PatriarchYouhanna X of Antioch

His Eminence the Metropolitan Archbishop of Western and Central Europe has been elected Patriarch of the Great City-of-God Antioch and all the East. The Patriarch-elect Youhanna X (Yaziji) was elected by the members of the Holy Synod earlier today, December 17, during a special session held at the Balamand Patriarchal Monastery of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Born in Syria in 1955, the Patriarch-elect received his primary, secondary and university education in Latakiya, Syria graduating with a degree in civil engineering. He earned a degree in theology in 1978 from the St. John of Damascus School of Orthodox of Theology at the Balamand University and a doctorate in theology (emphases in liturgy and Byzantine music) in 1983 from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. He was tonsured a monk at the Athonite Monastery of St Paul on the Holy Mountain, was ordained to the holy diaconate in 1979 and to the holy priesthood in 1983, and in 1981 became professor of Liturgical Studies at the St. John of Damascus School of Orthodox Theology at the Balamand University. He assumed the position of dean of that theological school from 1988-1991 and again from 2001-2005. He was elected and consecrated to the sacred episcopacy in 1995 with the title Bishop of al-Hosn. He has served as superior of the Monastery of St George al-Humayrah in the Christian Valley (Wadi al-Nasara) in Syria, superior of the Our Lady of Balamand Monastery, and spiritual father to the Convent of the Dormition in Blemmana, Syria. In 2008 he was elected and enthroned as the Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Western and Central Europe. The date of His Beatitude's Enthronement has not yet been announced. Eis polla eti dhespota!

This is the official release from the Antiochian Archdiocese. http://www.antiochian.org/content/patriarch-elect-youhanna-x-antioch

Interview with Bishop Alexander

The latest interview as part of our series of "Conversations with our Bishops" is now available for you to hear online or download. Bishop Alexander 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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Interview with Bishop Ioan Casian

The latest interview as part of our series of "Conversations with our Bishops" is now available for you to hear online or download. Bishop Ioan Casian of the Romanaian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas 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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Interview with Bishop Daniil

The latest interview as part of our series of "Conversations with our Bishops" is now available for you to hear online or download. Bishop Daniil of the Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia 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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President Obama Speaks on the Shooting in Connecticut

This afternoon, President Obama made a statement from the Briefing Room on the shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
We’ve endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years.  And each time I learn the news I react not as a President, but as anybody else would -- as a parent.  And that was especially true today.  I know there’s not a parent in America who doesn’t feel the same overwhelming grief that I do.
The majority of those who died today were children -- beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old.  They had their entire lives ahead of them -- birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own.  Among the fallen were also teachers -- men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams.

So our hearts are broken today -- for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children, and for the families of the adults who were lost.  Our hearts are broken for the parents of the survivors as well, for as blessed as they are to have their children home tonight, they know that their children’s innocence has been torn away from them too early, and there are no words that will ease their pain.
As a country, we have been through this too many times.  Whether it’s an elementary school in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon, or a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago -- these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these children are our children.  And we're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics.
This evening, Michelle and I will do what I know every parent in America will do, which is hug our children a little tighter and we’ll tell them that we love them, and we’ll remind each other how deeply we love one another.  But there are families in Connecticut who cannot do that tonight.  And they need all of us right now.  In the hard days to come, that community needs us to be at our best as Americans.  And I will do everything in my power as President to help.
Read the full remarks here.
The President also issued a proclamation honoring the victims of the tragedy, ordering U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff until sunset on December 18.

Archbishop Demetrios calls for Prayers for the Victims of the Massacre in Newtown, Conn.

NEW YORK – Upon hearing the horrible news of the monstrous mass shooting in the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut,  which caused the tragic death of 26 people, most of which are reportedly children,  His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America immediately contacted Fr. Peter Karloutsos, the priest of the nearby Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption in Danbury, Connecticut. He expressed to him his deep pain and great concern about this terrible incident and its devastating effects on the local community,  and offered any support on behalf of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
 
The Archbishop said that this is a crime whose magnitude and nature is impossible to believe, an abominable act of the kind that our society should work hard to prevent.  He called upon the orthodox faithful across the country to pray fervently for support and healing from God to the many families and individuals affected by this violent act and for the repose of the souls of the innocent victims of this enormous tragedy.
 
A scheduled visit of the Archbishop to the Greek Orthodox Church of the Archangels in Stamford, Conn. this coming Sunday Dec. 16, has been postponed; instead the Archbishop will visit the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption in Danbury, in order to offer pastoral support and guidance to the people of the area and pray with them in a Divine Liturgy which will begin at 10:00 a.m.

Archbishop Demetrios holds prayer service at St. Nicholas Site, World Trade Center

NEW YORK – The memory and the feast of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was honored and celebrated by Orthodox Christians yesterday Dec. 6, in churches across the country and the world.  His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, as he has done for the last 11 years, led the annual prayer and memorial service in the area of the World Trade Center near the site where the small historic church of St. Nicholas stood for more than 80 years before it was completely destroyed on September 11, 2001.
 
The prayer service was held amid the ongoing construction, in front of the new location at the corner of Liberty and Greenwich streets, where St. Nicholas will be resurrected as an Orthodox witness of faith and a prominent and permanent part of the new World Trade Center.
 
Archbishop Demetrios prayed for the repose of the souls of those who perished that tragic day in 2001 and asked for the intercessions of Saint Nicholas to God for continued strength and guidance as the Church in America takes on the task of rebuilding the historic church. His Eminence spoke of the long road of faith and persistence through the years that led to the agreement to secure the new plot and rebuild. He also outlined the high visibility the Church will have in a site where tens of thousands of people will be visiting the area every day.
 
Present among the many faithful of the old St. Nicholas Parish who attended the service was the Director for the WTC construction, Steven Plate, who welcomed the Archbishop and the congregation, showed the future St. Nicholas site to all, and said that the necessary underground construction seemed to be ahead of schedule. Also present at the service were the Consul General of Greece in New York Georgios Iliopoulos, the Consul General of Cyprus Koula Sofianou, the Consul of Greece Evangelos Kyriakopoulos, Frs John Romas, Gerasimos Makris and Luben Agapitos Chunov and assisting the Archbishop Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos and Deacon Arisitidis Garinis.
 
Earlier in the day, Archbishop Demetrios presided at the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy for the feast of Saint Nicholas at the Greek Orthodox Shrine Church of St. Nicholas in Flushing, NY, one of the largest Greek Orthodox parishes in America. In his homily to the hundreds of faithful in attendance, the Archbishop spoke about Saint Nicholas and said that the model of a man  in Christianity is that of a Saint, a model which encompasses the old models of the righteous and the hero and is a man who fully accepts the truth of God, purifies himself and projects truth, purity and love.

The New York Times reports on 'Orthodox Leader Deepens Progressive Stance on Environment'

The New York Times published an article on the environmental work of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, entitled, 'Orthodox Leader Deepens Progressive Stance on Environment,' written by Marlise Simons.  The article can be read in its entirety below.

Orthodox Leader Deepens Progressive Stance on Environment


by Marlise Simons
Read this article on the website of The New York Times

At a conference near Istanbul last June, the chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall spoke about the endangered habitat of what she called "our closest relatives." Underlining the evolutionary link, she described her encounter with a senior male ape who had a "beautiful white beard."
With a smile, she turned to the 72-year-old man in the front row and added, "Very much like yours."



The man with the long white beard was Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians. Fortunately, he is known for his easy, affable manner, and he joined the laughter that followed.

But his commitment to environmental activism is deeply serious, earning him the nickname the Green Patriarch. He has preached that caring for the environment is a religious imperative, and for more than a decade, he has made a point of bringing together theologians and scientists like Dr. Goodall for debates and briefings.



This year's reports of record melting of the earth's ice sheets and extreme droughts have given a new urgency to Bartholomew's messages about the degrading natural world. While economists and politicians prescribe more growth and consumption to overcome economic crises, the patriarch insists that the real crisis is cultural and spiritual, and can be overcome only by moving away from rampant materialism.



All human beings, he has said, should draw a distinction "between what we want and what we need."



In September, he published a strongly worded encyclical calling on all Orthodox Christians to repent "for our sinfulness" in not doing enough to protect the planet. Biodiversity, "the work of divine wisdom," was not granted to humanity to abuse it, he wrote; human dominion over the earth does not mean the right to greedily acquire and destroy its resources. He singled out "the powerful of this world," saying they need a new mind-set to stop destroying the planet for profit or short-term interest.



Other religious leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI, the Dalai Lama and the archbishop of Canterbury, have also called for responsible stewardship of the environment. But Bartholomew has gone further than most; some theologians call his stance revolutionary.



"Traditionally in Christianity, sin was what you did to other humans," said Kallistos Ware, a prominent Orthodox theologian based in Britain, "but Bartholomew insisted that what you do to the animals, the air, the water, the land can be sinful, not just folly, and that was quite a change."



Aides say that Bartholomew's embrace of environmental issues is part of his agenda to modernize a deeply conservative church that can seem distant and insular, with its focus on long Byzantine rituals and mysticism. Speaking in defense of nature as a creation of God fits church teachings, and perhaps just as crucial, his aides say, it can also transcend the rivalries and nationalist rifts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. As a federation of 15 independent national churches, it lacks the central authority of, say, the Vatican.



Still, Bartholomew's seat, established 1,700 years ago, holds primacy among the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians. As "first among equals" in the church, he acts as convener and can set the agenda for discussion.



Not all church prelates are inspired by his efforts to enlighten the faithful on the environment. "The patriarch is going against the current in much of Orthodoxy," said the Rev. John Chryssavgis, an archdeacon of the church and adviser on environmental issues. "He has to preach and promote this constantly."



Aboard a ferry steaming toward Istanbul, Father Chryssavgis pointed out a sprawling church-owned building perched atop of the island of Buyukada. A former orphanage, it was seized by the Turkish government but returned to the church recently. Now empty and in disrepair, it will become an interfaith study center for the environment if Bartholomew has his way.



"He wants a permanent institution," Father Chryssavgis said. "When he passes on, there may not be the same concern for the environment."



The impact of the patriarch's many sermons and conferences is difficult to gauge. There has been wide interest in a new book, "Greening the Orthodox Parish," said Frederick Krueger, its American editor. Subtitled "A Handbook for Christian Ecological Practice" and with a preface by Bartholomew, it covers theology, special liturgies and prayers as well as science papers and practical advice.



Numerous Orthodox monasteries and churches in Eastern Europe and the United States have switched to solar energy in recent years.



Among them is the Chrysopegi monastery on the Greek island of Crete, where the nuns use the environmental texts of the patriarch and other theologians in their teachings.

"

More and more young people are coming to our courses," Mother Theocheni, the abbess of the monastery, said at the conference at Halki, near Istanbul. "They come to find meaning. Many seem to find inspiration in ecology. It's been growing fast for the last 10 years."

15th Annual Christmas Musicfest under the Byzantine Dome - "Rejoice !"

Saint Sophia Cathedral's 15th Annual Christmas Musicfest under the Byzantine Dome - "Rejoice !" will be held on Sunday, December 9, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.
The program will include Orthodox Christmas hymns and chants, several selections from the oratorio Messiah by George F. Handel, and traditional carols of the holiday season.
The concert will feature three chanters: Carole Choucair Oueijan, Dimitri Liogris and Michael Kontaxis along with Nicole French, Suzanne Gilman, Eleni Pantages, Michele Patzakis Prappas, Dalia Rodriguez, Karen Sarames, Estelle Skouras, Kathy Spilos and Christopher Yokas as soloists, the Saint Sophia Cathedral Choir and Chamber Ensemble under the direction of Jim H. Kollias, and the Harmonies of Saint Thomas all Girlsʼ Choir, under the direction of Antonio Espinal.
Freewill offering. Reception immediately following the concert in the Maniatakos Fellowship Hall and the Maria Maniatakos Pavilion.
We rejoice in the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and we rejoice in the first Christmas celebrated in the new Huffington Center at Saint Sophia! To learn more about Saint Sophia Cathedral or the concert, visit http://stsophia.org/events/christmas/.

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