In Spain today there are about twenty centers of religious activity, parishes, chapels, mission belonging to the SOC. When a small group of Catalan decided to establish an Orthodox community 1972, orthodoxy in this area of Spain was almost completely unknown. But the core of which they formed has developed a large Orthodox community, which today is under the omophor of the Serbian Orthodox Church. In Spain there are dozen parishes in SOC: in Catalonia, Basque, Alikanteu, Mallorca, Galicia, and has about 20 centers of religious activity, parishes, chapels, mission ...

Their purpose is served by 14 priests, two deacons and three subdeacon. There is a  30 students who attending the theological institute which is connected to the Orthodox Theological Institute of St. Sergius in Paris. Father Yoann Garcia, vicar of Bishop of West Europe Luke, serve in Spain and Portugal, takes care of the Orthodox flock, and is  a priest of the Serbian Orthodox Church already for 22 years .

Russian orthodox church to  open office i YarevanMoscow, January 22, Interfax - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has said he hopes a representation office of the Russian Orthodox Church would open soon in Armenian capital, Yerevan.

"I hope the Russian Orthodox Church will have a representation office in Yerevan in the near future," Patriarch Kirill said at an awards ceremony arranged by the Foundation for Unity of Orthodox Nations at the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow on Thursday.

Catholicos Karekin II of All Armenians was among those who were honored with the 2009 award at the Thursday ceremony.

Russians and Armenians have been feeling like brothers for centuries, "despite a difference in their languages and theological differences," Patriarch Kirill.

The opening of a Russian Orthodox Church office in Yerevan "would provide another opportunity for dialogue between our Churches," he said.

Catholicos Karekin II expressed his gratitude for being honored with the award and said he would donate its monetary component to the construction of a new Russian church in Yerevan, which started only recently.

Today's holiday of Saints Julian and Basilissa, Venerable George Chosebite and St. Gregory of Ohrid was formally celebrated with the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy which was served His Eminence Metropolitan Amphilochius of Montenegro and the Littoral , Locum tenens of the Patriarchate throne, at the Patriarchate chapel of St. Symeon the Myrrh-Gusher.

After the Holy Liturgy, on the grave of  Patriarch of Blessed repose and our father Paul, Metropolitan Amphilochius of Montenegro and the Littoral  served  a memorial service with the concelebration of vicar Bishop Theodosius of Lipljan, and in the presence of Bishop Ioanichios of Budimlje and Nikšić and Bishop Gregory of Zahumlje and Herzegovina.

On the feast of Holy Epiphany Bishop Chrysostom served the Holy Liturgy with concelebrating of Protopresbyter-stavrophor Rade Savić, Abbot Basil Rožić and two deacon’s Željko Rakita and Zdravko Bogojević. In sermon Bishop spoke about the words of the Lord''. Leave now, because so we need to fulfil all righteousness''... (Mt.3, 15) underlining the importance of the Holy Epiphany feast - feast in which God-Man fulfil every justice! Not only God, not just a man, but the fellowship of God and man in the Kingdom of God, the God-Man Christ himself through the centuries. Celebration of Epiphany obliges us, brothers and sisters, to be worthy of presence of God in three forms: the Father, through the voice and the confirmation that the person who is baptized, his Son, who according to His will came to the River Jordan;

Feast of Holy Epiphany in Šipovo was traditionally celebrated, this year was the twelfth procession since 1999 when is re-established. After the Divine Liturgy in the church of St.John the Baptist and the blessing of the water, procession was held from the temple to the river Pliva. This is truly a feast for this small town and its inhabitants, on this church feast of St. John the Baptist church is too small to receive a multitude of fateful who gathered for prayer. The streets of Šipovo poured a river of people with spiritual joy who also participated in the prayer of blessing the waters on the rivers Pliva, Janj and their tributaries.  Bishop Chrysostom has bless the waters from the Pliva bridge by throwing the Holy Cross of the Lord thrice in the river, and then pour into the river a Holy water which was blessed in the church.

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In the forefeast of the Holy Epiphany, Bishop Chrysostom as in previous years served the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Holy Theotokos in Gornji Ribnik.

After reading the Gospel Bishop in his sermon lecture fateful of all saving mystery of repentance which on river Jordan St. John the Baptist begin to preach. ''... before you go to preach, as holy Evangelist Luke say, the word of God came to John son of Zacharias in the wilderness, and he came up and said: Repent, Metanoia change your self, because Kingdom of God is coming. Word repent has a deeper and more meaningful interpretation than it is translated into our language.

On the Feast of Holy Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the established order, which Bishop Chrysostom was found in Gornji Ribnik in 2001, after the Divine Liturgy and the blessing of water in the church of the Holy Theotokos in Gornji Ribnik Cross procession is held from the temple to the river Ribnik. The river Ribnik Bishop has blessed from the river bridge, and thus the overall creation has blessed. Arriving at the river Bishop have prayed for blessing of the water, and three times he threw the cross into the river, with hymn singing ''When Thou wast baptized in the Jordan, o Lord ,....'' and then into the river (three times) poured a bucket of Holy water taken from the temple .
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The conversation published below took place in early December 2009, during the visit of Metropolitan Jonah (OCA) to Russia to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Moscow representation of the Orthodox Church in America, and is devoted to the activities of the Church in Latin America.

- Your Beatitude, in which Latin American countries is the Orthodox Church in America represented?

- The jurisdiction of our Church extends to Mexico. Previously, we also had some parishes in Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Venezuela. But some of them left for the Russian Church Abroad, the others were closed.

Several communities in Latin America want to join the Orthodox Church in America. We would be happy to take these believers, but there is no one to care for them, because we have very few priests who speak Spanish or Portuguese.

Abbess Ines (Ayau Garcia) – Abbess Ines is the head of the only Orthodox parish in Guatemala – the Monastery of the Holy and Life-Giving Trinity, the “Lavra of Mambre”, under the Patriarchate of Antioch. She comes from an influential and well known family in Guatemala which has produced many outstanding individuals. When [then Catholic] Sister Ines was 36 years old, she made an extreme change in her life, leaving a Catholic monastic order and becoming an Orthodox nun.

Every year in front of us is happening amazing trick which lead children to believe in lies and deceit. Namely, a strong psychological impact on children to believe how St. Nicholas as children would say Santa Clause or Father Christmas come during the night on the windows, enter the houses and  leave the gifts in the boots for children, while the parents, grandparents or relatives done it . Children with this false story go to bed, when they wake up,  immediately ran to see what ''St. Nicholas'' have brought them. Found gift determine the child credulity and they fully believe that it is the work of St. Nicholas. This is a terrible fraud which seriously damages the integrity of the child, which leads to the deception and lies, or to accept deception and lies for the truth, which they after should practice.