On July 15–17, 2026, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon traveled to Calgary, AB, to preside at the 2026 Canadian Archdiocesan Assembly.

His Beatitude was accompanied by Archpriest Alessandro Margheritino, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America. Upon their arrival in Calgary on July 15, they were greeted at Calgary International Airport by Archpriest Phillip Eriksson, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Canada, and proceeded to Ambrose University, the venue for the Assembly, where he was greeted by His Eminence Archbishop Irénée.

That evening, Vespers was served by Priest Matthew Francis and Deacon Micah Friesen. Following Vespers, His Beatitude addressed the gathered clergy and faithful, speaking about Saint Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, as a fitting example for the Assembly.

“Here was one man, in one generation, who received the faith and chose — freely, and at some cost — to hand it on,” His Beatitude said. “Everything that has followed from that choice: a thousand years of the Church’s life among the Slavic peoples, the planting of Orthodoxy in North America, in time, the establishment of this very Archdiocese, its expansion and flourishing, including the succeeding gatherings of clergy, monastics, and faithful at events such as this Assembly, and even our evening prayer this evening — all of this flows from a single act of transmission.”

Read the full text of His Beatitude’s address

On Thursday, July 16, following the Divine Liturgy in the chapel, His Beatitude and Fr. Alessandro met with members of the Archdiocesan Council to discuss matters pertaining to the life of the Archdiocese.

Later that morning, His Beatitude presided at the Assembly session. Archpriest Rodion Luciuk presented a proposal for a Canadian clergy pension plan, Priest Andrew Applegate offered a report from the St. Tikhon’s Archdiocesan Stewards, and the Assembly received nominations for the Archdiocesan Council and Metropolitan Council.

Following the session, His Beatitude had lunch with the clergy wives. During the afternoon session, His Beatitude answered questions from the clergy and assembled delegates.

That evening, His Beatitude, His Eminence, and Fr. Alessandro attended the Assembly Banquet, held in the parish hall of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church. During the banquet, Archpriest Matthew Francis, who serves as Regional Director for British Columbia and Yukon of the Canadian Bible Society, presented His Beatitude and His Eminence with copies of a newly translated version of the Gospel of John in the Blackfoot language, spoken by the member nations of the Blackfoot Confederacy in southern Alberta.

His Beatitude also offered remarks at the banquet, reflecting on the meaning of a common meal in the life of the Church.

His Beatitude said, “On a fundamental level, the Church has never really handed down bare information. She has handed down a table — from the manna in the wilderness, to the bread and cup Christ gave His disciples, to the Divine Liturgy we will serve together before this Assembly ends. God feeds His people first, and only afterward asks them to tell the story of having been fed.”

Read the full text of His Beatitude’s remarks

On Friday, July 17, His Beatitude presided at the celebration of the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at Holy Martyr Peter the Aleut Church in Calgary. Concelebrating with His Beatitude were His Eminence Archbishop Irénée, Fr. Alessandro, Fr. Phillip, the diocesan deans, and other clergy of the Archdiocese.

At the Little Entrance, His Beatitude awarded Igumen Vladimir Lysak the right to wear the jeweled cross and Priest Aleksey Isakov the right to wear the gold cross.

During the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude delivered the homily, speaking about the need to hold knowledge and love together in the life of the Church.

“This is a gentle reminder to us that often the complexities we are presented with in life are not problems to be solved but opportunities to love God so that we might be known by him, that is, receive his divine grace,” His Beatitude said. “And in this simple movement is where healing begins and where worship flows forth.”

Read the full text of His Beatitude’s homily

The liturgical responses were sung by the Holy Martyr Peter the Aleut parish choir, joined by many Assembly delegates, under the direction of Mka. Barbara Eriksson.

Following the Divine Liturgy, His Eminence Archbishop Irénée thanked His Beatitude for his time and expressed the love of the clergy and faithful for him. His Beatitude, in return, expressed his gratitude to His Eminence, to the clergy and faithful of the Archdiocese, and to all who had worked in preparation for the Assembly. He also noted the blessing of seeing the growth of Orthodoxy in Canada and the strong faith of the Archdiocese.

On behalf of Holy Martyr Peter the Aleut Church, Priest Jonathan Goossen presented His Beatitude with an icon of the parish’s patron saint, the original painted by a Canadian monastic in British Columbia.

Following the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude, the clergy, and the delegates returned to Ambrose University, where the Assembly concluded with a brunch, final presentation, and closing Molieben.

His Beatitude and Fr. Alessandro departed Calgary that afternoon.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon is encouraging dioceses, parishes, clergy, and faithful throughout the Orthodox Church in America to support clergy wives who wish to participate in the inaugural Office of Pastoral Life’s Clergy Wives Retreat, “Come Away and Rest,” July 27–30, 2026, at Antiochian Village in Ligonier, PA. At the launch of registration, His Beatitude said, “The Church has a responsibility to our pastors and their families and so does each parish community. This is why I’m so grateful for the Office of Pastoral Life for organizing … the Clergy Wives Retreat. [This is] not a luxury … not an extra. This is an act of stewardship. This is the Church stepping forward to say to her clergy wives ‘we value you and we care for you.’”

Registration for Clergy Wives Retreat closes June 29.

The retreat will offer clergy wives from across the Orthodox Church in America an opportunity to step away from their daily responsibilities, renew their strength, and reconnect with what matters most in their life with Christ. Alongside structured sessions, the schedule will provide time for prayer, quiet, conversation, walks, reflection, and unhurried fellowship.

Sessions will be led by Dr. Ioana Popa, MD, BCC, MTS, a physician-psychiatrist, board-certified chaplain, and Christian spiritual care, life, and leadership coach. Dr. Popa earned a Master of Theological Studies degree at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology with a focus on spiritual care.

Under the theme “Come Away and Rest: A Blueprint for Renewal and Resilience in Our Journey with the Lord,” Dr. Ioana Popa will help participants explore the pressures Christian women face that can contribute to chronic stress and hidden burnout. Through prayer, reflection, journaling, silence, and small- and large-group conversation, participants will consider practices that foster renewal and begin developing a personal blueprint for healthier and more deeply grounded living.

“It is a true joy for me to support Christian women, especially clergy wives, who desire to serve their families, communities, and churches with a grounding presence and peace,” Dr. Popa said. “Our time together will be an opportunity to renew ourselves and reground our faith through prayer, reflection, contemplation, and more.”

Dr. Popa was also a featured speaker at a recent Thriving in Ministry Facilitators Retreat hosted by the Office of Pastoral Life.
“Dr. Ioana embodies the ability to bring peace into our daily lives,” said Shelby Giokas, Director of Thriving in Ministry. “With a strong focus on how our physical and spiritual wellness impacts our bodily health, Dr. Ioana offers gentleness and healing that is rooted in Christ. The kindness that she radiates is contagious.”

Retreat participants will not only discuss the need for refreshment, but practice it, guided by Christ’s words to the Samaritan woman:

“Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)

Each afternoon of the retreat will include an unscheduled block of time for rest, quiet, walks, or informal fellowship. Participants will also have opportunities to form friendships with other clergy wives through shared meals, prayer, and conversation.

His Eminence Archbishop Mark announced last week his commitment to pay for registration costs of every clergy wife and widow from the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania who wishes to participate in the retreat.

Parishes and dioceses are encouraged to assist clergy wives with registration and travel expenses, recognizing that supporting clergy wives’ renewal strengthens clergy families and enriches the life of the Church.

Additional information and registration are available at: opl.oca.org/programs/pastoral-retreats/clergy-wives-retreat-2026

About the Office of Pastoral Life

The Orthodox Church in America’s Office of Pastoral Life supports the well-being of clergy and their families, the foundation of parish life across North America. Believing the health of the Church is inseparable from the health of her clergy, the Office offers programs that build resilience, connection and pastoral joy. Programs include Thriving in Ministry peer-learning groups, Financial Health Initiatives, quarterly Synaxis Gatherings, Retreats and Clergy Wives Ministry. In partnership with bishops, dioceses, parishes and our generous donors, the Office of Pastoral Life helps create sustainable conditions in which priests, deacons and their families of the Orthodox Church in America can flourish spiritually, vocationally and personally through every season of parish ministry.

Clergy of the Orthodox Church in America are invited to register for the 2026 Office of Pastoral Life Pastoral Retreat, which will take place September 29–October 2, 2026, at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake Retreat Center in Mundelein, IL.

The theme of this year’s retreat is “The Fields Are Ripe for the Harvest.” The retreat will offer clergy time set apart for prayer, reflection, fellowship, and renewal in the company of brother clergy from across the Orthodox Church in America.

In many places, Orthodox parishes are experiencing significant growth, with new inquirers, catechumens, and seekers coming to the life of the Church. This is a blessing, and it also brings new pastoral challenges. At the same time, many priests continue to serve faithfully in quieter settings, in smaller communities, or in parishes facing their own particular burdens and opportunities. This retreat is offered for all of today’s pastors as they seek to serve Christ and His Church with faithfulness, discernment, and hope.

The retreat will include presentations from Mother Christophora, Abbess of Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Ellwood City, PA, and Archpriest John Parker, Dean of Saint Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Their presentations will invite clergy to reflect on the spiritual life of the priest, the work of pastoral ministry, and the hopeful labor of serving the Church in this season.

A highlight of the retreat will be the celebration of the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God at New Gracanica Monastery on Thursday, October 1. The retreat schedule will also include opportunities for shared meals, conversation, rest, and informal fellowship.

“The Office of Pastoral Life is grateful to offer this gathering for our clergy,” said Archpriest Nicholas Solak, Director of the Office of Pastoral Life. “Our hope is that priests will come away encouraged, strengthened, and renewed for the pastoral work entrusted to them.”

Click here for more information and registration

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tag:oca.org,2026:/news/23115 2026-06-17T15:09:00Z 2026-06-17T16:38:41Z Orthodox Church in America webteam@oca.org

The Midwest Diocese announced today that the early registration discount period for the 2026 Parish Development Forum is June 26.

The 2026 Forum will be held at St. Luke the Evangelist Church, Palos Hills IL. from 1:00 PM Thursday July 9th through noon on Saturday July 11.  The theme for the 2026 Forum is “St Tikhon’s Vision for the Church in America: An Experiment in Parish Life.”

Persons interested in attending the Parish Development Forum are reminded to register early. Registrations received by the end of the day June 26 can attend at the discounted rate of $100 per person.  After June 26 registration is $140 per attendee. To assure an atmosphere of robust discussion, Forum attendance will be limited to 80 persons. Once limits are reached registrations will close.

Registration and hotel information can be handled directly from this link.

Forum Speakers Announced

“Saint Tikhon was a transformative figure for Orthodoxy in America,” said Archpriest Stephen Frase, clergy co-chair of the Forum. “In his years in America, as Bishop and Archbishop, St Tikhon encouraged and established a variety of practices to meet the unique needs of Orthodoxy in America. Many ideas were not generally found in historically Orthodox countries. These actions were truly an ecclesial experiment in Orthodox life.”

“Among the significant contributions of Saint Tikhon were an emphasis on English language worship, active lay ministry and leadership, conciliar parish and Church governance, a missional expansion of Orthodoxy through extensive parish planting, emphasis on adult faith education a foundation for a unified, local, self-governing Church in America.

These ideas and practices are as important today as they were in the early 20th century.  The 2026 Parish Development Forum’s agenda will develop many of these ideas.”

Agenda items and speakers will include:

• Dr. Scott Kenworthy, author of The People’s Patriarch will speak on St. Tikhon’s Vision for Orthodoxy in America
• Archpriest Alexander Rentel, St Vladimirs Seminary, will explore “With the hope that this might serve the good”: the Autocephaly in the 21st Century
• Dr. Randa Anderson and Archpriest Andrew Jarmus will collaborate to share perspectives on The Church and Technology: Encouragement and Caution
• Archpriest Daniel Greeson and a panel of catechists: will offer thoughts on Catechesis in the Time of the Surge
• Archpriest Justin Patterson will share ideas on The Challenge of Developing Parish Leaders
• Joseph Kormos will discuss: Six Practices for More Effective Parish Councils
• • Fr. Nicholas Anton and Spyridoula Fotinis, of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in America, will share Inter-Orthodox Cooperation through Inter-Parish Associations:  The Future is Now

Each day will end with vespers and Saturday, the final day of the Forum, will begin with Divine Liturgy. 

The Parish Development Forum is a clergy/laity conference which explores the challenges facing Orthodox parishes, delivers actionable ideas and good practices valuable to parish leaders and builds mutually supportive relationships among participants. Past Forums have drawn attendees from most OCA Dioceses as well as the Greek and Antiochian Archdioceses, Ukrainian Orthodox Churches of USA and Canada and ROCOR.

Questions and enquiries may be directed to Mr. Kormos at this address. Registration and hotel information can be found here.

With less than three weeks remaining before registration closes, 25 clergy wives have already signed up for this first Orthodox Church in America-wide, in-person gathering of its kind. The early registrations reflect broad representation across the Church, with participants from a range of dioceses, ages, life stages, and ministry settings, including wives of parish priests, retired clergy, and clergy widows.

Reflecting on the early registrants, Matushka Carrie Foley, Director of Clergy Wives Ministry said, “We are excited to see the response. With such a wide range of ages and experiences represented, the stage will be set for rich conversation and organic mentorship.”

The Office of Pastoral Life is encouraging parish councils to help make attendance possible for clergy wives who wish to come. Supporting registration and travel expenses is a concrete way for parishes to care for their clergy families and to affirm the vital role clergy wives play in parish life. Some registrants have been sponsored by a family in their parish, while others signed up only after being approached by a parish council member who let them know the funds were already allocated.

This was the case for Matushka Ruth Lopez, whose husband graduated from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary this May. The Lopezes and their four young children arrived at their first parish assignment two weeks ago. “I was so touched and overjoyed when I found out I would be able to go to the clergy wives retreat this year! I know it will be a beautiful time full of building community and of rejuvenation,” said Matushka Ruth.

At Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Detroit, Michigan, Andrew and Danielle Bresinski found a creative way to send their priest’s wife to the retreat despite a tight church budget. Explaining the parish council’s decision to pay for Matushka Karina York’s registration, Andrew said, “Holy Trinity is not a rich parish ... we scrape by. Even with that being said, it was a no brainer. We did our research and we saw that it’s supported by His Eminence, Archbishop Daniel and His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon. It’s our job to support the family, our rector and his wife. She is the mother of our congregation. It’s such a huge choice to become a priest. And a lot of people don’t think about Matushka…she makes that choice, too. How often does she get a chance to unburden herself?”

When Andrew returned home after the meeting and told his wife, the sisterhood treasurer, about the vote, Danielle took it upon herself to support Matushka Karina further. She mentioned the opportunity to the parish sisterhood at their meeting the following week. Andrew said, “All were supportive. Everyone was on board. It was unanimous,” and in this way, travel expenses to the retreat will not be a burden, either. Andrew was grateful to help, saying, “She gets to go now and talk…with people who understand her like no one else can.”

The 2026 Clergy Wives Retreat is part of the Office of Pastoral Life’s broader effort to strengthen clergy families and support healthy pastoral life throughout the Orthodox Church in America.

Registration information is available here

About the Office of Pastoral Life

The Orthodox Church in America’s Office of Pastoral Life supports the well-being of clergy and their families, the foundation of parish life across North America. Believing the health of the Church is inseparable from the health of her clergy, the Office offers programs that build resilience, connection and pastoral joy. Programs include Thriving in Ministry peer-learning groups, Financial Health Initiatives, quarterly Synaxis Gatherings, Retreats and Clergy Wives Ministry. In partnership with bishops, dioceses, parishes and our generous donors, the Office of Pastoral Life helps create sustainable conditions in which priests, deacons and their families of the Orthodox Church in America can flourish spiritually, vocationally and personally through every season of parish ministry.