OCA Hierarchs Participate in Gathering of North American Hierarchs

The entire episcopacy of the Orthodox Church in America is participating in the National Conference of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas [SCOBA] at the Omni Shoreham Hotel here May 1-3, 2001.

The theme of the Conference is the SCOBA Pastoral Letter on the occasion of the Third Christian Millennium, released on December 14, 2000. The entire text of the Pastoral Letter was published in two installments in “The Orthodox Church,” the official newspaper of the Orthodox Church in America, in the January/February 2001 and March/April 2001 issues.

His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, offered the opening prayer at the first session, held on Tuesday evening, May 1, after which His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, offered the keynote address.

On Tuesday, May 2, His Grace, Bishop Job of Chicago and the Midwest and His Grace, Bishop Seraphim of Ottawa and Canada were among several hierarchs who delivered presentations and papers prior to the celebration of Vespers at Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, celebrated by the Rev. John Tavlarides, Dean.

On Wednesday, May 3, the hierarchs will attend the Divine Liturgy at the OCA’s Saint Nicholas Cathedral, celebrated by the Very Rev. Constantine White, Dean. His Eminence, Metropolitan Methodius of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Boston, will deliver the homily during the Liturgy.

Following the closing session on Wednesday, May 3, a press conference will be held at Saint Nicholas Cathedral.

A full report on the historic gathering, including numerous photographs, will be available on the OCA’s web site at http://www.oca.org and in the May/June 2001issue of “The Orthodox Church” newspaper.

In addition to Metropolitan Theodosius and Bishops Job and Seraphim, other OCA hierarchs attending the Conference include His Eminence, Archbishop Kyrill of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania and the Bulgarian Diocese; His Eminence, Archbishop Peter of New York and New Jersey; His Eminence, Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas and the South and Exarch of Mexico; His Eminence, Archbishop Herman of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania; His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit and the Romanian Episcopate; His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of San Francisco and the West; His Grace, Bishop Innocent of Hagerstown; and His Grace,Bishop Nikolai of Baltimore, who was consecrated to the episcopacy on Sunday, April 22, 2001. His Grace, Bishop Mark, Retired Bishop of Boston, also participated in the gathering.