This past weekend, HIs Eminence Metropolitan Demetrius of America visited the parish of Saint Irene of Chrysovalantou in the Detroit area.
Upon his arrival on Saturday July 26/ August 8, he gave a spiritual talk. After the talk, His Eminence presided for the Saturday night vigil service. On Sunday morning he served the Hierarchical Liturgy and gave a sermon. After the liturgy, a meal was served and the faithful had some time to interact with their hierarch.
In the evening of the same day, another vigil service was served in honor of the patron Saint of the community, Saint Irene. On Monday, His Eminence served as a priest and asked Father Steven Allen to give a sermon.
After the festive meal, His Eminence gave his last comments, encouraging the faithful to understand that we must take "leaps of faith" in order to grow in faith, in light of all of the present and upcoming challenges. He gave examples of how the holy martyrs were given strength from the Lord, to shed their blood for His sake.
On the same day, our hierarch visited the small mission parish of All Saints, in Cleveland, Ohio. On the next day, he departed for his residence in Cobleskill, NY.
In the early 20th century, the idea of promoting the union of Churches (Orthodox and heterodox) began to gain ground among circles in the Eastern Orthodox Church by establishing a "Communion of Churches" modeled on the League of Nations.
The Patriarchal Encyclical of 1920 foresaw a series of steps toward the “union of the Churches,” of which the first was the change of the calendar for the simultaneous celebration of feast days by all the “Churches.” The content of the encyclical was kept secret from the faithful and only after a few years became known. Read more...
St. John of Kronstadt Orthodox Church began as a mission parish in the year 2000, in a home chapel in Palm Coast, FL – a small town on Florida’s northeast coast located between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. After two years, it became necessary to have services in area community centers, rented for Sundays and other Holy Days. Read more...
2023 Youth Conference
Please join us for the 2023 youth conference in Chicago, IL! To learn more, visit the home page or visit the conference website.
Q. Can you tell me what the two-headed snake cane the Greek Bishop is walking with represents? What does it mean?
-V.T.
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