[VIAGRA-]

The news has been officially released. Glory to God !

This will give to the Russian Church actual Western Rite parishes in addition to the present basically solitary 3 or 4 monastics here and there.

Fr Ambrose
NZ
______________________________________

November 10, 2010

Dear Brothers in Christ,

It is with great pleasure that I announce to you that the Archdiocese of New
York of The Holy Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church of America, the
Former Exarchate of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria has
petitioned The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia to be received into
its fold.

It was our intention to do this quietly, without fanfare, until all the
clergy were received and ordained. The post made here unfortunately
preempted that.

This is the culmination of a long journey, many prayers, and great patience.
It will also require the humility of our bishops, priests and deacons to bow
their heads for ordination in the Russian Church which we do with great joy
for the sake of the unity of the Church. We have accepted the use of the
Julian Calendar as we were already on it for the Paschalion and most of us
have been greatly disturbed by the commercialization of Christmas. We will
also be able to keep our Liturgy which is based on the Dom Augustine
Liturgy. We will also be able to continue our practice of gathering each
year in the Fall for a Conference/Retreat and now open it up to other
Western Rite Clergy. The 2011 Conference will be held at St Mary's Villa,
Sloatsburg NY, Tuesday October 25th to Friday October 28th.

So that we are clear, the parishes being received were non-canonical
Orthodox, not Anglican. Most of us come from the Roman Church though some of
us have spent time in the Anglican Church, Episcopal, Continuing, or
Charismatic Episcopal. We all became Western Rite Orthodox.

Archbishop Anthony and Bishop Michael will resign the episcopacy and be
ordained and elevated to be Archimandrites and His Eminence, Metropolitan
Hilarion has asked former Archbishop Anthony to be Vicar/Dean of his group
of Western Rite parishes. The historic significance of this is that the
Orthodox Western Rite will have almost ten new parishes and, when all are
received about 18 more clergy. We will have an informal group called The
Fraternity of St Gregory.

Those clergy who have already been received into the Russian Church have
experienced the warm welcome and generous kindness of Metropolitan Hilarion
and Vladyka Jerome who have been paragons of patience in doing all of the
required ordinations for us. The Russian clergy surrounding them have been
most welcoming to their new Orthodox brothers who will be using the Western
Rite.

Some have commented on the humility that it has taken for me and Bishop
Michael to give up the episcopacy. Anyone who knows our history also knows
that we did what we had to do to keep our group together and to offer a
place for those who wanted to be Orthodox Western Rite as we awaited the
time God would appoint for our entrance into the Russian Church.
Conversations were being held with Moscow through Fr Daniil Sosoyev (RIP)
who through his martyric death has accomplish what he could not finish in
this life.

We wish to thank Father James of Christminster who urged us for years
constantly to hope and pray, Fr Ambrose (NZ) who continued to fast and pray
for us all and who encouraged us, Fr Michael for his encouragement, Fr David
(FL) and Fr Ambrose (GOA) for their prayers. We wish also to acknowledge the
ongoing novena to St John of Shanghai and San Francisco for the past 9 years
and the maternal graces secured for us by the Holy Mother of God.

Finally, we remember the words of the old Western prayer: "O Lord Jesus
Christ, who for the accomplishment of Thy greatest works, has chosen the
weak vessel of the world that no flesh may glory in Thy sight...." may we
who have been called to the work of bringing the West to Orthodoxy have the
strength and grace to perform it by your prayers.

Archbishop Anthony [Bondi]
New York

[Daruhuw]

Glory to God!

May I ask what website this is from?

[casinobonusnolimit]

It was posted on the "Occidentalis" Yahoo discussion list operated by Hieromonk Aidan (Keller).

[VIAGRA-]

Dear Father Cyprian,

It was announced today on the ROCA Western Rite e-mail group Occidentalis.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Occide.../message/17763

Also mentioned on the Forward In Orthodox Faith site
http://forwardinorthodoxfaith.blogspot.com/

It was not supposed to be announced until Metropolitan and Bishop Jerome had completed all the ordinations in mid December. But the Internet has a way of leaking information prematurely. Half of the ordinations have been done now.

[VIAGRA-]

In other Western Rite news in the Russian Church Abroad,

Major western rite monastery complex in the US to be constructed in the New Year.

A major Western Rite monastery complex is being created in the United States by hieromonk Michael of Saint Petroc monastery Tasmania, Australia. Construction will commence in two to three months.

The news has been released by the group Forward in Orthodox Faith.

http://forwardinorthodoxfaith.blogspot.com/

This must mean that there is a group of Western Rite monks ready to take up residence?

[Daruhuw]

Thank you Fr Ambrose. I figured it might have come through something like that. Most of my time on the computer is done while at my secular job, and they have firewalls that don't let me access the Yahoo stuff. Oh well.

So, there's to be another western rite monastery in the US? Excellent. At least we still have our one in Canada.

[limpoporanique]

Fr Cyprian wrote:

At least we still have our one in Canada. Further down the same page 'Forward in Orthodox Faith' there is also this message:

We welcome the arrival of the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Orthodox Mission in Huntsville, under the oversight of Saint Petroc Monastery. Interesting. Until recently there was no Orthodox presence in between Toronto and Sudbury. Now there are suddenly several parishes and missions in this area. Thanks be to God.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Daruhuw]

Strange. Huntsville already has an Orthodox Mission. www.orthodoxhuntsville.com I thought it was a fairly small community.

However, are we sure it's Huntsville, ON, Canada, that they're speaking of?

Huntsville is the name of several places:
Canada

• Huntsville, Ontario

United States

• Huntsville, Alabama - the largest city with this name
• Huntsville, Arkansas
• Huntsville, Connecticut
• Huntsville, Illinois / Huntsville Township, Schuyler County, Illinois
• Huntsville, Indiana
• Huntsville, Madison County, Indiana
• Huntsville, Missouri
• Huntsville, North Carolina
• Huntsville, Ohio
• Huntsville, Tennessee
• Huntsville, Texas - headquarters of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and location of Texas' death row
• Huntsville, Utah

[VIAGRA-]

Fr Cyprian wrote:
Interesting. Until recently there was no Orthodox presence in between Toronto and Sudbury. Now there are suddenly several parishes and missions in this area. Thanks be to God. l

Information about the new mission in Hunstville, Alamaba, has been posted by a Reader from Christminster in Canada.

Here is the link to the message
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Occide.../message/17840

and if it is permitted to post from other news groups I would be happy to post the message here.

[limpoporanique]

Woops. I thought that Huntsville, Ontario was meant.

Thanks for the correction Father!

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[limpoporanique]

Strange. Huntsville already has an Orthodox Mission. www.orthodoxhuntsville.com I thought it was a fairly small community.

However, are we sure it's Huntsville, ON, Canada, that they're speaking of?

I was following the rule that for every Orthodox parish there has to be a break off from it. Yeah--Huntsville comes of age and has its first schism!

[IACJdKfU]

Ok, I'll be the kid with the "dunce" hat....what is "ROCA?"

-Ignatios

[ButKnillinoi]

ROCA = Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, aka Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). Two names, same people, sometimes also referred to as "the Synod", especially if certain monks answer when calling Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville (ring, ring ..., SEENOD.)

Herman

[Peterli]

ROCA = Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, aka Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). Two names, same people,

Generally this is true, however, you do have to be somewhat discerning. Some of the "splinter groups" that went into schism following the retirement of Metropolitan Vitaly and other groups that later went into schism rather than accept the reconciliation with Moscow will try and distinguish between ROCA and ROCOR or will use various forms of these acronyms (by adding the initial of the chief hierarch to the end) to denote their "true" microjurisdiction as different from all the others. However, in the Russian Church it is still fairly common to see either ROCOR or ROCA used interchangeably. The difference is simply that of the English translation of the Russian word "zarubezhnia" as either "Outside Russia" or "Abroad".

Fr David Moser

[casinobonusnolimit]

Dear Fr. Ambrose,

In the letter you posted, Archbishop/Archimandrite Anthony states: "We will also be able to keep our Liturgy which is based on the Dom Augustine Liturgy." Do you know if this is the only western rite liturgy these communities will be using? I ask because prior to their reception by ROCOR, they utilized other liturgies as well.

In Christ,
Chris

[VIAGRA-]

Let us rejoice! This extraordinary week in the WR for the Russian Church Abroad

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

May we pause, remark these happenings and give thanks to God for the wonderful events within the Western Rite over the last few days.

1. The reception into the Russian Church Abroad of Archbishop Anthony with his clergy and 10 parishes

2. The announcement by Fr Michael (Wood) of the construction commencing in the New Year of a major Western Rite monastery complex
http://forwardinorthodoxfaith.blogspot.com/

3. The announcement, also by Fr Michael, of a hermitage to be built in New Mexico
http://forwardinorthodoxfaith.blogspot.com/

4. The announcement of the reception of Fr Patrick Lowery and Saint Patrick's chapel in Michigan

5. The reception of Fr Allyne Lev Smith in Des Moines.

For these things let us praise God.

Hierom. Ambrose

[VIAGRA-]

By a Decree of Metropolitan Hilarion published 19th November, administrative changes have been made to ROCA's Western Rite.

He has allocated Fr Michael (Wood) to assist him in Australia and the UK and Dom James Deschene in the United States and Canada.

I have read that Fr Michael is frail and in poor heath but still managing to take care of his WR mission in the UK.

His willingness to assume the construction of a major Western Rite monastery complex in the United States commencing in the New Year would have been quite a strain for him. It was certainly compassionate of the Metropolitan not to overload him with work and to give the American projects into the control of Dom James.