Archdiocese assessing damages following Hurricane Sandy

Archbishop affirms prayers and assistance
NEW YORK – In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America has expressed the concern, prayers and care of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America for the life, safety and well being of the millions of people in the affected areas of the northeastern United States.
The Archbishop, through his chancellor, has been in contact with clergy of the Direct Archdiocesan District to assess and determine the extent of damages on our faithful and parishes in the areas ravaged by the storm. He also spoke yesterday, October 31, with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and thanked him for all that he is doing for New York City during this unprecedented crisis.  He pledged the support and assistance of the Archdiocese in the efforts of recovery and reconstruction, an offering for which the Mayor thanked him. In addition, the Archbishop spoke with Metropolitan Evangelos of New Jersey, who informed him about the damages to the churches and communities of the Metropolis of New Jersey.
In the days to come, Archbishop Demetrios will be working with key people in the Archdiocese and with the Philoptochos Society to offer specific assistance to those impacted by the hurricane.
In response to this historic natural disaster for this area of the United States, His Eminence asks the faithful throughout the nation to offer prayers of remembrance for those who lost their lives and prayers of consolation for the thousands who have suffered the loss of property and face weeks and months of recovery.  He also asks for prayers for the safety of the many rescue personnel and others who are working to save lives and bring solace to those who have been afflicted by this storm.  He stated, “Through these sacrificial acts and through the outpouring of our love and generosity may those in need know the presence of the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort (II Corinthians 1:4), the God who will give them strength, healing, and peace.”

Signing of Final Agreement on St. Nicholas Church

NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo announces the Signing of Final Agreement on St. Nicholas Church at Archdiocesan Council Meeting

NEW YORK – The Governor of the State of New York Andrew Cuomo, announced yesterday at the Archdiocesan Council meeting, that the final agreement on the rebuilding of St. Nicholas was signed the day before, Oct. 18, 2012 and that the Port Authority would begin construction immediately hoping to complete the foundation in a year and then turn the site over to the Church.

Governor Cuomo made the announcement during the joint luncheon of the Archdiocesan Council of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the National Philoptochos Board, which had both convened for their first meeting of the 2012-2014 term in the New York Hilton.

His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America welcomed Governor Cuomo and thanked him for being "instrumental" in the process and for "helping St. Nicholas Church be resurrected."  The Archbishop talked about the transformation of the World Trade Center and said that "when St. Nicholas Church is completed it will be a place of praying, a place of comfort, openness and reconciliation where the relatives of the almost three thousand victims of 9/11 can come and light a candle." The Archbishop offered to the Governor a symbolic gift, a sterling silver hand-made cross, as "a symbol of sacrifice and love, of loss and gain, of death and resurrection."

Governor Cuomo accepted the symbolic gift on behalf of all the people of the State of New York and after the announcement praised the perseverance of the Greek Orthodox Church and community and said: Let me say this on the Church of St. Nicholas though, I applaud you for what you did – the Archbishop has been very kind, (but) I am only doing what I am supposed to be doing. I am doing my job and what I was elected to do. But the fight that you waged for St. Nicholas Church, that went over a decade is remarkable. You faced every obstacle you were told "no", time after time, after time. You fought the bureaucracy numerous governors, numerous heads of the Port Authority and you wouldn't take "no" for an answer and you kept coming back and kept coming back... and it is such a beautiful story of the Greek community. Organizing, mobilizing, refusing to give up, refusing to loose. And, what was most beautiful, it wasn't for you, it wasn't about a monetary gain, it wasn't because someone was going to be advanced, it was the fundamental belief of the Greek community, which is about community and faith and philanthropy.

For photos visit the Gallery: http://photos.goarch.org/main.php?g2_itemId=7340

IOCC AID reaches Syria's Youngest Refugees

September 24, 2012 (Baltimore, MD) Hiba, 5, clings fearfully to her mother's dress round the clock, and wakes up screaming in the middle of the night. Ever since Sami, 4, and his brother Rana, 2, fled Homs with their mother, loud sounds elicit screams and send them diving for cover under tables and beds. The violence that has engulfed Syria is taking a heavy toll on its children. They make up more than half of the 260,000 Syrian refugees pouring into neighboring countries such as Jordan and Lebanon, according to United Nations estimates. Many arrive with nothing, not even the most basic belongings. International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is attending to the immediate needs of these young refugees and their families with the distribution of emergency relief items such as health kits, infant supplies and bedding.

IOCC Jordan is working with local churches and relief partners to provide basic necessities like diapers, baby blankets and infant clothing to Syrian mothers seeking shelter at Za'atri refugee camp, where 60 percent of the 28,000 refugees are small children and infants. For older children like Sana'a, who was only three weeks away from graduating, the disruption of fleeing their homes as well as leaving behind school and friends has been especially traumatic. IOCC is assessing the education needs of the school-aged refugee children and working with partner agencies to help improve enrollment into local schools for refugee students.

IOCC has also delivered bedding sets and essential personal care kits to more than 1,600 refugee families scattered in urban settlements across five Jordanian cities. In Lebanon's Bekaa region, almost 1,700 refugee families with small children received basic necessities like diapers, baby quilts and pajamas, as well as kits filled with essential hygiene items to help keep children less susceptible to illness from exposure to crowded or unsanitary surroundings. While many of the Syrian refugees are living with host families in Lebanon, a growing number are moving into collective shelters where common facilities are used by large groups of people.

Inside Syria there are some 2.5 million people in need of support because of the conflict and 1.2 million internally displaced, according to the UN Regional Humanitarian Relief Coordinator. Families who remain in the most heated conflict areas are facing the greatest struggle to survive with no jobs or source of income to pay for food or medical care. Working in partnership with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, IOCC continues to deliver humanitarian relief to those families still living inside Syria.

How You Can Help
You can help the victims of poverty and conflicts around the world, like those in Syria, by making a financial gift to the International Emergency Response Fund which will provide immediate relief as well as long-term support through the provision of emergency aid, recovery assistance and other support to help those in need.

To make a gift, please visit www.iocc.org or call toll free at 1-877-803-IOCC (4622), or mail a check or money order payable to IOCC, P.O. Box 17398, Baltimore, MD 21297.

About International Orthodox Christian Charities
IOCC is the official humanitarian aid agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in North and Central America. Since its inception in 1992, IOCC has delivered more than $400 million in relief and development programs to families and communities in 50 countries.

Media contact: Rada K. Tierney, IOCC Media Relations, 443-823-3489, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Third meeting of the Assembly of Bishops of North and Central America in Chicago

From: The Secretariat of the Assembly of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North & Central America

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America held its third annual meeting for all member hierarchs, that is, all active canonical bishops in its region. The meeting was held from September 10-12, 2012, at the Chicago O'Hare Hilton in Chicago, Illinois. Forty-three bishops were in attendance.

The first plenary session opened on Monday morning, and began with prayer, followed by an address to the assembled hierarchs by the Chairman of the Assembly, Demetrios, Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (his address will soon be posted on the Assembly website).

The Archbishop expressed the sorrow of all present for the loss of Metropolitan Constantine of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the U.S., who fell asleep in the Lord since the last meeting of the Assembly. He also noted the absence of two brother bishops who had recently retired, Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh and Metropolitan Jonah of Washington, D.C. Moreover, he welcomed the new bishops joining the Assembly since May 2011, the time of its last meeting: Bishop Sevastianos of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, Bishops Anthony, John, and Nicholas of the Antiochian Archdiocese, Bishop Daniil of the Bulgarian Diocese, Bishop Alexander of the Orthodox Church in America, and the newly-consecrated Bishop Pankratij of the Metropolis of Mexico.

Archbishop Justinian, the administrator of the parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in the US and second vice-chairman of the Assembly, also addressed the hierarchs, reminding his brethren of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the southernmost Russian settlement in North America, Fort Ross in California, with its Orthodox Christian chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity.

With the legal incorporation of the Assembly, one of the chief items on the agenda was the adoption of By-Laws for its governance. A draft was provided by a provisional By-Laws Committee, working in concert with the Committee for Legal Affairs. After some deliberation by the Assembly to insure that the By-Laws conformed both to civil and canon law, they were unanimously approved by the bishops.

A proposal was presented to the hierarchs by Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, the chair of the Committee for Canonical Affairs, for a comprehensive directory of all Orthodox clergy in our region, in accordance with Article 6 of the Rules of Operation. This would augment the Assembly's already existing directories of bishops, parishes, monastic communities, and theological schools.

The second item, which occupied the Assembly during the whole of its business session on Tuesday, was the canonical organization of the Church in the United States. Archbishop Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas, the chair of the Committee for Canonical Regional Planning, presented the findings of his committee on the chief issues involved. The assembled hierarchs were asked to discuss with one another important questions about the future structure of the Church in North America, models of administration, its organization geographically, as well as its relationship with the Mother Churches. This it did together as a body as well as in small groups. In this continuing process, designed to prepare a plan for presentation to a future Great and Holy Council of the entire Orthodox Church worldwide, there was consensus on the part of all bishops that the canonical norms of the Church must be observed and that all canonical anomalies in North America must be resolved, so that the witness and mission of the Church of Christ might be strengthened and increased.

The Chairman, Archbishop Demetrios, stressed that this work is not about fixing past mistakes. The current canonical situation in North America, inappropriate though it is, came about on account of immigration from the Old World and various historical circumstances. This work should be seen as a positive, and necessary, progression down the path of Orthodoxy in this country. The Assembly directed the Committee for Canonical Regional Planning to continue its work and resolved to continue earnest discussion of this issue. While the Assembly realized that it is impossible to provide a definite time-frame, it nevertheless recognized that it is incumbent upon them to have a plan prepared to present to the Most Holy Autocephalous Churches.

All of the deliberations of the Assembly were characterized by sincere and open discussion and brotherly affection and amity among the bishops.

The Assembly also approved a budget for the coming year that lays primary emphasis upon the work of the various committees and the Secretariat. It adopted a policy to govern its relationship with the former SCOBA agencies and endorsed-organizations as well as important guidelines governing the delegation of legal and financial authority within the Assembly. It was announced that an external audit would be conducted by the Assembly after the end of this calendar year.

On the second day of meetings, the eleventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States, the hierarchs gathered at Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Chicago, where they prayed the liturgy together, commemorating the Beheading of the holy Baptist and Forerunner John (according to the Old Calendar), and partook in the unity of the Eucharist through shared fellowship in the holy Body and precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the Church and only Source of unity. The Liturgy was served by Fr. Radovan Jakovljevic and Deacon Nikolaj Kostur and was presided over by Bishop Longin of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Following the Liturgy, Archbishop Demetrios led all present in a memorial service for those who died in the aforementioned terrorist attacks as well as prayers for mercy for the survivors and the families of all those who perished that day.

The Assembly of Bishops has published a Message to the faithful. Click here to download the message.

Interview with Bishop Demetrios

The latest interview as part of our series of "Conversations with our Bishops" is now available for you to hear online or download. Bishop Demetrios 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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Archons to Offer Twitter Updates

Archons offer twitter updates during Religious Freedom Mission to Berlin, Ecumenical Patriarchate and Ankara

9/10/12, Berlin - With the blessings of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, an Archon Delegation arrived in Berlin, Germany to begin detailed advance work in the planning of the second International Archon Religious Freedom Conference scheduled for November 2013. The Archon team will then travel to the Ecumenical Patriarchate to receive the blessings of His All-Holiness Bartholomew. They will then meet with patriarchal lawyers concerning the return of confiscated properties, have discussions with Archon Laki Vingas, the official government representative of the religious minority foundations in Turkey, as well as members of the various religious minorities of Turkey. Finally, they will visit Ankara to meet with government officials to discuss ongoing religious freedom concerns and the reopening of Halki Seminary, forcibly shut down in 1971 by Turkish authorities.

Embassy Ankara, headed by U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Hon. Francis Ricciardone, once again is fully supportive of our mission seeking religious freedom in Turkey for the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as well as all religious minorities in Turkey. The meetings in Ankara are in formation and at this time include discussions with Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arins.

In Germany the Archon Delegation is scheduled to meet with U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Hon. Phillip Murphy; Member of Parliament Cem Ozdemir; Heike MacKerron a Senior Director of the German Marshall Fund and German religious leaders and diplomats representing Greece, Cyprus and Turkey in Germany. The meetings in Germany are being facilitated by Archon William Antholis and His Eminence Augoustinos, Metropolitan of Germany.

Spiritual Advisor Fr. Alexander Karloutsos is accompanying the Archon team consisting of National Commander Dr. Anthony J. Limberakis; Religious Freedom Conference Chairman George C. Rockas and Archon Patriarchal Properties Committee Chairman Judge B. Theodore Bozonelis.

National Commander Limberakis will be posting daily updates via Twitter following the delegation's meetings. All Archons and interested persons who are connected to this social networking tool can log onto twitter.com/OrderStAndrew and become a follower, or visit archons.org and click on the "Social Networking" tab below the homepage image to read these updates as they occur.

Coverage on this religious freedom mission will be available in the coming weeks on www.archons.org and in the next issue of The Archon newsletter.

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 Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North 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 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