Interview with Metropolitan Isaiah

The latest interview as part of our series of "Conversations with our Bishops" is now available for you to hear online or download. Metropolitan Isaiah of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America offers his reflections on the Assembly.

"Conversations With Our Bishops" is a series of audio interviews of the Assembly's fifty-three member hierarchs by Archpriest Josiah Trenham (proïstamenos of St Andrew Church in Riverside, CA and director of "Patristic Nectar Publications") for the purpose of providing a broad swath of perspectives to the Church-at-large on the significance and work of the Assembly.

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Metropolitan Methodios' prayer at Republican National Convention

Metropolitan Methodios, representing Archbishop Demetrios, offers inspiring prayer at Republican National Convention; acknowledges Chairman Reince Priebus Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate

8/29/12, New York - The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate thank Archbishop Demetrios of America for sending Metropolitan Methodios of Boston to offer the closing prayer at the Republican National Convention this evening. We applaud the venerable Metropolitan for offering an inspiring benediction beseeching the "Heavenly King" to "bless and inspire the delegates of the Convention" and to "Shine in the hearts of the nominees [Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan]... the radiant light of [His] Divine will." He continued stating, "Imbue them and Chairman Reince Priebus, Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate with insight, wisdom, and boldness, with courage, compassion and competence."

We especially commend His Eminence for specifically including in his reference to Chairman Priebus his Patriarchal Offikion as Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as it acknowledges the exemplary Orthodox Stewardship of the Chairman and simultaneously raises the consciousness of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the American polity.

Patriarchal Encyclical for the Indiction and the Day for the Protection of our Natural Environment‏

+ BARTHOLOMEW
By the Mercy of God
Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome And Ecumenical Patriarch

To the Fullness of the Church
Grace and Peace from the Creator and Sustainer of All Creation
Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ

* * *

Beloved brothers and children in the Lord,

Our God, who created the universe and formed the earth as a perfect dwelling place for humanity, granted us the commandment and possibility to increase, multiply and fulfill creation, with dominion over all animals and plants.

The world that surrounds us was thus offered to us as a gift by our Creator as an arena of social activity but also of spiritual sanctification in order that we might inherit the creation to be renewed in the future age. Such has always been the theological position of the Holy Great Church of Christ, which is the reason why we have pioneered an ecological effort on behalf of the sacred Ecumenical Throne for the protection of our planet, which has long suffered from us both knowingly and unknowingly.

Of course, biodiversity is the work of divine wisdom and was not granted to humanity for its unruly control. By the same token, dominion over the earth and its environs implies rational use and enjoyment of its benefits, and not destructive acquisition of its resources out of a sense of greed. Nevertheless, especially in our times, we observe an excessive abuse of natural resources, resulting in the destruction of the environmental balance of the planet's ecosystems and generally of ecological conditions, so that the divinely-ordained regulations of human existence on earth are increasingly transgressed. For instance, all of us – scientists, as well as religious and political leaders, indeed all people – are witnessing a rise in the atmosphere's temperature, extreme weather conditions, the pollution of ecosystems both on land and in the sea, and an overall disturbance – sometimes to the point of utter destruction – of the potential for life in some regions of the world.

Inasmuch as the Mother Church perceives and evaluates the ensuing dangers of such ecological conditions for humanity, already from the time of our blessed predecessor, Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios, established September 1st of each year as a day of prayer for the natural environment. Yet, we are obliged to admit that the causes of the aforementioned ecological changes are not inspired by God but initiated by humans. Thus, the invocation and supplication of the Church and us all to God as the Lord of lords and Ruler of all for the restoration of creation are essentially a petition of repentance for our sinfulness in destroying the world instead of working to preserve and sustain its ever-flourishing resources reasonably and carefully.

When we pray to and entreat God for the preservation of the natural environment, we are ultimately imploring God to change with mindset of the powerful in the world, enlightening them not to destroy the planet's ecosystem for reasons of financial profit and ephemeral interest. This in turn, however, also concerns each one of us inasmuch as we all generate small ecological damage in our individual capacity and ignorance. Therefore, in praying for the natural environment, we are praying for personal repentance for our contribution – smaller or greater – to the disfigurement and destruction of creation, which we collectively experience regionally and occasionally through the immense phenomena of our time.

In addressing this appeal, petition and exhortation from the sacred Center of Orthodoxy to all people throughout the world, we pray that our gracious Lord, who granted this earthly paradise to all people dwelling on our planet, will speak to the hearts of everyone so that we may respect the ecological balance that He offered in His wisdom and goodness, so that both we and future generations will enjoy His gifts with thanksgiving and glorification.

May this divine wisdom, peace and power, which created and sustains and guides all creation in its hope for salvation in the kingdom, always maintain the beauty of the world and the welfare of humanity, leading all people of good will to produce fruitful works toward this purpose. And we invoke His grace and mercy on all of you, particularly those who respect and protect creation. Amen.

September 1, 2012

COLLEGE STUDENT SUNDAY - September 16th/30th, 2012

The light of your countenance has been impressed on us, O Lord. Alleluia!
(The Communion Hymn of the Feast of the Elevation of the Precious Cross)

Beloved Clergy, Godly Monastics and Blessed Faithful:
On behalf of the members of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, we greet you during this great and solemn Feast of the Elevation of the Holy, Precious and Life-giving Cross. In these days we reflect on the salvation wrought by our Lord, Jesus Christ, when He was lifted up thereon, calling all people to Himself (John 12:32). The Communion Hymn quoted above tells us that while enduring the horrific experience of His Crucifixion, our Lord shown forth Light and Life from His Divine Face. We rejoice in that light, and we also pause to give our attention to the more than 40,000 Orthodox students who have recently returned to their college campuses for another year of study. On this annual College Student Sunday, we are thankful for the opportunities they are given to further their education. Far too many of them, however, will be unaware of the Light of Christ as they face a challenging spiritual environment which far too often values freedom over responsibility, excess over moderation and pure reason over humility.
For over half a century, our united campus ministry, Orthodox Christian Fellowship, has been bringing the illumination of the True Faith to our students living away from home, some for the first time. We are particularly grateful that OCF has instituted a new initiative, "The First 40 Days," in which every effort will be made by our Orthodox chaplains and student leaders to contact every incoming freshman in their first 40 days on campus. We strongly encourage your support of this effort by ensuring that the contact information for your parish's students be sent each year to the North American office of OCF for dissemination to the local OCF.
We also encourage your financial support of this ministry which functions completely on the contributions of caring Orthodox faithful like yourselves. We ask that a special collection be taken on this day in support of the good work of OCF, and encourage you ― the priests, parents, grandparents, Godparents, aunts and uncles and friends of our college students ― to be generous in your offering of support to this ministry to them.
May the Immortal King who offered Himself for us and our salvation, guide and strengthen you, and all of our Orthodox students across this vast continent.

Metropolitan ISAIAH (Episcopal Overseer of OCF) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jennifer Nahass (Executive Director of OCF) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Assembly of Bishops To Hold Its Third Meeting

The 2012 Annual Meeting of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America will be convened Monday through Wednesday, September 10 – 12 at the O'Hare Airport Hilton in Chicago, Illinois. This is the third Annual Meeting of the Assembly, which consists of the sixty-six active hierarchs serving the Church in this geographic region: eleven residing in Canada, five in Mexico and fifty in the USA. The first annual meeting was convened in New York City in 2010 and the second in Chicago in 2011. The prayers of all clergy, monastics, and laity are requested by and for the bishops.

By way of background, delegates from the fourteen Autocephalous Orthodox Churches participated in the historic Fourth Pre-Conciliar Pan-Orthodox Conference, which met at the Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambésy-Geneva, Switzerland on June 6-12, 2009. The Conference was a direct result of the Synaxis of the Heads of all the Orthodox Churches, convened by His All Holiness Bartholomew I at the Ecumenical Patriarchate October 10-12, 2008. At that time, the Heads of the Churches expressed their "desire for the swift healing of every canonical anomaly that has arisen from historical circumstances and pastoral requirements, such as in the so-called Orthodox Diaspora, with a view to overcoming every possible influence that is foreign to Orthodox ecclesiology."

Acting as formal representatives of the Autocephalous Churches, the members of the Fourth Pre-Conciliar Conference in Chambésy in 2009 affirmed "that it is the common will of all of the most holy Orthodox Churches that the problem of the Orthodox Diaspora be resolved as quickly as possible, and that it be organized in accordance with Orthodox ecclesiology, and the canonical tradition and practice of the Orthodox Church." The Conference decided to establish an "Episcopal Assembly" (a.k.a. "Assembly of Bishops") in specific geographical regions which lie beyond the boundaries of the Autocephalous Churches. The Conference identified twelve such regions throughout the world, of which North and Central America is one.

For more information on the establishment of these twelve Assemblies of Bishops and, in particular, the work of our own Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, including a time line of Assembly milestones to date and the schedule for the forthcoming meeting in Chicago, please refer to our web site: www.assemblyofbishops.org.

Zondervan Press - Book of Revelation

Watch for a new release by Zondervan Press in early January on the Book of Revelation. Click on this link to see the trailer.

WhiteHouse.gov reports on 'International Religious Freedom: A Human Right, A National Security Issue, A Foreign Policy Priority'

As Americans, we draw strength from the fact that freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly are among first rights protected in our Constitution's Bill of Rights. And we are not alone in cherishing these rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes that every person, in every corner of the globe, has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This includes the freedom of every person to change his or her religion or beliefs, and -- either alone or in community with others, publicly or privately -- to manifest his or her religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Yet far too many people, in far too many places around the world, still live without the protection of these fundamental freedoms. Yesterday, the Department of State released its annual report on the state of international religious freedom around the world, which documents that in nearly half of the world's countries, governments either abuse religious minorities or fail to intervene in societal abuse. The report describes how, in many countries, individuals live under oppressive laws restricting their religious practice or attire, or in fear that they will be targeted by blasphemy, apostasy, and dissent laws. Repressive governments use these laws to curb their citizens' religious freedom, and imprison them for their beliefs. This abuse concerns us not just because of what it means on a personal level for millions of individuals around the world, but also because religious freedom is a key feature of stable, secure and peaceful societies.
As Secretary Clinton noted in her remarks yesterday at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, right now many countries with diverse faith communities are in the process of navigating transitions toward democracy. The United States will continue to urge transitioning countries -- like Egypt -- to recognize faith diversity as a source of strength, and to embrace the promotion and protection of religious freedom as part of the foundation for building a stable, prosperous, and peaceful future. History bears us out in demonstrating that a lack of religious freedom weakens social cohesion and alienates citizens from their government, fomenting internal unrest, breeding extremism, and inhibiting national unity and progress.
More generally, the United States will continue to make the promotion of international religious freedom a key national security and foreign policy priority for the United States, to advocate forcefully for these issues publically and privately, in both multilateral and bilateral settings. An example of our success comes from the United Nations Human Rights Council, where we worked closely with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to pass Resolution 16/18 on "Combating Intolerance, Negative Stereotyping and Stigmatization of, and Discrimination, Incitement to Violence and Violence Against, Persons Based on Religion or Belief" which focuses on concrete, positive steps that states can take to combat religious intolerance rather than relying on "anti-blasphemy measures" that are inconsistent with freedom of expression. After it passed, we then hosted subject matter representatives from 26 governments and four international organizations in Washington to begin discussion on implementation. As for our bilateral efforts, these are focused both on the countries designated by the Secretary of State as Country of Particular Concern for particularly severe violations of religious freedom -- Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan -- and on other countries struggling with this issue as well.
While these discussions are sometimes difficult, they are necessary. As the President's 2012 Proclamation on Religious Freedom Day stated, this Administration will continue to stand with all who are denied the ability to choose, express, or live their faith freely, and we remain dedicated to protecting this universal human right and the vital role it plays in ensuring peace and stability for all nations.
Denis McDonough is the Deputy National Security Advisor.
This article is also available on on the White House website.

Committee Chairmen Meet in New Jersey

A historic face-to-face meeting of the Assembly’s committee chairmen was organized by the Secretariat’s Coordinator for Committees, Bishop Maxim, and was held on May 30 at the Metropolia Center of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, South Bound Brook, NJ, hosted by Archbishop Antony. Since much of the work of the Assembly of Bishops falls within the purview of its thirteen committees, the success of these committees is essential for the success of the Assembly as a whole.
Ten bishops were present at this meeting, including the Assembly Chairman, Archbishop Demetrios, Archbishop Antony, Archbishop Nicolae, Metropolitan Joseph, Metropolitan Methodius, Bishop Andonios, Bishop Daniel, Bishop George, Bishop Maxim, and Bishop Thomas. Also in attendance were liaisons from the Secretariat to the committees: Fr Mark Arey, Fr Nicholas Ceko, Protodeacon Peter Danilchick, and Attorney Eric Namee.
Opening remarks were offered by Archbishop Demetrios. His Eminence thanked all present for the diligent work of the Committees and the Secretariat. He mentioned the significant differences between the Assembly of Bishops and SCOBA – especially the involvement of all the bishops in the Assembly’s work. The critical and important fact of the work of the committees is that all bishops are working together, assisted by the clergy and lay consultants, with cooperation being number one on the agenda. His Eminence encouraged all to start in a pragmatic way, examining admittedly thorny and difficult issues, but being productive and taking a proper perspective on the future.
The major task of the day was the review of reports for each of the committees. Most of the committees have met in person and/or via teleconference among the hierarchical members and with their consultants. Considerable progress has been made on many fronts, ranging from development of a sound financial base for the Assembly’s work, through the creation of a canonical registry of all parishes and clergy, the documenting of clergy issues and pastoral practices, the initiation of canonical regional planning, to the examination of different approaches to youth work and monastic communities. Particular emphasis was placed by His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios, upon the importance of this foundational work that will be absolutely necessary to develop a plan for the canonical organization of the Orthodox Church in this country.
Plans for the upcoming Assembly III to be held in Chicago in September 2012 were discussed. The work of the committees, together with their proposed action items and associated issues, will be presented to the Assembly at that time.

Interview with Archbishop Nikon

The latest interview as part of our series of "Conversations with our Bishops" is now available for you to hear online or download. Archbishop Nikon of the Orthodox Church In America offers his reflections on the Assembly.

"Conversations With Our Bishops" is a series of audio interviews of the Assembly's fifty-three member hierarchs by Archpriest Josiah Trenham (proïstamenos of St Andrew Church in Riverside, CA and director of "Patristic Nectar Publications") for the purpose of providing a broad swath of perspectives to the Church-at-large on the significance and work of the Assembly.

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70th Commencement of Hellenic College and Holy Cross School of Theology