www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization ByzanTEEN Great Topics for this Years ECF classes

As many of you know the new ECF year has started and at my parish our ByzanTEEN studies have begun as well.At the end of last year our Priest let the teens decide what we wanted to talk about this year. We all decided that we wanted to learn about how our church became what it is and how all the protestant churches started. As a result every week a teen has to do a report on an Important person that altered the church or an Era in history that altered it. SO far some of us are researching St John Crysostom(i can't spell), the Iconoclast period, the Counter Reformation and Renaissance, and Queen Elizabeth I and the Church of England. Does anyone have any other ideas of thing we can learn about? Any topics would be greatly appreciated!

-Katie g

Glory to Jesus Christ!

How about our great Cyril and Methodius?

Since the group evidently has a curiosity about the Protestant west, I would suggest studying the life and times of Jan Hus. It should prove most interesting! Especially because of some east-west related concerns.

But to do any study justice, it requires a great deal of effort. If one sticks to just one or two books and encyclopedia glosses there is a danger of just picking up a writers own notion or hidden agenda and not realizing that the way that the story is told may be persuasively slanted.

One interesting Eastern study might be about Gregory Palamas and Barlaam, the Hesychast controversy that had repercussions for centuries!

In studying the English reformation I would study about Sir Thomas More as well as Henry VIII.

In studying the Lutheran movement it would be good to learn about Erasmus and Melancthon as well as Luther. But that is an awful great deal of reading!

And then, of course, you would want to learn of how the movements evolved after the passing of their originators.

Good luck in your quest!

Michael

Don't forget about St Photius and Pope John VIII, and that other Pope. St Photius is important to the Moravian Mission, but is very interesting to study by himself.

There is also St Josaphat of Polotsk and St Anthanasius of Brest. These figure very prominently in our history.

St Theodore of Tarsus is good to study as an exemplar of good East/West relations.

The Council of Florence was pretty important.

As for the Reformation/Countereformation, a key figure is Ignatius of Loyola. Sts Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross are two towering figures of Western Mysticism. I also like Maria de Jesus de Agreda.

Dear Katie, since the Holy Father's visits to Ukraine and Slovakia are of recent memory, I would also suggest some of the New Martyrs under the Soviets such as Bishops Romzha, Hopko, Charnetsky, Gojdich, Velychkovsky, Exarch Leonid, etc.

How about looking at how we can reconcile the fact that Bishops Gojdich, Romzha, and Hopko were martyred for their refusal to become Orthodox, with the fact that we are now supposed to align ourselves with the Orthodox as much as possible. I'm not sure the adults in our Church have come to terms with this yet!

I'm not sure either.
The phrase "as much as possible" is important to reflect on, in this context. Sometimes it gets neglected altogether.

Christ is in our midst!

I was privileged to have a conversation with Metropolitan Nicholas of Amissos, the hierarch of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Diocese of the USA on the subject of the glorification of Bl. Theodore Romzha.

He said to me that, despite the fact that the Soviet authorities were trying to meld the Greek Catholic Church forcibly into the Russian Orthodox Church, the long-range truth was that the Soviets martyred BOTH churches because of their loathing for all things Christian. At some point, both Byzantine Catholics and Carpatho-Russian Orthodox will understand that our biggest adversaries are not each other, but the power of evil.

It doesn't wash away the facts about the Russian Orthodox Church's complicity in the martyrdom of the Greek Catholic Church. Reconciliation doesn't mean ignoring historical fact...but it does mean that we are not permitted to dwell in recrimination about what happened. Christ's own example teaches us that forgiveness is what is necessary for the new life that He promises us. If He could do that on the cross, then we are called to do so in our ecclesiastical life, too. It's a good place to begin praying, in this Year of His Grace, 2004.

(Prof.) J. Michael Thompson
Byzantine Catholic Seminary
Pittsburgh, PA

I read a book on the Beatitudes which pointed out that if a person wanted to know Our Lord's personality, that they should study the Beatitudes. That would make an intesting report.

The history of the Eastern Catholic Churches in the Americas is most interesting -- our bishops, metropolitans, even the Orthodox saints of North America. It's also a marvelous geography lesson.
Just a thought.

Perhaps that is why it is highly recommended to use the Beatitudes as a preparation for HOly Confession. When we fail to observe the Beatitudes we miss the mark (amartia).

How about the history of the church in America?

LOTS to chew on there - and perhaps a bit closer to home.


Sharon

i know that around april we are talking about our churches move to america and the changes that took place.i think we will get some heated discussions out of that. right now-well next week- we are discussing queen elizabeth I and her family's role in the reformation. i get to help teach the class because i am really in to that period in histroy i hope all goes well.
-katie g