Macedonia Celebrates 45th Anniversary of the Restoration of Autocephaly

In its recent session earlier this month the Holy Synod of the independent Macedonian Orthodox Church reaffirmed the year's programs celebrating the 45th anniversary of the restoration of the Archdiocese of Ohrid's autocephaly in 1967, noting that the celebrations will include the glorification in Kicevo of the New Martyrs Eusebius, Paisius, and Avercius of the Turkish Yoke, who suffered for the Lord in 1558. More in Macedonian here.

Serbian Orthodox Holy Synod Threatens Schism with Romanian Orthodox Church, Glorifies New Martyrs

At its recent session earlier this week the full Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church (the Holy Assembly of Bishops) reiterated its repeated protests to the Bucharest Patriarchate over the schismatic intrusions of the Romanian Orthodox Church on the canonical territory of the Church of Serbia and stated that if the Romanian Orthodox Church does not stop uncanonically celebrating services in eastern Serbia without the permission of the local hierarchy that it would follow the example of the Church of Jerusalem and break communion with the Bucharest Patriarchate.

During its session the full Holy Synod also protested the ongoing persecution of the autonomous Macedonian Orthodox Church by the Macedonian government, glorified the Holy New Martyrs of Momisici of the Turkish Yoke, and discussed the division of the Archdiocese of Belgrade and Sremski Karlovci (currently the largest of the Serbian Orthodox Church) into several more manageable dioceses. More (in Serbian) here.

St. Chryse the Great-Martyr

Joyous feast! St. Chryse the Virgin-Martyr (more commonly known as Zlata) was born in the region between what today are Bulgaria and Serbia during the Turkish Yoke. The Saint possessed a strong character and deep faith, but drew the attention of a Turk because of her great beauty. Having kidnapped her, the Turk attempted to seduce the virgin and convert her to Islam, turning from seduction to threats when St. Chryse remained firm in her faith.

St. Chryse endured six months of threats in the Turk's household. Seeing that his threats had no effect on the Saint, the Turk turned on her family and threatened to murder her and torture them if they did not persuade her to accept Islam. Despite their appeals to convert for appearance's sake, however, St. Chryse remained steadfast in the Orthodox Faith and endured three months of tortures, being beaten and having her skin peeled off her body by her tormenters.

At the last St. Chryse was tied to a tree by the Turks and cut into pieces, her precious relics later being recovered by the area's Christians and buried with reverence. She witnessed to the Orthodox Faith in 1795. May her blessing and prayers be with us all! More on St. Chryse's life can be found here.

Holy New Martyrs of the Turkish Yoke

Joyous feast! On this third Sunday after Pentecost we commemorate the Holy New Martyrs of the Turkish Yoke who suffered after the Ottoman Turkish conquest of the last remnants of the East Roman Empire and the Balkans. Hierarchs, clergymen, and faithful all witnessed to Christ regardless of their level of learning, their class, or their ethnicity. Muslim converts to Orthodoxy who were martyred for their faith are also included amongst the New Martyrs. More on today's feast can be found here and here. May the New Martyrs' blessings and prayers be with us all!

New Martyrs of Naousa Glorified in Greece

This past Sunday Metropolitan Panteleimon of Berea and Naousa together with brother hierarchs of the Constantinopolitan Orthodox Church; hierarchs representing the Alexandrian, Jerusalemite, Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Cypriot, Greek, and Czechoslovak Orthodox Churches; and clergymen representing the Albanian and Polish Orthodox Churches celebrated the glorification of the New Martyrs of Naousa in Naousa's Church of the Transfiguration. More (in Greek) here.

The New Martyrs of Naousa were martyred for the Orthodox Faith by the Ottoman Turks in 1822 following the city's capture of the city during an unsuccessful attempts by Macedonian Greeks to liberate the region from Ottoman rule. The glorification of the Naousa New Martyrs was recently approved by the Holy Synod of the Constantinopolitan Orthodox Church, which holds jurisdiction over the region despite its oversight by the Church of Greece.

St. Constantine the New Martyr

Joyous feast! Today we commemorate the New Martyr Constantine. St. Constantine was born to a Muslim family on the Greek island of Mytilene and as a child became sick and lost his sight. Although he expected to die, a Christian took him to a nearby church and washed the Saint with holy water, after which his health and sight were restored.

After searching for a long time St. Constantine took refuge on Mount Athos, where he was baptized and requested a blessing to go and be martyred. (In those times a convert from Islam to another faith in the Ottoman Empire was subject to the death penalty.) After 40 days of fasting and prayer the Saint was blessed to return to the world, where he confessed the Christ before Turkish officials and was martyred for his Lord.

More on St. Constantine's life can be found here. May his blessing and prayers be with us all!

Holy New Martyrs of Ajaria

Joyous feast! In Georgia the Sunday of Pentecost is also the commemoration of the Holy New Martyrs of Ajaria who suffered under the Turkish Yoke in the 18th century.

When Ajaria, a region in what today is southwestern Georgia, was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire its Turkish rulers strongly encouraged its Georgian inhabitants to convert to Islam in the hope of detaching the area from its long association with the rest of Orthodox Georgia. As part of this push to convert Ajaria to Islam in 1790 the area's rulers organized a massacre of those who were steadfast in their Orthodox Faith and were encouraging others to likewise resist Islam, with the faithful being tortured and guillotined and their bodies dumped in Ajaria's rivers.

More (in Russian) on the sufferings of the Ajarian New Martyrs can be found here. May their blessings and prayers be with us all!

Boyadzhik Commemorates Victims of Turkish Massacre

Yesterday marked the 135th anniversary of the slaughter of the villagers of Boyadzhik by the Ottoman Turks and was celebrated by Metropolitan Ioanikiy of Sliven with a memorial in Boyadzhik's Church of St. Demetrius. The names of the victims of the massacre have been forwarded by the Eparchy of Sliven to the Bulgarian Orthodox Holy Synod to be glorified as New Martyrs. More (in Bulgarian) here.

New Martyrs of Batak Glorified in Sofia

This past Sunday the glorification of the New Martyrs of Batak and the Turkish Yoke was celebrated in the patriarchal Cathedral of St. Alexander of the Neva in Sofia, Bulgaria. Patriarch Maxim (Minkov) of Sofia led the services, which were concelebrated by 10 diocesan metropolitans and 13 auxiliary bishops of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

In addition to the concelebrating hierarchs, President Georgi S. Parvanov of Bulgaria and the representatives of the Russian and Romanian Orthodox Churches in Sofia as well as of the Zographou Monastery on Mount Athos also participated in the services. More here (in Bulgarian) and here (in English).

Bulgarian Orthodox Church Glorifies Batak New Martyrs

At its session last week the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church glorified the New Martyrs of Batak who suffered under the Turkish Yoke. The formal glorification will take place at the services for the Sunday of St. John of the Ladder. More on that here. The New Martyrs were glorified 5 years ago by the Bulgarian Old Calendrist Orthodox Church in communion with the Greek Orthodox Synod in Resistance, but the connection (if any) between that decision and this one hasn't been established.

Turkish Economic Influence Grows in the Balkans

Growing Turkish economic influence is becoming a growing cause for concern in the Balkans, one no doubt not helped by statements from the Turkish foreign minister that, "The Ottoman centuries of the Balkans were success stories. Now we have to reinvent this...Turkey is back!” Many in the Balkans remember the centuries of religious and ethnic persecution (see here, here, and here) that followed the Ottoman Turkish conquest in a somewhat dimmer light and are consequently wary of renewed Turkish influence. More here.