Archimandrite Irenaios Avramides Elected as Auxiliary Bishop of France

At the proposal of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, unanimously elected Archimandrite Irenaios Avramides of the Metropolis of France as its new Auxiliary Bishop to serve under His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of France with the title Bishop of Rhegion.

At the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the 13th of January, 2015
From the Chief Secretariat of the Holy and Sacred Synod

Source: OCP

The Celebration of Theophany – The Blessing of the Holy Water in Albania 2015

The Celebration of Theophany – The Blessing of the Holy Water in Albania 2015
The Celebration of Theophany – The Blessing of the Holy Water in Albania 2015
The Celebration of Theophany – The Blessing of the Holy Water in Albania 2015
The Celebration of Theophany – The Blessing of the Holy Water in Albania 2015

A celebration full of light of the Holy Water, despite the low temperatures -

Theophany, the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ in the baptism in the Jordan, is the feast of the renewal of all the creation. Therefore it was celebrated joyously and full of light by the Orthodox believers throughout our country, despite the very low temperatures.

Elder Paisios Canonized by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople

Elder Paisios has been canonized on Tuesday by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople as he was unanimously accepted by the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church. As reported by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, he is now Saint Paisios and is added in the Greek Orthodox Church Hagiology. Saint Paisios the Athonite was born Arsenios Eznepidis in July 1924, in Farasa Cappadocia and passed away in July 1994. He was a Greek monk who became widely known for his life and prophecies. His father was called Prodromos and his mother Evlampia. He had eight siblings. On August 7, 1924, a week before the Greeks of Farasa returned to the homeland, he was baptized by the parish priest, Arsenios, whom the Orthodox Church recognized as a saint. Arsenios insisted and gave him his name “to leave a monk in his place,” as he said.

Metropolitan Hilarion takes part in the opening of 5th Christmas Festival of Religious Music in Moscow

On 9 January 2015, the 5th Christmas Festival of Religious Music opened at the International House of Music in Moscow. Mr. Vladimir Spivakov, President of the Moscow International House of Music, and Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, act as artistic directors of the Festival.

Patriarch Kirill celebrates Great Vespers on Christmas Day in Church of Christ the Saviour

 In the evening of the Day of the Nativity of Christ, January the 7th, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia celebrated Great Vespers at the Cathedral Church of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.