Met. Jonah to lead Lenten retreat

His Beatitude Metropolitan Jonah will be conducting a two day lenten retreat in the Baltimore-Washington area on the topic:
Three Foundations of Orthodox Spirituality – Reaction, Resentment, and Inner Stillness
The retreat is centrally located in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area at the Orthodox Church of St. Matthew in Columbia, Maryland. The retreat begins Friday evening, March [...]

Met. Jonah addresses St. Tikhon’s seminarians

Practical, pragmatic, teaching drawing deep from the Orthodox tradition yet contexutalized to our present circumstances, particularly our interior life. This man fulfills his apostolic calling to teach and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Archbishop of Canterbury receives honorary doctorate at St. Vladimir’s Seminary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Contact: Deborah Belonick, Advancement Information Officer
St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary
914-961-8313 ext 363 / 914-961-4507 FAX deborah@svots.edu http://www.svots.edu/

[SVS Communications / Yonkers, NY] — Dr. Rowan Williams began his New York City tour this past week with duties related to his role as Archbishop of Canterbury, but [...]

Sanctity of Life Observations Encouraged by Bishop BASIL

His Grace Bishop BASIL, in his St. Raphael Clergy Brotherhood newsletter on January 8, encouraged the faithful and clergy of his Diocese to mark the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision with prayers, volunteer work with local pro-life ministries, and participation where possible in the Washington D.C. March for Life.
His Grace writes:
FRIDAY, [...]

Metropolitan Jonah offers condolences to Coptic Pope Shenouda after Christmas eve murders

SYOSSET, NY [OCA] — As widely reported in the international media, six Coptic Orthodox Christians and a Muslim security guard died in a drive-by shooting in front of the Church of Saint John in Nag Hamadi, Egypt, after services on January 6, 2010, the eve of the Great Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord [...]

Metropolitan Jonah urges faithful to join DC March for Life

WASHINGTON, DC [OCA] — Orthodox Christians everywhere — especially those within driving distance of the US capital — are being encouraged to bear witness to their faith at the annual March for Life on Friday, January 22, 2010.
His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah has issued a special invitation encouraging youth and young adults to join him in [...]

Met. Jonah: Why I signed the Manhattan Declaration

Met. Jonah explains why he signed the Manhattan Declaration. H/T Peter and Helen Evans

Interviewer: Why did you sign the Manhattan Declaration?
Met. Jonah: …I believe in the same basic principles that are enunciated in the Manhattan Declaration. I believe also that many of them are the basic teachings of the Church regarding human life and how [...]

The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience

At noon today a group of Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant leaders unveiled a document called “The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience” that affirms the traditional Christian teaching concerning abortion, homosexual marriage, and religious freedom. The Declaration asserts that these three issues (sanctity of life, the definition of marriage, and freedom of worship) are [...]

Orthodox Christian Laity – Road to Unity (Audio)

The 2009 Road to Unity conference held at Antiochian Village in October 2009. The format was “conversational” in nature with panels, questions, and interaction between the attendees. Recorded by Ancient Faith Radio.
Metropolitan Jonah – Unity in Our Time (38:10)
OCA Primate Met Jonah gives the keynote address at the OCL Road to Unity conference.
[Audio clip: [...]

More reflections on the OCL conference

Fr. Peter-Michael Preble offers more thoughts on the recent OCL conference. Fr. Peter writes:
The first point, and I said this in my sermon yesterday, is that I believe the American Orthodox Church is on the cusp of greatness. I think we are standing in the door way of a new something (I can’t seem [...]

Unraveling Chambesy — Administrative Unity In Our Time

Our canons call for there to be one bishop in one place but here in America as well as other countries of the so called “diaspora” immigration and pastoral concerns have served to violate those canons. To address this issue, the leaders and representatives of all of the autocephalous Mother Churches were convened by [...]

Orthodox Christian Faithful Meet at Unity Conference

Get info on the OCL Conference here: www.ocl.org/roadtounity
Contact: George Matsoukas, Executive Director, Orthodox Christian Laity, 877-585-0245, ocladmin@ocl.org

LIGONIER, Penn., Sept. 11 /Christian Newswire/ — Orthodox Christianity in America stands at the threshold of a new era of renewal. As the ancient faith lays down new and dynamic roots in America, new and indigenous leadership is [...]

Met. Jonah — The Necessity of Unity

At the Friday night Sept 4 first session of the Missions and Evangelism conference, OCA Primate Met Jonah makes a strong call for unity preceded in importance only by the preaching of the Gospel.
Listen here:
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
 

Church Landscape Begins to Change in North America

Ed. We tend to avoid speculation at AOI blog but this tidbit caught our eye. HT: Orthodox England.
As a result of a teleconference on 1 July, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America has divided its Washington and New York Diocese into two. This means that it has changed the title of its [...]

OCA Holy Synod reestablishes Diocese of Washington and Diocese of New York-New Jersey – Orthodox Church in America

July 2, 2009
SYOSSET, NY [OCA Communications] — On July 1, 2009, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America met via teleconference, during which they reestablished, as separate dioceses, the Diocese of Washington and the Diocese of New York-New Jersey.
Declaring the Diocese of New York-New Jersey vacant, the hierarchs appointed His Beatitude, [...]

Orthodox Church Leader Rekindles Relationship with Anglicans

Ed. Press release taken from the ACNA Anglican website. I heard from two people that the speech was excellent and will repost it here in video or text if it becomes available. I am not sure if the ACNA represents the orthodox/traditionalist wing of the Anglican Church.
The leader of the Orthodox Church in North [...]

Met. Jonah addresses the future of Orthodoxy in America

Address given at the SVS conference on Orthodoxy unity in America, June 20, 2009.
Highlight: Met. Jonah introduces into official discourse the need to de-imperialize Orthodox ecclesiology.
1917 Council and Tomos: St Tikhon’s Vision Then and Now
The Great Council of 1917, and the revival of the Russian Orthodox Church that it began, are aspects of [...]

The Road to Unity. From Vision to Action: Orthodox Christianity in America

Orthodox Christian Laity Continuing EducationLearning and Growing in Understanding Orthodox Christianity in America
The Road to UnityFrom Vision to Action: Orthodox Christianity in America
October 29-31, 2009Antiochian Village Ligonier, PA
American Orthodox Christianity is already unified in doctrine and fellowship but we are not unified as jurisdictions. Orthodox Christianity can flourish in America and our Orthodox faith can [...]

Some broad reflections on the SVS seminar

First of all, thank you to St. Vladimir Seminary, St. Andrew House, and Orthodox Christian Laity for sponsoring the webcast. Thank you to Ancient Faith Radio, and Executive Producer Dean Calvert and crew for making the webcast possible.
I saw perhaps a quarter of it. The first seminars dealt with historical themes, important and interesting [...]

Church of Russia to host Metropolitan Jonah April 25-May 4

Does the concelebration indicate tacit affirmation that the standing of Met. Jonah is equal to Met. Kirill in the eyes of the Russian Orthodox Church?
SYOSSET, NY [OCA Communications] — At the invitation of His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah will be the guest of the Church of Russia [...]

Met. Gerasimos blasts Met. Jonah for “persecuting” the Church of Constantinople

In what can only be described as a radical restructuring of an increasingly public discussion, Met. Gerasimos (GOA, San Francisco) blasts Met. Jonah (OCA) for his recent criticism of the address by Fr. Elpidophoros Lambriniadis at Holy Cross Seminary last month. In the address, Fr. Elpidophoros laid out the rationale for submission of all American [...]

“We have to stand up and make our voice heard.”

Met. Jonah of the Orthodox Church of America speaks at the 2009 March for Life.

Met Jonah: Vision for America

Rod Dreher over at Crunch Con believes the OCA has turned a corner:
Amazing. Just amazing. And prophetic. This is a national religious leader who is right for the time. Listen to it here by clicking on the “Vision for the Future” audio link. Excerpts (forgive any transcribing errors, please):
He talks about the need for Orthodox [...]