www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall ByzFest 2008: A Modest Proposal

WOOOOW!

Hmmm...these are all great ideas. I was envisioning something a little simpler for a first event, more in keeping with the "common life" and spirit of the forum here. (ALthough I might be able to even talk my wife into coming on a cruise!)

I also want to avoid recreating an Orientale Lumen Conference!

My thought is of an event where maybe we invite some of the posters here to speak or give a presentation on something that is a favorite research topic that is near and dear to their heart. We could have 4 categories:

Church History
Scripture
Spirituality
Liturgy

We could even add a fifth topic: Outreach/Apostolate where someone could share what they or their parish is doing to spread the Gospel. Or it could be a fun brainstorming session on ways to help our churches be more apostolic - to get the word out on being Byzantine (Catholic or Orthodox).

The thought is not to go for the A-list per se, but for people who have a certain love for something, to get together in a friendly, semi-retreat oriented way, for fellowship and fun. I was thinking we could get together for an enjoyable meal on Friday night with some opening remarks (get an A-lister if you like for that one!) Then on Saturday, we have four presentations (60-90 minutes) with lunch and then conclude with Vespers and an enjoyable game of miniature golf or something!

If people enjoyed the time, we could make it an annual event and move it to different areas each year. Again, to my mind simplicity is the key! But I thought it would be a neat idea to get some face time with this wonderful group.

We could approach a local Church to host us for the event as well.

Just a few thoughts...

Gordo

Whether we go big or small, I think it's a great idea. A church that would be willing to host and allow Liturgy in a variety of languages would be great. Fairly inexpensive motel/hotels would be great and a place to get together and maybe polka! "In Heaven there is no beer...."

Pittsburgh would not be bad, since it draws from the Eparchies of Pittsburgh and Parma, or Cleveland. Or farther East--Virginia/DC area. Maybe New Jersey/Philadelphia?

I'm up for anything, but getting together would be wonderful.

Tim

If this gets "serious" I can make a website for it, mailing list, etc.

It would be great to get together! I vote Pittsburgh...Eastern christian central! Plenty of churches to have services. Probably many holubki and pirohi restaurants nearby.

Pittsburgh is not as bad as it used to be (I recall the days when Pittsburgh was the pothole capital of the world), but still there is much better out there - and inevitably Pittsburgh would be perceived as confrontational or worse. I'm willing to do the investigating of various cruise options (and I'm willing to listen to alternate proposals) - I used to run tours to the USSR, but since the USSR no longer exists, that option is not available!

A web site for this event (or series of events) is an excellent idea - we must consider this further.

Fr. Serge

And to add a lighter note to those serious and good ideas by Gordo, we could also have discussions on:

Pieroghi, and
Halupki



-- John, who will come hungry !

(So let's not host this during one of the fasts, ok? Please?)

If any of you are interested using the occasion of a meeting to advocate for the unborn, the March for Life is scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 (the day following the Martin Luther King holiday).

Nearby is the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land and the area has a variety of Eastern Christian churches.... Though weather can be a factor at this time of year....and the March can get rugged.....for those of you inclined to do a pre-lenten sacrifice....it is worth considering. Peace to you all! A student

Hold such a bash during a fasting period? OUT OF THE QUESTION! There are times to fast and times to feast - and this gathering should definitely be a feast.

On the other hand, those who share my own enthusiasm for lobster might ... you get the idea!

Alas, alack - I can't be in Washington that day, because Bishop Hlib will still be here in Dublin (those who wish to join the festivities are welcome, but I don't honestly recommend the Irish climate in January - snow is unlikely but it's damp and relatively cold, in Irish terms.

Fr. Serge

Father Serge,

Unless it is the Slim Fast!

Gordo

My family and I are planning to come. Looking forward to it! My wife and I have not been in almost 15 years...The last time I was there, I performed with my band on the stage, and met the most wonderful Greek Orthodox bishop backstage. It was one of those inspiring moments that continued to propel me Eastward!

Gordo

Love it! It will certainly make the fest a feast!

Just to add to my suggested ideas, I was thinking that we could include after each topic a 20-30 minute discussion time, unless thing get heated and Father Anthony has to shut us down!

It will be just like here!

I was also thinking that we could have name tags with our poster/user names underneath. How much fun would that be!

God bless!

Gordo

Gordo,

It would be great to meet you at the March for Life.... Bishop Andrew will do Compline on Monday night January 21. The schedule of activities is here

http://www.usccb.org/prolife/anniversary/2008vigil.shtml

I look forward to seeing you and anyone else from the forum there!!! Peace and joy to you ALL! A student

Can I please speak for those of us Cash Strapped parents with lots of kids?

We would love to have a get together, but the problem is that we don't have a lot of money.

So when putting these things together, make sure that those of us po folk have a chance to attend.

John Gibson

Alas. There is no known means of assembling people from the four winds to spend a reasonable number of days enjoying each others' company in at least relative comfort without it costing a significant amount of money. Unless, that is, someone knows of a charity or a benefactor prepared to underwrite the costs involved.

People pay money for various kinds of vacations, and Americans in particular are noted for a sort of Calvinist compulsion to have vacations in the guise of work as if to justify taking a vacation in the first place (I should talk; physicians for years have been telling me that I must learn to take vacations, without much results - I usually end up going somewhere in the hope of learning something interesting).

More to follow - the orange juice is calling me.

Fr. Serge

As far as the topics go, I do like the "Pierogie and Halupki" one. Although maybe we could break it down to a discussion on whether it is rightfully "pirohi" or "pierogie." And the one I think would be well attended is "Lekvar--a slice of heaven or a slice of heresy?" Opinions on this food run rather strong, just like many things on this forum!

Tim