In a gathering at the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches along with Ambassadors, Consul-Generals and Representatives of diplomatic missions assembled to address the challenges faced in the Holy Land, especially in light of the approaching Christmas season. His Beatitude Theophilos III, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, opened the session with a message…

In a momentous gathering at the Patriarchate of Jerusalem earlier today, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem convened to address pressing matters relating to the war in Gaza and the holiday season. The meeting commenced with a heartfelt prayer, underscoring the spiritual significance of the assembly. His Beatitude Theophilos III, the Patriarch of…

From Sunday, December 4th / 17th 2023 to Tuesday, December 6th / 19th 2023, the celebrations of the Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified took place. The Lavra is located on the right bank of the Brook Cedron, which leads to the Dead Sea. This Lavra was founded by Saint Sabba as a Monastery…

“A strange and marvellous mystery do I behold; the cave is a heaven; the Virgin a cherubic throne; the manger a space wherein Christ God the Uncontainable One hath reclined. Him do we praise and magnify” (Christmas Canon, Heirmos of Ode 9)   Mankind beheld “a strange and marvellous mystery” indeed, as the hymnographer of…

Representatives of institutions of the Armenian community in Jerusalem engaged in a momentous visit to the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, where His Beatitude Theophilos III, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, graciously received them. The meeting served as a platform for community representatives to express gratitude, discuss recent existential challenges, and seek guidance from the Patriarch. In…

Yesterday, 18 December 2023, the Sacred and Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate unanimously elected the Grand Protosyncellus Theodoros as Metropolitan of Selefkia. The election took place, according to tradition, in the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in the Phanar, where following this, the Metropolitan-elect offered the Great Minima, which is his formal acceptance of…

Saturday, December 16, 2023 His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America presided over the Agiasmos and door opening of the new Fellowship Hall and Gymnasium of Holy Resurrection Greek Orthodox Church in Brookville, New York. The community of Holy Resurrection warmly welcomed His Eminence and other dignitaries to celebrate this milestone. Archbishop Elpidophoros was joined by…

On Saturday afternoon, 16 December 2023, at the Archdiocesan Church of Our Lady ‘Axion Esti’, in Northcote, Melbourne, the end of year Christmas Concert of the Byzantine Music School of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia in Victoria, took place, where the students and their teachers presented various hymns, with an emphasis on those connected with…

The Holy Archdiocese of Australia is pleased to announce the publication and circulation of its new pocket Calendar for the year 2024, dedicated to the 100th Anniversary since the establishment of the Orthodox Church within the Fifth Continent, and to the person of its first Shepherd, the ever-remembered Metropolitan Christophoros of Australia and New Zealand….