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On Tuesday, December 9, the North American visit of His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, continued as he and His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph led an Archdiocese group to a meeting, prayers, and reception with His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America at their New York headquarters.

View a photo gallery of the day's meetings.

See our enthronement section for all information regarding the Enthronement of Metropolitan Joseph and the visit of Patriarch John X.

On Monday, December 8, the Antiochian Metropolitans and Bishops, gathered for the Enthronement of His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph, met with His Beatitude Patriarch John X at Archdiocese Headquarters in Englewood, NJ.

View a Photo Gallery of the Meeting

See our enthronement section for all information regarding the Enthronement of Metropolitan Joseph and the visit of Patriarch John X.

For Immediate Release: December 8, 2014

The second largest Orthodox Christian Church in North America has a new leader, enthroned by the head of one of the oldest churches on earth.

On  Sat. Dec. 6, the Patriarch of Antioch and All of the East, Patriarch John X of Damascus, Syria, enthroned Metropolitan Joseph as new head of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in North America at that Church’s national St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn, New York.

Metropolitan Joseph was selected by the Holy Synod of Antioch on July 3 to succeed Metropolitan Philip who died March 19 and headed the Antiochian Church in North America for over 48 years. Metropolitan Joseph was formerly the Bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West.

He now heads the entire Antiochian Orthodox Church in America, with nine bishops, over 400 clergy, 266 parishes and missions, and about 100,000 faithful throughout the United States and Canada. Over the last 40 years, the Antiochian church has received a sizable number of converts to Orthodoxy in the Americas.

Today we commemorate our great father among the saints, Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra, the patron of this holy Cathedral. How greatly loved he is throughout the Christian world! He is even honored in popular culture, a fact well known to you all. Let us focus for a moment on the Troparion for St. Nicholas:

Thy works of justice did reveal Thee
to Thy community as a canon of faith,
the likeness of humility
and the teacher of abstinence.

O, Thou Father and great Bishop Nicholas.
Wherefore by humility
thou didst achieve exaltation,
and by Thy meekness wealth,

Intercede therefore,
intercede with Christ
that He will save our souls.

Your Eminence, Metropolitan Joseph,

Brother hierarchs and beloved clergy,

Your Excellencies, and beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

I address you with the peace of Christ. I address you with the word of the Word who lived among us. "My peace I leave to you, my peace I give to you" (John 14:27). The enthronement of a bishop in the church is the enthronement of peace and love in her midst. Now, the Church expresses her full essence within a community governed with love. O Sayedna, Joseph, in the name of all your brothers in the Antiochian Orthodox Church, I address you personally:

Here, we stand now before the throne of the church. This throne will be honored with your love, covered with your wisdom and ardent with your apostolic Antiochian zeal. Bless this throne, be blessed with this throne through your sacrificial ministry and bless the church entrusted to your paternal care.

On Sunday, December 7, His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, presided over the Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn, NY, broadcast live around the world by Noursat television.

View a Photo Gallery of the Patriarchal Liturgy

See our enthronement section for all information regarding the Enthronement of Metropolitan Joseph and the visit of Patriarch John X.

On Saturday, December 6, 2014, the Feast of St. Nicholas, His Eminence Joseph, Metropolitan of New York and All North America, was enthroned at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn, New York, by His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East. May God grant him many, many years!

View a photo gallery of the evening Enthronement.

Listen to audio recordings of the Enthronement remarks of Metropolitan Joseph and Patriarch John X, via Ancient Faith Radio.

View a photo gallery of the morning Divine Liturgy commemorating St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra.

View a photo gallery of the evening's Gala Enthronement Banquet.

See our enthronement section for all information regarding the Enthronement of Metropolitan Joseph and the visit of Patriarch John X.

Update Sunday Dec. 7:

Noursat's global live broadcast of the Saturday Enthronement of His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph, and the Sunday Divine Liturgy led by His Beatitude Patriarch John X, at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn, New York, has now concluded. Recorded video will be made available online as soon as possible in the coming days.

View a photo gallery of Friday Vespers at St. Nicholas Cathedral with Patriarch John X.

All enthronement-related photo galleries are available here.

The morning of Friday, December 5, brought media to Archdiocese headquarters for interviews, including John Maddex of Ancient Faith Radio and Fr. Christopher Metropulos of Orthodox Christian Network.

Listen here to an extensive hour-long audio interview by Ancient Faith Radio of Patriarch John X and Metropolitan Joseph, addressing a wide range of subjects including Syria, the Assembly of Bishops, Evangelism, and the future vision for the Antiochian Orthodox Church.

See our enthronement section for all information regarding the Enthronement of Metropolitan Joseph and the visit of Patriarch John X.

The North American visit of Patriarch John X continued on the evening of Thursday, December 4, as Metropolitan Joseph hosted a special dinner at Archdiocese headquarters in Englewood, NJ.

View a photo gallery of the evening here. See our enthronement section for all information regarding the Enthronement of Metropolitan Joseph and the visit of Patriarch John X.

In an expression of love and solidarity with the suffering Orthodox Christians in the Middle East, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary presented a gift of $8,000 to Patriarch John X on Thursday, December 4. His Beatitude will personally oversee distribution of the monies, given to alleviate the difficult conditions of the Orthodox faithful of Syria.

The gift represents a tithe, one-tenth of the total of $80,000 donated to the seminary during its successful #GivingTuesday campaign conducted on December 2. Seminary Chancellor/CEO Archpriest Chad Hatfield and Dean Archpriest John Behr were received by Patriarch John X and Metropolitan Joseph at the Archdiocese headquarters in Englewood, NJ, on His Beatitude's first full day in the United States.

His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, arrived safely at New York City's JFK airport in the evening on Wednesday, December 3, and was met by an Archdiocese delegation led by His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph. View a photo gallery of the arrival. See our enthronement section for all information regarding the Enthronement of Metropolitan Joseph and the visit of Patriarch John X.

His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph has blessed the posting of the liturgical texts that follow for the weekend of his Enthronement, set for December 5-7, 2014 at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Brooklyn, New York.

All of the visiting clergy, laity and guests - as well as people watching on television or online - can print or download to their electronic devices these texts so that they can more easily follow the divine services. They also include "patriarchal elements," that is, portions of the services reserved for His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East, or for his designees. His Beatitude will either preside over or celebrate all divine services.

On December 5-6, the Cathedral celebrates its patron saint, Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia on the anniversary of his passing into eternal life on December 6, 343. On December 7, His Beatitude will celebrate the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy with Sayidna Joseph and approximately 35 Orthodox Christian bishops, many from the Patriarchate of Antioch.

For Immediate Release: November 25, 2014

The head of one of the oldest churches on earth will come to America to enthrone the new head of one of the largest Orthodox Christian Churches in North America.

The Patriarch of Antioch, Patriarch John X, will come from Damascus, Syria, to enthrone Metropolitan Joseph as new head of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in North America.

The enthronement will take place Sat. Dec. 6 at 4:30 p.m. at the Church’s St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn, NY. 

Metropolitan Joseph was selected by the Holy Synod of Antioch on July 3 to succeed Metropolitan Philip, who died March 19. Metropolitan Joseph was formerly the Bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West.

He now heads the entire Antiochian Orthodox Church in America, with nine bishops, over 400 clergy, and 266 parishes and missions throughout the United States and Canada.

Patriarch John X of Antioch, Syria, and Metropolitan Joseph will be available for brief personal interviews Friday Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. NO OTHER INTERVIEWS WILL BE GRANTED BEFORE OR AFTER ENTHRONEMENT EVENTS. If you would like to schedule an interview, please contact John Righetti at information below.

If you would like to attend the enthronement service , you MUST have a press pass from the Antiochian Archdiocese. Again, contact John Righetti to secure a pass. NO MEDIA WILL BE ADMITTED TO THE ENTHRONEMENT WITHOUT A PASS.

Update, 11-26-14: With close to 800 people coming, the Gala Banquet for the enthronement is now sold out! Please do not send in checks for any more tickets or try to purchase online. If there is an emergency situation, please contact Fr. Thomas Zain at abounathomas@me.com. We thank you for your strong support of this event.

Fr. Thomas Zain and Patriarch John XFr. Thomas Zain of Brooklyn's St. Nicholas Cathedral, and Vicar General of the Antiochian Archdiocese, reflects in a wide-ranging audio interview on the historic significance of the enthronement of His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph coming on December 6; the visits of His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and metropolitans and representatives from across the worldwide Antiochian Church; the process that has unfolded since the repose of His Eminence Metropolitan Philip of blessed memory; specific plans for the weekend; and more.

Listen to the interview on Ancient Faith Radio.

The Archdiocese offices in Englewood, NJ, have closed early today, at 1:30 Eastern, due to construction. Normal work is planned to resume on Friday, November 7, from 9 to 5 Eastern. Information on contacting the Archdiocese is available here.

His Beatitude in Athens, 2014On October 27, 2014, His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, delivered the following speech on Mount Athos during extended travels in Greece. (Arabic original here.)

"At night when human voices, movements and tumult are clothed in stillness, enlighten every movement of my soul with Yourself, O Jesus, Light of the Righteous. At the hour when you give rest to the weary, O my Lord, let our thoughts of you be intoxicated with the sweetest dream, O sweetness of the saints. At the time of going to sleep, when the drunk repose through temporary artifice, awaken in us, O Lord, that eternal knowledge. 

"At the start of the day, when all are concerned with earthly things, make us worthy, O our Lord, to enjoy following the heavenly path. At the hour when all remove their nightclothes, remove from our heart, O Lord, remembrance of the world that is passing. At daybreak when sailors set out upon the sea of this world, give rest, my Lord, to souls in your haven. In your mysteries, we embrace you every day and receive you in our body. Make us worthy to feel in our souls the hope that we have in the resurrection. Be, O Lord, wings for our mind, so that it will fly in the gentle breeze until by these wings we reach our true nest."

Brothers and beloved,

I could not have found more beautiful words than these by Saint Isaac the Syrian with which to begin my speech here.

Planning continues for the weekend of December 5-7, and the enthronement of His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph and the visit of His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East, at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn, NY. Check our enthronement section for the latest information and resources.

Update October 31: Our block of hotel rooms at the Brooklyn Marriott is sold out for Friday and Saturday evening. You can try booking directly at marriott.com. You may continue to check the original link as rooms may pop up from time to time if people cancel. You can also check other hotels in the area including the Sheraton Brooklyn.

Update October 27: While seating for the Saturday banquet will be reserved, seating in the Cathedral for the general public for all services will be on a first-come, first-served basis. There will be closed-circuit television in the basement of the Cathedral for the overflow crowd. We plan to live-stream both the enthronement and the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy via antiochian.org and NOURSAT, that will be providing live coverage. Check back for details closer to the weekend.

If you need car transportation while in New York or to and from the airport, you may call Hassan Fattouh at 718.757.8383 to discuss various options. He can arrange very nice vehicles and drivers for you or refer you to a car service for regular transportation to and from the airports.

English translation of a report (Arabic original here) published by the Patriarchate of Antioch:

Under the presidency of His Beatitude Patriarch John X (Yazigi), the Holy Synod of Antioch held its fourth regular session on October 7, 2014. The following bishops were present:

Spiridon (Zahle and its dependencies), Georges (Jbeil, Batroun and their dependencies), John (Lattakia and its dependencies), Elias (Beirut and its dependencies), Iliyya (Hama and its dependencies), Elias (Sidon, Tyre and their dependencies), Saba (Hawran and Jebel al-Arab), George (Homs and its dependencies), Siluan (Buenos Aires and all Argentina), Basil (Akkar and its dependencies), Ephrem (Tripoli, al-Koura and their dependencies), Ignatius (France and Western and Southern Europe), Isaac (Germany and Central Europe).