On 19 January 2019,His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople celebrated the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy,Blessing of the Waters and Diving for the Cross on Old Calendar Epiphany at Triglia (Tirilye,Turkey) in Proussos (Bursa Province),Asia Minor.It was the first ever Patriarchal service in Triglia and the first Diving for the Cross held there since 1922.The liturgy was held in the restored Church of St.Basil,part of the community centre in Triglia.
Concelebrating the historic day were His Eminence Metropolitan Elpidoforos of Bursa and His Grace Bishop Adrianos of Alikarnassos,Crete.*
In addition to the hierarchs,several diplomats from Greece,Ukraine and Bulgaria attended the services,as well as archons,clerics and monks from the Great Church of Christ in Constantinople;representatives of the Municipality of Rufina (Attica,Greece);presidents and members of the Triglia heritage associations;plus Orthodox Christians from Istanbul and elsewhere in Bursa.
The Prefecture of Bursa granted a permit for the observances.Mayor Hayri Turkyilmaz of Mudanya and other local officials attended the Diving for the Cross.A local marching band processed to the Triglia town square for the Blessing of the Waters/Diving for the Cross at the Sea of Marmara.Young people from the greater Triglia area and Ukraine dove for the cross.*
Metropolitan Elpidoforos pointed out that:
In this action and in this spirit of the Patriarch,we owe,among other things,the climate of confidence that has been established so that it is possible to revive,step by step,the sacred Metropolises that had been deserted after the population exchanges of 1923.*
The Orthodox Church of Crete is part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Showing posts with label Crete. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crete. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Johannesburg:Patriarch of Alexandria Visits First Women's Monastery in South Africa
His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa arrived in South Africa on 19 January 2018 for a momentous pastoral visit,encompassing the 50th anniversary celebration of the Metropolis of Good Hope (1968-2018) and missionary journeys to Namibia and Zambia.*
On the first afternoon of his spiritual sojourn,His Beatitude visited the new Monastery of Sts.Nicholas of Myra,Nekatarios of Aegina and Paisios of Mt.Athos.It is the first Orthodox monastery for women in South Africa.Founded by His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim,currently of Zimbabwe and Angola,and under the spiritual guidance of the Very Rev.Archimandrite Apostolos (Apostolakis),who has also founded women's monasteries in Kenya and Tanzania,there are five nuns in the fledgling sisterhood.
Accompanying Patriarch Theodoros to the Monastery were His Eminence Metropolitan Damaskinos of Johannesburg and Pretoria;His Grace Bishop Nikodemos of Nitria;the Reverend Protopresbyter Athenodoros Papaevripiadis,Exarch of the Patriarchate of Alexandria to Cyprus;His Excellency Mr.Eleftherios Kouvaritakis,Ambassador of Greece to South Africa and the Honourable Consul General of Greece Mr.Ioannis Hatzandonakis,both of Crete,and several other dignitaries.*
Following Vespers,His Beatitude enthroned as the first Abbess of the Monastery Nun Orthodoxia,herself a native of Crete.Patriarch Therodoros observed that:
Monasticism is not a contempt of the world;but a challenge for reform in Christ,for transfiguration and its salvation.In days to come,the Monastery will be a point of attraction for many young and spiritual people from South Africa and missions in general,who will come to know the ideals of Orthodox Monasticism,contributing to their promotion in the field of African Orthodoxy and becoming a vital and hopeful presence for contemporary humanity.*
The Monastery is located on a verdant hill,in the quiet and scenic haven of Hartbeespoort,about an hour from Johannesburg.*
Afterwards,His Beatitude celebrated the anniversary with the clergy and laity,many of them being of Greek descent,of the Metropolis of Good Hope,including His Eminence Metropolitan Sergios of the Cape of Good Hope.The Patriarch emphasised that it is essential to pass on the Hellenic heritage,the Greek language and culture,to the children.
His Beatitude also visited and blessed some missionary centres in the Capetown area,where both Greek and South African flags were proudly displayed.
On the first afternoon of his spiritual sojourn,His Beatitude visited the new Monastery of Sts.Nicholas of Myra,Nekatarios of Aegina and Paisios of Mt.Athos.It is the first Orthodox monastery for women in South Africa.Founded by His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim,currently of Zimbabwe and Angola,and under the spiritual guidance of the Very Rev.Archimandrite Apostolos (Apostolakis),who has also founded women's monasteries in Kenya and Tanzania,there are five nuns in the fledgling sisterhood.
Accompanying Patriarch Theodoros to the Monastery were His Eminence Metropolitan Damaskinos of Johannesburg and Pretoria;His Grace Bishop Nikodemos of Nitria;the Reverend Protopresbyter Athenodoros Papaevripiadis,Exarch of the Patriarchate of Alexandria to Cyprus;His Excellency Mr.Eleftherios Kouvaritakis,Ambassador of Greece to South Africa and the Honourable Consul General of Greece Mr.Ioannis Hatzandonakis,both of Crete,and several other dignitaries.*
Following Vespers,His Beatitude enthroned as the first Abbess of the Monastery Nun Orthodoxia,herself a native of Crete.Patriarch Therodoros observed that:
Monasticism is not a contempt of the world;but a challenge for reform in Christ,for transfiguration and its salvation.In days to come,the Monastery will be a point of attraction for many young and spiritual people from South Africa and missions in general,who will come to know the ideals of Orthodox Monasticism,contributing to their promotion in the field of African Orthodoxy and becoming a vital and hopeful presence for contemporary humanity.*
The Monastery is located on a verdant hill,in the quiet and scenic haven of Hartbeespoort,about an hour from Johannesburg.*
Afterwards,His Beatitude celebrated the anniversary with the clergy and laity,many of them being of Greek descent,of the Metropolis of Good Hope,including His Eminence Metropolitan Sergios of the Cape of Good Hope.The Patriarch emphasised that it is essential to pass on the Hellenic heritage,the Greek language and culture,to the children.
His Beatitude also visited and blessed some missionary centres in the Capetown area,where both Greek and South African flags were proudly displayed.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
What's Happening Inside the Holy and Great Council:Day 3
On Wednesday,22 June 2016,the third day of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church began with a Divine Liturgy presided by His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia at the Sacred Patriarchal and Stavropegial Monastery of Gonia in Kolymvari,Crete.Then the heirarchs held the sixth through eighth sessions of the Council,according to the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Press Release.
Session VI:The heirarchs continued their discussion of the Orthodox Diaspora.
Session VII:They focused on Autonomy and the Means by which it is Declared.
Session VIII:They reviewed The Importance of Fasting and its Observance Today.*
After extensive discussion,various suggestions and clarifications were proposed by the Primates and by individual heirarchs of the local Autocephalous Orthodox Churches.It is expected that revised texts that have been accepted by the Council will be signed shortly.*
The Council meetings will continue through 25 June and it will conclude with a Divine Liturgy on 26 June.
A constructive and irenic tone is reportedly prevailing in the sessions.The Patriarchate of Serbia has dismissed the notion that it would walk out of the Council.It can safely be said that the worst fears of those who failed to attend this historic week in the life of the Church are not being realised.
Session VI:The heirarchs continued their discussion of the Orthodox Diaspora.
Session VII:They focused on Autonomy and the Means by which it is Declared.
Session VIII:They reviewed The Importance of Fasting and its Observance Today.*
After extensive discussion,various suggestions and clarifications were proposed by the Primates and by individual heirarchs of the local Autocephalous Orthodox Churches.It is expected that revised texts that have been accepted by the Council will be signed shortly.*
The Council meetings will continue through 25 June and it will conclude with a Divine Liturgy on 26 June.
A constructive and irenic tone is reportedly prevailing in the sessions.The Patriarchate of Serbia has dismissed the notion that it would walk out of the Council.It can safely be said that the worst fears of those who failed to attend this historic week in the life of the Church are not being realised.
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Pan-Orthodox Council Begins Tomorrow as Scheduled
On the eve of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church in Chania,Crete,the Ecumenical Patriarchate continues to insist it will begin with the Orthros and Divine Liturgy of Pentecost on Sunday morning 19 June 2016;and that its decisions will be binding on all Orthodox Christians,regardless of whether their Primates and delegations are present or not.Four Churches,those of Antioch,Russia,Georgia and Bulgaria,have suddenly reversed their course of more than two years and now decline to attend.They express an odd assortment of concerns,from seating arrangements to the way the Council was prepared.*
Because all 14 Primates and their Churches approved by consensus of the convening of the Council and promised to attend it as early as March 2014,their withdrawal,though painful to those who are attending,does not change the Pan-Orthodox validity of the Council or the Pan-Orthodox authority of its decisions,said Very Rev.Dr.John Chryssavgis,Archdeacon of the Ecumenical Throne.*
Although some Church leaders from certain regions are absent,Eastern Europe is still represented by His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia;His Holiness Patriarch Daniel of Romania;His Beatitude Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland;and His Beatitude Metropolitan Rastislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia and their delegations;while the Middle East and Africa are still represented by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and All Palestine and His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa and their delegations.Hundreds of bishops and academics from all over the world will still be fully and vigorously participating in the prayerful deliberations of the historic event.More than 1,000 Orthodox Scholars from across the Orthodox Churches,including all the Churches that withdrew from the Council,have signed a petition urging full attendance of the event.
Because all 14 Primates and their Churches approved by consensus of the convening of the Council and promised to attend it as early as March 2014,their withdrawal,though painful to those who are attending,does not change the Pan-Orthodox validity of the Council or the Pan-Orthodox authority of its decisions,said Very Rev.Dr.John Chryssavgis,Archdeacon of the Ecumenical Throne.*
Although some Church leaders from certain regions are absent,Eastern Europe is still represented by His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia;His Holiness Patriarch Daniel of Romania;His Beatitude Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland;and His Beatitude Metropolitan Rastislav of the Czech Lands and Slovakia and their delegations;while the Middle East and Africa are still represented by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and All Palestine and His Beatitude Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria and All Africa and their delegations.Hundreds of bishops and academics from all over the world will still be fully and vigorously participating in the prayerful deliberations of the historic event.More than 1,000 Orthodox Scholars from across the Orthodox Churches,including all the Churches that withdrew from the Council,have signed a petition urging full attendance of the event.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Chania,Crete To Host Pan-Orthodox Council
It has been decided by the preparatory meeting of the Primates and Delegations of the 14 autocephalous Orthodox Churches in Chambesy,Switzerland that the Orthodox Academy of Crete in Chania will be the site of the Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church from 16-27 June 2016.The Orthodox Academy is a conference center with tasteful modern architecture and only a short walk from the sea.It is next to the 17th century Gonia Monastery and a ten minute walk from the fishing village of Kolympari.
Chania,the second largest city on the Greek island of Crete,is the capital of Chania prefecture and 39 kilometers from an international airport.*
On Pentecost Sunday,19 June,the Panegyrical Divine Liturgy will be concelebrated by His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew and the Primates in the Cathedral Church of St.Menas in Herakleion.*
In his address to the meeting,His Beatitude Theophilos III,Patriarch of Jerusalem and All Palestine,said in Greek that the purpose of Our Synaxis is truly holy and sacred,the completion of the work that was commenced a long time ago by Our Fathers,namely the study,review and resolution of vital issues and problems facing Our Flocks and Our fellow human beings across the world.
Therefore,Our Synaxis provides testament to Our unity in Christ "through the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4,30) and consolation to Christians,persecuted in the Middle East and other parts of the world,as well as moral strengthening for contemporary man,tested and tortured by political disunity and divisions,by the economic and moral crisis and by arbitrary and unprecedented hideous crimes against innocent souls.
Therefore,placing Our trust in the education,construction and salvation of the souls of Our rational flocks,we have by the Lord Himself the authority,in the upcoming Great Pan-Orthodox Synaxis,arranged by the Synaxis of the Primates in Constantinople in March 2014,to rule on the issues that have been unanimously agreed upon and on those on which unanimity has not been reached,and assign them for further study and resolution,His Beatitude noted.
Chania,the second largest city on the Greek island of Crete,is the capital of Chania prefecture and 39 kilometers from an international airport.*
On Pentecost Sunday,19 June,the Panegyrical Divine Liturgy will be concelebrated by His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew and the Primates in the Cathedral Church of St.Menas in Herakleion.*
In his address to the meeting,His Beatitude Theophilos III,Patriarch of Jerusalem and All Palestine,said in Greek that the purpose of Our Synaxis is truly holy and sacred,the completion of the work that was commenced a long time ago by Our Fathers,namely the study,review and resolution of vital issues and problems facing Our Flocks and Our fellow human beings across the world.
Therefore,Our Synaxis provides testament to Our unity in Christ "through the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4,30) and consolation to Christians,persecuted in the Middle East and other parts of the world,as well as moral strengthening for contemporary man,tested and tortured by political disunity and divisions,by the economic and moral crisis and by arbitrary and unprecedented hideous crimes against innocent souls.
Therefore,placing Our trust in the education,construction and salvation of the souls of Our rational flocks,we have by the Lord Himself the authority,in the upcoming Great Pan-Orthodox Synaxis,arranged by the Synaxis of the Primates in Constantinople in March 2014,to rule on the issues that have been unanimously agreed upon and on those on which unanimity has not been reached,and assign them for further study and resolution,His Beatitude noted.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Pan-Orthodox Council Moved From Constantinople,Preparatory Meeting Decides
At the ongoing preparatory meeting for the Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church in Chambesy,Switzerland,a major decision has already been made.The Council,planned for June 2016,has been moved from Constantinople (Istanbul) to the Greek island of Crete.This is to accommodate the position of the Russian Orthodox Church,largest of the 14 autocephalous Orthodox Churches,which would not be able to attend a council in Turkey because of the current poor state of relations between Russia and Turkey.*
In other developments,His Holiness Patriarch Daniel of Romania said in an address to the meeting that he would like to see Pan-Orthodox synods held regularly every five,seven or ten years in order to deal with issues that weren't resolved at a previous synod,or to deal with new problems facing the Church,such as the current refugee crisis in Europe.*
In his address to the meeting,His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said that the Holy and Great Council is called to become a visible,clear and convincing testimony to the unity of the Orthodox Church.And we realise that the Council can become such only if it reflects the true unanimity of the Local Orthodox Churches.It is for the sake of this unanimity that we all are to work hard together in the pre-Council period.
The unresolved topics are not due to real disagreements among the Local Orthodox Churches,His Holiness stated,but to the flawed methodology of the pre-conciliar process.*
The preparatory meeting is being held at the Orthodox Centre of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambesy,Geneva canton,Switzerland and runs through 28 January.Sunday Divine Liturgy was held in the Centre's Church of St.Paul and was concelebrated by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Primates or Heads of Delegations of the autocephalous Churches.Languages used in the service included Greek,Arabic,Old Church Slavonic and French.*
His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and All Palestine is among the Primates attending the meeting.His advisor,Mr.Theodoros Yangou,Professor of Canon Law at the Faculty of Theology of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki,is also a member of the Jerusalem Patriarchate's delegation.
In other developments,His Holiness Patriarch Daniel of Romania said in an address to the meeting that he would like to see Pan-Orthodox synods held regularly every five,seven or ten years in order to deal with issues that weren't resolved at a previous synod,or to deal with new problems facing the Church,such as the current refugee crisis in Europe.*
In his address to the meeting,His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said that the Holy and Great Council is called to become a visible,clear and convincing testimony to the unity of the Orthodox Church.And we realise that the Council can become such only if it reflects the true unanimity of the Local Orthodox Churches.It is for the sake of this unanimity that we all are to work hard together in the pre-Council period.
The unresolved topics are not due to real disagreements among the Local Orthodox Churches,His Holiness stated,but to the flawed methodology of the pre-conciliar process.*
The preparatory meeting is being held at the Orthodox Centre of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambesy,Geneva canton,Switzerland and runs through 28 January.Sunday Divine Liturgy was held in the Centre's Church of St.Paul and was concelebrated by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Primates or Heads of Delegations of the autocephalous Churches.Languages used in the service included Greek,Arabic,Old Church Slavonic and French.*
His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem and All Palestine is among the Primates attending the meeting.His advisor,Mr.Theodoros Yangou,Professor of Canon Law at the Faculty of Theology of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki,is also a member of the Jerusalem Patriarchate's delegation.
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