Highlights
Faith Encouraged Live, September 27, 2015
Dr. Kyriaki Fitzgerald from Holy Cross Seminary joined Fr. Barnabas Powell to explore the meaning of Theosis in the Orthodox Church. Click to listen to “Theosis—Becoming by Grace What Christ is by Nature”
First International Orthodox Women's Conference (for men and women) to be held from September 11-13, 2015 in London
Under the auspices and blessings of His Holiness Coptic Patriarch Tawadros II, the Orthodox Women’s Ministry (OWM) is excited to launch its first international Orthodox conference. The conference’s main objective is to establish an understanding of the role of women from a historical, theological and practical perspective in our modern world, and the general calling to holiness of men and women in the Body of Christ.
There is a great desire to meet the needs of the people of the Church and this desire is found in the role of women today across the globe, particularly in the West. A few questions, yet not exhaustive, must be asked to address such concerns:
What is the role of women outside of the diaconate and Sunday School services?
What is the purpose of their presence in the Eucharistic and other liturgical services?
How do women identify their membership as a living and equal member of the Body of Christ, among cultural aversions and feelings of subservience among the opposite sex and members of the hierarchy?
There is an essential need across the globe to revive the rich Orthodox tradition in accordance with our modern world today without compromising or altering the faith. For Orthodoxy is dynamic and living; it is not a static entity and a mere point of reference to the past.
Click HERE to register and click HERE for more information about Orthodox Women's Ministry.
Deaconesses, Ordination of Women and Orthodox Theology International Conventional and Electronic Theological Seminar and Conference January 22-24, 2015
SCV’s Co-founder and Executive Director, Dr. Kyriaki FitzGerald presented at the Deaconesses, Ordination of Women and Orthodox Theology International Conventional and Electronic Theological Seminar and Conference in Thessaloniki, Greece on January 22-24, 2015. More information about this conference can be found by clicking here.
This conference recommended restoration of the ordained deaconesses. With the Orthodox Church for more than a generation taking a concrete position on this issue as expressed by the famous 1988 Rhodes, Greece Conference document which affirms that “the apostolic order of deaconess should be revived,” many have come to the forefront of this important issue. Many sections of Dr. Kyriaki FitzGerald’s paper which was delivered in Thessaloniki reflects what was previously included in Saint Catherine’s Vision June Conference, Divine Compassion and Women of the Church: Theological Perspectives. Click here to view the full video presentation by Dr. Kyriaki FitzGerald.
In addition to presenting on this important topic, Dr. Kyriaki FitzGerald honored longtime mentor Emeritus Professor Evangelos Theodorou(pictured below with Rev. Dr. Tom and Presb. Dr. Kyriaki FitzGerald), now 94 years old, with a Laudatum. It was he who 60 years ago opened the discussion within the Orthodox theological circles regarding the Ordination of Women with his dissertation on deaconesses. Click here for the full Laudatum about Professor Theodorou by Dr. Kyriaki FitzGerald.
Girl Scout Gold Award Project by Merai Estafanous
Merai Estafanous created this video as a part of her Girl Scout Gold Award Project. Her project focused on women in Christianity and included embroidering headscarves for the women in her parish to wear during services as well as an informational pamphlet and YouTube video. She chose to direct her project on studying and celebrating the roles of women before God and in the Church. This video in particular focused on these roles as well as the history of women in the Church.
Divine Compassion and Women of the Church Conference Highlighted Saints