ORGANIZATIONS
https://incommunion.org/
The Orthodox Peace Fellowship of the Protection of the Mother of God is an association of Orthodox Christian believers seeking to bear witness to the peace of Christ by applying the principles of the Gospel to situations of division and conflict, whether in the home, the parish, the community we live, the work place, within our particular nations, and between nations. We work for the conservation of God’s creation and especially of human life. We are not a political association and support no political parties or candidates.
http://www.orth-transfiguration.org/
The Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration (OFT) exists to hallow God’s Name “on earth as it is in heaven” by seeking the transfiguration of creation through the activation of the Christian calling toward transfigured life. In the context of the liturgical life of the Church, the OFT seeks to help extend the transfiguring activity of the sacraments into all creation through ascetic practice, the keeping of the commandments, and the acquisition of virtue, thus restoring the beauty and integrity of God’s earthly temple.
https://theocpm.org/
The Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM) serves those who are incarcerated and their families, and provides resources, training and support to our ministry partners so that lives are transformed and God is glorified.
https://www.archons.org/
The Order of St. Andrew’s fundamental goal and mission is to promote the religious freedom, wellbeing and advancement of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which is headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey.
https://www.ocf.net/
Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) transforms the lives of college students by guiding them along the path to Jesus Christ through His Church, cultivating a campus community of worship, witness, service, fellowship, and education.
https://www.ocabspress.org/
The Orthodox Center for the Advancement of Biblical Studies (OCABS) was established to educate, inspire and challenge the faithful to recognize the centrality of sound biblical interpretation for life in Christ.
https://www.ocampr.org/
Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine, Psychology and Religion (OCAMPR) is an endorsed agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops (formerly SCOBA) and exists to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and promote Christian fellowship among healing professionals in medicine, psychology and religion. Members pursue an understanding of the whole person which integrates the basic assumptions of medicine, psychology and religion within the Orthodox Christian faith.
https://myocn.net/
The mission of the Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) is to bring the Orthodox Faith to the Fingertips of all Orthodox Christian around the world. To accomplish our mission we utilize today’s digital platforms to produce and provide unlimited access to faith-inspiring programming including podcasts, daily devotionals, blog posts, live streaming worship and much more.
https://www.ancientfaith.com/
Ancient Faith Ministries exists to carry out the Great Commission of Jesus Christ through accessible and excellently-crafted publications and creative media that educate, edify, and evangelize, leading to a living experience of God through His Holy Orthodox Church.
https://www.goarch.org/departments/family
The Center for Family Care nurtures and empowers stewards who, at the forefront of ministry within the home and parish family, navigate the joys and challenges of life. Grounded in prayer and through multifaceted resources, trainings, and collaboration with the ministries of the Archdiocese and metropolises, we foster the building up of the Body of Christ.
ORTHODOX THEOLOGIANS & WRITERS
http://www.mitras.ru/eng/
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh was born in Lausanne in 1914. He spent his early childhood in Russia and Persia, his father being a member of the Russian Imperial Diplomatic Corps. His mother was the sister of Alexander Scriabin, the composer. During the Russian Revolution the family had to leave Persia, and in 1923 settled in Paris where the future Metropolitan was educated, graduating in physics, chemistry and biology, and taking his doctorate in medicine, at the University of Paris.
In 1939, before leaving for the front as a surgeon in the French army, he secretly professed monastic vows. He was tonsured and received the name of Anthony in 1943. During the occupation of France by the Germans he worked as a doctor and took part in the Anti-Fascist movement of the Resistance. After the war he continued practicing as a physician until 1948, when he was ordained to the priesthood and sent to England to serve as Orthodox Chaplain of the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius. He was appointed vicar of the Russian patriarchal parish in London in 1950, consecrated as Bishop in 1957 and Archbishop in 1962, in charge of the Russian Orthodox Church in Great Britain and Ireland. In 1963 he was appointed Exarch of the Moscow Patriarchate in Western Europe, and in 1966 was raised to the rank of Metropolitan. At his own request he was released in 1974 from the function of Exarch, in order to devote himself more fully to the pastoral needs of the growing flock of his Diocese and all who come to him seeking advice and help.
Metropolitan Anthony is Honoris Causa Divinity Doctor: of Aberdeen University ‘for preaching the Word of God and renewing the spiritual life of this country’; of the Moscow Theological Academy for his theological, pastoral and preaching work; of Cambridge University; and of the Kiev Theological Academy. His first books on prayer and the spiritual life (Living Prayer, Meditations on a Theme and God and Man) were published in England, and his texts are now widely published in Russia, both as books and in periodicals.
His Eminence, Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, died peacefully 4th August, 2003, at the age of 89.
https://schmemann.org/
Welcome to the website dedicated to the ever-memorable Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann. The Rev. Alexander Schmemann, a leading Russian Orthodox theologian influential in U.S. church life in the cause of religious freedom in the Soviet Union and in the world-wide ecumenical movement. Schmemann was a friend and spiritual counselor to author Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who was expelled from the Soviet Union in the 1970s. Schmemann was an adjunct professor at Columbia and New York universities and at Union and General theological seminaries in New York City. He was also dean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary in Crestwood, N.Y. Committed to the rights of believers in the Soviet Union, Schmemann for more than 30 years had broadcast sermons in Russian to the Soviet Union over Radio Liberty.
http://hilarion.ru/en/
Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, whose lay name is Grigory Alfeyev, is a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, permanent member of the Holy Synod, chairman of the Synodal Biblical and Theological Commission, rector of the SS Cyril and Methodius Institute of Postgraduate Studies of the Russian Orthodox Church, dean of the Church of Our Lady The Joy of All the Sorrowful on Bolshaya Ordynka Street in Moscow, dean of the Patriarchal Metochion of SS Michael and Theodore of Chrenigov. Author of more than 1000 publications, including more than 40 books dedicated to the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, Holy Apostles, church fathers and to various aspects of Orthodox dogmatic theology, church history and social issues.
http://frederica.com/
Frederica Mathewes-Green writes and speaks on all sorts of topics: ancient Christian spirituality and the Eastern Orthodox faith, the Jesus Prayer, marriage and family, the pro-life cause, cultural issues, and more.
https://jimandnancyforest.com/
Jim Forest is the author of numerous books, including Writing Straight With Crooked Lines: A Memoir, The Root of War is Fear: Thomas Merton’s Advice to Peacemakers, At Play in the Lions’ Den: a memoir and biography of Daniel Berrigan, Loving Our Enemies: Reflections on the Hardest Commandment, Living With Wisdom: A Biography of Thomas Merton, All Is Grace: A Biography of Dorothy Day, The Road to Emmaus: Pilgrimage as a Way of Life, Ladder of the Beatitudes, and Praying with Icons. He is also the author of several children’s books, including Saint George and the Dragon and Saint Nicholas and the Nine Gold Coins. He serves as International Secretary of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship. His photographs have been widely published.
ORTHODOX JURISDICTIONS IN AMERICA
http://www.assemblyofbishops.org/
The purpose of the Assembly of Bishops of the United States of America is to preserve and contribute to the unity of the Orthodox Church by helping to further her spiritual, theological, ecclesiological, canonical, educational, missionary and philanthropic aims. To accomplish this, the Assembly has as its goals: i) the promotion and accomplishment of Church unity in the United States ii) the strengthening of the common pastoral ministry to all the Orthodox faithful of the region; and iii) a common witness by the Church to all those outside her. In addition, the Assembly has as an express goal iv) the organization of the Church in the United States in accordance with the ecclesiological and the canonical tradition of the Orthodox Church.
https://www.goarch.org/
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, with its headquarters located in the City of New York, is an Eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Archdiocese serves as a beacon, carrier, and witness of the message of Christ to all persons who live in the United States of America, through divine worship, preaching, teaching, and living of the Orthodox Christian Faith. Learn more about His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros, the Metropolises, Parishes, National Ministries, and many Organizations, Institutions, and more!
https://www.antiochian.org/
The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America is an Archdiocese of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. We trace our roots to first century Antioch, the city in which the disciples of Jesus Christ were first called Christians….Our Archdiocese currently includes nine dioceses spanning the continent and is led by His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH and eight diocesan bishops. Much work of our Archdiocese is accomplished by dedicated ministry staff and volunteers laboring in a wide range of departments and organizations seeing to the needs of our communities. From sacred music to Christian education, from care for aging priests to missionary work, and beyond, our Archdiocese benefits from the work of those who choose to serve.
https://www.oca.org/
The mission of the Orthodox Church in America, the local autocephalous Orthodox Church, is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all Nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all [things that He has] commanded” so that all people may be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth:
o preach, in accordance with God’s will, the fullness of the gospel of the Kingdom to the peoples of North America and to invite them to become members of the Orthodox Church.
To utilize for her mission the various languages of the peoples of this continent.
To be the body of Christ in North America and to be faithful to the tradition of the Holy Orthodox Church.
To witness to the truth, and by God’s grace and in the power of the Holy Spirit, to reveal Christ’s way of sanctification and eternal salvation to all.
Adopted by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, 1990.
WORLDWIDE ORTHODOXY
https://www.patriarchate.org/#
The Ecumenical Patriarchate (also referred to as Church of Constantinople) is one of the fourteen or fifteen autocephalous churches. It is headed by the Ecumenical Patriarch, who has the status of primus inter pares (“first among equals”) among the world’s Orthodox bishops. The local churches of the Ecumenical Patriarchate consist of five archdioceses, three churches, thirteen metropolises, and one diocese, each of which reports directly to the Patriarch of Constantinople with no intervening authority. In addition, three of the five archdioceses have internal metropolises (16 in all), which are part of their respective archdioceses rather than distinct administrative entities, unlike the other metropolises.
The current Ecumenical Patriarch is His All-Holiness Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople.
Exerpted from Orthodoxwiki.org
https://www.antiochpatriarchate.org/en/home/
The Church of Antioch (who refers to itself as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East) is the continuation of the Christian community founded in Antioch by the Apostles Peter (who served as its first bishop) and Paul, who are its patron saints. In terms of hierarchical order of precedence, it currently ranks third among the world’s Orthodox churches, behind Constantinople and Alexandria.
The seat of the patriarchate was formerly Antioch (Antakya), in what is now Turkey. Now it is in Damascus, Syria, located on the “street called Straight.” The current Patriarch of Antioch is His Beatitude, John X (Yazigi), who was elected on December 17, 2012.
Excerpted from Orthodoxwiki.org
http://www.patriarchateofalexandria.com/index.php?lang=en
The Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa is the second in rank of the fourteen Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, which in their totality constitute the Orthodoxy, one of the three essential doctrines of Christianity, along with the Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. Located in Alexandria of Egypt, its spiritual jurisdiction spreads throughout the African continent, which is accounted as a single geographical Church region.
https://en.jerusalem-patriarchate.info/#
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem, one of the greatest custodians of the Orthodox Church in the East, maintains undiminished the international interest from the time of its foundation until today. Almost its entire history concerns the continuous struggles of the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre for the protection of the sacred shrines. This happens because the sacred shrines, starting with the All Holy Tomb, were a field of unceasing struggle between the Orthodox Christians and at times the heterodox conquerors, but also between Christians of other confessions.
https://mospat.ru/en/
The Church of Russia, known officially as the Russian Orthodox Church and also referred to as the Moscow Patriarchate, is one of the autocephalous Local Orthodox Churches, ranking fifth after the Churches of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. It exercises jurisdiction over the Orthodox Christians living in the former member republics of the USSR and their diasporas abroad. It also exercises jurisdiction over the autonomous Church of Japan and the Orthodox Christians living in the People’s Republic of China. The current Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia is His Holiness Kyrill I.
Excerpted from Orthodoxwiki.org
http://www.spc.rs
The Serbian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous, or ecclesiastically independent, member of the Orthodox communion, located primarily in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and the Republic of Macedonia. Since many Serbs have emigrated to foreign countries, there are many Serbian Orthodox communities on all continents.
Excerpted from Orthodoxwiki.org
https://patriarchate.ge/
The Church of Georgia is one of the oldest Christian churches, tracing its origins in tradition to the missionary efforts of the Apostle Andrew in the first century. Historically, adoption of Christianity by the kingdom of Georgia (Iberia) is traced to the missionary efforts of St. Nino of Cappadocia beginning in early fourth century. Initially, the Georgian church was part of the territory of the Patriarchate of Antioch. The church was granted autocephaly by the Patriarch of Antioch in 466. While seriously disrupted by the invasions of the various Tartar tribes in the 13th and 15th centuries, the autocephalous church survived until it was placed under the administration of the synodal Church of Russia in 1811. After the abdication of Czar Nicholas II following the February Revolution of 1917, the Georgian hierarchs restored the church’s autocephaly, which was eventually recognized by the Church of Constantinople and the Church of Russia.
Excerpted from Orthodoxwiki.org
http://patriarhia.ro/en/
The Romanian Orthodox Church is organised as Patriarchate with the title of the “Romanian Patriarchate”. The Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church is His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, elected on 12 September 2007, enthroned as the 6th Patriarch of Romania on 30 September 2007.
The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church is the Archbishop of Bucharest and Metropolitan of Muntenia and Dobrudgea. His title is: “His Beatitude Daniel, Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Muntenia and Dobrudgea, Locum Tenens of the throne of Caesarea of Cappadoccia and Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church or the Patriarch of Romania”.
The Romanian Patriarchate is made up of eparchies (archdioceses and dioceses) grouped in Metropolitanates, as well as of other units inside or outside the frontiers of Romania.
https://orthodoxalbania.org/2020/en/
The Church of Albania is one of the autocephalous Orthodox churches whose territory consists of the Republic of Albania. The Church of Albania as a church using the Albanian language is a latecomer to an ancient region of Europe. The heritage of the Byzantine Roman Empire that resided in the areas in which Albanians lived meant that Greek was the language of their churches. It was only in recent times, that is, the last hundred years or so, as nationalism came to the forefront in the Balkans that the idea came of an independent Albanian country in which the Orthodox church would use Albanian as its liturgical language.
Excerpted from Orthodoxwiki.org
https://ort.fi/
The Church of Finland is an autonomous Orthodox church whose primate is confirmed by the Church of Constantinople. It is the second official state church of Finland, beside the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland…The Church of Finland has about 60,000 members. In recent decades, the membership has been steadily growing. The principal Orthodox temple in Finland is the Uspenski Cathedral in Helsinki, which is the largest Orthodox church in western Europe.
Excerpted from Orthodoxwiki.org
http://www.ecclesia.gr/English/EnIndex.html
The Church of Greece is one of the fourteen autocephalous churches of the Orthodox Christian communion, whose territory consists of the whole of Greece except for those parts which belong to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, such as the Dodecanese and Crete. Though bishops of the “new lands” (those that were liberated from 1912 and afterward) are members of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, they commemorate the Patriarch of Constantinople in the divine services.
Though it is also called the Greek Orthodox Church this reference is not restricted to the Church of Greece since it is also used by some of the Churches and Archbishoprics under the Patriarchate of Constantinople around the world.
The current primate of the Church of Greece is His Beatitude Ieronymos II (Liapis), Archbishop of Athens and All Greece.
Excerpted from Orthodoxwiki.org
https://www.orthodoxjapan.jp/
The Church of Japan (日本ハリストス正教会) is an autonomous Orthodox church, whose primate is confirmed by the Church of Russia.
Excerpted from Orthodoxwiki.org
http://www.orthodoxkorea.org/
The Orthodox Metropolis of Korea is the Eastern Orthodox Christian community on the Korean peninsula, existing under the jurisdiction and spiritual care of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Cathedral of the Metropolis, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, and the Metropolis offices are located in Seoul. The Metropolis also includes parishes in the cities of Incheon, Busan, Jeonju, Yang-gu, Chuncheon, and Ulsan, and as well as two monasteries, one in Kapyeong and the other in Yang-gu.
ORTHODOX CAMPS & RETREAT CENTERS
http://www.stnicholasranch.org/
Nestled in a beautiful valley in the Sierra Nevada foothills, just a short drive from both Sequoia National Park and Fresno International Airport, Saint Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center is one of the most outstanding conference centers in central California. We operate throughout the year and can accommodate a wide variety of groups and events including conferences, retreats, family gatherings, camps and business meetings. Individual rooms and RV parking are available for visitors to the nearby National Parks. Our facilities include hotel style lodge rooms, dormitories, a dining hall, two large conference rooms and several smaller meeting rooms, along with picnic areas, athletic fields, a pool, a lake, and hiking trails. Offering a quiet and peaceful rural setting we also feature, for your convenience, a few modern touches like free wireless Internet access.
https://www.antiochianvillage.org/
Antiochian Village is a picturesque, comfortable, and affordable Christian setting for retreats and group events, situated on 300 acres in the beautiful Laurel Highlands of southwestern Pennsylvania. Our spacious facility includes 100 guest rooms, a large dining room, meeting rooms, bookstore & gift shop, fitness center, walking trails, a chapel, a theological research library, and a unique heritage museum. The library was established to support the Antiochian House of Studies, a program that offers accredited graduate degrees in theology. Our museum wing, built in 2004, features exhibits that foster an understanding of Orthodox Christianity and the heritage of the Eastern Mediterranean region around the great city of Antioch, where the disciples of Christ were first called Christians (Acts 11:26).
https://www.ionianvillage.org/
Ionian Village operates from a beautiful seafront campsite on western Peloponnesus in Greece on the coast of the Ionian Sea. The camp facility accommodates 200 campers and 50 staff members in white-washed cabins and bungalows. The campground was developed and built with the intention of fostering an Orthodox Christian community and providing a Greek village experience for all participants. The facilities are centered around a traditional white-washed Chapel and include a private beach, an Olympic-size swimming pool, shady pine forests, an amphitheater, a large hall for gatherings and activities, an open-air cafeteria, a soccer field, two volleyball courts, a tennis courts, and a basketball court.
The goal of Ionian Village is simple: to provide our Campers and Staff with a life-transforming summer experience by bringing them closer to our Orthodox faith and exploring our rich Hellenic culture and history. We achieve this goal through a program rich in travel, in worship, and in content. We travel to sites of both religious and historical significance, not as tourists but as pilgrims, as people on a journey to learn more about our faith, our culture, and ultimately, ourselves.
ORTHODOX COLLEGES AND SEMINARIES
https://www.hchc.edu/
The mission of Hellenic College, Inc., is the formation and the education of the person within the life of an Orthodox Christian community. To that end, it educates men preparing for the holy priesthood of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and other Orthodox Christian entities, as well as men and women for leadership roles in the Church, chosen professions, and society. Hellenic College, Inc., collaborates with Orthodox Church‐affiliated institutions and ministries, and offers opportunities for lifelong learning.
When Holy Cross was founded, all of the students were young Greek or Greek-American men preparing for the priesthood. Today both schools welcome men and women from all over the world who wish to pursue their education in an Orthodox Christian environment. Hellenic College Holy Cross is the only fully accredited Orthodox Christian college, seminary, and graduate school of theology in the Western Hemisphere.
https://www.svots.edu/
St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary is a graduate seminary purposefully committed to the development of all levels of ecclesiastical hierarchy, clergy and laity within the Orthodox faith who serve Christ through a multitude of ordained, missionary and evangelical ministries. This preparation is formed by academy level theological studies, scholarship, practical liturgical worship and ascetical effort. Through a vibrant Pan-Orthodox communal experience which fosters lasting bonds, personal and spiritual life develops firmly anchored in the Scriptures, Apostolic Tradition, and Patristics.
https://www.stots.edu/
St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary is an institution of professional Orthodox Christian theological education, chartered by the Department of Education of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and affiliated with the Orthodox Church in America. In a rural environment conducive to spiritual growth and academic study, the Seminary nurtures the theological vocations of its students and faculty, who share the unique opportunity of learning and teaching Orthodox theology in the framework of their daily experience of a rich heritage of Russian Orthodox spiritual and liturgical tradition.
The primary mission of the Seminary lies in providing the necessary theological, liturgical, spiritual and moral foundations for Orthodox men to become, as God so wills, good shepherds of His Holy Orthodox Church. At the same time, however, the Seminary also recognizes that many individuals choose to enroll in a professional theological training program for the fulfillment of needs other than those of ordained ministry. Among these are: preparation for general religious leadership responsibilities in parishes and other settings; advanced theological study; specialized ministry as religious educators or choir directors; personal spiritual enrichment. Therefore, St. Tikhon’s Seminary continues to support all honorable reasons for matriculation at the Seminary and participation in class.
https://www.acrod.org/organizations/seminary
Christ the Saviour Seminary has two missions. First, it exists for the education and training of Orthodox men for the priesthood of the Orthodox Church, stimulating them to grow intellectually, morally and spiritually, and inspiring them to love and serve God and the Orthodox Church .
Second, the seminary provides a theological and spiritual formation in an Orthodox academic atmosphere for men interested in growth in the Orthodox Christian tradition, whether or not the individual is working toward an ordained ministry in the Orthodox Church.
http://dev.orthodoxinstitute.org/
The Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute exists to Educate, Communicate, Promote and Sustain the Traditions, Values, Teachings and Culture of Orthodox Christianity. The Institute advances a strong, effective, highly visible witness of Orthodoxy in the western United States through the Master of Arts in Orthodox Christian studies; offering academic lectures and symposia; housing a Rare Book Room and museum; publishing; sponsoring the Orthodox Christian Fellowship at the University of California at Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union; offering educational programs to the faithful of the Bay Area, and other activities. The Institute is a member of the Graduate Theological Union, an ecumenical and interfaith consortium of nine independent seminaries and ten affiliated centers based in Berkeley, California. As an independent, not-for-profit teaching and research institution affiliated with the GTU and the University of California, the Institute is unique. It is the only independent and permanently endowed Orthodox educational center with a physical presence at a North American university. The Institute is an inter-Orthodox endeavor, representing the diversity of Orthodoxy in America: Albanian, Antiochian, Bulgarian, Carpatho-Russian, Greek, OCA, Romanian, Serbian and Ukranian. The Board of Trustees, comprised of members of the various Orthodox jurisdictions in America, presents a unified vision of Orthodox cooperation and witness.
http://theology.balamand.edu.lb/
The St John of Damascus Institute of Theology stands in the vicinity of the Patriarchal Monastery of our Lady of Balamand, and proceeds from it as a child from its mother. It was founded because an increasing need felt by the Antiochian See on the internal, as well as external levels.
On the internal level, there was an increasing need within the Church for clergy who would be aware of the dimension of the Sacrament of Ministry, and the meaning of holiness. Knowledge begins by offering one’s heart to God. “Give me your heart son, and I shall give you understanding and life” (Prov 23: 26). As the founder of the Institute expressed it: “It is the duty of theology to lead to the formation of a man who would see and talk, and who would utter the words about the divine things. It is the duty of theological teaching to help the student go over the book as book, and reach a spiritual experience in the heart, because from the heart, the eyes are opened to the real knowledge of Christ and His divine act in the entity of the student, his behavior and his intellectual judgments. It is true also that theoretical information does not necessarily, although theological, enrich the personality of the one who knows it. It makes no change except allowing the one who knows it to be informed”.
On the external role of the Institute, it prepares its graduates to be aware of the fact that Orthodoxy should be his way of life, and that makes him a universal being, not limited solely to theoretical theological concepts. His awareness of his identity makes his mission efficient in the Christian and Islamic worlds alike. He is invited to make Christianity known to the Muslim world he accepted and is living in. The main role of the University of Balamand, as well as of the Institute of Theology, is to play a role in spreading this Antiochian tradition, which has an open mind to others, and to his mission, so that he may be to the world like salt in food. In History, Antioch was known to have embraced the Church’s mission, and to have been aware of it in the Christian world. It was not limited by guideline, nor did it show any slothfulness. Open-mindedness was always key, because it is aware that its role lies in making the Christian heritage of the East known to the Christian communities and Churches in the West.
http://en.theol.uoa.gr/
The idea of establishing a University in Greece emerged alongside with the Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution. The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, officially founded in April 14th, 1837, is the first University not only of Greece but both the Balkan peninsula and the Eastern Mediterranean region.
The School of Theology consists of the Faculty of Theology and the Faculty of Social Theology and the Study of Religion.
https://www.iocs.cam.ac.uk/
The Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies (IOCS) is the pan-Orthodox house for theological studies in the ancient university city of Cambridge, England functioning with the formal approval and blessing of the Pan-Orthodox Episcopal Assembly for Great Britain and Ireland. Founded in 1999 the Institute is situated at a major crossroad for academic exchange and attracts students and scholars from across the world.
Our Institute is the sole Christian Orthodox institution for higher education in the United Kingdom, gathering together Christians from all the historical Orthodox Churches in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Russia and Greece, but also from the various Orthodox jurisdictions in the UK and the Western world. We aim to reach out to meet the needs of the developing Orthodox parishes in the United Kingdom, while simultaneously, through the internet, conveying the message by distance learning to the furthest corners of the world.
http://www.sagotc.edu.au/
St Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College was established in 1986 by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia in order to provide tertiary level education and training for Christian Orthodox clergy, theologians, lay teachers and ministers in order to meet the catechetical and pastoral needs of the Orthodox Church in Australia. It is also intended to be a centre of ecumenical scholarship and learning. It is full accredited by the Sydney College of Divinity, a federation of Christian theological education providers.
All the degrees and awards are approved by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), Australia’s independent national regulator of the higher education sector.
As the only Eastern Orthodox theological college in Australia with civil accreditation, St Andrew’s strives to bring an Orthodox Christian presence to the Australian theological scene as a whole.
https://spbda.ru/
The St. Petersburg Theological Academy is a major theological education institution of the Russian Orthodox Church located in the city of St Petersburg, Russia.
Excerpted from Orthodoxwiki.org
MUSIC
https://cappellaromana.org/
Cappella Romana is a professional vocal ensemble that performs early and contemporary sacred classical music in the Christian traditions of East and West. The ensemble is known especially for its presentations and recordings of medieval Byzantine chant (the Eastern sibling of Gregorian chant), Greek and Russian Orthodox choral works, and other sacred music that expresses the historic traditions of a unified Christian inheritance.
Cappella Romana brings to life music that meets a deep human need, not only to belong and to have a shared creative experience, but to feel the full range of ethical, emotional, and spiritual effect as expressed through music. We strive to give an experience that allows you, our audience, to feel a sheer joy that cannot be contained by mere words, but through the ineffable sounds of the human voice in song.
http://www.eikona.com/
Eikona (pronounced ee-ko-na), is a three-sister ensemble who chant Byzantine-styled Hymns and sing Contemporary Christian Music. Rooted in the Greek Orthodox Church, their music preserves, shares and promotes centuries’ worth of rich, musical tradition of hymns and psalmody. Their angelic voices have been heard in services and homes around the world and continue to inspire, encourage, and excite the newest generation of Greek Orthodox and Christian music fans.
MONASTERIES
http://www.mountathos.co.uk/
This website aims to give you a sense of what it is actually like to be walking on Mount Athos, and thus to complement the other information available about the Holy Mountain on other websites and in guidebooks and other publications.
The core of our website consists of the pictures taken on 2 journeys made by 3 Englishmen in the summers of 2001 and 2008. There is a separate page for each day of our journey.
http://abacus.bates.edu/~rallison/friends/
The Society of the Friends of Mount Athos is dedicated to the study and promulgation of knowledge of the history, culture, arts, architecture, natural history, and literature of the Orthodox monasteries of Mount Athos, and to the promotion of the religious and other charitable work of the Holy Community and the monasteries, both those located on Mount Athos, and those elsewhere which are dependent or connected in some way with Mount Athos.
Here persons interested in Mount Athos, the Holy Mountain and Garden of the Panagia, may find information about both Mount Athos itself and ways to participate in the activities of the Friends of Mount Athos in their mission of support for the Holy Community of Mount Athos.
http://www.sinaimonastery.com/index.php/en/
The Greek Orthodox monastery of the God-trodden Mount Sinai is located at the very place where God appeared to Moses in the Burning Bush, beneath the Mount of the Decalogue. In the providence of God, it is at this site also that the holy relics of Saint Catherine are enshrined. This is the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery, with a history that can be traced back over seventeen centuries. The monastery predates the divisions of the Christian world, its origins extending to late antiquity.
https://www.patmosmonastery.gr/
The Holy Monastery of Patmos was founded by Holy Christodoulos. During the reign of Arabic influence, Patmos Island was almost a deserted island. In 1088 a gifted and educated monk called Christodoulos otherwise known as ‘Latrinos’ requested and was granted possession of all the island by the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenos to establish a Monastery in honour of Saint John the Evangelist and to transform the Cave of the Apocalypse into a sacred place.
Christodoulos stayed on Patmos Island until Arab pirate raids forced him to leave the island in 1118. But his vision continued to inspire enlightened monks who continued his work in the next centuries. From that moment on began the amazing development of Patmos Island thanks to the radiation of the Holy Monastery on which an exemplary basis was founded by Christodoulos who later became a Saint by Orthodoxy.
The Foundation of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian and also of the Monastery of the Apocalypse marked the genesis of a cultural, spiritual and religious centre which is a reference point for the whole Christian world.
The entire complex of the Monastery is a rare example of monastic, fortified architecture which is unique in the world and was formed mainly from the Middle Ages up till today along with Chora of Patmos and is the most important reason that the Monastery, Chora and the Cave of the Apocalypse have been declared by UNESCO as a world heritage site. The Monastery of Patmos Island as well as the Cave of the Apocalypse is a significant site of pilgrimage for Christianity with an immense global appeal.
Excerpted from the website Patmos Island
https://valamo.fi/en/monastery
The monks of the New Valamo Monastery live a communal life of spirituality founded in the Ascetic tradition of the Orthodox Church. According to the ancient tradition, the monastery should support itself fully. At present, the main source of livelihood for the New Valamo Monastery is tourism: over 160,000 people visit the monastery each year, and all of the revenue goes directly to wards the maintenance and development of the premises. Visitors are welcome to visit the monastery year round – stay for a day, the night, or even longer!
The New Valamo Monastery is home to a brotherhood of monks. All visitors to Valamo are free to spend time in the natural landscape surrounding the monastery, a place of peace and beauty beyond compare. Many come to the monastery to seek silence and participate in daily worship. Just as many visit the monastery to unwind and relax, whether by walking in nature, spending time with family and friends, or by learning new skills at courses of the Valamo Folk High School Institute. The monastery is also a popular venue for celebrations, meetings and seminars.
The Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra is a unique monument of the fortress architecture of the 16th–17th centuries. The walls have 3 tiers, the towers have up to 6 tiers. The first tier was built by the tsar Ivan IV in the 16th century, the second and the third ones — in the 17th century, after the Polish siege.
Over the centuries, a unique ensemble of buildings of different times has developed on the territory of the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, including more than fifty buildings and structures. In the southwestern part of the monastery is the white-stone Trinity Cathedral (1422-1423), erected on the site of the first wooden church of the XIV century. It was around this that the formation of the monastery ensemble took place. To the east of the cathedral in 1476, Pskov craftsmen erected a brick church-belfry in the name of the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles.
Many ancient monasteries, such as the Trinity-Sergius Lavra , were built far from their homes by ascetics who wanted to live in solitude, but the economic and other needs of the large monastery forced the monks to live outside the walls of their native monastery for a long time. So farmsteads arose that obeyed the Lavra, but could have a slightly different way of life. In some farmsteads the same people could constantly live and work, in others they could change depending on the season of the year and the purpose of the monastery.
http://www.kosovo.net/main.html
The Visoki Decani Monastery is situated in the western part of the UN administered Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohia. It was built between 1327 and 1335 by the Serbian medieval king St. Stephen of Decani and was dedicated to the Ascension of the Lord. The monastery is settled in the picturesque valley of the Bistrica river surrounded by the mountains and forests of the Prokletije mountain range It is the largest and best preserved medieval monastery in Serbia. During its turbulent history the Monastery was an important spiritual centre with developed artistic and intellectual activities. Although the monastery buildings suffered damage from the Turkish occupation, the church has been completely preserved with beautiful 14th century fresco paintings. Today a young brotherhood of 30 brethren lives in the monastery continuing the centuries old tradition of the past. The brotherhood has developed various activities: wood carving, icon painting, book publishing and is also active in the missionary work. The beautiful monastic services are served according to the typicon of Mount Athos.
New Skete is a community of men and women dedicated to monastic life since 1966. The monastic life has but one Rule, the Gospel of Jesus the Christ, and one goal: that we love God with an undivided heart and place nothing in the way of our personal and communal attachment to Christ. We endeavor to achieve this by embracing the evangelical virtues of poverty, chastity and obedience in stability and fidelity.
As Orthodox Christians, it is our passionate desire to live the monastic life and to worship authentically and intensely. New Skete’s entire history has been characterized, in the midst of supporting ourselves, by our efforts to translate the essentials of early Christian monasticism to an American culture capable of transforming us today. This has entailed pursuing the knowledge needed to foster a spirit of healthy simplicity. We achieve this by studying Sacred Scripture, Monastic and Liturgical History and by being open to the difficulties and yearnings of our contemporaries.
Founded in 1977, the Holy Myrrhbearers Monastery is monastic community for women of the Orthodox Church in America. We have been situated since 1983 in Otsego County in the scenic upper-Catskill region of New York State. We have been members of the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce and are honored to be part of Central New York’s “Leatherstocking Country.”
From our monastery’s Typicon: Inspired by the desert mothers and fathers, we model our lives as fully as possible on their life and witness, their martyria. We are called to be Orthodox Christian monastics in our own time and place as surely as they were. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. We are aware that the world around us is very different from the one they knew. We have the responsibility to balance our obligations to this world of noise and technology with our calling to choose to grow into the greater silence and simplicity of their lives.
As they were, we also are obedient to the doctrinal and sacramental structure of the Church. Drawn from all Orthodox jurisdictions, we are a stavropighial monastery under the Metropolitan and the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America, witnessing to the unity we share in Christ.
http://stjohnmonastery.org/
The Holy Monastery of St. John the Forerunner was founded in 1995, when local Doctor Gerald Timmer donated his 48-acre property to the Greek Orthodox Diocese of San Francisco for the foundation of a women’s monastic community which was accepted by His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony.
Geronta Ephraim, a priest-monk and former abbot from Holy Mount Athos, Greece, was contacted by His Eminence to help establish the monastery in Washington. (“Geronta” in Greek means an “Elder” or “Abbot”.) Already the spiritual father/elder of 11 monasteries in Greece, 1989 he began the work of establishing monasteries in North America with the blessing of the Church officials and the appeal of the Orthodox faithful in the United States and Canada.
There are now 17 such monasteries in North America. These communities have prayer for the world as their primary profession, and then to provide spiritual guidance to the faithful and help preserve the Holy Traditions of the Church through exemplary Christian life and devotion to God.
Geronta Ephraim called three nuns from the Holy Orthodox Monastery of the Panagia Hodigitria in Volos, Greece to come to Goldendale. At first the small monastery of St. John the Forerunner was virtually unknown. Slowly, with much prayer, perseverance, and Grace from God, the Orthodox faithful, and others wanting to know about the Orthodox Church, began to visit and help the monastery.
There are now 20 nuns and novices at St. John’s Monastery. The monastery supports itself solely by the handiwork of the sisters and donations. They practice the traditional arts of the Orthodox church including: writing Byzantine icons, knotting prayer ropes, making incense, and dipping beeswax candles. They also mount icon prints and make natural soap and lotion and bake traditional Greek food and pastries for their bakery and gift shop.
https://www.saintnina-monastery.org/
The Sisterhood of the Sacred Monastery of Saint Nina has its roots in Greece where its Founder and Elder, Archimandrite Dionysios, is Abbot of the Sacred Monastery of the Dormition, “Petra”, in the Agrapha Mountains of Thessaly. Our Abbess Aemiliane, was the first of the original Sisters of the Monastery of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Thebes, Greece, under its founding Abbess, Eldress Diodora. This original monastic community has grown into five Monasteries, in the US, Greece, and Norway, with nuns from more than 15 different countries.
The Sisterhood prays the full cycle of daily services and celebrates the Feasts of the Liturgical year. Our prayers and liturgies are combined with hospitality to visitors, caring for the gardens, chickens, and bees, making prayer ropes, natural skin balms and oils, mounting icons in the wood working shop, sewing monastic and ecclesiastical garb, baking Prosphora for the Liturgy, and roasting coffee, to name a few of our obediences.
ORTHODOX CHARITIES
https://www.philoptochos.org/#
The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, Inc. is the philanthropic arm of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America that has offered 88 years of philanthropy through a multitude of programs that make a difference in the lives of people in the United States and throughout the world. The Society was established in November 1931, by the late Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I, who was then serving as Archbishop of North and South America.
Philoptochos fulfills its mission to “help the poor, the destitute, the hungry, the aged, the sick, the unemployed, the orphaned, the imprisoned, the widowed, those with disabilities and the victims of disasters through its National and Metropolis Boards and its 26,000 members and more than 400 active chapters, nationwide. Philoptochos responds immediately to needs and crises and its philanthropic outreach extends to each area of the country and throughout the world. In 2016, National Philoptochos distributed $2.06 million in philanthropic aid.
https://www.projectmexico.org/
Project Mexico is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that performs works of mercy in the name of Jesus Christ, building homes for the poor in Mexico and by providing education and shelter for orphaned boys through St. Innocent Orphanage.
Since 1988, Project Mexico has been building safe, secure and weather-tight homes for some of the most impoverished families in Northern Mexico. Every home is constructed over the course of four days and built entirely with volunteer labor. Once complete, these homes are provided so that these families can build a brighter future for themselves and their children.
St. Innocent Orphanage is located near Rosarito, Mexico on a beautiful 16-acre ranch. St. Innocent Orphanage was founded in 1996, by Greg Yova, to provide a home for orphaned teenage boys. This home surpasses the basic needs of our youngsters and provides them with spiritual direction, a public education enhanced by private tutoring, athletics and extra-curricular activities and most importantly, tremendous amounts of love from all of the staff and volunteers.
http://thepsoc.org/
Established in 1993, the Philanthropic Society of the Orthodox Church is a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) registered by the government of West Bengal.
Our purpose is to help individuals and families facing poverty and destitution in and around the city of Kolkata (Calcutta), regardless of tradition or personal creed. We work to improve the lives of those shunned by society: those who are orphaned, widowed, handicapped, homeless, sick, and poor within our immediate community. Working together with our international supporters and local staff, we administer services on a needs basis, approaching each of our projects with an eye towards sustainability.
http://www.ugandachildrensfund.org/index.html
The St. Nicholas Uganda Children’s Fund provides for the education, health, and welfare of Ugandan children, teens, and young adults. We support over 250 orphans and vulnerable children in primary & secondary school, vocational & professional training, and university. With your help, we can make a real difference in their young lives.
http://www.ocmc.org/
As the official missions agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States it is OCMC’s mission to make disciples of all nations by bringing people to Christ and His Church.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Everyone has skills to share and can be of great value to mission service. God calls people from all walks of life – from laypeople to priests, students to teachers, healthcare professionals to engineers, laborers to lecturers, retired to second career folks; all committed to sharing the Good News! There’s room for everyone! And you may choose to serve for several weeks or several months, in a GAP year program for students, or for several years or even as a career. There’s a way for everyone to engage in helping the Church fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. Will you join us?
https://iocc.org/
IOCC, in the spirit of Christ’s love, offers emergency relief and development programs to those in need worldwide, without discrimination, and strengthens the capacity of the Orthodox Church to so respond.
We envision that, by God’s grace, IOCC will respond, without discrimination, to those who are suffering and in need, to enable them to continue to improve their own lives and communities and to have means to live with dignity, respect and hope.
IOCC, the international humanitarian aid and development agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, aims to develop in Orthodox Christians a commitment to philanthropy and global cooperative involvement in the diaconal work of the Orthodox Church.
https://focusnorthamerica.org/
FOCUS North America is a national movement of Orthodox Christians, united in faith and joined by a desire to provide action-oriented and sustainable solutions to poverty in communities across America. FOCUS has operations and youth volunteer experiences in more than 50 cities in the United States.
As an expression of Christ’s love FOCUS North America serves the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned by providing Food, Occupation, Clothing, Understanding, and Shelter.
Through the provision of social and human development services, FOCUS North America helps the poor and needy in North America. We bring communities, parishes, and partners together in hands-on activities – uniting giver and the underserved — to help transform all of our lives and break the cycle of poverty that afflicts so many in our society.
DIALOGUE WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS
http://sobornost.org/index.php
Founded in 1928, the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius is an organization of Eastern Orthodox and Western Christians (primarily Anglicans and Roman Catholics). Its stated purpose is to “pray and work for Christian unity, and provide opportunities for Orthodox Christians and Christians of Western traditions to meet and get to know one another, and so to deepen their understanding of each other’s spirituality, theology and worship.” Headquartered in Oxford, England, the fellowship exists with the approval of both the local Orthodox hierarchy and the hierarchs of the Roman and Anglican churches. Its patron saints are St. Alban and St. Sergius of Rostov.
Among other things, the Fellowship maintains a ministry of providing information about Eastern Orthodoxy to Western Christians in England and elsewhere. Each year the Fellowship also provides grants to organizations and initiatives which are in keeping with its mission. There are also Fellowship-sponsored activities in several Orthodox nations, including Greece, Romania, Russia and Serbia.
Membership in the Fellowship is open to any Christian who is a communicant of a recognized Christian body, and who desires to pray and work for Christian unity. Some notable members of the fellowship are The Most Rev. Rowan Williams, current Archbishop of Canterbury, Bishop Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia, Bishop Basil (Osborne) of Sergievo and His Eminence Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain.
Excerpted from Orthodoxwiki.org
https://bellarmine.lmu.edu/ecumenical/
The Huffington Ecumenical Institute at Loyola Marymount University follows the pioneering work of Patriarchs and Popes during the last forty years in rapprochement between the Churches of Constantinople and Rome. The goals of the Institute are to promote the unity of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches; to provide opportunities for fraternal encounters between these two faith communities; to provide resources and forums for reflective and frank ecumenical discussion and dialogue at local, regional, national and international levels; to foster ecclesial and academic interest and leadership in constructive ecumenism; and to build a leading collection of library resources in the areas of ecumenism and Orthodox theology.
https://www.fordham.edu/info/23001/orthodox_christian_studies_center
The Orthodox Christian Studies Center facilitates, finances, and publishes scholarship on the history, thought, and culture of the Orthodox Christian world.
Through lectures, scholarly publications, and student initiatives such as the Orthodox Christian Fellowship and the Orthodox Christian studies minor, we promote serious scholarship and lifelong learning. The center’s work paints a broad picture of Orthodoxy’s history, religious traditions, and geographical, geopolitical, and cultural reach.
Two pillars of the center’s scholarship are the Journal of Orthodox Christian Studies and the Public Orthodoxy online editorial forum, which is read worldwide. Our lively panels, conferences, and seminars—such as the Patterson Triannual Conference and our annual Orthodoxy in America lecture—place us at the center of New York City’s thriving intellectual community.
http://lightoftheeast.org/