Open main menu

OrthodoxWiki β

Changes

Orthodoxy in the Philippines

956 bytes removed, 02:46, June 9, 2007
Reception of the first Filipino converts to Orthodoxy
Through the persistent lobbying of Abp. John to the U.S. Congress, the refugees were allowed to settle in the United States and Australia beginning in 1951.
== Reception of the first Filipino converts to Orthodoxy ==
 
In 1992, a Filipino [[hieromonk]], Fr. Vincentius Escarcha (a former Benedictine Abbot and a Roman Catholic priest for more than 20 years in Bajada, Cataingan, Masbate island), together with four nuns and faithful members of his community, were received into the Orthodox Church by Metropolitan [[Dionysios (Psiahas) of Proussa|Dionysios]] of the [[Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Zealand]] and assisted by [[Sotirios (Trambas) of Korea|Bishop Sotirios of Zelon]].
 
On January 19, 1994, Metropolitan Dionysius, assisted by Bishop Sotirios, received by [[Chrismation|Holy Chrismation]] several Filipino Christians in Manila.
 
In 2004, the Theotokos Orthodox Church in Bajada, Masbate was consecrated by His Eminence Metropolitan [[Nikitas (Lulias) of Hong Kong|Nikitas]] of Hong Kong and South East Asia. At present, the nuns of the Theotokos Orthodox Monastery in Bajada run a kindergarten.
== Other Jurisdiction ==
In December 2006, Fr. Chris Gain, a deacon from the [[Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand]], came to Manila, and, without informing the local hierarchy of the Orthodox Church in the Philippines, registered a church bearing the name "Iglesia Orthodoxa ng Pilipinas" (Orthodox Church of the Philippines). Their webpage describes their church as ''the'' Orthodox Church in the Philippines. This church is seeking to receive Filipino clergymen through incardination. They do not provide information regarding the actual number of members. This jurisdiction, represented by one Abbot Cristofor and based in New Castle, Australia, has no clergy, churches, nor parishes anywhere in the Philippines and is not in communion with the canonical Orthodox Church in the Philippines, which is under the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate]] of Constantinople.
54
edits