On Saturday, November 28/December 11, 2010, the Metropolitan Council of the Holy Metropolis met to discuss its ongoing work. Proposals were heard for a clergy health savings plan, a discretionary assistance fund, and a religious education fund to be created. The Uniform Parish Bylaws and the Special Regulation of the Metropolitan Council were reviewed and revised. A proposal to invite His Beatitude Archbishop Kallinikos of Athens and All Greece to America was approved.
His Eminence Metropolitan Pavlos and His Grace Bishop Photios of Marathon (a member of the Eparchial Synod of the Holy Metropolis) co-presided. By the invitation of Metropolitan Pavlos, His Eminence Metropolitan Moses of Portland (HOCNA) was invited to observe the meetings, as he was already in New York visiting the bishops to discuss issues of mutual concern and pan-Orthodox cooperation.
No Metropolitan Council meeting will be planned for the Spring, in order to ensure that parishes have the resources to support the Archbishop's proposed visit. The next Metropolitan Council meeting will be held in the Fall of 2011.
A beautiful liturgy was served on Sunday, November 29 (o.s.) by His Eminence Metropolitan Pavlos and His Grace Bishop Photios, with Archimandrite Epiphanios, Protopresbyter Emmanuel Colombos, Protopresbyter Theodore Giannakopoulos, Hieromonk Maximus Analepsiotis, Presbyter Anastasios Hudson, and Presbyter Nicholas Serigos concelebrating. Archimandrite Niphon and Presbyter.Michael Hallford also assisted in the altar.
We thank all the delegates who made the trip to New York to participate, and the Cathedral for hosting the meeting. These meetings, while primarily concerned with financial matters, are instrumental in maintaining a sense of fraternity and cooperation amongst our parishes.
This miracle of Saint Spyridon took place in Mandra, Greece in 1926.
It was 12/25 December, 1926. The state Church of Greece adopted the Papal calendar and with the help of the Greek government persecuted all those who did not accept the Papal calendar. The faithful Orthodox Christians of Mandra woke up and headed to their Church to celebrate the Feast of Saint Spyridon. When they reached the Church they saw that the door to the Church had been secured with chains and the faithful could not enter. Before leaving the Church to return to their homes they stuck their candles on the door. As soon as the last person placed his candles on the door
the chains broke and fell. The faithful, confirmed in their Faith, entered the Church and celebrated the Feast of Saint Spyridon.
The miracle was reported the next day by the newspaper Skrip.
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...2023 Youth Conference
Please join us for the 2023 youth conference in Chicago, IL! To learn more, visit the home page or visit the conference website.
Q. There seems to be a lot of variation in how people observe fasting, but my confessor told me to fast from oil on Wednesday and Friday. Oil is a pretty vague category, though, and I was wondering if I could get a more explicit description of what kinds of food and drink are excluded on strict fast days. Read more...