SYNOD-OF BISHOPS OF THE R S E L E C T E D D E g I S I O N S OF THE C U U N C HO U T S I D E O F R U S S I A

o n 2 / L 5 N o v e m b e r , 1 9 8 3 ' t h e S y n o d o f B i s hr o so or t fth e . R u sP sr ie as ni d oe rn t th o o d fo x of ep -p the orar !h. church outside of Russia HEARD-: A i r es B u e n o s f r o m the news received the synod of Bishops, concerning & A i r e s B u e n o s o f Afanasy Novenlei,i,rchbishop that, oo 2l octobel/l

otn""iii3"iiB?ttt:
his t;:";:

j_shop af anasyl io His Grace, Archb

of rhe sour of offerins up prayer for rhe repose of the report on

of Asuncion, Grace, Bishop-irrnor..rrty place chosen acA f a n a sy and to bury,rrim in the A r c h b i s h o p the late c o r d i n g t o t h e p r o v i s i o n s o f h i s l a s t w i l l a n d t e st t e in to otc' e s e o f A r g e n t i n a ha em D of the ua*i"i=liation 3. To entrust c o n m e mor_ b e t o i s whose name Asuncion, His Grace, Bishop Innokentv c h u r c h e s ' o f t h e " rd i o c e s e i n a l r o f i t s ated as aaminist'rator lReso]vedalso:]TosendHisGrace,ei"r'oplnnokentyadecreefor action' approPriate of His Grace, Archbishop the Synod HEARD: the petition on the Same date, from the administrato be ieteased Seraphim of Caracas & Venezuela, health because of the state of his tion of the Diocese of Venezuela of b o u n d aries t h e within to a place of residence and allowed to retire the Diocese of Los Angeles'

hop-liltli: e n t r u s t t o H i s G r a c e , A r c h b i sp : : ? ? : T t :s ^e yr:vfi:c.e tt= for urrorm the burial to

shops the right to take see and permit him to retire ' with Bishops' when part in tne sessions of the douncil of apetitio.-tothiseffectisforthcomingfromhim. of His Grace, Archl._ Tn accordance with the peti-tj-ons. RE'.LVED, h im from the adminto- release bishop seraph-im of caracas & venezuela, istrationoftheDioceseofVenezue}aandto permithimtoretireto to retain the right to par icipate the Drocese of Los Anqeres, and ' the sesslons of the Council of Bishops in

Rererence' ?i:t"'d"'Fii3g' l"ElI/ ?; i,3::i'i3!,?":n;.:";l:;:':5 A i c h b i s h iP Seraphim from his rerease His crace',

2 . T o e n t r u s t t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h e D i o c e s e to fVenezuelD at - rchee am n ' pA ah" Synod oi Bishops hrough the to the President;; orarily p r i e s t J o h n B a u m a n i s' [ R e s o l v e d a ] s o : ] T o s e n d a d e c r e eB ta ou H ia sn G r,a t coe ,b A bo iu sn hco ert ah-e to ah nn ep dS er c m is John phim and to the Dean, ot"npiiest and parishes in Venezuel-a' lr.tqy ontheSamedate,theSynodHEARD:the oralreportofHisGrace' Orthodox Church butside of Russia's Archbishop VitaIy, that the Rirssian Pochaev the Biotherhood of St ' Job of Diocese of Montrea] & Canada and His in canada - rn addition, as .oiporutiols have been registered to i n c o r p o r a t i o n o f a c t s these Grace, Archbishop Vitaly wiir submit the SYnod of BishoPs on the incorhbishop-Vitaly The report of His Grace' Arc RESOLVED: p o c n a e v Brotherhood are taand i.rre or-c.tr.a. poruttffi=iiarre-bioce-se t en into consideration' the aCcount of Archpriest Valon the same date, the Synod HEARD: parish in Buenosof"the HoIy Trinity entine Ivashevich on the ict-ivity in the the renovatio" toik being undertaken Aires, and, iD particular, church.

-2RESOLVED: Noting the activity of Holy Trinity parlsh and the ex* tensive Iabor for the renovation of the church with satisfactlon, the Synod of Bishops recoqnizes both 1n this and 1n missionary-pastoral activities the energy and diligence of the rector of the parish, Archpriest Valentj-ne Ivashevich, and expresses its gratitude to him. The Synod also heard the report of Archpriest Vladimir Shishkoff on the pitgrimage to the Holy Land undertaken by the Organization of Young Russian Scouts, which was organized for the first time by A.Th. Zakhari-n. The pilgrimage went very smoothly and with benefit to the souLs of the participants. R E S O L V E DT : o thank S.Th.Zakharin for the organization of the pilqrimaqe to the Holy Land and to invoke upon him the blessing of Goc with the bestowal upon him of a gramota. On the same date, the Synod HEARD: the oral report of His Grace, Bishop Gregory on how the lamentable anniversary of the Russian RevoIution was marked at Washingrton's cathedral. After the reading of the l-etter of His Grace Bishop Gregory, the address of President Reagan on the 66th anniversary of the communist usurpatlon of power was read from the porch. R E S O L V E D :1 . T o e x p r e s s o u r g r a t i t u d e to President Reagan for his address on the recent anniversary of the usurpation of aut.h6rity in Russia by the communi-sts. 2. To note with thanks that a number of states of the United States, as for example New York, Cdlifornia and others, have marked this annrversary with speci-al declarations. On the same date the Synod HEARD: information reported by His Grace, Archbishop Laurus on the state of affairs at the St. Vladimir's Memori: r 1-hrrrnh 'nd also facts presented by the Dj-ocesan Administration of the Eastern American Diocese. R E S O L V E DT : o consider the si-tuation at St. Vladimirts Memoriat chrrrah r1- ^ 'pecial meeting with members of the administratj-on of
v I

the

St.

Vladlmir's

Society.

On the same date the Synod geaqd: the oral report of His Grace, Archbishop Anthony of Western emEifEa & San Francisco on the ,tp"o*irlg celebration in honor of Abbess Ariadna on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of her assumption of the abbatial authority within the Our Lady of Vladimir Convent in San Francisco. RESOLVED : To greet Abbess Ariadna on the occasion
nr i rrrv ac r c!a r ra zry n. / ! n I er r D \ assumption of the abbatial authority in the Our Lady of Vladimir Convent, and to invoke upon her the blessing of God with the bestowal of a gramata.

of

the

45th

an-

on L8/31 January f984, the Synod of Bishops of the Russian orthodox Church Outside of Russia HEARD: the oral report of His Grace, Bishop r'arrrrre ^^n^orning his intention to make a pilgrimage to the HoJ_y Land between June I-20. RESOLVED: To acknowledgie the report of His Grace, Archbishop Laurus to bless thT; initiative, ana to infbrm the Chief of the Mission, so that he be aware ahead of time of the time of the arrival and the schedule of the pilgrimage. On the same date, the Synod discussed the fact that the Synod has not received accounts of the life of Holy Trinity pari-sh and the convent in Santiago, Chile.

-3RESOLVED: To suggest to Archimandrite Benjamin and Abbess Juliana that [treY sena their ieports on the life of th; parish and convent, Logether with the school attached thereto, for the year 1983. Such reports must be made annually.
On the same date, the Synod HEARD: the resolution of the Council of Bishops dated 3I JuIy/L3 August f983, concerning the acceptance of the text of the anathema against the heresy of ecumeni-sm. RESOLVED: To add to the Rite of the Triumph of Orthodoxy the fotlowing te;tt "To those who attack the Church of Christ by teaching that Christ,s Church i-s divided into so-catled branches which differ in doctrine and way of life, or that the Church does not exist visibly, but will be formed in the future when all branches or sects or denominations, and a\7on rarininnS, will be united into one body; and who do not distingrrich J-ha nriasthood and mysteries of the Chureh from those of the heretics, but say that the baptism and eucharist of heretj.cs is effectual Fnt cr'ltz:r- inn; therefore, to those who knowingly have communion with these aforementioned heretics or who advocate, disseminate, or defend their new heresy of ecumenism under the pretext of brotherly love or the supposed unification of separated christians, A N A T H E M A" ,: To send a decree to all lResolved also:] diocesan bishops concerning this. On the same date, the Synod HEARD: the oral report of Bishop Gregory on the continuing work for the organization of theological courses rf .-ho QrrnnA cf Bi_shops residence, in the hope that they may open in
v J r r v s \

the fall of the current year. RESOLVED: To accept with satisfaction the report of Bishop Gregory on tire-pEog;ess made in the organization of theollgical courses at the Synod of Bishops, and to wish success to this groodinitiative.
Pi clran /:roanrrz 9n the fact that the custom of sending paper j-cons as greeting festal cards is becoming more widespread now. Many do not know what to do with them after the feasts and lncidents of disrespect are possible with regard to them. The faithful ought to be warned that they should not send holy icons as greeting cards but should send cards of another type as greetings. RESOLVED:To warn the +i -^^ " w 'l 'l a \ l h af terwards faithful against sending icons as festal mi-ght be subjected to insuf f j-ciently res-

o n t h e s a m , ed a y ,

the synod HEARD: the orat

report

of His Grace,

nonrFrr'r rraa+nent inconsistent with their signif icance, and place the receiver in a difficult position with regard to the appropriately reverent disposal of them. On the same day, the Synod HEARD: the oral report of the Secretary of the Synod on the questlon received from His Grace, Bishop Mark on the divergence in the newly printed Liturgicon of the form of commemorating the Russian people during the litanies at the liturgy and vigil. RESOLVED: To ask Archbishop Laurus to take measures to disseminate correctj.ons for the new edition of the Liturgicon. On the same day, the Synod HEARD: the report of the Synod on how the Synod's Chancery is continua.LJ.y from various non-Russians who reguest that the Synod them priests of, the Church Abrcad and appoint them to the services are conducted in the English language. the Secretary of receiving petitions undertake to make parishes in which Similar guestions

Y r s s L r l r Y J

-4a,lso arise concerning clergymen of other Orthodox Churches " fn certain cases, the original petition is followed by reports from people who know the petiti-oners that they are persons of bad morals, not ex-. cluding even the sin of homosexual activity. R E S O L V E D :M i n d f u l t h a t , not havlng the proper information i-n time, certaln*Tierarchs may ordai-n to the priesthood,- or receive into their jurisdictlon a clergyman with a bad reputation, to request that all bishops excercise particular care with regard to candldates who do not have solid recommendations, and, before receiving them into their clergy or ordaining them to the priesthood, to check with the Synodal Chancery, to see if their is any information on Lhe candidate in question. For Western Europe, the Chancery of His Grace, Archbishop Anthony of Western Europe and that of Bishop Mark may serve for such a purpose. 'lResov]ed a.Iso:l To send a decree to all the bishops concerning this .
On the same date, the Synod HEARD: the decision of the Council of Ri qhnnq ^n {-he collection of funds for the major renovation of the Synodal Residence Building in New York and the draft for the Synod of Bishops' appeal for donations. RESoLVED: 1. To approave and sign the appeal for donations towards the renovatlon of the Synodaf Residence and to disseminate it widelv amongst our flock 2. To take up a plate collection for this in all the churches of our Church on the Sunday of Orthodoxy. 3. To ask the bishops whose diocese are in countries where English is not used to see that the appeal is translated into other languages: German in Germany, Spanish in South America, etc. To send an encyclical [Reso]ved also:l decree to aI] diocesan l^.i ^1^^^^ -^,1 f ) . r - s r i o P sa n o !t1n e r e c t o r s of churches subject directly to the President n l rr or s r QJ r zrnrnv r lu r vf! fL of Bishops, concerning this, together with the appeat for donations. On the same date, the Synod HEARD: the proclamations published by the American civil authorities on the lamentable anniversary of the (November 7 N.S.) in San Francisco Bolshevik Revolution and other nl:noc arnhfishop Anthony has expressed his gratltude to the Governor of California for a simi-lar action. RESOLVED: To thank the Governor of New York, in SynoO-of-ETstrops, for his proclamation on the oay of the name of Tribulation. the

On the same day, the Synod HEARD: the proposal of His Grace, Archbishop Paul that the priest Nikita Chemodakov be awarded the Svnodal pectoral. cross for his diligent work in the construction of tha church at the "Novoe Shamordino" Convent. Note: The last award given the priest Nikita Chemodakov was thar of the kamilavka, which was awarded him two years ago.

RESOLVED: By way of an exception and not as an example for others, to awa?E the-priest llit ita Chemodakov with the gold pectoral cross for his especially diligent labor in the construction of the church at the "Novoe Shamordino" Convent. OTHER AWARDS:

fn recognition for hls many years of particularly dillgent service, Archimandrite Gelasy (Maiboroda), who has reached the age of 80, is,

-5at the suggestion of the President of the Synod, awarded the right wear a second jewelled pectoral cross. A tor at ment of church ro

gramota is bestowed upon Boris Ivanovich Mitrokhin, choir directhe Non-Di-veyevo Convent, for his particularly zealous fulfilhis duties and for attracting young people and children to hymnody. A gramota j-s awarded to Alexandra lvanovna Merger, head of the St. John of Kronstadt Fund in Los Angeles, for her zeaLous and active work, and also for the building of an old-age home to house twentytwo individuals.

Fgnoluf pirfuops of tfe Sussiun @*fobox O[urct1

75 Eact9ilrdStrcet NewYork, NY 10128 Tel.:21?ff}#l60l 2l January/3 February l9B4 *r/5L/6/35/ URgENTJnPFEAL i{N,, Fa t t h f u l o f th e R u se l a n o rth o dox chur ch outelde of Russla! In 1958, thanks excluslvely to the generous donatlon of the late Ser9e1 Y a k l o v l e vl g h S e me n e n ko , the Synod of Blshops acgulr ed owner sh l p of a bea u t l f u t b u l l d l n g , 1 n w h -l ch lt hls pr oved positbte to constr uct a m agnl flcent cathedral, aEecgndchurch ln whlch the servlces are celebrated dallyr tts well as the offtces of our pan-dlaspora eccleslastical center alq llvlng guarters for tte etaff, S l n c e 1 9 9 2 o u r b u i l d t n g h a 's b e e n . a n offlctal natlonal landnark. H l t h e r t o , th e S yn o d o f B te hops has been able to maintaln the bu i l dl ng ln falr condltlon, arranglng for the lnterlor to be palnted and for mlnor re p a l r 8 t o b e ca rrl e d o u t. N ow, hor r ever , the past twenty- five yea r s hav e begun to take thelr toll on the exterl,or brlck walla and-the buildlngis mechanlcal and electrlcal egulpment. Tlme and the cllmate of New york hav e h a d t h e l r a ffe q t, a n d w e ar e now confr onted wlth the necesslty of und e r t a k l n g a ma Jo r re sto ra tl o n of the bulldlng. C o n s l d e r a b l e h ,o rk o n th e p lumblng and, to a cer taln dsgr ee, the heatlng - s y s t e n an d w l n d o w sr h a g a lm oet r eached com pletlon; uul r nucn r em ai ns t o b e d o n e ln re p a l rl n g th e roof, dr alnage. syslem, the statqr r ay leadl ng to the cathedral, and the walls of the bulldlng themselves. A general e s t l m a t e o f co sts fo r th e e e ver y essentlal r epElr s stands at apfr ox l m ately Sl50'000' ?! whlch.130r000 has already been lnvestedr,-1eavinga remainder_of ll?0r000, whlch ls gulte beyond the meansof ttie.'synod oi Bishops, For thls reaaon, having farnlllarlzed ltself with the glneral financtal s t a t e o f o u r e ccl e g l a sti ca l center , the Councll of Blshops has adopted a number of resolutlons, recognlzlng the necesslty of issuing an applal for don a t l o n s t o w a rd s th e w o rk o f r estor atlon and for the sgppor t of- lne Sy noda l R e e l d e nce , to a II th e ch lldr en of the Russlan Or thoAox Chur c h Outl e ld e o f R u s s l a , w h e re ve r th e y may lj.ve.

-6-

T h e Sy n o da l R e sl d e n ce l s, l n the flr st lnstance, the per manent hom e of our Dlrectregs 1n the dj.aspera, the mlraculous Kursk-Root Icon of the lrlot her o f G o d . In th e se co n d l n etance, lt ls the r esldence of our F l r s t Hle r a r c l i , a nd th e re fo re re p re s ents our Russlan Or thodox Chur clr Out s l de of Rusg l a b e f o r e a II th e o rth o d o x and heter odox of the wor td. To pr es er v e a n d m a l n t a l n l t l n g o o d o rd e r is the obllgatlon of each memberof our Ch u r c b . T h l s b e a u tl fu l b u l l d l ng, sltuated ln one of Lhe best secti ons of Ne w Y o r k , r e P re se n ts o u r R u sslan Or thodox Chur ch Outslde of Russla w or t hily a n d l s n o w ve ry L mp o rta nt for lte lnter natlonal pr edttge. T hat l t be preserved ln a gtate worthy of 1ts elgnlficance depende.eitlrety upon
Ug.

T h e C o u n cl l o f B l sh o p e h a s r esolved to appeal to all the,r nem be r s of our Church to respond generously to lts appell and to brl.ng about the restoratlon of the Synodal Resldence to lte proper state throvigh ghe efforts o f e v e r y o n e , n l n d fu l o f th e fa ct that thts pr oper ty is our comm onher i tage and that l n d o n a tl n g fu n d e towar ds lts r estor atr on we ar e inves t1ng l n a t a s k whlch unlguely Ferveg our Russlan orthodox church outside of Russla. Metropolitan Phllaret, Pr esldent of t,|e r ' Synod M e m b e r so f Ar chblshop Archblshop Archbishop Archblshop the:Synod: Ser aphim Vitaly Anthony Laurus

6 ehould be shops at t

Member & Secr etar y3 8lshop Gregory