Orthodox Churches

The decisions of the Holy Synod of Ecumenical Patriarchate

The meeting of the Holy and Sacred Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which took place on Thursday and Friday, August 29 and 30, in the Holy Trinity Monastery of Halki, was concluded.

During the meeting, it was decided to discharge Archbishop Ioannis of Harioupolis from the Apostolic and Patriarchal Ecumenical Throne, personally and only to him, thereby relieving him of the responsibility of the Patriarchal Exarchate for Orthodox parishes of the Russian Tradition in Western Europe. services.

The construction of a church museum in Konitsa is on its way

One of the most important cultural projects in Epirus, which, among other things, will protect the remaining religious relics of the area, which have been looted over the past decade by sacrilegious, is considered the construction and operation of the sacristy – Museum in Konitsa by the local Metropolis.

Bishops of Serbian Orthodox Church attended celebrations in Pskov Monastery of the Caves

On August 22, 2019, with a blessing of His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, a group of Bishops and clergy of the Serbian Patriarchate made a pilgrimage to shrines in the Russian North.

The group included Bishop Irinej of Bac; Bishop Anthony of Moravici, rector of the Moscow representation of the Serbian Orthodox Church; Bishop Isihije of Mohacs, vicar of the Diocese of Bac; and Archpriest Vladan Simic, secretary of the Diocese of Bac. The guests were accompanied by Yu. Khoshev, secretariat for inter-Orthodox relations, Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations (DECR). The guests from Serbia were in Pskov on 26th and 27th of August, where they visited the shrines of the Cathedral church of Holy Trinity and saw historical sightseeings of the city. Also, the visited the monastery of the Transfiguration of the Lord and visited churches and historical places in the town of Izborsk.

Greek Church recognizes Phanar’s right to grant autocephalies, stops short of recognizing OCU

The Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church has once again delayed its decision about whether or not to recognize the so-called “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” (OCU).

Having heard the proposals of the Synodal committees on dogmatic and canonical issues and on inter-Orthodoxy and inter-Christian relations at its 3-day session this week, the Synod “recognize[d] the Ecumenical Patriarch’s canonical right to issue the status of Autocephaly,” reports Romfea.

Nizhny Novgorod’s oldest monastery celebrating 865th anniversary

The most ancient monastery of the Nizhny Novgorod Province, the St. Theodore Monastery in Gorodets, is celebrating its 865th anniversary this year. Celebrations dedicated to this significant date are being held through the end of September, reports vgoroden.ru.

The monastery is one of the oldest not only in the province, but in all of Russia, and it was here that St. Alexander Nevsky ended his days in monasticism.

In addition, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the revival of the monastery. Concerts, exhibitions, and other events are being organized by the Diocese of Gorodets on the territory of the monastery.

In particular, an exposition of the works of participants in the “Gorodets and Monastery. One History, One Life, One Destiny!” photo contest opened yesterday, and the conference, “Gorodets Historian,” dedicated to the history of the creation and revival of the monastery, will be held on September 18.

The culmination of the celebrations will be Hierarchal Liturgy with the participation of distinguished guests and friends of the diocese to be held in the St. Theodore Cathedral on September 12, the day of commemoration of the relics of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky.

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The Gorodets-St. Theodore Monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in Russia, founded in 1154 on the site of the finding of the icon of the Mother of God that was later called the Feodorovskaya.

St. Alexander Nevsky ended his days in the monastery, having taken the name Alexei in monasticism. Here also labored Prokhor of Gorodets, the teacher of St. Andrei Rublev, St. Paul of Obnora, a disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh, and St. Timon of Nadeyev, a disciple of St. Seraphim of Sarov.

In the 19th century, the monastery was an important spiritual educational center and it had several churches by that time, but was closed in 1927, and in 1934 all the buildings were transferred for use of a juvenile labor commune. The last abbot, Igumen Israel, was shot in 1937.

Subsequently, the monastery buildings housed various projects.

On April 7, 2008, the solemn laying of the foundation stone of the St. Theodore Cathedral was celebrated, and the cathedral was consecrated on September 12, 2009, the day of the transfer of the relics of St. Alexander Nevsky. Repairs and reconstruction continue on the rest of the monastery corpus.

Source: Pravoslavie.ru

Missionary work with Roma adults, children underway in Russia and Romania

The Russian and Romanian Churches are actively engaging the Roma (Gypsy) populations of their flocks in an effort to increase the level of their involvement in Church life.

The Stavropol and Nevinnomyssk Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Stavropol regional “Roma Cultural Center” have been working for several months on a project to educate the Roma in the region and to involve them more actively in the life of the Orthodox Church, reports the Stavropol Krai Committee for Nationalities and Cossacks.