Orthodox Churches

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk awarded degree of doctor of theology honoris causa by Minsk Theological Academy

On March 6, 2012, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, in his capacity as rector of the Sts Cyril and Methodius Post-Graduate and Doctoral School and chairman of the Synodal Biblical-Theological Commission, visited the Minsk Theological Academy during his visit to Belarus with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and at the invitation of Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch for All Belarus.

Pan Orthodox Vespers celebrated on the Sunday of Orthodoxy in Dublin

On 4 March 2012, the Sunday of Orthodoxy, Pan Orthodox Vespers was celebrated at the Church of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, Patriarchate of Constantinople, in Dublin.

By tradition, clergymen and laymen of the Local Orthodox Churches represented in Dublin, gathered for common prayer. They belong to the Patriarchates of Constantinople, Antioch, Moscow, and Romania.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk: Lent is a time to look into oneself

On February 29, 2012, the Wednesday of the first Lenten week, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for external church relations, celebrated the Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts at the church of Our Lady the Joy of All the Afflicted in Moscow.

After the service, His Eminence addressed the congregation with the following homily:

Russian Cathedral in New York to be renovated

Renovation works have started at St. Nicholas Russian Patriarchal Cathedral in New York, they are to take four months.

The roof and cupolas will be capitally repaired, crosses on cupolas will be renovated, the Russian Church in the USA reports on its website.

Liturgical and parochial work of the cathedral will be changed or limited in the renovation period.

The cathedral was constructed in 1902. Nicholas II made the first contribution to the construction, it was five thousand of gold rubles. St. John of Kronstadt blessed the works and made his contribution of 200 rubles.

The church was erected for year and a half by an American building company of that time.

A New Mission Established in the Kingdom of Tonga

If many Russians consider Australia the end of the Earth, then the Kingdom of Tonga in the south-western part of the Pacific Ocean, consisting of 176 islands, represents the furthest reaches of the globe.

Tonga’s islands were discovered for Europe by the Dutch seamen Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire in 1616. In 1773, the English explorer James Cook called the archipelago the “Friendly Islands.” In 1900, the archipelago became a British protectorate. At the same time, Tonga preserved all rights to self-governance. The islands’ independence was granted in 1970. Tonga is now a member nation of the UN, the South Pacific Commission and the Forum of Pacific Islands.