Who’s Who of The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete

Canon of St. Andrew of Crete available here.

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(Pravmir) - As we approach Great Lent, the time given to us specifically for repentance, the Church gives us a whole host of images to help us. St. John of Kronstadt teaches that:

“Imagery or symbols are a necessity of human nature in our presently spiritually sensual condition; they explain [by the vision] many things belonging to the spiritual world which we could not know without images and symbols.”

We need pictures to help us think, to help us digest and understand the truths given to us. What St. Andrew of Crete does in the Great Canon written by him, is to being to remembrance many characters of the Old Testament and a few from the New Testament. In earlier times, people knew the scriptures much more than we do. Mention a name like Korah, Datham, Hophni or Phinehas and many people would be able to tell you all about them. When they heard these names in St. Andrew’s canon, they had the opportunity to be struck in the heart and brought to repentance. Unfortunately we are not that scripturally literate so the names can just fly by and not mean anything to us. We could be virtually untouched by the canon. The reason for this talk is to at least start us on the way to knowing to whom St. Andrew is referring.

However, we need to do more than simply know who all those people are. We need to take the canon personally. Their sins and failings are our sins and failings. That St. Andrew expects us to approach the canon personally is clear from the way he writes it...

Complete article here.

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Notes from OCA synodal spring session

(OCA) - The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America held its spring session at the Chancery here Tuesday through Thursday, March 12-14, 2013.

In addition to His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, who chaired the sessions, other members of the Holy Synod in attendance were His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel; His Eminence, Archbishop Nikon; His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin; His Eminence, Archbishop Alejo; His Grace, Bishop Melchisedek; His Grace, Bishop Michael; His Grace, Bishop Alexander; His Grace, Bishop Mark; and His Grace, Bishop Irenee.

“It has been a little over a month since my enthronement in Washington, DC on January 27, and this report will serve as my monthly review for that time period,” said Metropolitan Tikhon in his opening address. “It is still my hope to provide my brother bishops with regular updates on the most crucial matters affecting the Orthodox Church in America in order to increase our level of communication and reduce the amount of time needed to review matters when we meet. In my first address to the Church, I stated that I had ‘no agenda other than that given to the Holy Apostles, no vision other than that set forth in the Holy Gospels, in the writings of the Fathers and in the decisions of the holy and sacred councils.’ I am nevertheless conscious of the high expectations that are placed on the office of the Primate and that these expectations fall to every one of us on the Holy Synod.”

Highlights of the session, according to Archpriest Eric G. Tosi, OCA Secretary, include the following.

• Each diocesan bishop offered an update on the activities of his respective diocese. The Holy Synod discussed vacancies throughout the OCA and the possible assignments of seminarians from Saint Herman’s, Saint Tikhon’s, and Saint Vladimir’s Seminaries.
• Archpriest John Jillions, OCA Chancellor, reported on financial structures within the OCA. Various means of stewardship and ways to revitalize voluntary giving to the Church were discussed. Father John also introduced the newly appointed Coordinator of the Office for Review of Sexual Misconduct Allegations, Cindy Davis.
• In response to Father Tosi’s Secretary report, the Holy Synod approved the recommendation of the Metropolitan Council to reschedule the 18th All-American Council [AAC] from 2014 to July 2015. A provisional Pre-Conciliar Commission [PCC] has been appointed. Among the locations being considered by the PCC are Detroit, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Denver. The Holy Synod directed that there be a youth fellowship component included in the AAC schedule. It is anticipated that the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America will host its convention concurrently. There will be extensive work prior to the Council on finance and Statute revisions. The Holy Synod also considered ways in which the All-American Council will operate to ensure the efficient and productive use of the limited time available for plenary sessions.
• OCA Treasurer Melanie Ringa presented a detailed financial report. Ms. Ringa advised the hierarchs on the recent meeting of diocesan chancellors and treasurers. Her report will be available and posted on the OCA web site in the coming days.
• Archpriest Leonid Kishkovsky, Director of External Affairs, reported on developments among the Orthodox Churches worldwide.
• The Holy Synod reviewed the work of all departments, and in particular, received a presentation on the Department of Continuing Education by department chair, Archpriest Ian Pac-Urar. The recently formed department is overseeing the required 20 hours of continuing education program mandated for each bishop, priest and deacon and assisting in coordinating the program with each diocesan bishop. This new obligation is not a point to be ignored. It's a new financial obligation for the clergy and not one it should be assumed the parish will pay for.
• The Guidelines for the Ordination, Appointment, and Transfer of Clergy, presented by the Board of Theological Education, were approved with editorial changes, while candidates for ordination to the diaconate through the Diaconal Vocations Program were reviewed and recommendations were approved.
• The Holy Synod reviewed the revised Policies, Standards and Procedures on Sexual Misconduct and sent back recommendations for editorial changes and further clarification.
• Clergy awards were discussed and approved.
• The Holy Synod reviewed its Charter for the Sexual Misconduct Policy Advisory Committee.
• A committee was appointed to review texts for prayers and services for departed pre-born and stillborn children. It will be headed by Archbishop Benjamin and will include a liturgical theologian, a canon lawyer, and a mother. Fabulous news. I hope this gets taken up by the Assembly of Bishops itself as a pan-Orthodox effort.
• The Holy Synod reviewed its upcoming calendar for the remainder of 2013 and set dates for meetings, retreats, and other special events. There will be a Holy Synod retreat in the summer of 2013. The hierarchs will attend the fourth annual Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in North and Central America, September 17-19, 2013.
• The fall meeting of the Metropolitan Council and Lesser Synod will take place September 23-26, 2013, while the fall meeting of the Holy Synod will convene October 15-17.
• The Holy Synod approved Metropolitan Tikhon’s proposal that he and the Chancellor, Father Jillions, represent the OCA at the inauguration of Pope Francis in Rome on Tuesday, March 19. It was noted that the OCA had been represented by a bishop and priest at the inauguration of each new Pope since 1970. The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity is organizing the participation of official delegations. [Additional information will be posted at oca.org as it is received.] Rather large waves were made when it was announced that Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople would be in attendance. I expect similar vigorous discussion on the OCA's participation.

A photo gallery may be accessed on the OCA web site here and OCA Facebook page here.

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Want some Lenten resources?

Frederica Mathewes-Green to the rescue. See here at the Lenten Resource Center.

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School of Liturgical Chant launched in Chicago

(Holy Resurrection Cathedral) - Holy Resurrection Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Chicago is set to launch a School of Liturgical Chant drawing from the Serbian Octoechos (Osmoglasnik) and hymnography of the Zbornik - an Anthology of Church hymns, the Cathedral clergy announced today. The School will be open to all interested parishioners with classes and practices to be held on Mondays at 7PM starting on March 18th.

“Participating in church life bears gifts several times over and one of these is the gift of chanting,” explains Jovan Anicic, the Cathedral cantor who will be leading the School. “St. John Chrysostom emphasizes the beauty of the human voice in glorifying the Lord and, according to him, there is no musical instrument whose sound can even be compared to the human voice.”

“Above all liturgical chant has an educational character,” Anicic continues, “as the Apostle says: let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Col 3:16).”

Orthodox Christian divine services are meant to be dynamic and participatory prayerful offerings, a true concelebration of the ordained clergy and gathered people, and basic training in liturgical chant and the Octoechos cycle will enhance the ability of parishioners to experience the depth and beauty of these services which are central to the Faith handed down to our community from our ancestors, the Church Fathers and Apostles.

“While singing experience isn’t necessary, it is helpful along with the ability to recognize European notations and Church Slavonic,” says Anicic explaining some basic prerequisites for liturgical chanting, adding that “the vocal abilities of the lay people interested in church singing are highly important.”

Father Darko Spasojevic, Cathedral dean, welcomed the establishment of the chanting school and beginning of classes. “Teaching people to actively participate in divine services through praise and song is an excellent undertaking and something that most parishes lack,” he said.

Born in Zadar, Dalmatia, Jovan Anicic stems from a priestly family and completed his theological formation at the Saint Sava Seminary and the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade, in addition to completing the Josip Slavenski Music School prior to obtaining his Master’s degree at the Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome, Italy. Anicic is currently completing his doctoral studies at the University of Thessaloniki, and is a faculty member at the St. Sava School of Theology in Libertyville, after spending time as a researcher at Notre Dame University in Indiana. He is married to Milica Anicic from our Cathedral community who serves as director of the Junior Brankies Children’s Choir at Holy Resurrection Cathedral.

For more information about the School of Liturgical Chanting, please contact Jovan Anicic at jovan_anicic@hotmail.com or 312-659-4723.

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Ecumenical Patriarch to attend papal inaugural mass

Constantinople (AsiaNews) - The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I will attend Pope Francis's inaugural Mass. The Ecumenical Patriarchate Press Office informed AsiaNews about the decision, noting that this is the first time such an event occurs since the Catholic-Orthodox split in 1054, an important sign for Christian unity. The attendance of the Archbishop of Constantinople at a papal enthronement was rare even before the schism.

The ecumenical patriarch will be accompanied by Ioannis Zizioulas, metropolitan of Pergamon and co-president of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Church, as well as Tarassios, Orthodox Metropolitan of Argentina, and Gennadios, Orthodox Metropolitan of Italy.

Relations between Catholics and Orthodox have been improving since the Second Vatican Council through mutual visits, acts of friendship and theological dialogue.

Under Benedict XVI, the dialogue picked up in earnest after a lull. In trying to promote it, the pope suggested ways to express the primacy of Peter's successor that could be acceptable to the Orthodox, finding his inspiration from the undivided Church of the first millennium.

Catholic ecumenism has met however with great resistance from the Russian Orthodox Church and the Moscow Patriarchate, seat of the 'Third Rome'.

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church's Department for External Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, said on Thursday that a meeting between the pope and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow was "possible but the place and timing will depend on how quickly we will overcome the consequences of the conflicts from the turn of 1980s and 1990s".

The issue of the Ukrainian Catholic Church is at the core of the "conflicts" to which Hilarion was referring. Although it was unbanned following the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was left without its original churches, which had been seized by the Communists under Soviet rule and later transferred to the Orthodox Church.

Still, "on several occasions, Pope Francis has shown spiritual sympathy towards the Orthodox Church and a desire for closer contacts," Hilarion said.

It is his hope that under the new pontificate "relations of alliance will develop and that our ties will be strengthened."

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Is rejection of same-sex relationships Orthodox?

From the blog Mysterion, the first in a multi-part series on the question "How do we know that the rejection of same-sex relationships is Orthodox?"

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The following is part of a correspondence with a friend of mine, who asked that I refer to him by his baptismal name: Basil. The question originally asked was, "How do we know that the rejection of same-sex relationships is Orthodox?" I hope to publish further portions of my responses in the next few weeks.

Dear Basil:

I apologize in advance for the length of this email. I also apologize for the time it has taken me to respond to your original email. I delayed for a couple of reasons. First and most obviously, the questions you asked are significant and deserved a measure of consideration before I could offer a suitable response. Second, I cannot escape the feeling that the standard responses to these questions, which we typically see in a wide variety of Orthodox apologetic literature—sermons, articles, podcasts, books, retreats, and even hierarchical epistles—are somehow threadbare and inadequate, if not for Orthodox insiders, then certainly for the people of our generation outside the Church to whom we are trying to give an answer for the hope that lies within us.

If our audience lay within the Church, or if this were another time in history, I might find a response easier. If you asked at that time, “How do we know that the rejection of same-sex relationships is Orthodox?” I might first appeal to custom and say that the Orthodox Church rejects same-sex relationships because it has always done so. This answer may well satisfy the insiders; in a more conservative time, it may also have satisfied non-Christians who valued conformity, duty and honour to a given cultural tradition. However, our contemporary society, particularly in the West but rapidly on a global level, no longer upholds such values. Perhaps we have witnessed too many historical instances in which cultural conformity, duty and honour have produced nothing but violence, death and destruction. Even as an Orthodox Christian, I see some of my fellow Orthodox devoting themselves to slavish obedience over practices and teachings that are trivial at best and destructive at worst. Even if I were to appeal to custom in answering your question, I might well be reminded of the words of St. Cyprian of Carthage, “Custom without truth is merely the antiquity of error.”

Perhaps I might appeal to Scripture and the teachings of the Fathers to bolster my argument from custom. I could point to the various verses that you mentioned in your first email, the strictures (supposedly against same-sex relationships) from the Old and New Testaments. I might dredge the sayings and writings of the Fathers for quotes that supported the ongoing practice of the Church. Again, if you were already convinced of the matter, no doubt this scriptural and patristic evidence would suffice. If you spent some time considering these texts, though, you might find yourself increasingly troubled. In your first email, you correctly pointed out the problems involved with using scriptural verses to legislate on our contemporary situation. Scriptural proof-texting, even at its most sophisticated, is not sufficiently compelling to a postmodern generation that tends to be suspicious of any attempt to assign texts of any sort, let alone Scripture, with inherent objective authority. To put it simply, if I were to answer your question, “How do we know…?” by saying, “Because it is in the Book,” you might be convinced, but no one else would be...

Complete post here.

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Antioch and Jerusalem at odds over Qatar

(The Daily Star) - Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X Yazigi said Wednesday the church could not sanction the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem’s decision to establish a new diocese in Qatar.

Yazigi said in a statement the move violated the laws of the All-Orthodox Church, “because it required the approval of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and Qatar lies in its territory.”

The decision was a “a direct intervention into the affairs of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch,” the statement added.

The official decision of the Patriarchate of Antioch

(Notes on Arab Orthodoxy) - Statement issued by the Holy Synod of Antioch

March 13, 2013

The Fathers of the Holy Synod of Antioch held a meeting on Wednesday, March 13, 2013, in the Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand. The meeting was chaired by His Beatitude Patriarch JOHN X. The Fathers discussed the situation arising from the election of Archimandrite Makarios by the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem as the “Archbishop of Qatar”, on March 4, 2013. This election is against the Ecclesiastical Canons of the Orthodox Catholic Church. After deliberations and the approval of the Holy Synod Fathers in the Mother lands and abroad (Diaspora), the following statement was issued to be distributed to all the faithful and to all the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches.

The Statement

In the midst of much suffering and pain that our region is going through, His Beatitude Patriarch JOHN X convened the bishops of the Holy Antiochian See in the region and deliberated with the bishops who are abroad (Diaspora) about the hurt that has been caused by the election of Archimandrite Makarios as “Archbishop of Qatar” by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. His Beatitude began the meeting by sharing all the steps that he made as soon as he knew about the issue through the media. After discussing the matter with all the bishops of the Antiochian Holy Synod, His Beatitude sent a verbal message to His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem and His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch. He then sent a written letter to both primates expressing surprise “regarding the decision of the Holy Synod of Jerusalem to elevate the priest sent to Doha city to the office of the episcopate, giving him the title of the ‘Archbishop of Qatar.’ This has been without any contact with the Antiochian Patriarchate. Qatar falls within the geographical jurisdiction of Antioch. It is the lawful prerogative of Antioch to appoint a bishop to that land, especially since we have a canonical Metropolitan ruling all the Arab Gulf countries, His Eminence Metropolitan Constantine.” His Beatitude pleaded for a reconsideration of this decision, asking “not to allow this episcopal consecration to occur since our Antiochian Apostolic See cannot accept any bishop in its territory, coming from outside its canonical jurisdiction.” He also expressed that, “Our hearts are wide open to meet with you and deal with this subject, and all other matters, fraternally in Christ’s spirit Who alone unites us.”

Since His Beatitude Patriarch JOHN X did not receive any reply to either of his letters, he later on sent a copy of the abovementioned letter to the primates of all the Orthodox Autocephalous Churches. Despite these brotherly efforts and fraternal approach, the consecration of Archimandrite Makarios occurred on Sunday, March 10, 2013.

The Holy Fathers affirmed all the efforts undertaken by His Beatitude and declared unanimously the following position:

1- The decision of the Jerusalem Patriarchate to establish an Archbishopric on a territory which belongs to the Holy Synod of Antioch is, without question, an illegal interference from the Jerusalem Patriarchate in the territorial jurisdiction of the Antiochian Church, thus breaking the ecclesiastical canons that regulate the relationship among Orthodox Churches.

On the other hand, the Orthodox parish in Doha, Qatar, is composed of Orthodox faithful from various nationalities. We are grateful that Archimandrite Makarios provided all necessary pastoral care to this particular parish, but it was a temporary arrangement to facilitate this pastoral activity, no more and no less. This pastoral arrangement cannot be taken as giving any ecclesiastical privilege, of any sort, to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem or to any other Orthodox Church. Again, the Arab Gulf falls under the canonical and ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East.

The Antiochian Church refuses to accept the action taken by the Jerusalem Patriarchate, and will not recognize any bishop on the territory of the country of Qatar outside the authority of the Antiochian Apostolic See, and asks that the Patriarchate of Jerusalem should resolve his matter as soon as possible. The Antiochian Church hopes not to have to take a stand leading to the breaking of communion with the Jerusalem Patriarchate. She also hopes not to have to reconsider the principles governing the Orthodox Church relations and the Geneva agreements which have been set by the preparatory committees of the upcoming Great and Holy Orthodox Synod, especially those dealing with the Orthodox worldwide(Diaspora).

2- The situation which Christians are enduring today encourages us to set aside all that threatens the unity of the faithful and their common witness. The Arab Christians are called to strengthen their intercommunication in order to face the great challenges that threaten their countries, so that they might be the yeast leavening peace and fraternity. The Antiochian Church is aware of Her historic and leading role in the region and elsewhere and will persevere in that role.

3- The continuous disregard of the situation on the ground caused by the consecration of the Archimandrite Makarios as the Archbishop of Qatar will make it inevitable for the Church of Antioch to take certain actions which She is trying to avoid on account of the love that ought to govern the relationship among the Orthodox Churches. Since Love is “patient and kind” (1 Cor. 13:4), and in order to open the way for peaceful efforts to resolve the issues and return them to their natural and canonical state, the Church of Antioch is planning to intensify Her efforts with the Sister Churches in order to explain Her position and work on unifying Her work in facing all the dangers that are threatening the Orthodox Catholic Church.

Issued at the Patriarchal Residence in Balamand March 13, 2013


Issued on March 13, 2013

The Holy Synod of Antioch took the decision to forbid Archimandrite Makarios from performing any ecclesiastical service throughout the canonical territory of the Antiochian See, whether in the mother lands of the Patriarchate of Antioch (including Qatar), or abroad (Diaspora), since he was consecrated a bishop by the Holy Synod of Jerusalem for a territory belonging to the Church of Antioch, taking the title of Archbishop of Qatar. The Holy Synod of Antioch will inform the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, all the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, and the Antiochian clergy and faithful about this decision.

Secretary of the Holy Synod

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