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:What transpired is a matter of historical facts and chance. Some of the hierarchs considered that the forthcoming Millennium Celebration of the Evangelization of Rus should take precedence over this local meeting, and thus, an invitation from the Orthodox Church in America was postponed. On another occasion, the Holy Synod resurrected the same idea but a particular hierarch, not a member of the Orthodox Church in America, requested that an agenda was first necessary and so, the meeting was postponed for lace (''sic'') of a more defined purpose beyond the hierarchs getting to know one another and have general discussion about common problems and needs.
:Thus it came to be that, to its credit, the invitation came from the SCOBA which, through its efforts organized and brought about this meeting in Ligonier. Only hierarchs who had representation in SCOBA were invited, and thus the informal gathering envisioned by the Orthodox Church in America came to be a more formal meeting of those hierarchs who were in mutual "canonical" communion with each other. Thus, some of the hierarchs now represented in SCOBA were not then present for the meeting.[http://www.ocl.org/The%20Vision.htm]
Prior to the actual meeting in 1994, various meetings had taken place in Chambésy, Switzerland, regarding the situation of the Orthodox "[[diaspora]]" throughout the world, but particularly in North America. These meetings were part of a pre-conciliar commission preparing for a planned [[synod]] of all the Orthodox Christian hierarchs in the world. As the Ligonier meeting was planned, according to Fr. [[Nicholas Apostola]] (who helped plan the meeting, served as secretary at the meeting, and drafted the original versions of its statements), there was a deliberate decision to base much of the language and conduct of the Ligonier Meeting on the language that had been coming out of Chambésy.
:Ligonier nailed open the doors of indifference and urged us to go through the wide gates of cooperation, mutual support and service to our fellow citizens, sharing the faith with others and spiritually expanding our own lives in evangelical ministry to all God’s people.
:Let us now hear about the fruits which bear witness to the blessings generated by Ligonier in the Church, and let us be open to be inspired to expand our witness to the unity of the faith and our fellowship in the Holy Spirit.[http://www.ocl.org/The%20Vision.htm]
==Documents==
==Bishops' comments==
In the November 2004 issue of ''Word Magazine''[http://www.antiochian.org/assets/asset_manager/3f8eed08ad9e6b6630a2aa285db2936d.pdf] (the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America|Antiochian Archdiocese]]'s official publication), the comments of [[SCOBA]] bishops (some of whom were present and others not) on the 10th anniversary of the Ligonier meeting were published, including the following:
Expanding on his remarks published in the November 2004 ''Word Magazine'', Bishop [[Nikolai (Soraich) of Sitka and Anchorage]] ([[OCA]]) had this to say in an open letter in the Winter 2005 issue of his diocesan publication, ''The North Star'' (pp. 3-4):
:It says in the [[Akathist ]] that St. [[Herman of Alaska|Herman]] envisioned ''"an Episcopal throne in this land." (Ikos 11)'' <nowiki>[</nowiki>[http://dioceseofalaska.org/pdf/liturgical/StHermanAkathist-FullPage.pdf PDF of the Akathist]<nowiki>]</nowiki> It doesn't say anything about multiple thrones, but one—an autocephalous Church in this land—one that came to be in 1970 [i.e., the [[OCA]]]. I look back on those seminary years and years later when there was much hope for a united church in America. There were pan-Orthodox celebrations; Sunday of Orthodoxy gatherings were major events and the spirit of the faithful and clergy was elevated in this gathering of the Church. Now we look back just ten years later and find the gathering of bishops at Ligonier is hailed as the greatest event of American Orthodoxy! I wonder how the canonization of America's first saint is relegated to some lesser place in the life of Orthodoxy in America. Even Ligonier was hopeful to those of us who were serving the churches in multiple jurisdictions. Soon we were disappointed when hierarchs removed their names from the documents that were prepared; one on evangelism and the other on administrative unity.
:Are we willing to truly pray the Akathist and submit ourselves to the vision of America's most wondrous saint in realizing one Church? We don't need another Ligonier, we need a gathering in Kodiak at the relics of America's first Saint, a prayerful walk on Spruce Island and a willingness to accept the call of Jesus Christ for the sake of Orthodoxy—not disunited, but united![http://dioceseofalaska.org/pdf/Northstar_winter05.pdf]
A [http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles5/EardwineUnity.shtml reply to his letter] was published in February 2005 on the [http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/ Orthodoxy Today] website.