Metropolitan Nikitas, Bishop Ilia Report on Astoria Monastery

Metropolitan Nikitas of the Dardanelles and Bishop Ilia (Katre) of Philomelion have visited the Ecumenical Patriarchate to report their findings at St. Irene Chrysovolantou's Monastery in Astoria, New York, concerning the activities of its former abbot, Metropolitan Paisios of Tyana. The Ecumenical Patriarchate is expected to issue a final decision on the status of the Monastery and Metropolitan Paisios in the near future.

At Bishop Ilia's direction the Monastery, which was received into the Constantinopolitan Orthodox Church with the guarantee of its right to follow the Julian calendar, will be celebrating its feast day this year according to the Gregorian calendar. More (in Greek) here.

Ordination of Vasili Hillhouse at St. John's Church in Beaverton, Oregon

Metropolitan Nikitas (Lulias) of the Dardanelles of the Ecumenical Patriarchate ordained Deacon Vasili Hillhouse to the priesthood this morning at the church I've been attending here in Oregon, St. John the Baptist's in Beaverton. Fr. Vasili was tonsured a reader in Jerusalem in 2000 and spent several years serving as a reader at St. John's before his ordination to the deaconate yesterday and to the priesthood today. If I'm not mistaken he will remain at St. John's until he is assigned a parish by Metropolitan Gerasimos (Michaleas) of San Francisco of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Axios! God grant Fr. Vasili many, many years!