International

Church of St. Seraphim Sobolev to be built in Sofia

A new church in honor of one of the 20th century’s great Holy Hierarchs is set to be built in the Sofia, according to a report prepared by Mayor Dimitar Dimov, reports Orthochristian who cites stolica.bg. St. Seraphim (Sobolev) labored in the Bulgarian capital for the last 29 years of his life and is known throughout…

Jul 25, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

Foundation stone laid for church of St. Cyril of Jerusalem in Republic of Congo

On Monday, July 22, 2019, the faithful of the city of Kakanda welcomed Bishop Meletios of Katanga, with great enthusiasm. The Metropolitan and his escort arrived at the land donated to the Metropolis by the Greek-African Michael Kouvas and determined with the technicians the exact location of the Temple, Romfea News reports. In the end…

Jul 24, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

America’s first monument to St. John of Kronstadt to be erected at D.C. parish

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Washington, D.C. is under the protection of two great saints named John, and now it will enjoy the protection of a third. The church was founded by St. John the Wonderworker of San Francisco in 1949 and named in honor of the great prophet St.…

Jul 23, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

Alexandria and Cyprus to restore 100 unique manuscripts

The Patriarchate of Alexandria with the Library of Alexandria (Biblioteca Alexandrina), together with the A.G. Leventis Foundation of Cyprus, are uniting their forces to renovate one of the most important pieces of the Patriarchate’s history, Romfea news reports. Out of the vast wealth of knowledge, culture and history of the Patriarchal Library, which includes more…

Jul 19, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

Finnish Church celebrates canonization of St. John of Sonkajanranta (+ Video)

On November 29, the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople announced its decision to glorify among the saints the holy Martyr and Confessor John of Sonkajanranta (1884-1918) at the proposal of the Finnish Orthodox Church, an autonomous body within the Patriarchate. Johannes Vasilinpoika Karhapää was an Orthodox missionary who was killed by the White Guards…

Jul 18, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

Archbishop Elpidophoros meets with President Trump at the White House

Archbishop Elpidophoros of America met with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday. The Archbishop was warmly greeted by President Trump in the Oval Office at the White House. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Fr. Alexander Karloutsos were also present for the visit. “The President was very friendly and cordial. I thanked him for his…

Jul 17, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

SVOTS community celebrates Feast of Great Prince Vladimir

On Monday morning, the St. Vladimir’s Seminary community celebrated the feast of the Seminary’s patron, Holy and Great Prince Vladimir, Equal of the Apostles. The celebration of Divine Liturgy was especially blessed by the presence of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, archbishop of Washington, metropolitan of All America and Canada of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), and…

Jul 17, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

President Trump Sent Congratulatory Letter to Archbishop Elpidophoros

His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros received on July 10, 2019, a letter of congratulations from President Donald Trump for his enthronement as Archbishop of America. The text of the President’s letter follows: Your Eminence, I send my warmest congratulations on your enthronement as Archbishop of the Greek Archdiocese of America. Melania and I join your family…

Jul 11, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

First church of St. Luke of Crimea in Poland consecrated, dedicated to victims of nazism

St. Luke of Crimea, known as the “Blessed Surgeon,” is loved and venerated throughout the Orthodox world, and churches dedicated in his honor have been built in a number of Orthodox countries. On June 22, the Polish Orthodox Church joined them, consecrating its first church to the great 20th-century saint in the village of Łaźnie…

Jul 11, 2019Gheorghe Anghel

UNESCO Adds Russia’s Ancient Pskov Churches to World Heritage List

Seventeen unique buildings in the northwest Russian city of Pskov were among the latest cultural gems to join UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites.  Pskov is one of Russia’s oldest cities, first mentioned in ancient annals of the 9th century. In the Middle Ages, it was the bustling, wealthy capital of the Pskov Republic, acting…

Jul 10, 2019Aurelian Iftimiu

Philistine refuge of King David said to have been found

The excavation began in 2015 at the Khirbet al-Ra’i site, located between Kiryat Gat and Lachish, and was led by Prof. Yosef Garfinkel, head of the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University, The Jerusalem Post reports. Researchers from a joint expedition including the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority, and Macquarie University…

Jul 9, 2019Iulian Dumitraşcu