NOTICE OF THE SACRED COUNCIL OF THE CATHOLIC ORTHODOX APOSTOLIC CHURCH November 23, 2024

On November 23, 2024, the Holy Council of the Catholic Orthodox Apostolic Church (COAC) took place. The Council was held online with the following members:

Metropolitan Mark Walker, Bishop of Austin and North America, Chairman of the Synod of Bishops of the COAC;

Bishop of Shlisselburg and Ingria Dimitry Ignatov, Administrator of the COAC, Chairman of the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints;

Bishop of Donskoy Boniface Ryzhov (Commonwealth of the Holy Cross);

retired Bishop Simeon (Yuzhakov);

Archimandrite Abraham (Prav), Administrator of the Diocese of Virsava;

Priest Sergiy Shevchenko, cleric of the Ingermanland diocese;

Anastasia Vladimirovna Dubova, laywoman of the Ingermanland diocese, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the COAC.

Bishop Oleg Troyanovsky of Vindava and the Baltics was absent.

Metropolitan Michael Kirkland, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America/Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, was present as a guest.

The Council was opened by Metropolitan Mark, and Bishop Demetrius was entrusted with the presidency.

First, proposals were considered to increase the term of office of the Chairman of the Synod of Bishops from one year to three and to change the procedure for filling the position of Chairman - not by seniority of ordination or length of time of joining the COAC, but by elections. Both proposals did not receive the support of the majority of the participants of the Council, and the current procedure was retained. The Chairman of the Synod continues to hold the position for one year, after which he is replaced by the next bishop in line - a member of the Synod. In the event of the latter's withdrawal, the term of office of the current Chairman is extended for another year.

Upon the end of Metropolitan Mark Walker's term, Bishop Boniface Ryzhov was to become Chairman of the Synod of Bishops, but he recused himself. Thus, Metropolitan Mark retained his powers and was confirmed as Chairman of the Synod for one year until the next regular Council.

Then Bishop Dimitri, as Chairman of the Commission for the Canonization of Saints, made proposals to glorify as saints candidates whose biographies had been previously sent out to the participants of the Council for review.

The Council established the veneration of the following saints:

Venerable Spyridon (Kislyakov) (4/17.III.1875 - 29.VIII/11.IX.1930) - monk and clergyman (archimandrite - from 1903), selfless pastor and missionary, consistent preacher of Christian pacifism; in the last years of his earthly life, Father Spyridon, serving in Kyiv, came under the command of the holy martyr Metropolitan Joseph (Petrovykh);

Righteous Georgy Chistyakov (22.VII/4/VIII.1953 - 9/22.VI.2007) - an Orthodox priest, theologian, philologist, human rights activist, follower of the holy martyr and educator Alexander Men; throughout his pastoral work, Father Georgy provided spiritual care to children with cancer at the Russian Children's Clinical Hospital (Moscow).

Also established was the general church veneration of the locally revered saint of the Ingrian diocese - the passion-bearer Emperor John (Ivan VI Antonovich) (12/25.VIII.1740 - 5/18.VII.1764) - the infant tsar, who was on the throne until December 1741 under the regency of Biron and his mother Anna Leopoldovna; having been overthrown, he spent the remaining years in isolation and imprisonment, endured numerous sufferings throughout his life and was killed without guilt in the Oreshek fortress in 1764.

The acts on the lives of all the ascetics were compiled on the instructions of Bishop Dimitri by a member of the community of the Holy Martyr Maria (Skobtsova) Oleg Yuryevich Kulikov.

After reviewing all the issues, Metropolitan Michael Kirkland addressed the Council with a welcoming speech, expressing good wishes on behalf of the sister Church - the OCA/UAPC to the entire Catholic Orthodox Apostolic Church and especially to Metropolitan Mark. Bishop Michael emphasized the need for Orthodox Churches to cooperate in the spirit of brotherhood, so that the testimony of Divine truth on earth would be more evident.

The Council ended with the prayer "It is worthy."