), who was consecrated as Bishop of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese of the OCA in 2012. |
| About Pages Проекты «Правмира» Raising Orthodox Children to Orthodox Adulthood The Daily Website on How to be an Orthodox Christian Today Twitter Telegram Parler RSS Donate Navigation Two dozen clergy, lay leaders complete OCA’s first Mission School Source: OCA Natalya Mihailova 01 May 2015 Saint Andrew House here was the site of the first Orthodox Church in America Mission School April 20-24, 2015. Photo: http://oca.org/ As reported earlier , funding for the gathering was made possible through a bequest to the OCA for use in the areas of mission and evangelism. Twenty-six participants—13 clergy and 13 lay leaders representing nearly every OCA diocese—attended, in addition to faculty members headed by Archpriest Eric G. Tosi, OCA Secretary, who organized and facilitated the event. Classes were taught by a number of clergy instructors with years of collective experience in mission ministry. Father Eric opened the week with presentations on creating a vision of mission ministry and building a community, drawing on his personal experience as a mission priest in years past, while Archpriest David Rucker, a seasoned missionary in Central America, Alaska and elsewhere, offered a detailed presentation on the Theology of Mission. He drew upon numerous resources and shared some of his experiences in the mission field, emphasizing the centrality of not only become “fishers of men,” but the importance of “knowing one’s fish.” Building upon these themes, the second day opened with classes taught by Priest John Parker, Chair of the OCA’s Department of Evangelization , and Archpriests Daniel Kovalak, Williamsport, PA, and John Reeves, State College, PA. Father Parker emphasized the importance of evaluating mission communities, sharing examples from his own mission ministry. Father Daniel reviewed a number of principles crucial in mission management, while Father Reeves spoke delved into the critical area of stewardship and finance, based on his years of experience in this field. |
| About Pages Проекты «Правмира» Raising Orthodox Children to Orthodox Adulthood The Daily Website on How to be an Orthodox Christian Today Twitter Telegram Parler RSS Donate Navigation Three-week campaign to enlist 300 “Stewards of the OCA” opens Monday, November 25 admin 25 November 2013 On Monday, November 25, 2013, a three-week campaign to enlist 300 Stewards of the Orthodox Church in America was initiated. The centerpiece of the campaign, which runs through December 13—the Feast of Saint Herman of Alaska—is the new stewardship page which may be accessed at oca.org/become-a-steward . On-line gifts may be made on the site, as well as by clicking the appropriate button on the OCA home page at oca.org . “For many years, the Fellowship of Orthodox Stewards brought together hundreds of individuals whose gifts helped to fund the OCA’s various departments and ministries,” said Archpriest Eric G. Tosi, OCA Secretary. “The current initiative in part seeks to restore a sense of voluntary stewardship in providing funding for the continuation and expansion of these same departments and ministries.” Gifts to the Stewards of the Orthodox Church in America will be earmarked to support the OCA’s Departments of Christian Education , Christian Service and Humanitarian Aid , Evangelization , Institutional and Military Chaplaincies, Liturgical Music and Translations , Pastoral Life and Ministries , and Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministries ; Archives and Charities; and the Church’s efforts in the areas of Clergy Training Communications, Continuing Education , Diaconal Vocations , External affairs , and Seminaries and Theological Education . “220 years ago, Saint Herman and the first missionaries began their journey to plant the seeds of Orthodox Christianity in Alaska and North America,” said His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon. “Today, each of us has many competing demands on our generosity, but as the heirs of Saint Herman, we are still called to plant the Orthodox Church firmly in North America. I encourage all of you to pray about this task and to consider including your name among the Stewards of the OCA.” |
| About Pages Проекты «Правмира» Raising Orthodox Children to Orthodox Adulthood The Daily Website on How to be an Orthodox Christian Today Twitter Telegram Parler RSS Donate Navigation Orthodox Chaplains overseas during Holy Week and Pascha Source: OCA Several Orthodox Christian chaplains will be celebrating Holy Week and Pascha services for military personnel abroad and stateside this year. Natalya Mihailova 09 April 2014 Pascha 2013 in Afghanistan. Photo: OCA According to Archpriest Jerome Cwiklinski, Archpriest Peter Dubinin, Army Orthodox Chaplain (OCA), is currently serving in Kuwait, while Priest Eugene Lahue, Air Force Orthodox Chaplain (OCA), will arrive during Holy Week in Afghanistan, where he will be deployed through October. Priest David Hostetler, Navy Orthodox Chaplain with Marines (GOARCH), also will be in Afghanistan for approximately 30 days, beginning during Holy Week. Priest David Alexander, Navy Orthodox Chaplain with Marines (Antiochian) is stationed on Okinawa and serves the Orthodox Chapel community at Camp Foster, while Priest Matthew Streett, Air Force Orthodox Chaplain (GOARCH) is stationed in Ramstein, Germany, where he serves the Orthodox Chapel. “Please pass the word to your loved ones and parishioners serving our country overseas,” Father Jerome recommends. “If they are stateside, many of our bases also have Orthodox chapels with a full array of Holy Week and Pascha services to accommodate their schedules. Please also check the listing of military Chaplains on the OCA web site for locations and contact information. If travel needs to occur for access to services, the ability of these priests to be of service to Orthodox service members begins with a request through their respective (non-Orthodox) unit Chaplains.” May God bless and protect our chaplains and military personnel during these most holy days, as they celebrate the glorious resurrection of Our Lord. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Orthodox Chaplains overseas during Holy Week and Pascha |
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