NOV. 2005 WORD FINAL - Iglesia Ortodoxa

Policy request: Father Joseph has requested that each child have
their own bed, 2 per room request versus 4 per room. The Council
agreed with this request.
Mr. Jabbour thanked Father Joseph for bringing these groups to
the Village.
Mr. Jabbour offered savings of $2,000 to the teen groups, as well as
better meals.
Rates quoted Single $68/night, plus $22.40 food
Double $39.00/night, plus $22.40 food
Mr. Robert Koory suggested that NAC move their meeting to the off
season. Father Joseph stated that due to school, that is not possible.
Mr. Dacales suggested that the Order may fund a portion of the
meetings. The request will be made during the Order meeting.
Bishop THOMAS requested that the Order fund $5,000 for the NAC
meeting in order to subsidize the cost for NAC.
New Business
Auditor’s report was distributed to each member for their review.
Mr. Koury asked if we are making all the necessary arrangements
for the proper checks and balances. Mr. Jabbour stated that he is
doing his best given the amount of work, and asked for the assistance
of the Council and their expertise in certain business matters.
Motion to adjourn — 3:25 PM, Mr. Nassor, seconded by Dr. Samra
Moved by MRS. EVELYN KHOURY of Irwin, PA, and seconded by MRS.
CAROLE BULEZA of York, PA, the report was received.
8/5. In FR. PAUL SCHNEIRLA’S absence, FR. OLOF SCOTT
presented the report of the Inter-Faith and Inter-Orthodox
Commission.
REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
INTER-ORTHODOX AND INTER-FAITH AFFAIRS
Introduction
The following notices of the relations of the Antiochian
Archdiocese in the ecumenical field are largely excerpts from the
reports of our representatives to the several religious bodies of which
we are members or in theological or other dialogues. It should be
noted that our membership in the World Council of Churches is,
under our new arrangement, the responsibility of the Patriarchate of
Antioch headquartered in Damascus.
The National Council of Churches of Christ (NCCC)
As he has for several years, Archpriest Olof Scott, Charleston, West
Virginia, Vice-Chairman of this Department, has guided our membership
with the NCC. Of particular interest to our faithful is a statement
this year from NCCC delegations to the Middle East entitled,
“Barriers Do Not Bring Freedom,” a protest regarding the erection of
the wall along the eastern board of Israel. The statement calls for an
even-handed American policy toward the State of Israel and the
Palestinians.
The Subcommittee of the Eco-Justice Working Group of the NCCC
Father Terence Baz, Syracuse, New York, represents us in this ministry.
He reported, in part:
As a sub-committee of the NCC, this group meets twice a year at a
pre-determined venue to discuss matters specifically pertaining to
Bishop BASIL (center) with Fr. Theodore Daoud (l.) and Fr. Paul Hodge (r.)
the environment. Funds are available for the representatives of the
Orthodox Churches to attend, if they apply. I first attended one of
these meetings in 1998 in Washington, DC. I was impressed by their
talent as well as the respect they showed one another and their obvious
dedication to the issue. Contrary to my expectations, I was surprised
at how seriously they took the Orthodox representatives in the
discussions that ensued. At this meeting, an Orthodox priest was
asked to present a theological talk on ecology and was very well
received. The priest was Fr. Christopher Bender, Parish Priest of
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Morgantown, WV, of the
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, who serves under the
omophorion of official representative of the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese to both the NCC Eco-Justice Working Group and the
NCC Justice and Advocacy Commission.
I was to find out in further discussions that, while many Protestant
Churches embarked on admirable pastoral projects to help in this
matter, they really had no sound theology to expound on it and relied
upon Orthodox theology to explain the principles behind their projects.
I also discovered that, with the blessing of His Eminence and Fr.
David Smith, a parishioner of his, Mrs. Christine Shahin-Wood, who
has involved herself in this issue for many years, also represented the
Archdiocese on this sub-committee.
I have attended these meetings about once every two years and
have found that the pattern has been much the same. The thrust of
their goals has been to seek more involvement from all the various
constituent parishes and to explain their Christian responsibilities
to care for God’s creation. Details of their activities can be viewed at
their web site at www.nccecojustice.org.
North American Orthodox-Roman Catholic Theological
Consultation
The spring 2005 meeting of the Consultation was held at St.
Vladimir’s Seminary from June 6-8. Our delegates are Archpriest
Paul Schneirla, a charter member of the Dialogue, Dr. Robert
Haddad, and Dr. Susan Ashbrook Harvey.
The general theme, with papers by Roman Catholic and Orthodox
theologians, was the question of Primacy in Christianity. Just prior to
the meeting, a Synod of the World Orthodox episcopate, exercising
primacy, adjusted a canonical dislocation in the Patriarchate of
Jerusalem.
Orthodox-Lutheran Ecumenical Dialogue
Our delegates are Archpriest John Morris and Dr. Bradley Nassif.
A summation of their report is as follows:
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