- Category: Static
Teachings of the Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church throughout the ages has maintained a continuity of faith and love with the apostolic community which was founded by Christ and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Orthodoxy believes that she has preserved and taught the historic Christian Faith free from error and distortion, from the time of the Apostles. She also believes that there is nothing in the body of her teachings which is contrary to truth or which inhibits real union with God. The air of antiquity and timelessness which often characterizes Eastern Christianity is an expression of her desire to remain loyal to the authentic Christian Faith.
Orthodoxy believes that the Christian Faith and the Church are inseparable. It is impossible to know Christ, to share in the life of the Holy Trinity, or to be considered a Christian apart from the Church. It is in the Church that the Christian Faith is proclaimed and maintained. It is through the Church that an individual is nurtured in the Faith.
REVELATION
God is the source of faith in the Orthodox Church. Orthodoxy believes that God has revealed Himself to us, most especially in the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom we know as the Son of God. This Revelation of God, His love, and His purpose, are constantly made manifest and contemporary in the life of the Church by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Orthodox Faith does not begin with humankind's religious speculations, nor with the so-called "proofs" for the existence of God, nor with a human quest for the Divine. The origin of the Orthodox Christian Faith is the Self-disclosure of God. Each day the Church's
Morning Prayer affirms and reminds us of this by declaring: "God is the Lord and He has revealed Himself to us. " While the inner Being of God always remains unknown and unapproachable, God has manifested Himself to us; and the Church has experienced Him as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which is central to the Orthodox Faith, is not a result of pious speculation, but the over whelming experience of God. The
doctrine affirms that there is only One God in whom there are three distinct Persons. In other words, when we encounter either the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, we are truly experiencing contact with God. While the Holy Trinity is a mystery which can never be fully comprehended, Orthodoxy believes that we can truly participate in the Trinity through the life of the Church, especially through our celebration of the Eucharist and the Sacraments, as well as the non-sacramental services.
INCARNATION OF JESUS CHRIST
Together with the belief in the Holy Trinity, the doctrine of the Incarnation occupies a central position in the teaching of the Orthodox Church. According to Orthodox Faith, Jesus is much more than a pious man or a profound teacher of morality. He is the "Son of God who became the Son of Man. " The doctrine of the Incarnation is an expression of the Church's experience of Christ. In I-Am, divinity is united with humanity without the destruction of either reality. Jesus Christ is truly God who shares in the same reality as the Father and the Spirit. Moreover, He is truly man who shares with us all that is human. The Church believes that, as the unique God-man, Jesus Christ has restored humanity to fellowship with God.
By manifesting the Holy Trinity, by teaching the meaning of authentic human life, and by conquering the powers of sin and death through His Resurrection. Christ is the supreme expression of the love of God the Father, for His people, made present in every age and in every place by the Holy Spirit through the life of the Church. The great Fathers of the Church summarized the ministry of Christ in the bold affirmation: "God became what we are so that we may become what he is.
SCRIPTURES
The Holy Scriptures are highly regarded by the Orthodox Church. Their importance is expressed in the fact that a portion of the Bible is read at every service of Worship. The Orthodox Church, which sees itself as the guardian and interpreter of the Scriptures, believes that the books of the Bible are a valuable witness to God's revelation. The Old Testament is a collection of forty-nine books of various literary style which expresses God's revelation to the ancient Israelites. The Orthodox Church regards the Old Testament to be a preparation for the coming of Christ and believes that it should be read in light of His revelation.
The New Testament is centered upon the person and work of Jesus Christ and the out pouring of the Holy Spirit in the early Church. The four Gospels are an account of Christ's life and teaching centering upon His Death and Resurrection. the twenty one epistles and the Acts of the Apostles are devoted to the Christian life and the development of the early Church. The Book of Revelation is a very symbolic text which looks to the return of Christ. The New Testament, especially the Gospels, is very important to Orthodoxy because here is found a written witness to the perfect revelation of God in the Incarnation of the Son of God, in the person of Jesus Christ.
TRADITION
While the Bible is treasured as a valuable written record of God's revelation, it does not contain wholly that revelation. The Bible is viewed as only one expression of God's revelation in the on-going life of His people. Scripture is part of the treasure of Faith which is known as Tradition. Tradition means that which is "handed on" from one generation to another. In addition to the witness of Faith in the Scripture, the Orthodox Christian Faith is celebrated in the Eucharist, taught by the Fathers, glorified by the Saints, expressed in prayers, hymns, and icons; defended by the seven Ecumenical Councils; embodied in the Nicene Creed, manifested in social concern; and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, it is lived in every local Orthodox parish. The life of the Holy Trinity is manifested in every aspect of the Church's life. Finally, the Church, as a whole, is the guardian of the authentic Christian Faith which bears witness to that Revelation.
COUNCILS AND CREED
As Orthodoxy has avoided any tendency to restrict the vision of God's revelation to only one avenue of its life, the Church has also avoided the systematic or extensive definition of its Faith. Orthodoxy affirms that the Christian Faith expresses and points to the gracious and mysterious relationship between God and humanity. God became man in the person of Jesus Christ not to institute a new philosophy or code of conduct, but primarily to bestow upon us "new life" in the Holy Trinity. This reality, which is manifest in the Church, cannot be wholly captured in language, formulas, or definitions. The content of the Faith is not opposed to reason, but is often beyond the bounds of reason, as are many of the important realities of life. Orthodoxy recognizes the supreme majesty of God, as well as the limitations of the human mind. The Church is content to accept the element of mystery in its approach to God.
Only when the fundamental truths of the Faith are seriously threatened by false teachings, does the Church act to define dogmatically an article of faith. For this reason, the decisions of the seven Ecumenical Councils of the ancient undivided Church are highly respected. The Councils were synods to which bishops from throughout the Christian world gathered to determine the true faith. The Ecumenical Councils did not create new doctrines but proclaimed, in a particular place and a particular time, what the Church has always believed and taught.
The Nicene Creed, which was formulated at the Councils of Nicaea in 325 and of Constantinople in 381, has been recognized since then as the authoritative expression of the fundamental beliefs of the Orthodox Church. The Creed is often referred to as the "Symbol of Faith." This description indicates that the Creed is not an analytical statement, but that it points to a reality greater than itself and to which it bears witness. For generations the Creed has been the criterion of authentic Faith and the basis of Christian education. The Creed is recited at the time of Baptism and during every Divine Liturgy.
THE CREED
I believe in One God, Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible. And in One Lord, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father, through whom all things were made.
For us and for our salvation He came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became Man. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and He suffered and was buried. On the third day He rose according to the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father, who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who spoke through the prophets.
In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
I expect the resurrection of the dead; and the life of the age, to come. Amen.
- Category: Static
Short history
The canonical origins of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the Americas came about at a Church Congress, composed of clergy and lay representatives of already existing Romanian Orthodox parishes in the United States and Canada, held in Detroit, Michigan on 25 April 1929 (the “1929 Congress”). At that 1929 Congress it was decided to form a Missionary Episcopate under the canonical jurisdiction of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The Congress communicated its decision in a petition addressed to the Patriarchate and signed by all of the representatives of the Parishes. The National Church Congress of the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate approved the petition of the 1929 Congress in its session of November 1929. As a result of these decisions, His Beatitude Patriarch Miron granted canonical authority to this newly formed Romanian Orthodox Missionary Episcopate by Patriarchal Decree No. 10219 dated 1 November 1930 (the “1930 Decree”). He invested the interim administrative commission that had been formed at the 1929 Congress with full power to organize, guide, and conduct the affairs of the Episcopate until the election and installation of a bishop.
The Church Congress held in Cleveland, Ohio on 30 October 1932 (the “1932 Congress”) adopted statutes (“1932 Statutes”) for the regulation of Church life in order to better organize both the Episcopate and the parishes according to Orthodox canonical practice. The 1932 Statutes were ratified by the Holy Synod in its session of 15 June 1933. Subsequent revisions to the 1932 Statutes were made, the first and most important being at the Congress of July 1935 held under the presidency of Bishop Policarp.
Of similar importance are the decisions of the Holy Synod with regard to the autonomy of the Eparchy. The first of these was the decision of the Permanent Synod on 12 July 1950. The second was the Decree of the Plenary Session of the Holy Synod of 12 December 1974.
The founding act of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada is the decision of the Archdiocesan Congress held in Hamilton, Ontario, on July 1-3, 2016 to establish a Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada. This decision has been approved by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church at its session of October 28-29, 2016.
It is in the spirit of these decisions and documents that the present Statutes for the Organization of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada are adopted.
- Category: Static
His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian was born on February 20, 1969, in the city of Comăneşti, Bacău country. His parents were Priest Ioan and Preoteasa Mariana.
He attended elementary school in his native city from 1975-1983, then went on to the Industrial High School, Math and Physics section from 1983-1987. From 1989-1993 he was a student at Andrei Şaguna Theological Faculty in Sibiu, and graduated with a thesis in Canon Law on the subject, „Iconomia in the Orthodox Church”, under the guidance of Dr. Ioan Floca. During his student years he also came into contact with the spiritual and theological renewal movement then represented by His Grace, Vicar Bishop Serafim Joantă.
From 1993-1995 he stayed at St. John the Baptist Monastery in Jerusalem, where he received the first elements of a monastic formation. At the same time he took courses in ancient Greek at the Flagelazione Pontifical Institute, and in French at the French Culture and Language Institute there, as well as beginning courses in iconography and icon restoration. In 1995 he was tonsured a rasophore by Metropolitan Serafim of Germany and Northern Europe.
From 1995-1998, through an scholarship for excellence received from a group of 20 Catholic monasteries, he studied at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm (Rome), at the Faculty of History, Monastic Spiritualty, and Patristics, as well as studying History, Art, and Classical Languages at the Pontifical Oriental Institute, graduating with a thesis called “The Path to Freedom: a study of St. Maximos the Confessor’s Commentary on the Lord’s Prayer”, having as his academic coordinators Jeremy Driscoll and Maciej Bielawski. During the same period he did internships in several European monasteries: Exaltation of the Holy Cross Benedictine Monastery (Chevetogne, Belgium), St. Dominic of Silos Benedictine Monastery (Burgos, Spain), and the Monastic Community of Bose, Italy. He attended the Romanian St. John Casian Parish in Rome, assisting with the chanting.
Following his studies, he was called by Metropolitan Iosif of Western Europe to come to Paris, where he served as administrative secretary until 2002. During the same period he directed the choir of St. Paraschiva–St. Genevieve Church (Paris), conducting several concerts in Amiens, Paris (Notre Dame Cathedral, St. Etienne Greek Orthodox Cathedral), UNESCO, Neuilly. He was also translator and editor of the metropolitan magazine Sfântul Ioan Casian.
On June 23, 2001, he was ordained deacon, and on the next day priest, assigned to the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Monastery in Malvialle, France. On November 1, 2001, he was tonsured with the Little Schema, under the same monastery. He did a short internship at St. John the Baptist Monastery (Maldon, Essex, England). From 2002-2003 he was priest of St. Joseph of Bordeaux parish, where he held several conferences on the subject, The Great Feasts of the Church Year in the Orthodox Church in collaboration with the Ogivky Christian Art and Iconography Association, and a Biblical workshop on several biblical texts.
From April 2003 until June 2006 he was the priest of St. Nicholas Romanian Orthodox Church in Queens, New York (USA), where he also edicted the parish newsletter. He held a series of conferences and catechetical lectures on themes inspired by the Gospel Readings of Great Lent (Fasting and its Meaning, Orthodoxy, Prayer, On the Holy Cross, Stages in the Spiritual Life). He was in charge of the St. Dumitru Retreat and Monastic Center (Middletown, New York),where he set up a memorial room in honor of its founder, Archimandrite Vasile Vasilachi. He also led a Christian summer camp there for children from metropolitan New York City, the Eastern US, and Canada in 2004-2007. In 2004 he received the title of Archimandrite.
Having been proposed by Archbishop Nicolae and approved by the Eparchial Council, Archimandrite Ioan Casian was elected on March 2, 2006 by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church as Vicar Bishop for the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas. On July 2, 2006, he was ordained to the episcopate at Sts. Constantine and Helen Cathedral in Chicago. Since then he has conducted his pastoral mission especially among the Romanian parishes on the East Coast of the U.S. and Canada. He initiated the construction of the new church at the St. Dumitru Retreat and Monastic Center in Middletown, NY, as well as the iconography project of the St. Nicholas parish in Queens, NY. He has given several lectures—at the parish of St. John the Merciful (Toronto, September 2007), two lectures inspired by the thinking of St. Silouan – “St. Silouan the Athonite in Orthodox Christian Thought” and “St. Silouan—Askesis of the Broken Heart”; at Columbia University’s Union Theological Seminary (New York) a lecture entitled, „The Historian’s Mission in the Church”; and on the occasion of the symposium on the theme of „Transfiguration” (December 2007) the lecture, “St. John Chrysostom’s Homily on the Transfiguration. A structural analysis, meaning, and importance”.
- Category: Static
AUTONOMY
AUTONOMY OF THE ROMANIAN ORTHODOX MISSIONARY ARCHDIOCESE IN AMERICA AND CANADA
Decision No. 14079 of the December 12th, 1974,
granted by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Bucharest, Romania.
YOUR EMINENCE:
With brotherly love We inform you that in its working session of December 12, 1974, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church took into consideration your official letter No. 219/1973 regarding the decision of the Annual Congress of your Archdiocese of July 21, 1973 with regards to the elevation of the Romanian Orthodox Missionary Episcopate in America to the rank of Archdiocese.
In view of the fact that the decision was taken by your Church Congress in relation with the necessities stemming from the inner religious life of your Diocese, and as a consequence of the decision of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church of June 11, 1973, by which Your Eminence was granted the rank of Archbishop.
Taking into account the canonical rules and traditional practices in Orthodox Churches regarding the administrative organization of the dioceses according to the rank held by their heads.
Following the debates which took place as well as the explanations given by His Beatitude Patriarch Justinian, and the proposal made by the Canonical, Juridical and Disciplinary Commission, the Holy Synod decided:
It acknowledges the decision made by the Annual Church Congress of the Romanian Orthodox Missionary Episcopate in America held on July 21, 1973, and approves the elevation of that Diocese to the rank of Archdiocese, with the official title "The Romanian Orthodox Missionary Archdiocese in America."
It recommends to the Church Congress of the Romanian Orthodox Missionary Archdiocese in America to proceed to amend the Statutes for the organization of that Archdiocese, in which the establishment of a post of Auxiliary Bishop could be provided.
At the same time and in the same session, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church took into consideration your official letter No. 163/1973 as well as the V. Rev. Archimandrite Bartholomew Valeriu Anania's report of December 10, 1974, both regarding the issue of the autonomy of the Romanian Orthodox Missionary Archdiocese in America.
The Plenary Holy Synod, noting that it is necessary that the decision of the Permanent Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church of July 12, 1950 which defined at that time the status of autonomy of the Romanian Orthodox Missionary Episcopate in America be completed and reformulated, so that decision be adjusted to correspond to the structure of the Diocese which was elevated to the rank of Archdiocese;
Taking into consideration Your Eminence's proposals in the letter No. 163/1973 as well as those in the V. Rev. Archimandrite Bartholomeu Valeriu Anania's report of December 10, 1974;
Following the proposal made by the Canonical, Juridical and Disciplinary Commission, the Holy Synod decided:
- The Romanian Orthodox Missionary Archdiocese in America is and remains an autonomous diocese.
- The Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, based on the Permanent Synod's decision of July 12, 1950 as well as on the Most Rev. Archbishop Victorin's official letter No. 163 of June 8, 1973 recognizes and renews that status of autonomy as follows:
The jurisdictional territory of the Romanian Orthodox Missionary Archdiocese in America on Orthodox parishes with members of Romanian origin - or associated by religious faith or affiliation encompasses the United States of America, Canada, South America and Pacific Area.
The Romanian Orthodox Missionary Archdiocese in America is governed by its own Statutes and By-Laws, without any interference from outside, having to maintain canonical, dogmatic and spiritual ties with the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church - from which it receives the Holy and Great Chrism - according to the Holy Canons and to the hierarchical structure of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
The Archbishop is elected by the Church Congress of that Diocese, composed of the clergy and lay delegates of the parishes, according to the provisions set forth in the Statutes of the Archdiocese as well as in the laws of the United States of America on whose territory the Archdiocese has its headquarters.
The local Church Congress is the authority that proposes to the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church to confirm the election as well as to elevate the newly elected (Archbishop) to the hierarchical level, in the event that he does not already have it.
The spiritual authority of the Archbishop derives from that of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, which grants him investiture through Patriarchal Gramata in public and ceremonial fashion.
The Archbishop together with the legislative, executive and disciplinary organs of the Romanian Orthodox Missionary Archdiocese in America rules the Diocese in a self-governing way, having the right and the liberty to appoint priests, deans, counselors and employees, to grant Church distinctions and ranks, to apply punitive sanctions, to have an inner self economical and financial administration, to publish on the account of the Archdiocese magazines, periodicals, bulletins, almanacs, books of religious ritual and education, to supervise and rule all the ecclesiastical and cultural activities of the parishes.
The Archbishop is a rightful member of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, with the right to vote on matters concerning his Diocese. The Holy Synod's positions or decisions regarding the relationship between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Romanian State are not obligatory for the Archbishop of the Romanian Orthodox Missionary Archdiocese in America nor for the priests and faithful under his jurisdiction, all of them living in countries with political and social systems different from that of Romania.
The parishes of the Romanian Orthodox Missionary Archdiocese in America are owners DE JURE and DE FACTO of the personal and real property they posses, having to administer them in conformity with the Statutes of the Archdiocese as well as with the laws of the respective states. The Romanian Patriarchate does not claim any rights of personal or real property on the parishes within the jurisdictional territory of the Romanian Orthodox Missionary Archdiocese in America.
The Romanian Orthodox Missionary in America enjoys the right to establish and maintain inter-Orthodox, inter-Christian and ecumenical relationships with the religious organizations on its jurisdictional territory, having to observe the dogmatic teaching and canonical rules of the Holy Eastern Orthodox Church. Its Archbishop is the only Hierarch invested with the authority to represent it canonically and legally.
In order to be aided in his leadership activities, the Archbishop may have an Auxiliary Bishop. This one enjoys the right to be honored according to his rank and is, as the Archbishop, a member of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The Auxiliary Bishop to be is recommended by the Archbishop in agreement with the Archdiocesan Council. The procedure for his confirmation and his elevation to the Hierarchical level is the same as for the Archbishop with the exception that he is installed by the Archbishop.
- The Holy Synod recommends that the Romanian Orthodox Missionary Archdiocese in America take into account all the above in amending its Statutes.
Bringing to Your Eminence's knowledge all the above for their implementation, we brotherly embrace you in our Lord Jesus Christ.
President of the Holy Synod
+ JUSTINIAN,
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
Secretary of the Holy Synod
+ Bishop ANTONIE PLOIESTEANUL,
Patriarchal Vicar
