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Published by
Orthodox Christian Laity,
November 5, 2004
A SMATTERING OF REFLECTIONS ON LIGONIER
1994
Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit, October 31,
2004
Chicago, Illinois - Orthodox Christian Laity
Annual Assembly |
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As an introduction, I am pleased to have been
invited to present some thoughts to this audience,
some reflections, on what I remember of the
Episcopal Conference held at Ligonier,
Pennsylvania the Antiochian Village, sponsored by
the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox
Bishops of America, SCOBA, November 30 - December
2, 1994.
As I recall, before the Episcopal Conference at
Ligonier came to be, the Holy Synod of the
Orthodox Church in America discussed the necessity
of calling all Orthodox Bishops in North America
to a general meeting. The reason was their concern
that the Church in North America was perceived by
others as being fractured into a multiplicity or
"communion" of jurisdictions and this was
detrimental to our common witness. Most of these
hierarchs were "canonical" being part of or
recognized by Mother Churches, while others, also
using the title "orthodox," were not part of the
universal Orthodox Church. As the local Church,
the OCA hierarchs were decided to clarify the
perceived idea of a fractured Orthodoxy.
This invitation was to be not only to the SCOBA
Hierarchs but to all those who claimed to be
"orthodox". The idea was to bring together
individuals who assumed the word "orthodox" in the
title of their jurisdiction and to lead a
discussion on how a reconciliation of these
divergent groups into one Church might come to be.
This was about three years before Ligonier.
However, due to the Millennium of the Church of
Russia and later due to the delay in determining a
definite agenda, it seems that the OCA
representatives to SCOBA acquiesced to SCOBA
calling the meeting which later became the
some-times famous, some-time infamous Ligonier
meeting of SCOBA The invitation to voluntarily
participate in this Episcopal Conference was
extended to the hierarchs of the "primatial"
jurisdictions of which SCOBA is comprised.
As a point of information, membership in the SCOBA
is limited to only the "primates" of canonical
jurisdictions in North America; it does not
include the totality of hierarchs associated
through their "primates" with SCOBA.
I assume that my audience knows which hierarchs
did participate in the event; their signatures
are/were/are evident on the two major documents.
There is a videotape of the conference, including
excerpts from the official press conference held
at the conclusion of the event. This film has
been widely distributed ( we have seen it
today). There is the book, "A New Era," published
through the OPT (Orthodox People Together) which
has also been widely distributed.
In anticipation of this annual OCL Conference, I
wrote a letter to many of the hierarchs present at
the Conference and invited them to be present with
us or to send a message. Some of the participants
have responded to that written invitation to offer
reflections on the event.
The Orthodox Christian Laity, OCL is to be
congratulated for reminding Orthodox America of
the Ligonier Episcopal Conference sponsored by
SCOBA. Congratulations, too, for bringing to the
participants of the OC L Annual Conference three
outstanding speakers delivering relevant topics
concerning Ligonier and Holy Orthodoxy in North
America. This subdued and muted celebration of an
historic event of ten years past, although not
celebrated across North America, never the less,
is not unseen by the eyes of God.
I am speaking only for myself, even though I know
the sentiments of other fellow-hierarchs who must,
whenever and wherever, speak for themselves or
remain silent. I had been a bishop of 14 years,
ten as a ruling hierarch at the time of the
conference. My remembrance of the event remains
vivid. I questioned a few things, which were not
to my liking but they are of little consequence in
view of the great joy and hope that Ligonier
stirred/stirs in me. The euphoria of being
together with a great number of fellow-hierarchs
in simple Christian fellowship remains a positive
memory for me.
It seemed to me that it was like a recurrence of
the Transfiguration on the mount when Peter said,
"Lord it is good for us to be here." "…We would
like to thank and bless our God-loving flocks: the
pious priests, deacons, monastics, and laity who,
praying and laboring together, incarnate the
oneness which our Church on this Continent already
enjoys. We ask for their prayers and support, as
we pledge to work with them for the glory of God
and His Holy Church."
I felt it was good to be together in the Spirit
with the Lord and his arch pastors. I remember
that there was no rancor, nor animosity nor any
negative spirit among us at that time. We were
like long-lost relatives who, happy to know one
another, nevertheless, still had to learn about
one another individually and collectively. There
was debate; there were differences of opinion, but
in the end, it seemed good to me that we were
gathered together.
Also, there remains the remembrance of the
discussions which took place, the sharing, the
debating, the decisions, my sense of the real
presence of the Holy Spirit among the brethren who
fashioned the documents and inspired those who
spoke to the media after the assembly. In the end,
there was a unanimity of decision. No one was
forced to sign the documents; no one was ridiculed
or cajoled. I have not withdrawn my name nor have
the majority of others who spontaneously signed
their names. To show a unity in love, the names
were listed alphabetically and not according to
title or rank! Who signed, I believed, signed out
of love for Christ’s Bride, the Church, whose arch
pastors were meeting to discuss our ministry and
our plans for the future. You must read or
re-read the actual texts to enter the euphoria
that arch-pastoral expressed in these documents.
"We believe that the Orthodox of North America -
bishops, clergy and laity - are called to think
together, plan together, and work together in
order to do mission work together…"
One matter in particular; there was discussion to
meet twice each year thereafter. Some fathers
agreed, some were more cautious, and the resulting
consensus was that the Episcopal Conference would
meet once each year.
An after thought: although we did meet one
another, we could have spent more time in getting
to hear from each hierarch something about his own
flock. The actual number of hours spent together
were few because we met for less than three days.
There might have been more mixing during the
non-session periods, but I assume that most
hierarchs do not have an opportunity to meet their
own synodal members frequently and this was the
occasion for such coming together.
I (and I repeat these are my thoughts) was not
pleased that our Metropolitan Primate was not
given proteia but was seated as third. I believe
that without this humble acquiescence by His
Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius, there would
not have been a SCOBA Ligonier. However, when the
actual working sessions did take place, there was
a sort of confluence of leadership as can happen
in the Church when love prevails.
The Orthodox Church in America, now soon to
celebrate the 35th anniversary of Autocephaly,
claims primacy; Constantinople continues to claim
authority over all North American Orthodox;
various "Mother" Churches also lay claim to
sovereignty of its particular ethnic group. This
is the on-going debate.
"We the Orthodox Hierarchs in the United States
and Canada…first and foremost offer most sincere
gratitude to the venerable Fathers and Hierarchs
of our Mother Churches beyond the seas for their
love and concern exhibited by the prominence given
to the ‘diaspora’ on the agenda for the
forthcoming Great and Holy Council evidenced in
the Adopted Texts of the Preparatory Commission."
There was and remains no doubt in my mind and
heart that the hierarchs were inspired and that
they were deeply, deeply moved to hear and discuss
the problems which the Church was/is facing. In my
opinion the fathers were
unanimous in recognizing their archpastoral
obligations to their God-entrusted flock and
sincere in the decisions they had made.
These are some paltry reflections on that event,
subjective as they are. Do I consider Ligonier and
its documents authentic? Yes! Are its documents
binding? Is it seed fallen on good ground or among
weeds or on barren rock or, or, or? The power of
the Word of God, God himself will not go without
result and as the presence of the Word, of the
Father and the Spirit was there, Ligonier produces
fruit and will continue to do so.
"The end of the second millennium after Christ
coincides with a unique Missionary challenge to
the Orthodox Church around the world."
Since 1994, much has happened in the world, in
North America, in our cities and towns. The
nations of the world are not in isolation, one
from the others. The power of the media, of the
press and the inter-net shape and reshape the
minds, hearts and religious convictions of
individuals. The Church is battling for individual
souls; the Church is beset by a negative and
inimical body of individuals who are intentioned
to undermine her, to belittle her and to destroy
her in North America and around the world. This
is the very Church of which Christ himself said:
"The powers of hell will not prevail." We should
not expect other than persecution.
"In the United States and Canada millions of
people are in spiritual crisis, millions of people
are unchurched, the societies are afflicted with a
spiritual and moral vacuum, and the Orthodox
Church is therefore presented with a challenge to
bear witness to the Orthodox faith and to
evangelize."
The rise of Islam in Europe and the Americas
brings into the Orthodox Church a necessity to
strengthen herself nationally and internationally.
As we remain divided, Islam grows in force against
Christians. Our collective experience should
motivate the Churches to review the case of the
disunity of Orthodoxy in North America and resolve
this weak witness which disunity demonstrates.
Hedonism, ever present in fallen human history,
nevertheless, is more prevalent in our lives and
in the life of the nations. Modesty is a thing
unknown; restraint is almost non-existent; our
society seems to be led by Hollywood and a
intensely anti-Christian (I do not state
anti-Orthodox because we are so-little known)
press and mass media. The Church, although the
Temple of the Holy Spirit, seems to be stunned,
unresponsive to the wider society in which our
faithful live and work. Is the Gospel being
preached? Is our flock being taught? The fathers
of Ligonier seem to have said "No!"
"The demands upon our Church’s life by an
unbelieving society do not allow for any further
delay in this process."
Ligonier was a pioneering test for the hierarchs
to work together in unity for the love of God and
his flock, the faithful entrusted to us. Had the
Lord returned on the first anniversary, the third,
the eighth, the tenth what would he have found?
What reward for the arch-pastors for Ligonier and
for the years since then? I have failed
miserably. I have dropped the baton. "I have spent
all my life slothfully," as we sing during the
Great Fast.
Is there an urgency? Yes! Why? Because divine Love
demands it! Is this urgency just for the Church in
North America, I believe it is world wide, but
that is beyond the scope of this remembrance. Has
there been a Second Ligonier? No! Some even deny
the first! Will there be a Second Ligonier?
Ligonier has been working as yeast works; it has
been flavoring as salt flavors; it has not been,
however, the lamp on the lamp-stand nor the City
on the hill-top!
The documents of Ligonier ought to be known and
taught in the seminaries, in the monasteries and
parishes. The fruits of the fathers should be
producing multiple harvests but the seed must be
cast and the seedlings husbanded. What was the
most important gift of Ligonier? The gift of
fellowship among the hierarchs, the reality that
there can be a "syn odos" as do exist around the
world.
"We Orthodox in North America commit ourselves to
bringing our household into order for the sake of
the preaching of the Good News of Jesus Christ,
His incarnation and His teaching, His crucifixion,
death, burial and resurrection, and His presence
in the Church through the descent of the Holy
Spirit." (Conclusion of the document on Church
Mission and Evangelism)
Thank you for your kind attention.
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