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Thursday, July 15, 2010

Metropolitan-Elect Yurij of Winnipeg

I'm not entirely sure how I missed this (church geek that I am), but yesterday Archbishop Yurij of Toronto and Eastern Canada (pictured) was elected Metropolitan of Winnipeg and All Canada and First Hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (UOCC)! The current first hierarch, Metropolitan John, has been having health issues for some time and in light of this the election of a new first hierarch was planned for the ongoing UOCC council in Winnipeg. (The UOCC's official website seems to be devoted to the council for the time being.) Regardless, God grant Metropolitan-elect Yurij many years!

In Memoriam: Bishop Abune Melkes'edeq of Hadiya

I just found out that Bishop Abune Melkes'edeq of Hadiya (pictured here during a visit to Walsingham) has fallen asleep. It was in Abune Melkes'edeq's diocese that miraculous images of the Lord and the Mother of God appeared in May 2009 on what was said to be the site of a medieval Ethiopian Orthodox church in Hadiya. (Orthodoxy expanded into Hadiya prior to the rise of Islam and the invasion of the Oromo, died out after those two events, and then returned during the renewed imperial expansion of Ethiopia during the 1800s.) God grant Abune Melkes'edeq's memory to be eternal! A memorial page has been set up here.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

St. Shenouda the Archimandrite

Joyous feast! Today's the feast of the falling asleep of St. Shenouda the Archimandrite, a famous monk of the Coptic Orthodox Church from Upper Egypt and the heavenly protector of our reigning Pope Shenouda (al-Suriani) of Alexandria and All Africa. God grant Pope Shenouda, through the blessings and prayers of St. Shenouda, many years! More on St. Shenouda's life can be found here and here.