| His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria April 28, 2013 On 28 April 2013, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria at the Throne Hall of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Present at the meeting were Archimandrite Philaret (Bulekov), vice-chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; hierodeacon Roman (Kiselev), staff member of the DECR Secretariat for Far Abroad Countries; H.E. Mr. Boyko Koytsev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Russian Federation; Archimandrite Feoktist (Dimitrov), rector of the Moscow Representation of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church; and Mr. Ivaylo Shalafov, private secretary to Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria. Greeting the high guest, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church said, “On this feast day, we have had an opportunity to pray together in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.” Addressing Tsar Simeon, His Holiness said with gratitude, “The schism in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has been overcome with your decisive participation. The schism was the matter of our deep concern, we saw the sufferings which it inflicted on people. Since it was a political action, the participation of the country’s political authorities in overcoming the schism was highly important. The example of the overcoming of schism in Bulgaria shows that authorities should not keep aloof when there appear such tendencies which threaten the unity of the Church and which are caused by the actions of political forces.” Patriarch Kirill shared his impressions over his visit to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in 2012. “I recall my visit to Bulgaria as a joyful event, His Holiness said. “Perhaps, I was one of the last people who concelebrated the Liturgy with the late Patriarch Maxim. I also recall our common prayer at the Church of St Alexander Nevsky in Sofia.” Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria said in return, “Your Holiness, I am deeply touched by your words. Today, thanks to your invitation, my dream has come true: I visited the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in 2002, in capacity of Prime Minister of Bulgaria, and made a wish to attend one day the Patriarchal service here. And today, on the Palm Sunday, my dream has come true.” |
| The first three days of Holy Week remind us of Christ’s last instructions with his disciples. These teachings are remembered in the celebration of the Great Compline, Matins, Hours, and Liturgy during these days. Christ the Bridegroom – The Matin services of the evenings of Palm Sunday, and Holy Monday, and Holy Tuesday, anticipating the events of the next day, share a common theme devoted to the Bridegroom Services derived from the Parable of the Ten Virgins that calls for preparedness at the Second Coming, for the “thief comes in the middle of the night”” (Math. 26:1-13). The Mysterion or Sacrament of Holy Unction is celebrated on Holy Wednesday, commemorating Christ’s anointing with myrrh. The service ends with the priest anointing the faithful with Holy Oil. Also, remembered is that on this day Judas betrayed Christ, which led to the tradition from Apostolic times of fasting on Wednesday throughout the year. Holy Thursday begins with the celebration of vespers and the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil with a Reserved Holy Communion in representation of the earthly presence of Christ realized at the Last Supper. In the evening, anticipating the Matins of Friday morning, the Holy Passion service of the reading of the Twelve Gospel is conducted. In these readings Christ’s last instructions to his disciples is presented, as well as the prophecy of the drama of the Cross, Christ’s prayer, and His new commandment. The twelve readings are: St. John 13:31 through 18:1 St. John 18:1 through 29 St. Matthew 26:57 through 75 St. John 18:28 through 19:16 St. Matthew 27:3 through 32 St. Mark 15:16 through 32 St. Matthew 27:33 through 54 St. Luke 23:32 through 49 St. John 19:38 through 42 St. Mark 15:43 through 47 St. John 19:38 through 42 St. Matthew 27:62 through 66. Epitaphios – Great and Holy Friday begins with reading of the Royal Hours leading up to Vespers of Friday afternoon during which the removal of the Body of Christ from the Cross is commemorated. The priest removes the Body of Christ, the Epitaphios, from the Cross, wraps it in a white cloth and carries it into the altar. In an evening service, called the Lamentations at the Tomb, the priest carries the Epitaphios, the painted or embroidered cloth representation of Christ, from the altar around the church before placing it in the Sepulcher, a bier symbolizing the Tomb of Christ. This procession, with the faithful carrying lighted candles, represents Christ’s descent into Hades. |
| The significance of the Temple Because the primary objective of the Church is to lead people towards faith and righteousness, the temple with its services and educational means can be a big help to parents in bringing up their children. Amidst surroundings of wantonness and disbelief, the temple stands as a spiritual lighthouse, an island of sanctity for adults and the young. Its setting and its divine services have a special beneficial influence on a child. The candles, the icons and frescoes, the smell of incense, the singing of the choir, the sound of church bells – all leave bright impressions on a young soul. When parents bring their child to church often, he becomes used to it and learns to love its inspiring services. The Orthodox faith is rich in feast days, magnificent services and noble customs, which produce a steadfast influence on Christians. Bring to mind Palm Sunday, Passion Week and the procession with the Holy Shroud, the Easter service (which no one celebrates as joyously as the Orthodox), our blessing of the waters on Epiphany, the celebration of the Holy Trinity with its abundance of flowers and greenery, the bringing forth of the Holy Cross, the blessing of the fruits of the harvest on the feast of the Transfiguration … what a rich nourishment for the child”s soul! For their children”s sake, parents should make no excuses to skip church services. The house of an Orthodox family is supposed to complement the holy environment of the temple. Of particular significance are common prayers, the beautiful corner with its holy images and glowing lamp, the first meal after Lent, memorial days, the blessing of homes and other religious celebrations. Because the religious upbringing of a child is attained not so much by means of the intellect as through feelings, children who attend church services and participate in family prayer become like a ploughed up field, receptive to the seeds of goodness, which in due time will bear fruit. The first Confession at the age of seven comes as an important milestone in the life of a youngster. After Confession a person becomes as holy and chaste as after Baptism. It is vital that parents have taught their children by this age to note their shortcomings and to repent sincerely in what they have said or done wrong. His first Confession indicates to a youngster that he is becoming mature enough to begin consciously to strengthen his faith and to take responsibility for his actions. Formerly the sacrament of Communion nourished him through the parental faith. Now he approaches the Holy Chalice with personal conviction. So, the preparation of a youngster for the proper partaking of his first Confession and first conscious Communion is a major accomplishment in the spiritual development of a child. |
| The Romanian Patriarchate Wants Reconciliation May 12, 2011 A press conference was held in today “Consilium” room of the Patriarchal Palace concerning the communiqué of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem of 9 May 2011, announcing the breaking up of the communion with the Romanian Patriarchate. The conference was held by His Grace Ciprian Campineanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch and Secretary of the Holy Synod. A delegation made up of three hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church will meet the representatives of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem for a bilateral dialogue in order to find a solution concerning the existence of the Romanian Settlement of Jericho, informs “Lumina” newspaper. The three hierarchs will be appointed next week, on 19 and 20 May, within the working session of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, when the point of view of the Romanian Patriarchate is formulated concerning the attitude of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, also presented in the communiqué of 9 May, which announced the breaking up of the communion and defrocking of Archimandrite Ieronim Creu, superior of the Romanian Settlements of Jerusalem, Jordan and Jericho. His Grace Ciprian Câmpineanul, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch, made this announcement today, within the press conference held at the Patriarchal Palace. His Grace expressed his regret for such a unilateral decision by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, in spite of the fact that during the preliminary discussions His Grace had at Jerusalem, on 15 April, with His Beatitude Teofil III, they agreed that an official delegation of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church should travel to Jerusalem for a dialogue designed to reach an amiable agreement concerning the existence of the Romanian Settlement of Jericho. His Grace declared, in this regard: “I would like to express once again our regret and concern for the fact that the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem reached such a decision although on 15 April 2011, before the Palm Sunday, I paid a visit to Jerusalem, delegated by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, where I met His Beatitude Teofil III of Jerusalem together with four other members of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and I was surprised to learn that 10 days after sending the letter of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel they had not received it yet, so that I had to hand His Beatitude Teofil III a photocopy of the answer of our Patriarch to his letter. My mission was to have preliminary discussions on the edge of the subject that makes the existence of the Romanian Settlement of Jericho in order to see how we could solve this issue in an amiable way, in the spirit of the “brotherly dialogue”, Trinitas TV informs us. |
| 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 Are You a True Christian? Navigation ISIS gunmen open fire at the St. Catherine monastery in Egypt Source: Neoskosmos.com Only monks and clergy were inside the compound of the monastery, one of Christianity’s holiest sites Natalya Mihailova 19 April 2017 One of Christianity " s holiest sites came under attack, during a fire exchange between Egyptian police and ISIS gunmen at Mount Sinai. The incident took place at the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St.Catherine, a site of pilgrimage for christianity. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, which started when gunmen opened fire on an Egyptian police checkpoint near the monastery killing one policeman and wounding four others. According to the officials, the gunmen were shooting from an elevated hilltop overlooking the police checkpoint just outside the monastery, which is located in a remote desert and mountainous area in the southern part of the Sinai Peninsula, where, according to scripture, God spoke to the prophet Moses from a burning bush. Only monks and clergy were inside the monastery at the time, since the site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which was once a popular destination for pilgrims, has been closed to the public since 2015, for security reasons. There are no reports of damage to the compound, which is heavily fortified (the walls were built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in 527) and guarded by security forces. After the initial fire exchange, the gunmen rereated. The attack on the monastery comes just over a week after suicide bombers attacked two Coptic Christian churches in the Nile Delta city of Tanta and the coastal city of Alexandria, killing 45 people on Palm Sunday. Tweet Donate Share Code for blog ISIS gunmen open fire at the St. Catherine monastery in Egypt Natalya Mihailova Only monks and clergy were inside the compound of the monastery, one of Christianity’s holiest sites |
| Всемирная лютеранская федерация – World Lutheran Federation Всемирная федерация студентов-христиан – World Christian Students Federation Всемирное братство городских общин – Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Всемирное видение – World Vision Всемирное евангелическое братство – World Evangelical Fellowship Всемирный альянс ассоциаций молодых христиан – World Alliance of Young Christians Associations Всемирный альянс реформатских церквей – World Alliance of Reformed Churches Всемирный конгресс евангелизма – World Congress on Evangelism Всемирный консультативный комитет друзей – World Consultative Committee of Friends Всемирный литературный крестовый поход – World Literature Crusade Всемирный методистский совет – World Methodist Council Всемирный парламент религий – World Parliament of Religions Всемирный пресвитерианский союз – World Presbyterian Union Всемирный совет церквей – World Council of Churches Всемирный союз баптистов – World Baptist Union Всемогущий – almighty, omnipotent, all-powerful Всенепорочный – immaculate, all-undefiled всеправославный собор – All-Orthodox council всенощная, всенощное бдение – night service, vespers and matins, all-night vigil всесвятейший – the Holiest (Patriarch) всесвятой – all-holy всесильный – almighty, all-powerful всесожжение – the consuming by fire Всех душ день – All Souls Day Всех святых, в земле российской просиявших праздник – All Russian Saints Day Всех святых день – All Saints, All Hallows, Hallowmas, Halloween, Trinity Sunday Всех святых храм – All Hallows Church Всехсвятская церковь – All Hallows Church всечестивый – all-holy всеядная неделя – meat fare Второе пришествие – the Advent, the Second Coming, Parousia второе рождение – the second birth второй сочельник – the Epiphany Eve второй спас – the Transfiguration Day Второканонические книги – Deuterocanonical Books второканонический – Deuterocanonical вуаль – veil вуду – voodoo Вульгата – Vulgate вход/выход – entrance Вход Господень в Иерусалим – Palm Sunday; the Entry of Our Lord into Jerusalem |
| One spring, a few years before I converted to Eastern Orthodoxy, my wife and I vacationed in Greece. On the plane we became friendly with a happy elderly Greek-American gentleman who told us excitedly that he was on a pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain (the monastic polity of Mount Athos) for Pascha. Pascha Services, Sretensky Monastery, Moscow. “Pascha?” I asked. “What’s Pascha?” The man chuckled and said, “You know it as Easter.” He then spent ten minutes explaining why “Pascha”—the “new Passover” by which the entire human race passes from slavery to freedom under Christ—should replace “Easter” as the favored term for the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection. I am not terribly concerned by what it is called, but now that I am Orthodox, I understand why our airplane companion was filled with such eager anticipation. The Paschal Feast is the Orthodox Church’s most energetic and joyful religious service. I remember my first clearly: The experience was stunning. I had never participated in such an exuberant and joyful church liturgy. Part of the punch comes from the length and rigor of preparation we undergo prior to the celebration. By the time the great day arrives, Orthodox Christians have engaged in a near-vegan fast for the forty-nine combined days of Lent, Palm Sunday weekend, and Holy Week. Many of us have also attended many mournful Lenten and lengthy Holy Week services, setting the table nicely for a dramatic switch in tone as we finally reach the “Feast of all Feasts.” We begin the Pascha celebration a little before midnight, as most parishes do, with the chanting of the Midnight Office. Early on, the church is darkened—a single candle on the altar provides the only illumination—which the priest uses to light candles held by altar servers. They, in turn, enter the sanctuary lighting those held by parishioners. Soon, the church is filled with warm and glorious light. It is almost as if the modern world has faded away. The Paschal Matins immediately follows. Practices vary, but the congregation, carrying candles, banners, or icons, leaves the sanctuary and processes around the church singing. In some parishes, the doors of the church will be closed upon the return, opened only after the priest reads the Gospel account of the empty tomb, and pounds on the door, exclaiming from Psalm 24, “Lift up your heads, O gates! And be exalted, you everlasting doors, that the king of glory may enter in!” |
| BBC insults Christians on Western Good Friday The BBC has provoked anger from Christian activists for a program with Melvyn Bragg aired on March 29, which was Good Friday for Catholics and Protestants, using the so-called “Gnostic Gospels” to make the sensational suggestion the Christ was married to Mary Magdalene. Christian Concern, a religious lobby group, has issued an action alert to its members urging them to complain to the broadcaster about the program " The Mystery of Mary Magdalene " , reports the Huffington Post UK . Andrea Minichiello Williams, director of the campaign group, told HuffPost UK: " Instead of promoting better understanding and proper investigation, the BBC mounts a provocative attack on the person of Christ, based on sloppy scholarship, half truth and insinuation. Williams told HuffPost UK her organisation were " calling for a follow up program to set the record straight. " At midday on Good Friday people across the country will be remembering the crucifixion of Jesus Christ who died to bring forgiveness and reconciliation with God. It is a key marker in the Christian calendar. " Yet the BBC sees fit to broadcast a " flagship " Easter documentary that impugns the purity of Jesus and even suggests that Mary Magdalene may have been his lover. " Christianity stands up to rigorous investigation and historical scrutiny but this " documentary " relies on suggestion, speculation and highly dubious scholarship based on documents of very doubtful provenance. " It is extraordinary that the BBC should broadcast a program of this nature at this time —and present it as an Easter feature. " It reinforces worryingly superficial understandings of the historical record of Jesus Christ and of what Christians today believe. " The Rt. Rev. Michael Nazir-Ali, the former Anglican bishop of Rochester, told the Daily Telegraph that the programme would be “hugely offensive” to devout Christians because it amounted to the “sexualisation of Christ”. This is not the first time that a sensationalist TV producer has chosen Holy Week to air a program based upon the Gnostic Gospels. In April 2006, National Geographic aired “The Gospel of Judas” on Protestant and Catholic Palm Sunday, and then again on April 22, which was Holy Saturday for the Eastern Orthodox Church. This show intended to re-write the history of Judas’s betrayal. |
| The Lenten visit of the Kursk-Root Icon to the Western European Diocese concludes with services in Amsterdam, Arnhem, Rotterdam and Brussels Source: Orthodox Europe Photo: orthodox-europe.org During the days leading to Palm Sunday, the month-long Lenten visit of the wonderworking Kursk-root Icon of the Mother of God “of the Sign” to the Diocese of Great Britain and Western Europe of the Russian Church Abroad concluded with visits to parishes in Amsterdam, Arnhem and Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and the Memorial Church of St Job in Brussels. These visits capstone four weeks of travels, during which the sacred icon was brought to the faithful in London, Liverpool, Norwich, Cheltenham, St Leonards, Telford, Mettingham, Colchester and Oxford (in England); Cardiff and Llanelli (Wales); Montecarlo (Monaco); Cannes, Nice, Menton, Lyon, Meudon and Paris (France); Luxembourg; Sanremo and Florence (Italy); and the Resurrection Parish in Brussels (Belgium) (click the highlighted links, above, for photo-reports on the icon’s visits to each of these places). During these final days of the icon’s visit to the Diocese during Great Lent, it was taken to multiple parishes in Benelux, including the Diocese’s Parish of St Mary of Egypt in Amsterdam and our Parish of the Protection of the Mother of God (Pokrov) in Arnhem, as well as the parish of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Diocese of the Hague and Netherlands in Rotterdam. For all these visits, the wonderworking icon was accompanied by Archpriest Stefan Weerts, who had already welcomed the icon into his own parish of the Resurrection of Christ in Brussels, and who thereupon bore the sacred obedience to take the sacred icon to the faithful in these other regions, ensuring that none were left without the consolation of the presence of the Theotokos in this, her most-revered image. Fr Stefan was met at the various parishes by their local clergy, including, in Rotterdam, by His Eminence Archbishop Elisey of the Hague and the Netherlands, who eagerly brought his own flock to pray also for the consolations of God’s mother. |
| Материал из Православной Энциклопедии под редакцией Патриарха Московского и всея Руси Кирилла Содержание ВХОД ГОСПОДЕНЬ В ИЕРУСАЛИМ Описанное 4 евангелистами (Мф 21. 1-11; Мк 11. 1-11; Лк 19. 28-40; Ин 12. 12-19) одно из главных событий последних дней земной жизни Господа Иисуса Христа - Его торжественное прибытие в Иерусалим накануне праздника Пасхи , к-рое хронологически и содержательно предшествовало Его Страстям и было осуществлением ветхозаветных пророчеств (в первую очередь Быт 49. 10-11; Пс 8. 2-3; Зах 9. 9). Воспоминанию этого события посвящен один из главных церковных праздников, в правосл. Церкви входящий в число двунадесятых. Он празднуется в воскресенье, непосредственно предшествующее пасхальному и открывающее собой Страстную седмицу . Поскольку в символике и события В. Г. в И., и его литургического празднования важное место занимают пальмовые ветви (греч. βαα; слав. ), праздник В. Г. в И. обычно называют Неделей ваий (Κυριακ τν βαων; ср. лат. названия Dominica in palmis (Пальмовое воскресенье), Dominica или Dies palmarum (Воскресенье или День пальм), к к-рым восходят названия праздника в совр. европ. языках - напр., англ. Palm Sunday); в слав. традиции известно его обозначение еще и как Недели цветоносной или цветной. На Руси в богослужебной практике пальмовые ветви традиционно заменяют ветвями вербы, отчего Неделя ваий носит также название Вербного воскресенья (ср. диалектное Вербница). Событие Вид на Иерусалим Вид на Иерусалим За 5 дней до иудейского праздника Пасхи (ср.: Ин 12. 1, 12) Господь подошел к селениям Виффагия и Вифания у Елеонской горы вместе со Своими учениками и поручил 2 из них привести Ему молодого осла, на к-рого никто никогда не садился (евангелист Иоанн не указывает, как именно было найдено животное, и описывает событие проще: «Иисус же, найдя молодого осла, сел на него» - Ин 12. 14). Когда ученики исполнили повеление, Христос сел верхом и стал спускаться с горы к Иерусалиму под приветственные возгласы учеников и народа, к-рые встречали Христа, постилая свои одежды и срезанные с деревьев ветви на Его пути, восклицая: «...осанна Сыну Давидову! благословен Грядущий во имя Господне! осанна в вышних!» (Мф 21. 9; ср.: Мк 11. 9; Лк 19. 38; Ин 12. 13); последний возглас является парафразом Пс 117. 25-26, к-рый пелся по большим праздникам. Все евангелисты, кроме Марка, отмечают недовольство иудейских учителей обстоятельствами события, в первую очередь тем, что Иисус Христос не запретил встречать Его этими словами, понимавшимися в т. ч. как мессианское приветствие. Евангелист Матфей пишет, что В. Г. в И. заставил весь город прийти в движение (Мф 21. 10); Иоанн подчеркивает, что торжественная встреча Христа была вызвана тем, что народ был потрясен чудом воскрешения из мертвых прав. Лазаря (Ин 12. 17-18); Матфей и Лука непосредственно связывают событие В. Г. в И. с последовавшим за ним изгнанием Христом торгующих из иерусалимского храма (Мф 21. 12-13; Лк 19. 45-46). |
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