www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Bishop Kallistos Ware in Detroit

Bishop Timothy Kallistos Ware, renowned author of The Orthodox Church and The Orthodox Way, will be giving three lectures in Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. this week. For details, please call the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Detroit at (248) 823-2400.


Monday, 18 February 2008 -- "Preparing for Great Lent"
6:30 p.m. -- book signing
7 p.m. lecture
St., John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church
Sterling Heights, Michigan
http://www.malista.com/


Tuesday, 18 February 2008 -- "On the Priesthood"
??? (in the morning, for priests only?, followed by lunch with the bishop)


Tuesday, 18 February 2008 -- "The Future of Orthodox in the United States"
7 p.m.
$10 admission
St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Troy, Michigan
http://www.orthodoxdetroit.com/

Are you going to go?

Yes!

Perhaps a word of warning about this :P

Last year [ I think it was ] my GodPapa went to a lecture given by Metropolitan Kallistos in London. This had been reasonably widely advertised and was given in a building that was not connected to the Greek Orthodox Church in London.

The lecture was very interesting I'm sure - if you were a Greek speaker - my GodPapa is not.

It might well be a worthwhile task to check on the language which will be used.

How strange! When he accepted to speak at my parish last year, he didn't use one word of Greek!! His Oxfordian accent is brilliant and is an absolute delight to the ear!

Though, one never knows the make-up of those who have sponsored his visit, so Anhelyna's suggestion to find out is a good one.

Alice

His Eminence just completed three very successful talks in Baltimore (350 attendees) and Washington (200 attendees) this past weekend, and he is on his way to Detroit as I write, having just dropped him off at Reagan Airport this morning. All three talks were recorded and will be available from OLTV in the near future, both audio and video recordings.

I am sure his talks in Detroit will be in English, as will the Symposium on the Ravenna Agreed Statement that he will give with Father Paul McPartlan at The Catholic University of America back in Washington, DC on Wednesday afternoon at 4:00 pm in Caldwell Hall Auditorium.

Jack

Thanks Jack. What an honor for you to have driven him! He is an amazing prelate! We felt so honored to have him give a retreat/lecture at our parish last year (it was our church's 50th birthday)...

Anyway, I have also heard him speak at Fordham University. I would have never thought of him speaking in anything but English, but then I remembered that communities are much more ethnic (in retaining their language, etc.) in London than they are here.

Alice

I have two corrections to make, after calling the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Detroit.

(1) Tonight, it is VESPERS that will start at 7 p.m. It is only following Vespers that there will be the lecture on how to prepare for Lent.

(2) The lecture tomorrow morning on the priesthood is closed to the public; it is only open to the clergy.

Also, someone reminded me that Bishop Kallistos Ware has been promoted, and he is properly Metropolitan Kallistos Ware. My apologies.

-- John

Metropolitan Ware will be at Catholic U in Washington DC on Wednesday, February 20th at 4 PM in Caldwell Hall Auditorium to speak on the Ravenna Statement on Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue.

Alice, not only was I most honored to escort and drive Metropolitan Kallistos around this weekend, he also blessed me by staying at my home over the weekend since his arrival in America on Friday. Indeed, he is a most amazing hierarch -- that all of our respective bishops would be as intelligent and yet humble as he is! His presentations over the weekend were most inspiring for all who heard him, and for my own personal Lenten journey!

For those who cannot attend in person, the Symposium at Catholic University about the Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue on Wednesday will also be video recorded and made available through OLTV in the near future.

Jack

That would be well worth attending.

OK, I have to eat lunch and get going !

-- John

The lectures by Metropolitan Ware were very good. I got back yesterday, and here is a summary of what happened based upon my recollection.

Metropolitan Ware had a voice that was beautiful to listen to: English, educated and spiritual.

The first lecture, on preparing for Lent, encouraged us to use Lent as an opportunity for true metanoia and not merely following rules on eating and drinking. He exhorted us to make use of the tools of repentance --prayer, fasting and almsgiving, in the fullest senses of those words. And he also encouraged people to make use of the sacrament of Confession. The lecture was preceded by Vespers, which made the whole experience quite spiritual. Finally, on a personal note, it was quite gratifying to receive the final blessing individually from Metropolitan Ware at the end of the service and to be able to thank him for writing his books which helped me so much.

The second lecture, on the future of Orthodoxy in North America, was many pointed. He began with the observation that the Church is a Eucharistic community, that the Eucharist can only be celebrated in the local parish, and, therefore, Orthodoxy must emphasize the work and life of the local parish. He then admonished Orthodox for blaming each other for various faults. He later said that, while we pray with "all our hearts" for a unified Orthodox jurisdiction, we may have to live with the current situation --caused by the historical anomaly of immigration-- for "some time in the future." Hence, he encouraged people to meet and work with each other meanwhile; and encouraged people to show respect to each other as fellow Orthodox. He also observed that, while theologians can work out understandings of unity (such as has happened between the Copts and the Orthodox, and such as may occur in the future between the Catholics and the Orthodox), true unity must be still received by the laity and the clergy.

The first lecture, at a Greek Orthodox church, attracted about 300 people. They almost all looked Greek (although I saw a Bulgarian Orthodox priest whom I recognized), and they almost all dressed formally (and in black). The women even wore skirts and skirt suits. The church building was marvelously decorated on the inside: with icons in the Byzantine style covering the walls. It was a symphony of color! The people were friendly and polite; and they nicely asked me what my ethnicity is ("Well, you don't look Greek, but you certainly behave like an Orthodox" . . .); and after my response of "I'm OCA" drew blank looks, I simply said that I am a convert to a Russian parish, and all was then well . . .

The second lecture I attended was in an Antiochian Orthodox church, and it attracted 250-300 people. The church was not as decorated as the Greek church, but the decorations that were there were quite bright (including a beautifully illustrated interior of the dome and a very bright sanctuary/altar space). The population that attended was mixed: Roman Catholics, Chaldean Catholics, an Old Catholic priest, the Romanian Orthodox nuns in Michigan, other Orthodox, and many ethnicities. Clothing styles were also mixed: some were dressed in suits and other formal clothes; others were dressed casually in jeans or jogging suits. I also saw more men (not in clerical garb) with pony tails and beards than at the Greek church.

All went well, but I was surprised that so few people attended. Detroit has thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of Orthodox Christians. Metropolitan Ware's books are immensely popular throughout the English speaking world of Orthodox Christians. Yet, maybe only 600 people attended over two nights when he was available in person. Part of the problem was communication; I only became aware of these lectures last weekend (i.e., the weekend immediately before the lectures!). I wish there were some kind of central clearing house or network for disseminating Orthodox announcements; if one already exists, I would be glad to know about it. And, perhaps, I wish there had been simply more popular support.

But, overall, the lectures went quite well, and they were quite thought provoking and edifying. And I am grateful that I could attend.

-- John

Why does this remind me of the Big Fat Greek Wedding movie...would that have been a blank look as in the one Theia Voula gave to the future husband of her niece?!?!?

"I don't eat meat", he says...(blank and confused look from Theia Voula) "What do you mean you no eat no meat??? (another blank and confused look turning to one of relief) "That is okay, I make lamb"!! ..and, as you said, 'all was well then'...

On a more serious note, I am glad that you enjoyed seeing him as much as I did. Although we had a decent turnout at our parish last year, I also thought our turnout could have been better, given his amazing reputation. I asked a St. Vladimir's seminarian who was selling some books why he and his friend seemed to be the only seminarians there, (St. Vladimir's is about a fifteen minute drive away), and he responded that it was because Metropolitan Kallistos comes to the seminary often. Also, he has spoken at Fordham University in the Bronx, which is also not more than a half hour away, so I guess alot of people had already heard him talk. I don't know that this is the case in Detroit. Though six hundred was not a bad turnout.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us...

Regards,
Alice

John I would say that 600 attending on weeknights is not bad. "Tens of thousands of Orthodox" in Detroit would be a stretch... Tens of thousands of people whose ethnic make up and ancestory includes an Orthodox grandparent/great-grandparent or two, yes.

I wish in every instance of an Eastern/non-Eastern union, the Eastern party won out and the kids were reared in the Eastern Christian tradition. More often then not, this is simply not the case.

For those in the So CA area, Bishop Kallistos will speak on Sacramental Life at St Paul's Greek Orthodox Church, Irvine Feb 29 & Mar 1

Download Registration Flyer here http://stpaulsirvine.org/

Betty