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View the Diamond Jubilee celebration photo gallery

View the Diamond Jubilee Video Slideshow

By Ernestine Ede and Justin Sayfie

On November 16-18, 2012, St. George Cathedral of Coral Gables, FL, began a year-long celebration of her Diamond Jubilee (60th Anniversary) with a weekend to remember.

The festivities began on Friday evening. Saint George Cathedral was adorned with long ribbons of red and white satin streaming from the center archway of the altar and the bells were joyously ringing in jubilation at the arrival of the Metropolitan’s motorcade at the front of the Cathedral. Our pastor Fr. Fouad Saba, the members of the parish council, and the faithful of St. George Cathedral had for several months eagerly awaited the arrival of His Eminence Metropolitan Philip, His Eminence Archbishop Joseph, His Grace Bishop Antoun and His Grace Bishop Nicholas. The Cathedral was also honored to have in attendance The Very Rev. Dr. Paul Nadim Tarazi, Fawaz El-Khoury, the vice chairman of the Archdiocese Board of Trustees, and Mrs. Mary Winstanley O’Connor, the North American chair for the Order of St. Ignatius.  In addition, a special honor was bestowed on the Cathedral with the arrival of Maronite Bishop Mounir Khairallah of Batroun, Lebanon.

Now is the time to register for the 51st Antiochian Archdiocese Convention!

St. George Orthodox Church of Houston, with Fr. James Shadid, are the 2013 hosts for the 51st Biennial Antiochian Archdiocese Convention. Themed "The End of History...The Last Judgment," the convention will take place at the Hilton Americas Hotel, Houston's largest with over one thousand guest rooms. Downtown Houston will afford numerous sightseeing adventures for families at the convention, including the downtown Aquarium, the Houston Theater District, a Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum, and the Houston Zoo. The Convention Committee, with Co-Chairs Michael Araj and Bob Macey, are planning events for every age, including an International Welcome Reception, a Country Western Barbecue and Dance, a Mardi Gras Masquerade, a 21/40 Village Camp Reunion, and a Daily Kid's Club.

Nativity Letter in English (Following, and as PDF)

Nativity Letter in Arabic (PDF)

With God’s mercy

John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East 

To my brethren, the Shepherds of the Holy Antiochian Church And my children who belong to this Apostolic See

We approach these Holy and Blessed Feasts as we witness the crucial events our Antiochian Church has gone through recently, first and foremost with the departure of our Father, Patriarch Ignatius IVth who ministered the Church with patience and faithfulness for several decades. His memory shall remain alive in our minds and hearts, and shall be eternal before the Lord Whom he served all his life. At this time, our Church and our people are experiencing dramatic situations caused by violence and troubles shaking our region.

The Holy Spirit has willed that I be elected by my brothers, the members of the Holy Synod, to succeed this great Minister, in spite of my unworthiness. However, I rely on God and on you, my brothers and children of my Church, and this shall make me expect, with great hope, divine help, which will enable us to overcome these hard tests and look for a better future.

His Beatitude Patriarch-Elect Youhanna X of Antioch and All the EastAn official press release from the Patriarchate of Antioch:
English Version (PDF)
Arabic Version (PDF)

بطريركية أنطاكية وسائر المشرق للروم الأرثوذكس
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch & all the East
Statement issued by the Holy Synod of Antioch

The extraordinary Session of the Holy Synod of the Holy See of Antioch was held at 10.00 on Monday, December 17th 2012, in the Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand, chaired by His Eminence Metropolitan Saba (Esber), locum tenens of the Patriarchate of Antioch, in order to elect the new Patriarch.

The Session was attended by Their Eminences the Fathers of the Synod: Spiridon (Khoury) of Zahle and Baalbek, Georges (Khodr) of Jbeil and Batroun and dependencies, John (Mansour) of Latakia, Elias (Audi) of Beirut, Elia (Saliba) of Hama, Elias (Kfoury) of Tyr, Sidon and Marjayoun, Antonios (Shedraoui) of Mexico, Sergios (Abad ) of Santiago (Chile), Damiskinos (Mansour) of Sao Paulo (Brazil), Paul (Saliba) of Australia and New Zealand, George (Abu Zakhem) of Homs, Paul (Yazigi) of Aleppo and Alexandretta, Silouan (Moussi) of Buenos Aires (Argentina), John (Yazigi) of Europe, Basilios (Mansour) of Akkar, Ephrem (Kyriakos) of Tripoli, Koura, and dependencies, and the Patriarchal Vicar, His Grace Bishop Ghattas (Hazim) and the Secretary of the Synod, Reverend Father George Dimas.

View the photo gallery of the Memorial Service

On Sunday, December 16, 2012, His Eminence Metropolitan Philip celebrated the Divine Liturgy and a Trisagion Service in for His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV, at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn. The cathedral was filled to capacity with many dignitaries and faithful from the greater New York area. His Grace Bishop Nicholas assisted His Eminence, along with The Very Rev. Thomas Zain, The Very Rev. Dimitri Darwich, Fr. Charles Baz, Fr. Adrian Budica, Archdn. Emile Sayegh and Dn. Andre Elhajj.

The Archdiocese calls for her members to pray with love and courage for all the victims and those suffering in the aftermath of the violence in Connecticut. As our Metropolitan Philip has written before during great tragedy, "We pray that our risen Lord Jesus Christ, who destroyed death, will grant the families and the entire country the peace and hope that only the empty tomb can provide."

A Prayer in Time of Trouble

O Lord Jesus Christ our God, who brought great joy into the world with your divine birth and salvation through your glorious Resurrection, who shed your precious blood to wash away the sins of man and to revive his spirit. Accept us as we approach your goodness and hear the voice of our petitions. Look with compassion upon your servants who have suffered great tragedy and restore hope and well being to their lives. Let not their faith waver. Permit not their hope to flee. Let not their hope in you fade away. Disperse the cloud of sadness that has encompassed them. Reassure their minds, lift up their spirits and restore their confidence. Open the doors of their hearts to permit the Holy Spirit to enter and abide their and bring renewal and healing to their bodies and souls. For you are the healer of souls and bodies, and reviver of the spirits of all of us, and to you we ascribe glory, thanksgiving and worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Visit the Antiochian Archdiocese memorial section dedicated to Patriarch Ignatius IV. View video of His Beatitude's funeral service, photo galleries, an excerpt from his writings, and more. Resources will continue to be added to this section as they become available.

His Eminence Archbishop Joseph is leading a delegation from the Archdiocese, including His Grace Bishop Alexander and Very Rev. Economos Antony Gabriel, to the Middle East for the funeral and burial services for His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV. Please pray for a safe and blessed journey.

Troparion, Tone 4

The truth of things revealed thee to thy flock as a rule of faith, a model of meekness, and a teacher of temperance. Therefore thou hast won the heights by humility, riches by poverty. Holy Father Nicholas, intercede with Christ our God that our souls may be saved.

Kontakion, Tone 3

Thou wast a faithful minister of God in Myra, O Saint Nicholas. For having fulfilled the Gospel of Christ, thou didst die for the people and save the innocent. Therefore thou wast sanctified as a great initiator of the grace of God.

Learn more about St. Nicholas: 

• The Feast of St. Nicholas by Fr. Thomas Hopko
• The Holy Hierarch Nicholas by Ginny Nieuwsma
• Nicholas the Wonderworker podcast with Metropolitan Nicholas of the American Carpatho-Russian Diocese
• Is St. Nick Real? on the Theologically Thinking podcast
• For more resources regarding the Nativity season, please visit www.antiochian.org/nativity.