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The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) will convene for its regular Spring Session from Tuesday, May 18 to Friday, May 21, 2021 at Holy Dormition Monastery in Rives Junction, MI. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, this will be the first time the hierarchs will meet in-person since November 2019.
The Holy Synod will discuss a variety of topics concerning the life of the Church. Among the items on the agenda, the hierarchs will hear several reports including the ones from Archpriest Alexander Rentel, Chancellor, Priest Alessandro Margheritino, Acting Secretary, Mr. Andrew Smith, Treasurer, Archpriest Thomas Soroka, Product Manager for the Departments of the OCA, and Deacon Peter Ilchuk, Council Manager. The Holy Synod of Bishops will also consider the confirmation of the Metropolitan’s selection of Priest Alessandro Margheritino for the position of Secretary of the Orthodox Church in America who was recently endorsed by the Metropolitan Council. Furthermore, the hierarchs will discuss the recently updated guidelines on COVID-19 issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to Article II of the Statute of the Orthodox Church in America “The Holy Synod is the supreme canonical authority in the Church. The full Holy Synod consists of all the Diocesan Bishops of the Church under the ex officio presidency of the Primate. The Metropolitan shall preside at all regular and special sessions of the Holy Synod (Section 1). The Metropolitan shall convene regular sessions of the Holy Synod twice annually, in the autumn and in the spring (Section 2).”
