It's history in the making as Hellenic College Holy Cross' President Rev. Christopher T. Metropulos provided live commentary at the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church on Crete.
Metropulos was chosen to join a team of professionals who will offer live commentary on the Divine Liturgies to be celebrated at the beginning and the close of the long-anticipated Holy and Great Council of the Holy Orthodox Christian Church - the first such meeting more than 1200 years. Two broadcasts are being offered, with the first on June 19, the Feast Day of Pentecost and June 26, the Feast Day of all Saints.
“I am honored to be providing the world with the English translation of the Divine Liturgies during this historic meeting for our Orthodox Church,” said Fr. Metropulos. "It’s going to be an experience, a flashback in time for Orthodox Christians and a glimpse of the future of our Church.”
An internationally known radio and television personality, Fr. Metropulos will offer the English commentary for this important broadcast around the world. The commentary will be directly available on several websites, including Holy and Great Council Pentecost 2016, Press Office of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church Ecumenical Patriarchate, Hellenic College Holy Cross, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and Orthodox Christian Network and directly translated into Arabic, French, Greek, Russian, and Spanish.
Fr. Metropulos is the founder of the Orthodox Christian Network, one of the largest web portals in the world offering the Orthodox Christian faith. He has also served as a parish priest in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America for more than three decades.
This is the third time Fr. Metropulos has been asked to provide live commentary in English for historic occasions over the past two years. In May 2014 he offered the live English commentary from Rome for the worldwide televised broadcast of the historic meeting of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Jerusalem. A few months later he was invited to return to Rome to provide the English commentary for Pope Francis’ visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople (Istanbul) in celebration of the Feast Day of St. Andrew.
The Holy and Great Council, an event expressing the unity of the Orthodox Church and its witness to the Gospel of Christ, has been in the planning stages for several decades and will mark the first time the heads and representative bishops of Autocephalous Orthodox Churches have come together for such a Council in over 1000 years.
Topics expected to be discussed include the mission of the Orthodox Church, autocephaly, autonomy, the Sacrament of Marriage, fasting, and interfaith relations.
About Hellenic College:
Hellenic College is a four-year liberal arts college that cultivates the intellectual, spiritual, and moral development of its students within the Orthodox Christian community so that they might serve and contribute to society and the Church. It is the only college of its kind in the western hemisphere. Students are engaged in liberal arts and professional curricula that demand rigorous inquiry and academic scholarship. The College promotes spiritual and moral development by incorporating students into the practices, teachings, and liturgical life of an Orthodox Christian community. Hellenic College encourages its students to respond to their unique vocations by committing to education, faith, and service in all aspects of their professional and personal endeavors.
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology:
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology is an Orthodox Christian seminary and graduate school of theology centered on the Trinitarian faith. Holy Cross educates its students to articulate and understand the biblical, historical, dogmatic, ethical, and liturgical traditions of the Orthodox Church. Students are prepared to become future Orthodox clergy and lay leaders who demonstrate faith, sensitivity, and compassion as they cultivate an attitude of offering a service of truth and love in the world. Through its graduate degree programs, Holy Cross offers men and women the opportunity to become spiritually mature persons through immersion in worship, theological studies, and service to the community.