NEW YORK – The video presentation of “Christ is Risen! The Resurrection Service and Divine Liturgy of Pascha,” a program highlighting Orthodox Christian Pascha, or Easter, will air on NBC affiliates nationwide this April.

The program, produced by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and videotaped live at St. Nicholas Church in Flushing, N.Y., highlights the midnight Resurrection Service and the Divine Liturgy.

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The Catholic churches of the Holy Land plan to observe Easter according to the Orthodox calendar, the head of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land has announced. The change could come as early as next year.

Father Pierbattista Pizzabella explained that the change was prompted by a desire to strengthen ecumenical ties between Catholics and Orthodox, and also by pastoral concern for the many families in the Holy Land that include both Catholic and Orthodox believers.

The Orthodox churches set their liturgical feasts according to the old Julian calendar. For some years the Orthodox observe Easter on the same day as Catholics; in other years the dates may differ by either one week (as it does this year) or 5 weeks.

Read the full article.

May 18-20, 2012
St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church
McKinney (Dallas), Texas

Lectures include:

• How to Sing Beautifully in English
• Taking Your Choir to the Next Level
• Sources for Church Music
• Conducting Techniques for the Choir Director
• (And the Occasional Sub)
• Voicing for the Incomplete Kliros
• Becoming the Complete Church Singer:
• Understanding your Role in the Church and How to Fulfill it

For more information, click here.

(Editor’s note: See Pokrov.org for background on the St. Irene Monastery charges)

Constantinople (sedmitza.ru) — At a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, held on March 27, 2012, it was decided to remove from the rank of Metropolitan of Tyana Paisios (former abbot of St. Irene Chrysovalantou Monastery in Astoria, NY) and his assistant bishop of Apameia Vikentios for the appropriation of the church funds, immoral behavior and insubordination to the Holy Synod.

Metropolitan Paisios arrived at the meeting of the Synod, while Bishop Vincent refused to leave the United States. Now both are in the category of simple monks, according to the the news agency Romfea.gr.

(Translation source)

Fr. Seraphim Holland of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in McKinney with the assistance of Fr. Dn. Nicholas Park is organizing a prayer vigil for Orthodox Christians of DFW on 2 days during the 40 Days for Life Prayer Vigil in McKinney.

“Forty Days for Life”

McKinney Texas, February 22 – April 1, 7am – 7pm

at:

Planned Parenthood 1720 W Eldorado Pky, Ste 106, McKinney, TX 75069

A nationwide prayer vigil to end legal abortion and heal all those involved in abortion.

Orthodox Christians will gather to be the only guaranteed prayer support on the following days and times.

Mar 6, Tue, 7am-7 pm

Mar 17, Sat 7am – 3pm

HOW TO VOLUNTEER:

A Public Calendar has been set up. You may use it to look at staffing for the two “Orthodox days”.

1. Please go to the following link: http://tinyurl.com/orthodox40dayscal

2. You will see a full month calendar displaying. Set the Display to “Week” using the link at the top right, and the arrows at the top left to display Mar 6 or Mar 17

3. You can come at any time, but if you can, please look for blocks where there are less than 2 people signed up.

4. Note the times you want to sign up for and send email or call/text Fr Seraphim. Please include your email, which not be published, but will used to correspond with you and confirm the times you are signed up for.

Planned Parenthood is Located in the business strip at the northeast corner of Medical Center Dr. and Eldorado Pkwy.

Please do NOT park or enter the property (business strip) where Planned Parenthood is located. You may park at the Steak and Shake across the street. Stay on the public sidewalk.

Contact:  Priest Seraphim Holland, St Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKinney TX

Fr Seraphim will be onsite all day.

Email: seraphim@orthodox.net

Phone/text: 972-658-5433

A high-ranking former orthodox archbishop, who has pleaded not guilty, must wait until the new year to learn if he’ll go to trial on historical Manitoba sex abuse charges.

Seraphim Storheim appeared in a Winnipeg courtroom this week for the start of his preliminary hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence for the case to proceed. A court-ordered ban prevents specific details from being published.

Defence lawyer Jeff Gindin told the Winnipeg Free Press the evidence was presented on Thursday and Friday but the case has now adjourned until Jan. 18 for lawyers to make final arguments. The judge will then render his decision.

Read the full article.

The Winnipeg Sun writes:

Former archbishop Kenneth William (Seraphim) Storheim has pleaded not guilty to molesting two 10-year-old boys.

A former archbishop with the Canadian arm of the Orthodox Church in America has pleaded not guilty to charges he sexually assaulted two boys during the time he worked in Winnipeg.

Kenneth William (Seraphim) Storheim, 65, appeared Thursday for a preliminary hearing into allegations he abused two 10-year-old boys between December 1984 and June 1987.

At the time, Storheim was a rector at Holy Trinity Sobor, located at the corner of Manitoba Avenue and McKenzie Street in the North End.

A publication ban prevents the printing or broadcasting of any evidence presented by the Crown at Thursday’s hearing.

Storheim flew to the city last November to turn himself into police, who were holding a warrant for his arrest. He was quickly released on a promise to appear in court.

He had stepped aside from his high-level position in the church months earlier.

The church said Storheim had been granted a leave of absence while police investigated the accusations; Storheim suggested he stepped aside for health reasons.

Source

Fr. Ted Bobosh writes to clarify the article’s statement that Archbishop Seraphim is an ex-Archbishop:

As a point of clarification, Archbishop Seraphim is, I believe, considered under suspension by the OCA’s Synod of Bishops, so he has not been defrocked nor has his title or episcopal rank been taken away from him by the OCA.

Sadly, as the news story relates, Archbishop Seraphim’s accounts of why he was originally put on leave of absence do not match other facts known from statements from the OCA which was clear that he was first put on Leave of Absence because allegations of sexual misconduct had surfaced.   He had also on another occasion denied knowing what the allegations were about but certainly others knew and some discussed it with him.

The court is supposed to make a determination today as to how to proceed with the case.

Source.

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) at a recent lecture spoke of the inter-Orthodox cooperation in the preparation to the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, the pre-Council process and expectations. He assured listeners that the Council will not be the Eighth Ecumenical Council and will not rescind or review the decisions of the Seven Ecumenical Councils.

“The Council will not cancel fasts, nor will it introduce married episcopate or allow a second marriage to clergyman. It will not recognize the authority of the Pope of Rome over the Orthodox Church or sign union with the Catholics. The long and short of it is that the Council will do nothing of that what some “defenders of Orthodoxy” fear, displaying zeal that exceeds reason. In case something adverse to the spirit and the letter of the Seven Ecumenical Council happens, the Russian Orthodox Church will renounce this Council and its decisions as she renounced the Council of Ferrara and Florence in 1441. I believe, however, that the other Local Orthodox Church will renounce it, too.”

Source: http://www.mospat.ru/en/2011/11/03/news50931/

How do we communicate the “Good News” of Jesus Christ to those around us?

Attend the 2012 Orthodox Conference on Missions and Evangelism in Dallas and Ft. Worth to learn more.

View the Conference Flyer, the detailed Missions Conference Schedule and when you’re ready,  Register Online.

Locations:

• Friday January 20,2012 at St. Barbara Orthodox Church (OCA), Ft. Worth
• Saturday, January 21,2012 at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Dallas
• Sunday, January 22,2012 at various orthodox parishes

This Conference will examine how the Church of the past evangelized the world, and discuss how to put ancient proven methods into modem practice locally.

Speakers:

• Fr. Peter Gillquist (Chair of the Antiochian Archdiocese Department of Missions and Evangelism)
• Fr. Joseph Huneycutt (St. Joseph Antiochian Orthodox Church, Houston, TX)
• Fr. Evan Armatas (St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church, Loveland, CO)

Free admission — No childcare provided.

For additional information about the conference, please contact the Dept. of Missions and Evangelism at (805) 685-8999.

For updates on locations and times, visit this web site.

For the convenience of out of town conference attendees we have reserved a small block of rooms at a hotel near Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church at a discounted rate. The special rate is only available to those who reserve prior to Dec. 30. Here are the details:

Hotel address is:

Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre
5410 LBJ Freeway
Dallas, TX 75240
1-800-245-3304 reservations

Identify yourself as part of the Orthodox Conference. The conference rate is $99 per day plus 13% tax and you have until noon the day of arrival to cancel.

OCANews.com reports Metropolitan Jonah’s Opening Address to the 16th All American Council and the news that +Jonah will enter an evaluation at St. Luke’s institute. +Jonah began his address with an apology and announcement. He stated:

“….These last three years have been the three most difficult years of my life. I have been under a relentless barrage of criticism for most of this time for every forum I am meant to oversee: the chancery officers and staff, the Metropolitan Council and most troubling to me, the Holy Synod of Bishops.

I admit that I have very little experience of administration and it was a risk for the 2008 Council to elect me, the newest and most inexperienced of bishops. I have worked very hard to fulfill your expectations. But this is not an excuse.

These three years have been an administrative disaster. And I need to accept full responsibility for that and for my part in it. I did not understand the depths of the breakdown with the bishops. I thought we had a good working relationship but obviously there is something very broken. I need to regain the confidence of my brother bishops and of many others in leadership positions in our Church…”

Read the full article and more about St. Luke’s institute.