2015 Clergy-Laity Documents

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh

34^th Annual Clergy-Laity Assembly

Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral

Cleveland Heights, Ohio

 

Resolution in support of the Ecumenical Patriarch

 

Whereas, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has shown extraordinary archpastoral leadership during his ministry to the Ecumenical Throne in making the world community become aware of the urgent need to become good stewards of our planet and its resources, so that the global environment we possess in common can reflect order and our love for it and one another, which Pope Francis has recently reaffirmed through his encyclical on the Environment, and

Whereas, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has also shown his archpastoral leadership for the good order of world-wide Orthodoxy through his coordinating efforts working toward the convocation of the Great and Holy Synod scheduled to begin on Pentecost Day 2016,

Now, Therefore Be It Resolved that this Clergy-Laity Assembly adds its voice of support for all the efforts of the Ecumenical Patriarch which he has undertaken in support of the Environment and the upcoming Great and Holy Synod as a visible sign of his continuing mission to witness to the Love of God for all people and for the Church by promoting and striving for the establishment of harmony and order in both our environment and Church.

 

 

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh

34^th Annual Clergy-Laity Assembly

Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral

Cleveland Heights, Ohio

 

Resolution Regarding an end to the Refugee Crises and Restoration of World Peace

 

Whereas, Orthodox Christians and other religious minorities living in countries and areas like Syria, Palestine, South Sudan, Afghanistan, and North Korea continue to suffer through ongoing wars and persecutions resulting in massive refugee migrations from native countries into other parts of the world causing unprecedented humanitarian crises for the refugees and for the countries attempting to accommodate the needs of those fleeing victims, and

Whereas, these ongoing wars continue to cause the destruction of Churches, other places of worship, communities, and archaeological monuments and heritage sites as a part of the violent attacks on the refugees, their communities and rich cultural heritage in their native homelands,

Now, Therefore Be It Resolved that this Clergy-Laity Assembly:

1. Calls on the legitimate government of the Middle East and other countries of Africa and Asia to restore peace and order in the regions being affected so that the displaced millions can return to their homes and resume their way of life without the fear of continual attack and violence, and
2. Stands in prayerful solidarity with all those refugees under continued threat of extremism with our plea that, until peace can be reestablished, countries, including our own, open their arms to these refugees, as in many cases our country was able to do for our own parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents nearly a century ago when they were fleeing refugees of Ottoman genocide attempts in Asia Minor and Pontos.

 

 

 

 

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh

34^th Annual Clergy-Laity Assembly

Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral

Cleveland Heights, Ohio

 

Resolution of Thanks and Support

 

We the delegates of this Clergy-Laity Assembly of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh express our heartfelt thanks to Archon Michael and Maureen Kusturiss, Jr. for their donation to our Metropolis of nine and one-half acres of land in Washington County, Pennsylvania upon which, with God’s help, our purpose-built new Metropolis Center will be built.

We the delegates of this Clergy-Laity Assembly of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh express our love and support to Gerontissa Theofano and her Synodia at the Holy Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery at Saxonburg, Pennsylvania as they continue their efforts to meet the needs of their expanding monastic witness to our faith, through the erection of their own convent house, katholico nao, and repair and remodeling of their current center into a xenona.

 

 

 

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh

34^th Annual Clergy-Laity Assembly

Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral

Cleveland Heights, Ohio

 

Resolution Regarding St. Nicholas National Shrine

 

Whereas, on September 11, 2001 the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church was destroyed in the terrorist attack on America and the World Trade Center, and

Whereas, the St. Nicholas Church was the only religious edifice in the area attacked by the terrorists, and

Whereas, the St. Nicholas Church will be rebuilt as a national Shrine at the World Trade Center and opened and consecrated in 2017,

Now, Therefore Let It Be Resolved by the Clergy-Laity Assembly of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh assembled at Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, that:

1. We thank Mr. Jerry Dimitriou for his outstanding presentation to the assembly concerning the planning for the construction of the National Shrine,
2. We commend His Eminence Archbishop DEMETRIOS of America for his leadership during this process, which ensured that the St. Nicholas National Shrine would, in fact, be rebuilt at an auspicious location, and
3. We wholeheartedly support the reconstruction of the Church as a National Shrine and support every effort for its reconstruction so that it can serve as a symbol of God’s unfailing presence and humanity’s indestructible spirit in the face of unspeakable acts of terrorism against the United States of America and the world.

 

 

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh

34^th Annual Clergy-Laity Assembly

Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral

Cleveland Heights, Ohio

 

Resolution Regarding Greece

 

Whereas, Greece and her people have undergone serious financial hardships over the recent past, and

Whereas, Greece and her people in the midst of these financial difficulties have also had to extend its hospitality to hundreds of thousands of religious and political refugees who seek a better life in Europe, and

Whereas, Greece and her people have embarked on long-term restructuring of her major financial, administrative, and legal systems aimed at bringing her economy back to normalized levels of sustainability,

Now, Therefore Be It Resolved by the 2015 Clergy-Laity Assembly assembled at Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Cleveland Heights, Ohio that:

1. We stand by our brothers and sisters in Greece in their time of financial instability, and
2. We pray that this restructuring period will show the Greek Nation and people to be like “gold tempered in the fire,” and
3. The Greek Nation and people will emerge from this trying period ever closer to one another, ever more in love with their inheritance of Hellenism and Orthodoxy and ever stronger so that they can continue to offer the gift of hospitality, love, and comfort to all those less fortunate seeking asylum in Greece and other nations in Europe because of the instability in the Middle East.

 

 

Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh - 34^th Annual Clergy-Laity Assembly

Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Cleveland Heights, Ohio

 

Resolution of Thanks

 

We the delegates of this Clergy-Laity Assembly of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh:

1. Express our heartfelt thanks to His Eminence Metropolitan SAVAS of Pittsburgh for his love, guidance, and wisdom throughout the Assembly proceeding and for urging us to become a more perfect church by sharing one another’s burdens to fulfill the Law of Christ.
2. Express our thanks to His Grace Bishop GREGORY of Nyssa of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of the United States of America for blessing our Clergy-Laity Assembly with his presence, for participating in the meetings and discussions of the Assembly, and for working together with His Eminence Metropolitan SAVAS in a new long-term collaborative way in making improvements at Camp Nazareth in Mercer, Pennsylvania which we all see as our common home.
3. Express our thanks to all the Archdiocesan, Metropolis, and Carpatho-Russian Diocesan speakers who offered their time, talent, and treasures of guidance, insight, and resources to help our parish and Metropolis ministries to be ever more productive.
4. Thank our Assembly co-chairs Fr. Dan Rogich and Mrs. Tulla Velisaris for their leadership in organizing this Assembly, along with their Metropolis committee and the local committee headed by Fr. Stephen Callos and Parish Council President Clay White.
5. Thank the Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and its members for hosting this assembly and for their warm welcome to us all and for their outstanding hospitality which contributed to making this assembly such a success.
6. Finally thank the Chancellor, Fr. George S. Callos, Archdeacon Ryan Gzikowski, Presvytera Eileen Sedor, Ms. Rhea Ballas, Mr. Theodore Cherpas, Mrs. Zeina Livanos, and the rest of the staff, workshop presenters, and committee leaders for all their efforts in organizing all the workshops and break-out sessions at the Assembly, which provided so much spiritual insight for all the participants of this Assembly.