Remarks of the Chairman at Assembly of Bishops XIV
Friday, November 07, 2025
My Beloved Brothers and Concelebrants in the Holy Spirit,
I commence my remarks today by greeting you in the spirit of fraternal love and appreciation for your presence in this Fourteenth Convening of our Assembly of Bishops. In this year when we celebrate the Seventeen Hundredth Anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, I perceive a true momentum, a genuine Kairos, inspired by the Holy Spirit within our Holy Orthodox Church, not only in these United States, but around the world.
The influx of newcomers and seekers – something that we will address together – is surely a sign that the Faith of the Apostles, the Faith of the Fathers, the Faith that has established the Universe, is just as relevant today, as it was seventeen hundred years ago. Then, the 318 Fathers assembled to articulate the experience of salvation in Christ. They achieved a formulation of what it means to be a Christian, a formulation refined by the Second Ecumenical Council fifty-six years later in Constantinople, that has stood the test of time – even centuries upon centuries.
Just three days ago, at Hellenic College and Holy Cross, some of the Brother Hierarchs here today joined with me in an ongoing conversation and dialogue with our Oriental Orthodox Brethren, to explore how the achievement of the Nicene Creed could be the cause, once again, for the unity of the Faith and of the Church.
And I note with pride and gladness, that in a few weeks, when His Holiness Pope Leo XIV visits the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople for the Feast of the First-Called Apostle Saint Andrew, he will join His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, His Beatitude Theodoros II, Patriarch and Pope of Alexandria and All Africa, His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and we pray His Beatitude Theophilos III, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine, and travel to modern-day İznik, the site of Nicaea and the First Ecumenical Council, to commemorate this wellspring of, as Saint Paul says, “the great mystery of piety.” [1]
Now, we do not know whether our relations with our Oriental Orthodox or Roman Catholic Brethren will be further conciliated by all of the contacts and conversations that have been occasioned by the Nicene Anniversary, but it is undeniable that Orthodox Christianity – the foundation of this Patristic faith – is being sought out by greater and greater numbers of heterodox Christians, and even those with no affiliation whatsoever. And we must be prepared to welcome them into our midst.
His Eminence Metropolitan Saba will be leading our discussion on this very topic, and I want to thank him in advance for the energetic and thoughtful approach that he will no doubt share with us in due course.
At the same time, we must recognize that the cultural and historical qualities of our communities are more attractive to those seeking a richer and deeper historical connection to Christ, than the oftentimes mundane and even profane versions of Christianity prevalent in contemporary society.
Therefore, we have a duty and responsibility to prepare our Faithful for the eventual advent of a shift in the populations of our communities. Perhaps not today, nor tomorrow. But there is a tide coming our way. I, for one, look forward to Metropolitan Saba’s assessment of the time horizon, the current situation, and the responses that we can prepare in advance.
In addition to the Anniversary of Nicaea One, the recent Visit of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to receive the Templeton Prize, continued the tradition of the occasional presence of the Heads of the Local Autocephalous Churches in the United States.
I am thinking in particular of the visits of His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch in 2023 and His Beatitude Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia in 2024, both of whom graced America with their presence. Such visitations seem to me a positive sign to the Faithful of the universality of Orthodoxy, and they remind our people of our presence throughout the world.
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Changing course for a moment, I feel it is necessary to note that, since our Convening last year, the tragedies in Ukraine and in the Middle East, drag on with sorrowful consequences. We must continue to support an immediate cessation of hostilities where active war is taking place, and pray that sanity will return to these regions. At the same time, we should keep our Faithful informed of how they can help, both in terms of philanthropy, and in terms of advocacy. We must also give due recognition to the efforts of the present Administration, under the leadership of President Trump, in seeking to advance peace in lands where Orthodox Christians are most exposed to peril—above all in the Middle East— while also giving voice to the plight of persecuted Christians across the world, not least in Nigeria. Perfect peace, we know, lies in the keeping of Almighty God; yet it is our duty to honor every earnest endeavor that moves humanity nearer to that divine promise: the institution of ceasefires, the freeing of hostages and prisoners, and the rekindling of hope in the Holy Land, where Christians have borne sorrows beyond all reckoning. As we receive these signs of peace with gratitude, let us hold fast in prayer and stand united in steadfast solidarity.
I am hopeful that, in my new role as Chair of the Governing Board of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, in which a number of our Assembly members belong – including the Orthodox Church in America and a number of our friends from SCOOCh – we can advocate for peace in these troubled lands together with our Protestant neighbors, amplifying our voices, so that those in the halls of political power might exert their will on behalf of alleviating these appalling circumstances.
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Before I address what I believe to be the vanguard of our Assembly’s activities, allow me now to give the traditional update about our brotherhood:
Since our last meeting, we have endured the passing of Archbishop Peter of ROCOR, who fell asleep in the Lord on November 8 of last year. May he find the reward of a good and faithful servant in the Kingdom of Heaven, and may his memory be eternal.
We also have the following newly ordained Hierarchs:
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His Grace Bishop Serafim (Patriarchate of Serbia, Bishop of Kostajnica and Vicar to the Metropolitan of Midwestern America)
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His Grace Bishop Clement (Patriarchate of Bulgaria, Bishop of Levski and Vicar Bishop for the Bulgarian Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia)
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And His Grace Bishop Vasily (Orthodox Church in America)
Unto all those who have been elected let us all say: “Many Years!” “Axios!”
We also recognize the retirement of two Hierarchs of our Assembly: His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios, who served the Atlanta Metropolis for decades, and His Eminence Archbishop Benjamin, who served the OCA Diocese of the West. We wish them both good health of body and soul.
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Yesterday, I shared some ideas with the Executive Committee on why our Assembly still has validity and purpose, despite the fact that we no longer are addressing the primary concern that created all the Assemblies around the world – the non-canonical organization of Diasporic Churches in the various regions where no Local Church solely existed.
But as each of you has reviewed all the materials prepared for this Meeting of our Assembly, you can clearly see that there have been unforeseen and unanticipated benefits to our Holy Church from all the activities taking place under the aegis of the Assembly.
I want to express the profound gratitude of all, particularly to the Brothers who serve as Episcopal Liaisons to the various Agencies and Affiliated Ministries. These diverse and varied expressions of diakonia are the arms and legs of our Assembly, for they are reaching out across the country to bring outstanding services to God’s Faithful People.
The amazing Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry is bringing comprehensive resources and pastoral care to the incarcerated, by those called to this truly Evangelical mission. Assembly ministires are reaching the poor and the dispossessed, and providing the good people of our Churches opportunities to live out their Orthodox Christian Faith in real time, making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. Our Assembly provides these possibilities to our Faithful, because we have established good order and responsible governance throughout all our ministerial projects. We should all be grateful to the laity and the local clergy who take advantage of these programs to enhance and increase the experience of Christ’s love in their local flocks.
I want to especially note the Committee for Agencies and Affiliated Ministries and its Chairman, His Grace Bishop Irinej, for they are our oversight body – true overseers of all the activities that take place in our name. And, although as individual Hierarchs and ecclesial bodies we are not bound by this Assembly, this Fellowship of Hierarchs constitutes the single most visible expression of Orthodox Unity in the United States, something for which we should all be very proud.
The ministries that we bless – whether it is IOCC founded in 1992 under SCOBA, or OYM – our Youth and Young Adult Ministry established by this Assembly in 2021 together with OVC, the Orthodox Volunteer Corps – they have the unique character of serving all Orthodox Christians in this great Country of ours. Their reach is beyond the parochial; it is national, and it reflects our fundamental unity in Christ as the Assembly for the United States, and we should never underestimate its impact.
You will hear updates about these ministries, but I want to stress that without a central funding mechanism from this Assembly, they are taking the initiative to glean support – not only from the Faithful directly – but from major institutions like the Lilly Foundation. For example, both the Orthodox Youth Ministry and the Orthodox Volunteer Corps have obtained grants in excess of one million dollars each from the Lilly Foundation. And this is just the beginning.
I also want to highlight the IPA – the Inter-Parish Associations, that are springing up all over the map. They promote community within regions across parish demarcations, and in many respects, represent a net that is bringing the Church together in ways we have not seen in generations. I am aware that over fifty years ago, there were inter-Orthodox Clergy associations flourishing across the country, and many of these still exist, but now, we are expanding that reach to include the laity as well, bringing parishes together in a sense of Orthodox fellowship.
All of this is to say that the networks created by our Assembly ministries are the building blocks, the interstitial tissue necessary to provide us with a robust resiliency and flexibility, as we face the inevitable augmentation in our communities occasioned by the arrival of so many newcomers. And we know this is happening. Just look at the levels of Church attendance this last Summer. Many parishes actually experienced increases in Sunday to Sunday attendance, rather than the expected decrease due to vacations and the like.
My Brothers, I would also like to highlight an outgrowth of our Assembly that bodes well for our future – and that is the contributions of the laity who are connected to the Assembly. We have literally hundreds of volunteers and staff members who are working in and for our Agencies and Ministries. They are achieving levels of cooperation and impact that will rebound to the benefit of every Hierarch and his faithful.
Of special note, our Legal Committee – comprised of exceptional attorneys from all the jurisdictions around the country – is ensuring that the interests of our Church vis-à-vis the greater body politic are being protected. You may not realize this but through this Committee, we have spoken in unison about serious matters pertaining to that most fundamental American principle of religious freedom. The Committee has filed what are known as “Amicus Briefs” – documents supporting other religious entities and advocating for the protection of religious freedom principles in courts around the Nation. This is no small thing, because it keeps our Orthodox faith in the forefront of safeguarding the religious liberties enshrined in the First Amendment.
My Brother Hierarchs,
I hope you can see that the whole of our Assembly is much greater than the sum of our parts, for the Spirit of God rests upon us and is guiding us. I thank you for allowing me to give just a few highlights of this whole, and I pray you look forward to even greater elucidation as the day goes on.
Finally, allow me to express on behalf of all, our deep appreciation to His Eminence Metropolitan Constantine, and the local Church communities from across all the orthodox presences, who have made such marvelous preparations for our meeting. Their hospitality and welcome are recognized for what they are – signs of Christian love and fellowship. I want to express the gratitude of all to His Eminence Metropolitan Gregory and the Secretariat who meet every month, to keep track of our progress, and who work to orient our mission in accordance with our fundamental purpose.
I also commend the Director of Operations Father Nicholas Anton and the staff of the Assembly, for their extraordinary efforts to make this 14th Convening of our Assembly a success.
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Beloved Brothers:
Thank you again for your pious and prayerful presence and your commitment to our deliberations. May they by blessed through the intercessions of the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, and all the Saints.
Amen.
[1] I Timothy 3:16.