Announcement of the Decisions of the Holy Eparchial Synod: May 30/June 12 2015

On Friday, May 30/June 12, 2015, the Holy Eparchial Synod in America of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece convened in a regular session at the Holy Ascension Monastery in Bearsville, NY.

The following hierarchs were present: His Eminence, Metropolitan Demetrius of America, President of the Synod, His Eminence, Metropolitan Moses of Toronto, and Their Graces, Bishops Photios of Marathon (via telephone), Auxentios of Etna and Portland, and Christodoulos of Theoupolis.

The Holy Eparchial Synod discussed and decided upon the following items:

1. A petition to establish a specific day to honor those who serve in the parishes.

2. A report by His Grace, Bishop Photios of Marathon on current events from our Holy Synod in Greece. The Eparchial Synod expressed certain opinions which will be conveyed to the Holy Synod in Greece through His Grace, Bishop Photios at its next meeting.

3. The petitions of certain clergymen for reception by the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians.

4. A report concerning the recent trend in the U.S.A. and Canada toward the legal recognition of homosexual marriage. Our Church’s response to this was discussed.

5. A petition to convene a Spiritual Court.

Orthodox Awareness

Bartholomew Prays at Iftar

Iftar, refers to the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Iftar is one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community, with people gathering to break their fast together. Iftar is done right after sunset.

We report the following unchanged as it was published:

"The leaders of the Armenian, Roman, Jewish and Syrian communities of Turkey sat around the fasting Iftar dinner in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul." Read more...

Missions

Saint John of Kronstadt - Bunnell, Florida

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...

Youth

2025 Youth Conference

Please join us for the 2025 youth conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada! To learn more, visit the conference website.

Ask A Priest

Fasting

Q. There seems to be a lot of variation in how people observe fasting, but my confessor told me to fast from oil on Wednesday and Friday. Oil is a pretty vague category, though, and I was wondering if I could get a more explicit description of what kinds of food and drink are excluded on strict fast days. Read more...