“Spirituality” Chosen as Theme for Orientale Lumen XIII

Saturday, 02 May 2009 09:32

OL XII East Group – The group of participants at the Orientale Lumen XII East Conference held in Washington, DC in June 2008.

Fairfax VA - 2090501 - The thirteenth annual Orientale Lumen Conference will be held in Washington, DC USA this year on June 15-18, 2009.  This ecumenical conference focuses on the Christian East and is open to the public, for both lay persons and clergy.  The speakers and attendees come from four main religious groups: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic and Oriental Orthodox.  Orientale Lumen XIII will be held at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in northeast Washington, DC and will focus on the theme of “Monastic Spirituality for Everyday Life”.  

These conferences provide an opportunity for “grass roots” ecumenical dialogue among the participants, and encourage discussion of the similarities and differences among the Eastern and Western Christian Churches.  The conferences include a variety of prayer services from a wide range of Church traditions.  In this way, the conference provides a learning experience and intellectual discussion, as well as a unique spiritual experience.

Monastic spirituality may be practiced alone, or in groups.  The focus is on returning to God, and making use of certain specific practices: prayer, fasting, silence, vigils, reading, good works.  Monastic spirituality is seeking a meaning to the mystery of life.  The speakers will assist us with their understanding, knowledge and advice on this topic, and how better to integrate it in our daily lives.

The distinguished plenary speakers are from around the world:

Metropolitan Jonah, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America, New York, NY

Bishop Hlib Lonchyna, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Kyiv, Ukraine

Mother Lois Farag, Coptic Orthodox Church, Assistant Professor of Church History, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN

Sister Barbara Jean Mihalchick, OSBM, Byzantine Catholic Church of America, Retreat House Director, Uniontown, PA

Prof. Richard Schneider, Orthodox Church in America, Professor and Director of the Orthodox Eastern Christian Studies Program at Trinity College, University of Toronto, Canada

Mr. Elias Damianakis, Greek Orthodox Church, Iconographer and Lecturer, Tampa Bay, FL

Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia, Greek Orthodox Church, Oxford, England, (by pre-recorded video)

Archimandrite Robert Taft, SJ, Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome, Italy, (by pre-recorded video)

Father John Crossin, OSFS, Executive Director of the Washington Theological Consortium and President of the North American Academy of Ecumenists will be the moderator.

Each speaker will give a plenary session followed by a panel discussion and questions from the audience. All of the papers presented will be published and provided to the attendees in a Proceedings book after the conference. A variety of liturgical services will be conducted during the conference to provide an opportunity for attendees to pray together for Church unity. Opening and closing remarks will also be made by various Church leaders in attendance.

The Orientale Lumen Conferences have been meeting annually since 1997 in Washington, DC and other locations around the world including San Diego, Detroit, Birmingham, UK and Istanbul (Constantinople), Turkey.  Photos and quotations from past speakers can be found on the conference website, and videos of past plenary sessions and liturgical services can be viewed at www.oltvweb.com.

Registration details are available on the website:  www.olconference.com.  

Photos:

 OL XII West Group – The group of participants at the Orientale Lumen XII West Conference held in San Diego, CA in June 2008.

OL XII North Group – The group of participants at the Orientale Lumen XII North Conference held in Detroit, MI in July, 2008.

Contact:
Jack Figel  
Orientale Lumen Conferences
PO Box 192
Fairfax, VA  22038-0192
(703) 691-8862
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For further information:
Society of Saint John Chrysostom:  www.ssjc.org
Eastern Christian Publications:  www.ecpubs.com