Fairfax VA: The Orientale Lumen Conferences will be held in three different cities in the USA this coming year in Washington, DC, San Diego, CA and Detroit, MI. These ecumenical conferences focus on topics of the Christian East and are open to the public, for both lay persons and clergy. The well known presenters come from four main religious groups: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic and Oriental Orthodox. These conferences encourage ecumenical dialogue on a specific theme through presentations and discussions. The conferences include a variety of prayer services, music and liturgy from a wide range of Church traditions. In this way, the conferences provide a learning experience and intellectual discussion, as well as a unique spiritual experience.
The theme for all three locations in 2008 will be “Feast Days of the Eastern Churches.” These special days during the calendar year were established by the Church to commemorate the events of the life of Jesus Christ, Mary the Mother of God, and other saints. On these special days, appropriate prayers, hymns and readings celebrate the occasion. They are times of reflection and joy for the entire Church and its followers. There are twelve major feast days in the Eastern Church’s calendar year. In these conferences, the Church Feast Days will be explored in their theology, spirituality, liturgy and iconography. The distinguished speakers and guests will be coming from around the world and will represent several different Eastern Churches:
OL East Conference
Orientale Lumen XII East will be held in Washington, DC, June 16 – 19, 2008, at the Pope John Paul II CulturalCenter in northeast Washington, DC next to the campus of The Catholic University of America. The speakers will be:
- Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia, Greek Orthodox Church, Oxford, England (by pre-recorded video)
- Archimandrite Robert Taft, SJ, Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome, Italy
- Sr. Vassa Larin, Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, Munich, Germany
- Dr. Richard Schneider, Orthodox Church of America, Toronto, Canada
- Father Daniel Findikyan, Armenian Apostolic Church, New York, NY, USA
- Bishop John Michael Botean (Moderator), Romanian Greek Catholic Church, Canton, OH, USA
OL West Conference
Orientale Lumen XII West will be held in San Diego, CA June 23 – 26, 2008, at the beautiful University of San Diego Campus overlooking Mission Bay. The speakers will be:
- Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia, Greek Orthodox Church, Oxford, England
- (by pre-recorded video)
- Archimandrite Robert Taft, SJ, Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome, Italy
- Sr. Vassa Larin, Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, Munich, Germany
- Dr. Richard Schneider, Orthodox Church of America, Toronto, Canada
- Father Maximos, Holy Resurrection Monastery Newberry Springs, CA, USA
- Bishop Nicholas Samra (Moderator), Melkite Greek-Catholic Church, Detroit, MI, USA
OL North Conference
Orientale Lumen XII North will be held in Detroit, MI, July 7 – 10, 2008, at the Retreat Center at St. John's, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Detroit. It provides a setting where people of faith can be inspired and refreshed. The speakers will be:
- Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia, Greek Orthodox Church, Oxford, England
- (by pre-recorded video)
- Archimandrite Robert Taft, SJ, Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome, Italy
- Sr. Vassa Larin, Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, Munich, Germany
- Dr. Richard Schneider, Orthodox Church of America, Toronto, Canada
- Father Thomas Loya, Byzantine Catholic Church, Chicago, IL, USA
- Bishop Nicholas Samra (Moderator), Melkite Greek-Catholic Church, Detroit, MI, USA
About the Conferences
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, including a visit to a local parish. Opening and closing remarks will also be made by various Church leaders in attendance.
Church leaders, lay persons, monastics, clergy and students are all welcome and invited to participate. These conferences have been appreciated and discussed all across the world, and have been mentioned in meetings among the religious leaders in the Vatican, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Greek Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch, and many others.
The Pope's visit to Istanbul in November, 2006, as well as the official dialogue of Catholic and Orthodox ChurchesOrthodoxChurches. The Orientale Lumen conferences function in an unofficial capacity parallel to those official discussions. They are unique because of the extensive participation of lay persons, and because of the involvement of Eastern Catholics -- a small minority within the Catholic Church, and who are rarely represented at other dialogue meetings. that was held in September, 2007, demonstrate the improved relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The Orientale Lumen conferences function in an unofficial capacity parallel to those official discussions. They are unique because of the extensive participation of lay persons, and because of the involvement of Eastern Catholics -- a small minority within the Catholic Church, and who are rarely represented at other dialogue meetings.
The Orientale Lumen Conferences have been meeting annually since 1997 in Washington, DC and other locations around the world. Primarily sponsored by the Society of Saint John Chrysostom and Eastern Christian Publications, other co-sponsors have included the Halki School of Orthodox Theology in Constantinople, the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and the University of San Diego, in San Diego, CA.
Registration details are available on the website: www.olconference.com. Video recordings of plenary sessions and prayer services of past OL conferences can be seen at www.oltvweb.com and purchased in CD or DVD format.
Contact:
Jack Figel
Orientale Lumen Conferences
PO Box 192
Fairfax, VA 22038-0192
Phone: (703) 691-8862
E-Mail:
For further information:
- Society of Saint John Chrysostom: www.ssjc.org
- Eastern Christian Publications: www.ecpubs.com
- The Catholic University of America (Washington, DC): www.cua.edu
- The University of San Diego (San Diego): www.sandiego.edu
- The Retreat at St. John’s (Detroit): www.theRetreatCenter.org