Path of Orthodoxy - December 2012

Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch and All the East reposes in the Lord

Patriarch Ignatius IV (Hazim) of Antioch and All the East was born in 1920 in the village of Muharda, near the city of Hama Syria. In 1936, he moved to Beirut, where he became an altar server. Years later, upon taking monastic vows, he became a hierodeacon. In 1945 he graduated from the American University of Beirut, and from 1949 to 1953 studied at the Saint Sergius Theological Institute in Paris. On his return to  Lebanon, the young theologian with a master's degree was ordained hieromonk. In 1942, he became one of the founders of the influential Orthodox Youth Movement in Lebanon and Syria, which has done much to renew youthful participation in Church life.

In 1953, the future Patriarch became one of the organizers of Syndesmos the worldwide Brotherhood of Orthodox Youth. In 1961 he was ordained Bishop of Palmyra and Patriarchal Vicar, and in the following year, he was sent to the monastery of Balamand as superior and as dean of the Theological Seminary founded, which in 1988 was transformed into an Orthodox University,  the first in the Middle East. He has published a series of theological books and numerous articles. His Beatitude is an honorary doctor of Sorbonne and Saint-Petersburg (1981) and Minsk (2003) Theological Academies.

Patron Saint's Day of Monastery of Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple

Yesterday, the Patron Saint's Day of the Belgrade's monastery of the Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple of  was solemnly celebrated. His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch, celebrated the Divine Liturgy with the concelebration of the clergy of the Archbishopric of Belgrade-Karlovac.  

Committee for Religious Education and Military Academy continue to cooperate

With the blessing of His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch, on 3 December 2012, at the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade, Bishop Atanasije of Hvosno and Major General Mladen Vuruna signed the Agreement on the  continuation of the cooperation.

In 2007 religious education became a regular subject in the Military High School which represented the beginning of the cooperation in education with the Military Academy to which the Military High School belongs. Pupils showed a great interest for spiritual educational which encouraged the authorities to expand program to the Military Academy as well. In 2008 the Agreement on cooperation between the Committee for religious education of the Archbishopric of Belgrade-Karlovac and the Military Academy was signed.

Serbian Patriarch Meets With U.S. Ambassador

His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch met today with His Excellency Michael Kirby,  Ambassador of the United States of America in Belgrade, at the Patriarchate. 

Patronal Feast of the Ecumenical Patriarchate

On Friday, November 30, 2012, His All-Holiness presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Church of St. George for the celebration of the Patronal Feast of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on the occasion of the Feast of St. Andrew, First-Called of the Apostles. Other celebrant hierarchs included Metropolitans Geron Athanasios of Chalcedon, Apostolos of Derkoi, Gennadios of Italy, Chrysostomos of Simi, Apostolos of Militis, Joseph of Proikonnisos, Savas of Pittsburgh, Amphilochios of Kisamos and Selinos, Emmanuel of Kilkis, and Dionisios of Zakynthos.