The participation of the Assyrian Church of the East in Russia in the inaugural Festival of Sacred Music of the Peoples of the Christian East   On June 2,2024, the inaugural Festival of Sacred Music of the Peoples of the Christian East, “Blessed be the Lord Forever,” took place at the Tapan Museum of Church Art with the joint effort of Orthodoxy Cognate Page. The event aimed to celebrate the rich musical heritage of Eastern Christian traditions and foster understanding between Orthodox and Eastern Christian Churches. The festival was a collaborative effort between the Russian and New Nakhichevan Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, and the All-Church Postgraduate and the Saint Cyril and Methodius Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies Institute. Representatives from the Assyrian Church of the East, Coptic Church, Ethiopian Church, and Malankara Church of India also participated. The 2025 festival will be held at the Moscow Assyrian Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and coincide with significant anniversaries: the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council and the 80th anniversary of Victory in World War II.      

Fr. Aprem Alkhas meets with the Head of the Don Metropolitanate, His Eminence +Mercury, Metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassk   On June 3, 2024, the Head of the Don Metropolitanate, His Eminence +Mercury, Metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassk, met with the priest of the Assyrian Church of the East, Fr. Aprem Alkhas, the rector of the parish of St. John the Baptist. The meeting was attended by the head of the Diocesan Information Department, Archpriest Daniel Azizov. Fr. Aprem acquainted the Head of the Metropolis with the life and activities of the young church community. Metropolitan Mercury, in turn, stressed the importance of the participation of the Assyrian Church of the East in the life of the multinational Rostov region, calling for strengthening cooperation in various areas of activity. With the blessing of Metropolitan Mercury of Rostov and Novocherkassk, the parish community of the Assyrian Church of the East performed a number of divine services on the territory of the Old Protection Church of Rostov-on-Don. In addition, the Rostov diocese regularly provides support, including advice, in the development of the Assyrian church community.

Preserving Heritage: St. George Assyrian Language School in Melbourne In the multicultural landscape of Melbourne, diversity thrives as communities from all corners of the globe weave their cultural tapestries into the fabric of the city. Among these vibrant communities, the Assyrians stand as a testament to resilience, preserving their rich heritage in foreign lands. At the forefront of this cultural preservation effort lies the St. George Assyrian Language School, an institution dedicated to nurturing Assyrian language, culture, and faith. Established as a beacon of Assyrian identity, St. George Assyrian Language School has experienced remarkable growth over the years. In 2024, the school proudly welcomed a record-breaking 530 students through its doors. This surge in enrolment posed logistical challenges, necessitating the acquisition of demountable buildings to accommodate the expanding student body. Despite these challenges, the school’s commitment to providing a nurturing environment for Assyrian youth remained unwavering. At the heart of St. George Assyrian Language School’s curriculum lies the preservation of the Assyrian language. With meticulous attention to detail, students are guided through the complexities of this ancient Semitic tongue, ensuring its continuity for generations to come. The school utilizes a comprehensive series of textbooks tailored to different levels of proficiency, …

Message of Congratulations from His Eminence Mar Meelis Zaia   to His Grace Mar Awraham Youkhanis     Beloved brother in Christ, His Grace, Mar Awraham Youkhanis  , Bishop of Western Europe. Greetings to the Lord Jesus Christ “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ, for he chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight in love” (Eph 1-3-4) I am rejoiced to see our Lord Jesus Christ choosing a great and distinguished priest, with the grace given to him from the heights, devoting himself to serve the Church of the East. In that holy hour of your episcopal consecration, as the Holy Spirit was descending upon you, I thanked the Lord for that, and for His good divine will and His heavenly blessings, for setting me a witness to all your consecrations from deacon to bishop. As you serve His holy Church in the heart of London and lead the diocese of Western Europe; which you will make it a spiritual lighthouse for the advancement of the blessed Assyrian Church of the East, as you have …

The Assyrian Schools Council publishes new Assyrian Language Curriculum including 12 new textbooks   The Assyrian Schools Council of the Assyrian Church of the East in Australia under the leadership of his beatitude Mar Meelis Zaia has published the Assyrian Language Curriculum, which includes twelve textbooks from the kindergarten to tenth grade, as well as a book for beginners who are recently enrolled in the schools. The course is written by Assyrian Language Coordinator Anwar Atto and designed by Mr. Ashur Harmis. Each book is divided into four units of work. Each covers a topic that reflects students’ interests, suits their age and meets their language needs using the modern standard Assyrian language in a communicative and comprehensive method of teaching the language including listening, understanding, speaking, reading and writing skills as well as the Assyrian culture, heritage and history integrated in the teaching of the topics.

His Grace Mar Benyamin Elya attends launch of Sarah Lindenmayer’s new book, Debt of Honour On Saturday 8 September 2018, His Grace Mar Benyamin Elya, Bishop of Victoria and New Zealand attended the launch of Ms Sarah Lindenmayer’s new book, Debt of Honour, at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance. This important new book tells the remarkable and almost unknown history of how one of Australia’s great military heroes, Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige became instrumental in saving tens of thousands of Assyrians in 1918 while a Captain in the Australian Imperial Force. His Grace was accompanied by The Rev’d Fr Antawan Mikhail and gave the closing benediction on the historic occasion, expressing the prayers of the Assyrian Church of the East for the success of the book and congratulating Ms Lindenmayer on many years of devoted research in bringing it to fruition. The launch was well attended by descendants of the late Lieutenant General Savige along with The Hon. Bruce Atkinson MP, President of the Victorian Legislative Council, members of Melbourne Legacy, clergy from the Anglican and Coptic churches, current and former members of Australia’s armed forces and Assyrian community members. The Diocese once again congratulates Ms Lindenmayer on this …

2nd session of Commission for dialogue between Russian Orthodox Church and Assyrian Church of the East takes place   On October 23-26, 2017, 2nd session of the Commission for Dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Assyrian Church of the East took place in the city of Modesto, USA. The delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate consisted of Bishop Kliment of Krasnoslobodsk and Temnikov, co-chair, and hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov) secretary for inter-Christian relations of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations. The Assyrian Church of the East was represented  by His Grace Mar Awa Royel, Bishop of California and secretary of the Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East, co-chair; Chorbishop George Kanon Toma, clergyman of the Assyrian St. Andrew church in Glenview, Illinois, USA; an d priest Ephraim Alkhas, assistant to the Secretary of the Holy Synod. A main aspect of the Commission’s work is the coordination of inter-Christian cooperation in supporting the suffering Christians of Iraq and Syria, many of whom are members of the Assyrian Church of the East. The communiqué issued on the results of the session says:-“The Commission expressed profound concern over the situation of the cruelly persecuted Christians in the Middle …