On August 10/23 Bishop Demetrius of Carlisle, together with two other priests of HOCNA, Fr. John Fleser and Fr. Peter Farnsworth, attended a festal Liturgy at St. Maximus parish in Owego, New York. At this celebration Metropolitan Pavlos awarded Fr. Thomas Marretta, the rector of St. Maximus, the office of Protopresbyter for his dedicated service to the Church as a priest for 30 years. Metropolitan Pavlos invited the clergy from Boston to attend as a sign of unity among the True Orthodox Christians; this being especially appropriate in view of Fr. Thomas’s long-standing friendship with the clergy of HOCNA and the fact that he was baptized into the Orthodox Faith at Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Boston, MA. We wish Fr. Thomas Many Years on his reception of the honor of the protopresbytery, and pray that such demonstrations of brotherly support from other True Orthodox jurisdictions will become more frequent!
At the beginning of September (n.s.) Bartholomew called together a “Synaxis of the Patriarchates and the Autocephalous Church of Cyprus" at the Phanar in order to coordinate their efforts for the First Ecumenistic Council which they plan to convene shortly. At it, they will most certainly have to deal with a conflict with the Patriarchate of Moscow concerning primacy, but also they will proclaim the heresy of Ecumenism with an alleged synodal decision of Ecumenical (or rather Ecumenistic) force. Read more...
Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church is a beautiful mission parish near downtown Tucson, a city in southern Arizona. It was started in 1997 by Father John Bockman, who was a missionary Priest formerly serving missions in Tennessee and Massachusetts since 1990. Father John served the faithful in Tucson and the surrounding area in his home Chapel until his repose in November of 2000. His wife, Presbytera Valerie, continued to make her home Chapel available for the mission, with clergy from Saint Nectarios Orthodox Church in Seattle and His Eminence, Metropolitan Moses of Toronto (then of Portland), visiting to provide the Divine Services.
Read more...2025 Youth Conference
Please join us for the 2025 youth conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada! To learn more, visit the conference website.
Q. In considering becoming part of the GOC in America, I am getting warnings from various circles that the attitude of GOC people is that of being “walled off,” “arrogant,” “judgmental,” and “in your face” toward those not in the Genuine Orthodox Church, with accusations such as “World Orthodox” priests are “not even Christians” and the like. Could you give me your personal, realistic assessment of this dynamic and possibly refer me to an official statement on how GOC members should and do relate to and communicate with those in “World Orthodoxy”? Read more...