Antiochian hierarchs thank Russian Church for support

(mospat.ru) - His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Great Antioch and All the East sent a message to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, in which he expressed his gratitude for the efforts that the Russian Orthodox Church makes to defend Christians in the Middle East.

In his letter, His Beatitude Patriarch John X mentioned the celebration marking the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism Russia, which was held in Moscow, Kiev and Minsk with the participation of the Primates and representatives of all Local Orthodox Churches, saying in particular, “I was… so happy to see the brothers gathering about the holy Divine Altar and praising the Author of Life, Our Lord Jesus Christ who blessed Russia and the Russian People and granted this great nation all his heavenly blessings to be a true and sincere witness of Christendom. The baptism of Russia is not only an historical event, but it is also a concrete and lived reality that all people and nations can “come and see” (John 1:46) and praise the Lord Jesus Christ.”

According to His Beatitude, “with deep feeling of respect and appreciation” he read the Statement by Heads and Representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches Assembled for the Celebration of the 1025th Anniversary of the Baptism of Russia. The main theme of the joint statement is the situation of Christians in the Middle East.

“I consider it my duty to raise an Antiochian thankful voice to support and share every word of the released statement,” Patriarch John’s letter reads. “Truly, Christians are persecuted and damaged in the Middle East, in the land of Jesus Christ. The salvation of Syria and of all the Middle East comes, as mentioned, through the logic of dialogue and peaceful political settlement. Extremism, fundamentalism and blind radicalism are the most great dangers which threaten not only the Christian presence, but the existence of the States and the peace of all the nations.”

His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Great Antioch and All the East expressed his wish to pay a brotherly visit to the Russian Orthodox Church and said in conclusion of his letter, “May Lord, Jesus Christ, the King of Peace give us His Divine Peace, grant you, the Russian Synod and the Russian People His heavenly blessings and bless the efforts of all the orthodox world to settle the peace in the Middle East and in all the world redeemed by the precious blood of our Savior.”

And also...

(mospat.ru) - His Eminence Philip (Saliba), Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America, head of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, sent a message to the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, which reads, in particular: “We monitor with gratitude your tireless efforts in support of the Christians, and all the God-fearing people of Syria.”

His Eminence Metropolitan Philip expresses his conviction that the forces responsible for stirring up the conflict in the country “have ulterior motives in mind, not the least of which is to expunge the area of Christians who have been living in that land peacefully with Muslims for many years under the secular government…”

The hierarch of the Church of Antioch thanked the Russian Church for carrying out the fund-raising campaign and sending the money collected “to help the needy, homeless and downtrodden people of Syria” who have been suffering from “the uncivil war that continues to rage.”

“Throughout history, Russia has protected the Orthodox of the Middle East in times of need and it seems history is repeating itself once again,” the letter reads. His Eminence Metropolitan Philip expressed his gratitude to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia for his support in this difficult time and asked him “to remember the victims of this barbarism” in his prayers.

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Concert scheduled to support ZOE for Life

DETROIT, MI (OCA-DMW) — The Council of Orthodox Christian Churches of Metropolitan Detroit (COCC) will sponsor a concert to benefit ZOE for Life! on Sunday, September 15, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. at Saint George Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, 18405 W. Nine Mile Road, Southfield, MI.

The concert program will consist of Orthodox hymns and songs of worship performed by the Orthodox Choir of Metropolitan Detroit conducted by Matushka Victoria Kopistiansky, artistic director.

“Orthodox parishes across Detroit reach out to help others in many ways, and the COCC is expanding these efforts through the treasure of our music to bring greater awareness of our community and mission,” said Subdeacon John E. Lazar, COCC president. “This concert allows us to extend our hands and hearts to aid those in need, and make at least a small difference through needed funds and the spirit of Christian love.”

The concert will be open to the general public free of charge. Donations will be collected to support ZOE for Life! Fellowship will follow the concert.

Directions to the cathedral are available at www.sgroc.org.

For further information please call (734) 646-6420 or send an e-mail to coccdetroit@yahoo.com.

Based near Cleveland, Ohio, ZOE for Life! is a non-profit Christ-centered support organization with three major goals: to help women in crisis pregnancy, to assist Orthodox Christian couples seeking to adopt, and to create an Orthodox Christian abstinence program to educate young people. It was endorsed by the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas. For further information, visit its web site at www.zoeforlifeonline.org

The COCC is a 56-year-old clergy and lay association that represents various canonical Orthodox churches in metropolitan Detroit and sponsors a variety of programs in the areas of worship, fellowship, charity, education and outreach. For further information, visit its web site at www.coccdetroit.com.

The Orthodox Choir is composed of volunteer singers from Orthodox parish choirs throughout metropolitan Detroit. In addition to special concerts and other selected events, the choir sings an annual series of Vespers services on the five Sundays of Orthodox Great Lent sponsored by the COCC.

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St Planton's Seminary baseball team (1916)

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UK Copts want to accept Chalcedonians by confession

(British Orthodox) - The Synod of the British Orthodox Church has submitted a recommendation to the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria (see PDF), that in the reception of those who have previously been members of churches accepting the Council of Chalcedon (including the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches) it should be by confession of faith and prayer, without any requirement for the reception of Baptism or Chrismation.

This recommendation is made on the basis that:

(1) The Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate has always received Chalcedonians by confession of faith and prayer on the clear and authoritative instruction of our holy Fathers including St Timothy, the 26th Pope of Alexandria, St Philoxenus of Mabbugh and St Severus. Even during periods of violent persecution our Orthodox Church has not deviated from this procedure.

(2) This has been consistently used as the only method of receiving Chalcedonians from the 5th century to the 19th century. Our own Coptic Orthodox Tradition shows that even Nestorians were received in such a manner.

(3) It is only in the most recent times that Catholics have been required to be baptised on their reception which is an innovation and contrary to the teaching of our holy Fathers.

(4) The development of various doctrines in the Catholic Church in later centuries is no justification for requiring the baptism of Catholics, since even Nestorians were not required to be baptised.

(5) His Holiness Pope Shenouda III of blessed memory signed an agreement with Pope Paul VI of Rome which spoke of the sacrament of baptism being present in both communities, and Bishop Gregorious, the Coptic president of the Theological Commission with the Catholics also insisted that there be mutual respect and regard for the baptism of Catholics.

(6) The Armenian, Syrian and Indian Orthodox all continue our ancient and authoritative Tradition of receiving Catholics without baptism.

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Wacky minor league giveaway offers funeral arrangements

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - For anyone who might say giving away a free funeral at a baseball game as entertainment is morbid, and crass, you would have a point.

But a guy by the name of Steve Paul would argue you’re wrong.

Wild and wacky promotions are a way of life in the world of minor league baseball, but a funeral giveaway?

That might be over the top.

The idea came from Kurt Landis the General Manager for The Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

“Teams are used to pushing the envelope and teams want to be crazy and fun,” Landis said.

But for 64-year-old Steve Paul, the funeral giveaway valued at $10,000 is a blessing.

Diagnosed with ALS in June, the Lehigh Valley man entered an essay contest with the IronPigs to win, knowing his disease is fatal and irreversible.

“For a person who is not looking at their own mortality, yes it would be morbid. For a person who is trying to find some sort of peace and some sort of direction knowing what lies ahead, it is very comforting,” Paul said.

The funeral giveaway at the ballpark includes a headstone, casket, flowers and a memorial service.

The idea was tough to take for his daughter.

“It’s shaken my world, it has shaken the rest of my family’s world. This is one less thing that we have to worry about,” Robyn Paul said.

And when the IronPigs announced Paul was the recipient of the free funeral on the field Tuesday night, he was greeted with a standing ovation.

For his remaining days, Paul has been relieved of the burden of leaving his family to pay for his funeral.

“I am so happy. I am ecstatic,” Paul said.

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Snagov Monastery, purported burial place of Vlad the Impaler

(Atlas Obscura) - On a tiny island in a lake just outside of Bucharest stands Snagov Monastery which local tradition states is the burial place of Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Originally founded in the 14th century and later excavated in 1933, the monastery is a seemingly simple place of worship taking advantage of the calm its water-locked isolation brings. However the story goes that after his notoriously cruel lifetime, Vlad Tepes III was buried in the church as per his request prior to his death. A number of archeologists and historians have worked to verify whether this tale is fact or simple apocrypha and none have been able to prove that the dictator was ever laid to rest on the island. After having dug up some of the site's burial stones all that was found were a mix of horse and human bones, but nothing that confirms the possible Dracula's interment.

Most historians now believe that the Prince of Wallachia was buried in a monastery in the Comana area, but this has not stopped the locals from spreading the spurious myth. A foot bridge has been built to the island and visitors are encouraged to stop by the Snagov Monastery and view the supposed grave, however the caretakers now charge anyone who wants to take pictures. The Romanian government even began plans to capitalize on the church's unverifiable history by building an amusement park in Snagov called, "Dracula Park" although development was mercifully canceled in 2006.

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The blessing of grapes in the Armenian Church

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