St. Tikhon’s Seminary Fall Lecture Series to further examine AAC theme
The annual October Fall Lecture Series at Saint Tikhon’s Seminary here will focus on “How to Expand the Mission” as a continuation of discussions initiated at the 18th All-American Council of the Orthodox Church in America.
The series is open to the public and features four lectures on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. throughout the month of October 2015. A flyer with the series schedule, topics and speakers may be downloaded.
“The enthusiasm expressed at the All-American Council for expanding the Church’s ministry and witness on this continent was an inspiring thing for our seminarians to see,” said Archpriest Dr. Steven Voytovich, STOTS Dean. “We hope this year’s lecture series will continue to inspire prayerful reflection on what it means to actually be ‘for the life of the world and its salvation’ in this day and age.”
Weekly topics and speakers include the following.
- October 6—Dr. Constantine Kallaur will discuss times in recent history during which the Orthodox Church in North America exemplified its missionary calling while offering suggestions for the future. Dr. Kallaur, a member of Holy Trinity Church, East Meadow, NY, is Professor Emeritus of Russian Language at Nassau Community College, Garden City, NY; serves as a member of the OCA Department of External Affairs; and was a member of the delegation that received the OCA’s Tomos of Autocephaly in 1970.
- October 13—Archpriest Timothy Hojnicki will share his experience as the pastor of a growing mission parish and reflect on lessons learned in reaching out to the larger community. Father Timothy is a 2005 STOTS graduate and Rector of Holy Apostles Mission, Mechanicsburg, PA.
- October 20—Abbot Tryphon of the All-Merciful Savior Monastery [ROCOR], Vashon Island, WA, will provide a spiritual perspective on expanding the mission and discuss ways to engage modern-day culture while remaining faithful to the Gospel. Abbot Tryphon is well known as the author of the “Morning Offering” blog, podcast, and book from Ancient Faith Publishing. He is slated to deliver presentations in several parishes of the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania during the month of October. A flyer with his itinerary is available.
- October 27—Archpriest Daniel Kovalak will reflect on the ideas raised by the previous speakers and present insights into the next steps in expanding the mission of the Orthodox Church in the North American context. Father Daniel is a 1974 STOTS graduate, Adjunct Lecturer in Evangelism and Mission at the seminary, and Rector of the Elevation of the Holy Cross Church, Williamsport, PA.
The general public, as well as members and groups from area parishes, are encouraged to attend. Admission for the entire lecture series is $10.00 per person or $100.00 for a group of 10 or more. Complimentary refreshments will be provided. RSVP by October 5 to Teresa Vaux-Michel, Administrative Assistant to the Dean, at 570-561-1818 ext. 101 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).