In Memoriam: Archpriest Peter Gillquist

Fr. Peter E. Gillquist, a retired clergyman of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, fell asleep in the Lord last night at the age of seventy-three. Born into a Lutheran family, the future priest went on after university to become a full-time staff member of the Evangelical Protestant Campus Crusade for Christ, eventually becoming one of the organization's regional directors. He also worked as a senior editor for Thomas Nelson Publishers, being involved in the 1970s on the overview committee for the New King James Version Bible.

While still working with Campus Crusade Fr. Peter and some of his colleagues became convinced through their studies that the Orthodox Church was the only one that had preserved the ancient Christian Faith through the centuries. In 1973 this led to their organization of a network of house churches in the USA and Canada, at first called the "New Covenant Apostolic Order" and later (after 1979) the Evangelical Orthodox Church (EOC), as part of their efforts to live the Orthodox Faith as they knew it.

After exploring the possibility of joining the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America or the American Orthodox Church (OCA) the majority of the EOC joined the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese. (Although several EOC parishes that initially refused to be united with the Orthodox Church were later accepted through the OCA.) Fr. Peter went on to serve as director of the archdiocesan department for missions and evangelism as well as project director for the Orthodox Study Bible. He reposed due to a recurring skin cancer. May his memory be eternal! Further information about Fr. Peter and funeral announcements should be posted here.

Former Evangelical Orthodox Leader Diagnosed with Cancer

Archpriest Peter Gillquist, a leader of the union of the larger part of the independent Evangelical Orthodox Church in North America with the Antiochian Orthodox Church in the late 1980s, has been diagnosed with skin cancer. Please remember him and his family in your prayers! More here.

Antiochian Orthodox Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles Elevated in Rank

Patriarch Ignatios IV (Hazim) of Antioch has elevated Bishop Joseph (al-Zehlaoui) of Los Angeles, an auxiliary of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, to the rank of archbishop. Axios! The report of the elevation can be found on the website of the former Diocese of Los Angeles.

New Antiochian Orthodox Auxiliary Bishops Consecrated at Balamand

Earlier today Patriarch Ignatios IV (Hazim) of Antioch consecrated the three newly elected auxiliary bishops of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America to the episcopacy. Axios! The consecrations took place during the Sunday Liturgy at the Balamand Monastery of the Dormition in Lebanon due to the ongoing unrest in neighboring Syria. Video coverage of the consecration services can be found here, whilst the Archdiocese's press release can be found here.

Maronite Catholic Patriarch Attends Reception Hosted by Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese

As part of his ongoing visit to the United States the head of the Maronite Catholic Church, Patriarch Beshara Rai of Antioch, has attended a reception in his honor hosted by Metropolitan Philip (Saliba) of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America and attended by the Archdiocese's auxiliary bishops as well as several Maronite Catholic hierarchs and Muslim ulama (clergymen). More here.

Update (29/10/2011): The next day Metropolitan Philip, Metropolitan Mor Cyril (Karim) of the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of the Eastern United States, and Antiochian Orthodox auxiliary Bishop Antoun (Khouri) of Miami attended the Sunday Liturgy celebrated by Patriarch Bechara at the Maronite Catholic cathedral in Brooklyn. More on that here.

New Antiochian Orthodox Auxiliaries for North America to be Consecrated at Balamand

It has been decided with the blessing of Patriarch Ignatios IV (Hazim) of Antioch that the consecrations of Bishops-elect John (Abdalah) of Worcester, Anthony (Michaels) of Toledo, and Nicholas (Ozone) of Brooklyn will take place in early December at Lebanon's Monastery of the Dormition in Balamand. More details on the upcoming consecrations can be found here.

North American Bishops-Elect to be Consecrated in Middle East

The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America has announced that its Bishops-elect John, Anthony, and Nicholas will be consecrated by Patriarch Ignatios IV (Hazim) of Antioch this coming December in either Syria or Lebanon. (The exact time and place has yet to be determined.) More here.

Antiochian Orthodox Elect Three New Auxiliary Bishops for North America

Metropolitan Philip (Saliba) of New York of the Antiochian Orthodox Church and his auxiliary bishops have elected Archimandrites John (Abdalah), Anthony (Michaels), and Nicholas (Ozone) to the episcopacy. Axios!

Bishop-elect John is to be consecrated Bishop of Worcester with care of the New England region. Bishop-elect Anthony will be consecrated Bishop of Toledo with oversight of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese's Midwestern region. Bishop-elect Nicholas will follow in the steps of St. Raphael of Brooklyn and be consecrated Bishop of Brooklyn, in which capacity he will serve as auxiliary to Metropolitan Philip in his oversight of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese as a whole.

Of the three new auxiliaries Bishop-elect John is Arab-American, Bishop-elect Anthony is half Arab-American, half Serbian-American and a native Michiganian Orthodox Christian, and Bishop-elect Nicholas is Syrian. More on the election together with the new auxiliary bishops' biographies can be found here.

Pictured is one of the three new auxiliaries, Bishop-elect John (Abdalah) of Worcester.

Antiochian Orthodox in North America to Choose Three New Auxiliary Bishops

It was announced today at the ongoing convention of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America in Chicago that not two, but three auxiliary bishops will be "elected" by the "Local Synod" of the Archdiocese. Two will be appointed to the Midwestern and New England regions, whilst the only region without an auxiliary, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, will be passed over so that an auxiliary can be assigned to assist Metropolitan Philip (Saliba) of New York in his pastoral duties. More here.

Candidates Named for Episcopal Nominations in Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese

The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America has released a list of seven candidates for nomination as new archdiocesan auxiliary bishops at this summer's upcoming Archdiocesan Convention in Chicago. The Convention is to nominate two of the seven for election as auxiliary bishops. More here. Hat tip to Byzantine Texas for posting this first!

It's not entirely clear who is electing the new auxiliary bishops. The link above states that the "Archdiocesan Synod" will elect them, but given that a synod normally consists of ruling hierarchs it is not apparent how a collection of hierarchs including one ruling metropolitan and several auxiliary bishops can elect new bishops without someone from outside the Archdiocese joining them.

In the biographies themselves the emphasis placed on the languages known by the applicants is interesting, as is the presence of not one, but three clergy who have been priests for less than ten years. Length of pastoral service certainly isn't an absolute indicator of whether someone would make a good bishop or not, but one would think that it would certainly be a help...

2011 Western Orthodox Conference Announced

It has been announced that the Western Rites conference being sponsored by the Fraternity of St. Gregory the Great for the Western Orthodox clergy and faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia will be held this October at a retreat center in upstate New York. The conference will also be open to the Western Orthodox clergy and faithful of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America. More here.

Antiochian Orthodox in North America Prepare for June, July Meetings

The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America is preparing for a meeting of its "synod" (consisting of its ruling metropolitan and his auxiliary bishops), at which the nomination of new auxiliary bishops at the July Archdiocesan Convention will be discussed together with issues in the internal life of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in North America. More here.

Plans Released for Monastery at Antiochian Village

Plans for the construction of a permanent complex for St. Thekla's Convent at the Antiochian Village in Bolivar, Pennsylvania, have been posted here. Hat tip to Byzantine Texas for posting this first!

Photo of the Day: Consecration of Idaho Church

Auxiliary Bishop Joseph (al-Zehlaoui) of Los Angeles of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America consecrates Holy Myrrhbearers' Church in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

Church to be Consecrated in Northern Idaho

This coming Sunday of the Holy Myrrhbearers Bishop Joseph (al-Zehlaoui) of Los Angeles of the Antiochian Orthodox Church will consecrate the newly completed Church of the Holy Myrrhbearers in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. More on the upcoming consecration and the parish's history can be found here.

Antiochian Orthodox Church in North America Recognizes Monasticism as Necessary in the Church

The opening of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America to monasticism continues this month with an article on the necessity of monasticism in the life of the Church in the archdiocesan magazine The Word, a link to which can be found here.

Antiochian and Russian Orthodox Clergy Discuss North American Western Rites Outreach

The leaders of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America's Western Rites Vicariate met this past Wednesday with Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral) of New York, Bishop Jerome (Shaw) of Manhattan, and other clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad to discuss the state of the Antiochian and Russian Orthodox Churches Western Rites outreach in North America and means for the closer cooperation of the two jurisdictions in this outreach. More here.

Mark Stokoe, the OCA, and American Orthodoxy

An interesting article about Mark Stokoe, the author of OCA News, can be found on the new OCA Truth website. I personally find some of the culture war comments unnecessary - Christians standing up to call homosexuals evil and destroyers of the family is pretty ripe given the rather tragically average divorce and abortion rates in Christian circles - but the article does give people not belonging to the 'establishment' or what have you of the American Orthodox Church (OCA) some food for thought about the ongoing events involving Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen) and the state of the OCA, especially given the strong growth in recent years of more traditionally Orthodox Churches in North America (particularly the Serbian Orthodox Church).

The above aside, I'm reluctant to fall behind the perspective of the OCA Truth website wholeheartedly as we still don't know what's going on with Metropolitan Jonah and the OCA. It could be that he has committed serious errors that require investigation and his removal. I would, however, be sad to see the first primate of the OCA in decades who is grounded in the Tradition and Apostolic Faith of the Church removed simply because he doesn't fit a narrow Syosset and Paris-based vision of Orthodoxy that has little in common with historic Orthodoxy in North America, much less Orthodoxy as it is lived in Ethiopia, Greece, Russia, and virtually every other Orthodox Christian land.

God guard and guide us all during this new time of troubles! Thank God Lent is upon us and we will all have time to fast and pray for the healing and strengthening of our Church.

Update (6/3/11): Mark Stokoe's response to OCA Truth's allegations can be found here.

Icon of Charles I

The monthly newsletter of St. Mark's Church in Denver has an icon of Anglican King Charles I of England (killed for his perceived sympathy for Roman Catholicism) in its February edition. Check it out here. Francis of Assisi, Charles I - perhaps Mahatma Gandhi could be the next candidate for addition to the repertoire of Orthodox iconographers?

Order Renews Chinese Translation Grant

The Order of St. Ignatius of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America has renewed a grant to the Fellowship of All Saints of China to enable it to translate into Chinese and publish the full Prologue from Ochrid compiled by St. Nicholas (Velimirovich) of Libertyville. More here.