Metropolitan Tikhon continues to receive greetings
Three weeks after his election as Primate of the Orthodox Church in America at the 17th All-American Council in Parma, OH on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 [see related story], His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon continues to receive congratulatory messages sent to the OCA Chancery office here.
From His Eminence, Metropolitan Daniel of Tokyo and All Japan.
Your Beatitude,
With joy, glorifying God, and thanksgiving we welcome You as the newly elected Primate of the Orthodox Church in America.
On behalf of the clergy and lay people of the Holy Autonomous Orthodox Church in Japan, I deliver to Your Beatitude, and to all the faithful of the Orthodox Church in America, our prayerful best wishes and express to You our continuing commitment as your inseparable Sister Church.
Lastly, Orthodox Church in Japan will support Your leadership like St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow, once served in America, and Your Orthodox witness to the Americas’ soil.
With love in Christ,
+ Daniel
Archbishop of Tokyo
Metropolitan of All Japan
From His Grace, Bishop Michael of New York and the Diocese of New York and New Jersey.
Your Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon:
Christ is in our midst!—He is and ever shall be!
It is a great joy that the entire Church shares on the occasion of your election to the rank and dignity of Primate of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church in America. On this auspicious milestone in your life-long serve to Christ and the People of God, I am pleased to extend to you my heartfelt congratulations and personal best wishes, along with those of the Clergy and Faithful of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, and proclaim in resounding strains: “Axios! Axios! Axios!”
This is a time in our Church that requires gentle healing, firm leadership and great love. My prayer for you, Your Beatitude, is that you will continue to be graced by God with the gentle healing touch of your predecessor Metropolitan Leonty of blessed memory; that you will continue to be given the strength to exercise firm leadership in the spirit of Saint John Chrysostom, on whose feast you were elected; and that you will continue to open yourself in the service of bishops, priests and laypeople—with the great love that your patron Saint Tikhon fostered during his tenure as Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
Your Beatitude, I pledge to you my love, my prayers and my support. I know that I join with all the members of our Church throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada, in offering you our congratulations and prayers. May your leadership in the Vineyard of Christ continue to prosper, and may the Holy Spirit by Whose grace you were ordained to the Priesthood, consecrated to the Episcopacy and elected to be Metropolitan continue to guide you for many years to come. “Eis polla eti, Despota!”
With sentiments of profound esteem and with much love in the Risen Lord, I remain
Devotedly yours in His service,
+ Michael
Bishop of New York and the
Dicoese of New York and New Jersey
From His Eminence, Metropolitan Evangelos of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey.
Your Eminence [sic],
I pray that this letter finds you well. Please accept my brotherly congratulations upon the occasion of your election as the new Metropolitan and Spiritual Leader of the Orthodox Church in America.
On behalf of all the Clergy and Laity of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey please accept our love and prayers for a most successful ministry as you Shepherd your flock here in the United States of America. May Christ our True God and Archpriest look down upon you and bless your ministry.
As we have embraced upon the Nativity Fast and journey towards the Incarnation of our Lord and Savior, I hope and pray that you will have a blessed and joyous celebration during this most Holy time of the year. I remain
With Brotherly Love in Christ,
+ Evangelos
Metropolitan of New Jersey
From Fr. Martin Ritsi, Executive Director of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center.
Your Beatitude,
On behalf of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center Board of Directors, Missionaries and Staff, I extend the joy that has been received with the news of Your Enthronement [sic] as Primate of the Orthodox Church in America on November 13, 2012.
Standing with Your Beatitude, we hope that You will be granted strength in continuing the significant work accomplished thus far in the hearts of the people entrusted to Your Beatitude. We look forward to supporting these new efforts under Your Beatitude’s direction.
In the spirit of love, honor and thanksgiving, we send congratulations and prayers for many blessed years!
Your Brother in Christ,
Fr. Martin Ritsi
Executive Director
From His Eminence, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America [Eastern].
Your Beatitude:
As we approach the joyous season of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, I wish to convey to you my warmest greetings and heart-felt congratulations on your election as Primate of the Orthodox Church in America.
In my own capacity as Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church in America (Eastern), I extend to you the joyful good wishes of our flock, and our prayers for your continued strength and inspiration as you lead this important and vital Christian community.
As you are aware, the Armenian Church of America has enjoyed extremely close and cordial relations with the OCA, in the ecumenical arena, in the embrace of our fellow Orthodox churches, and as a matter of Christian fellowship. I very much look forward to continuing that blessed tradition with you, as you take up your new duties.
Your Beatitude: In our separate community lives, and in our common life as brothers and sisters in Christ, we have all been through times of trial, and will surely see them again. One of the hopes of the ecumenical movement is that, through our common devotion to Christ, we can endure these crises together, as friends and companions, sharing each other’s spiritual burdens—and together reaping the joy of renewal and eventual victory against adversity. That feeling of joy is what I and my fellow Armenian Christians feel today, as the OCA enters this new period of leadership.
We would be greatly honored to welcome you to the St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral, as soon as your schedule permits, to express our warm feelings and common aspiration in person.
In that regard, I have attached to this letter an invitation to attend a special gathering of religious leaders at our Diocesan Center on Friday, November 30, to congratulate His Eminence Archbishop Timothy Dolan on his elevation to the College of Cardinals. The event has been in the planning stages for some time, and with your recent election I wanted to make sure that you received a personal invitation. We would be honored and delighted by your presence.
In the meantime, Your Beatitude, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your flock in these days. May God continue to guide you, and to inspire your distinguished service to His Church.
With prayers,
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian
Primate
NOTE: A photo gallery of the aforementioned gathering may be viewed on the OCA website and OCA Facebook page.
From the Rev. Fr. Carmen G. Bolock, Ecumenical Officer of the Central Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church.
Dear Metropolitan Tikhon,
Praise Be Jesus Christ! Now and Forever Amen!
On behalf of the Rt. Rev. Bernard J. Nowicki, Bishop Ordinary of the Central Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church, and the priests, deacons, and faithful of the diocese, I wish to take this time to congratulate you on your election as Primate of the Orthodox Church in America. I know that this is a time of great joy for your Church as well as ours as we share a common faith in Our Savior Jesus Christ. We know that the Holy Spirit has chosen you to lead His People because of your faith and love for Him and His People. We look forward to building on the good relationship which has begun between our Churches.
Your Beatitude, please know that you are in our prayers and thoughts as you begin this new chapter in your life. May Almighty God bless you in your new ministry, may He strengthen you and fill you with His grace and love, and good health. May He grant you many happy years. Sto Lat!
Sincerely yours in Christ Jesus Our Lord,
Rev. Fr. Carmen G. Bolock, Ecumenical Officer