Orthodox Brooklynites and Others Make a Pilgrimage to Russia - 09/02/08
A group of pilgrims let by Father Thomas traveled to Russia from August 18th to September 1, 2008. Most of the people were from Brooklyn, with a few from California and His Grace, Bishop MARK of the Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest. Everyone met at New York's JFK airport on August 18th and arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia, the next evening. After eight days in St. Petersburg, the group moved to Moscow for six days before returning home to the USA.(96 images)
AXIOS TO DEACON ANDRE - 12/25/11
Sub-Deacon, chanter and parishioner Dr. Andre El Hajj was ordained a deacon during the Nativity Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral by His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP. Deacon Andre has been preparing for this day for some time by taking the St. Stephen Course of Studies, a correspondence course in Orthodox theology offered by the Archdiocese. Deacon Andre comes from a family of clergymen as his father is a priest in Lebanon and his brother is a deacon in London. We look forward to Deacon Andre serving at the holy table in our Cathedral and add our AXIOS!, praying that God will grant him, his wife Rania and his two children many years!(0 images)
Cathedral Welcomes the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East - 10/21/12
His Beatitude, IGNATIUS IV, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East presided at the Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Cathedral of Brooklyn, NY on October 21, 2012. This was the highlight of his short visit to the United States. The Patriarch, accompanied by His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP and His Grace, Bishop NICHOLAS (who celebrated the liturgy), arrived about 10:00am on a warm autumn day as the church bells filled the streets around the Cathedral. The Cathedral Dean and Vicar-General of the Archdiocese, Archpriest Thomas Zain, greeted the Patriarch at the door of the vestibule and presented the Patriarch with the Gospel book to venerate. As His Beatitude made his way down the center aisle of the Cathedral, scores of people reached out to him for his blessing as the chanters, led by seminarian Rassem El-Massih, chanted the 9th ode of the Palm Sunday Canon, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord . . . . " After blessing the faithful, the Patriarch ascended the throne, the priests took his blessing and vested for the liturgy as Orthros continued with the Patriarch leading the chanting of the Katavasias.(50 images)
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May his memory be eternal! |
It is with great sadness that we report that His Beatitude Ignatius IV (1920-2012), Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, fell asleep in the Lord today, December 5th, 2012, at St. George Orthodox Hospital in Beirut Lebanon, after having suffered a stroke earlier this week. There are no details yet available regarding services or the funeral, but these will be announced as soon as they are known.
His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV (Hazim) of Antioch and All the East was born in 1920 in the village of Muharda, near the city of Hama Syria. In 1936, he moved to Beirut, where he became an altar server. Years later, upon taking monastic vows, he became a hierodeacon. In 1945 he graduated from the American University of Beirut, and from 1949 to 1953 studied at the Saint Sergius Theological Institute in Paris. On his return to Lebanon, the young theologian with a master's degree was ordained hieromonk. In 1942, he became one of the founders of the influential Orthodox Youth Movement in Lebanon and Syria, which has done much to renew youthful participation in Church life. In 1953, His Beatitude became one of the organizers of Syndesmos the worldwide Brotherhood of Orthodox Youth. In 1961 he was ordained Bishop of Palmyra and Patriarchal Vicar, and in the following year, he was sent to the monastery of Balamand as superior and as dean of the Theological Seminary founded, which in 1988 was transformed into an Orthodox University, the first in the Middle East. He has published a series of theological books and numerous articles. His Beatitude is an honorary doctor of Sorbonne and Saint-Petersburg (1981) and Minsk (2003) Theological Academies. In 1970, the future Patriarch was appointed Metropolitan of Latakia (Laodicea). On 2 July 1979, he was elected Primate of the Church of Antioch and enthroned on 8 July of the same year.
Read about His Beatitude's October 2012 visit to our Cathedral here.
We ask the Lord to grant rest to the soul of His servant Patriarch Ignatius IV – May His Memory be Eternal!
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+Memory Eternal! |
His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP will hold a special Trisagion Prayers of Mercy (Memorial Service) for our late father of thice-blessed memory, IGNATIUS IV, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, on Sunday, December 16th after the Divine Liturgy. Members of other religious communities and the diplomatic corps are expected to attend.
To see the video of the funeral for His Beatitude and other information on the life of the late Patriarch, you may click here.
Metropolitan PHILIP Presides at Memorial for Patriarch IGNATIUS IV - 12/16/12
His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP celebrated the Divine Liturgy and a memorial service in memory of His Beatitude, Patriarch IGNATIUS IV at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn. The cathedral was filled to capacity with many dignitaries and faithful from the greater New York area. Sayidna PHILIP was assisted by His Grace, Bishop NICHOLAS, Archpriest Thomas Zain, Archpriest Dimitri Darwich, Priest Charles Baz, Priest Adrian Budica, Archdeacon Emile Sayegh and Deacon Andre Elhajj. In addition to those serving the liturgy, brother bishops and clergy from the sister Orthodox Churches joined the Metropolitan for the Trisagion service including His Beatitude, Metropolitan TIKHON of the Orthodox Church in America, His Grace, Bishop SEVASTIANOS of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (representing Archbishop DEMETRIOS), Archpriest Alexander Golubov (representing Archbishop JUSTINIAN of the Moscow Patriarchate) and Archpriests John Behr and Chad Hatfield, the dean and chancellor of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary along with Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak. Representing other churches were Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan and Bishop Anoushavan Tanielian of the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church in America, Bishop Gregory Mansour of the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn, Bishop Octavio Ciceneros, Auxiliary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, Father Mina Yanni, representing Bishop David of the Coptic Orthodox Church and Sheikh Sami Merhi of the American Druze Society. The Diplomatic community was represented by Ambassador Antoine Chedid, the Lebanese Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari, the Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations, and Majdi Ramadan, the Counsel General of Lebanon in New York.
Prior to the memorial, Metropolitan PHILIP asked the entire congregation to stand in a moment of silence to remember the children and other victims of the mass killings in Connecticut earlier in the week, praying that their memories would be eternal. He then gave a brief biography of the late patriarch, recalling his humbleness and simplicity on the one hand and his perseverance and vision on the other. He reminded the people that this simple monk of great faith was able to assume the role as the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, unite the Church, build an Orthodox University in the midst of the Lebanese (un)civil war and, most importantly, see the face of God in his neighbor. Finally, His Eminence asked the faithful to pray for the fathers of the Holy Synod of Antioch as the prepare to deliberate and elect a new Patriarch on Monday.
Following the divine liturgy and memorial, a reception was held in the Cathedral hall.
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Patriarch KIRILL Presenting the Relics to Bishop NICHOLAS |
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Fr. Thomas Holding the Relics |
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Patriarch KIRILL with Archbishop NIPHON and the Antiochian Delegation after Lunch |
His Grace, Bishop Nicholas and Vicar-General Fr. Thomas Zain led a group of 22 pilgrims from throughout the archdiocese (with two from Damascus) on a two week pilgrimage of Russia from August 13-27. After the majority of the group returned home on August 27th, Bishop Nicholas, Fr. Thomas, Fr. Mousa Haddad from St. Mary Church in Palos Heights, IL and Bishop Nicholas' mother, Nadia Ozone, remained until August 30 to celebrate the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos on August 28 (old style) with His Holiness, KIRILL, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia. The Divine Liturgy took place in the main historical Cathedral for all Russia, the Dormition Cathedral inside the Kremlin walls. It was in this Cathedral that the Patriarchs and Metropolitans of Russia were enthroned and Czars were crowned prior to the dark years of Soviet rule. Thanks to the efforts of our Antiochian representative in Moscow, His Eminence, Archbishop NIPHON, the delegation was invited to participate in the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy with His Holiness. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, before a packed cathedral, His Holiness presented a reliquary containing relics, a piece of the coffin and a portion of the vestment of St. Tikhon of Moscow as a gift to Metropolitan PHILIP for our mother Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Brooklyn. It was St. Tikhon, during his tenure in the United States, that consecrated the first St. Nicholas Cathedral on Pacific Street in Brooklyn in 1902. St. Tikhon also consecrated St. Raphael as a bishop before returning to Russia to become the first Patriarch since the time of Peter the Great.
The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, with great sadness, announces the passing unto life eternal of His Eminence the Most Reverend Metropolitan Philip, Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America. May his memory be eternal! Details are forthcoming. Check here or antiochian.org for updated information.
For photos, tributes and media articles relating to the various services and the funeral at St. Nicholas Cathedral as well as the burial of Metropolitan PHILIP at the Antiochian Village, please see antiochian.org.
Christ is Risen!
I share this with you with love and concern for the unity of our God-protected archdiocese as we move through our transition together. It is a personal reflection based on transpiring events. Feel free to share it as you like.
A Personal Reflection on the Unity of the Archdiocese-English
A Personal Reflection on the Unity of the Archdicoese-Arabic
Metropolitan JOSEPH visits St. Nicholas Cathedral for the first time since Election - 07/27/14
On Sunday, July 27th, His Eminence, Metropolitan JOSEPH visited St. Nicholas Cathedral of Brooklyn for the first time since his election. St. Nicholas is the Mother Cathedral of the Archdiocese and the seat of the new Metropolitan. Although many of the Cathedral faithful were out of town for summer vacations and overseas travel to family overseas, a large crowd nevertheless came to greet their new Metropolitan. During his sermon, Sayidna JOSEPH told the congregation that while this was his first visit to this historic Cathedral, it would not by any means be his last. At the end of the liturgy, Cathedral Dean and Vicar-General, Archpriest Thomas Zain and Vice-Chairman of the Cathedral Council, Mr. Samir Khoury, presented His Eminence with an engolpion of the Theotokos from the Cathedral clergy and faithful. Many years to our new Metropolitan!
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6th Wednesday of Lent
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St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral
355 State Street
Brooklyn, NY 11217-1705
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