XXVIth International Ecumenical Conference on Orthodox Spirituality
DISCERNMENT AND THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
Monastero di Bose, 5-8 September 2018
in collaboration with the Orthodox Churches
The 26th International Ecumenical Conference on Orthodox Spirituality, organized in collaboration with the Orthodox Churches, will be held at the Monastery of Bose on 5–8 September 2018. It will be dedicated to the theme of discernment: in personal life, in Christian and church life, in the times in which we live.
The Gospel asks us to be vigilant (be vigilant and pray, Mt 26,41; Mk 14,38) about one’s thoughts and inclinations. This attention to oneself (cf. Lk17,3) is man’s response to God’s gift of love. Discerning God’s will expressed in Scripture (teach me to do your will, Ps 143,10), the Christian tries to carry it out in faithfulness to the Word. Throughout the centuries, the great Christian teachers and spiritual masters have taught the ways of discerning “thoughts) (loghismoi in Greek, cogitationes in Latin), that distract the mind from seeking God and render it a prisoner of a deceptive image of oneself. Discernment is the personal and liberating operation that permits every person to recognize his unique vocation.
The conference proposes to explore the modes and forms of discernment, an essential process in the formation of the human being and in relations with others, especially in moments of crisis. The tradition of the ancient Church and the spirituality of the Christian East offer a direction to contemporary man’s search of sense. The conference will attempt to show the various ways of spiritual discernment, the profound convergences and numerous facets that characterize it.
discernment is reckoned among the noblest gifts of the Spirit by the Apostle:
“To
one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of
knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to
another the gift of healing by the same Spirit”, and shortly after,
“to
another the discerning of spirits”. You see then that the gift of
discernment is no earthly thing and no slight matter, but the greatest
prize of divine grace.
(St John Cassian)
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Wednesday 5 September
Recognizing the Signs of the Times.Enzo Bianchi, Founder of Bose
Discerning the Unity of the Church.
St Irenaeus and the Early Christian Tradition
✢ Irenei (Steenberg), Bishop of Sacramento
The Art of Discernment: Theology and Practice in Pauline Thought.
Filofej (Artjušin), Theological Academy, Moscow
15.30
Diákrisis and the Theological Principle of oikonomía
Patriciu Vlaicu, University “Babeș-Bolyai”, Cluj-Napoca
Recognising the Other Tradition.
Armenian-Byzantine Dialogue in Armenian Cilicia in the Twelfth Century
Karekin Hambardzumyan, Etchmiadzin
Discerning together the Truth.
Christological Agreement between Chalcedonian Orthodox and Oriental Churches
Vasiliki Stathokosta, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Thursday 6 September
Discernment in Times of Crisis: St Maxim the Confessor✢ Maxim Vasilijević, Bishop of Western America, Los Angeles
The Temporal Dimension of Discernment. Memory and History
John Erickson, Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary Crestwood, NY
Criteria for Community Decisions in St Benedict Rule
Michel Van Parys, Monastère de Chevetogne
15.30
Discerning the Present Time
The Council of Moscow of 1917-1918
Aleksandr Mramornov, Moscow
Metropolitan Stephan of Sofia
and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (1940-1944)
Daniela Kalkandjieva, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridsky”
The Antiochian Church and the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990)
Porphyrios Giorgi, University of Balamand
Friday 7 September
Discernment and the Spiritual Senses in OrigenPaul Gavrilyuk, University of St Thomas, St Paul MN
The Spiritual Senses in the Syriac Tradition
Sebastian Brock, Oxford university
Discernment in St John Cassian
and the Ascetic Tradition of the Fifth Century in Gaul
Alexej Fokin, Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow
15.30
Discernment and the Healthy Formation of the Person
Kyriaki Fitzgerald, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline MA
Elders and “Young Elders” in the Russian Orthodox Church
Irina Paert, Tartu University
The Spiritual Father Today:
Strength and Limits of Discernment
Theodosios Martzouchos, Preveza
Saturday 8 September
The Way of Awarenessand Authenticity in the Church Today
John Chryssavgis, Archdeacon of the Ecumenical Throne
What is a Synodal Process of Discernment?
Hervé Legrand, Paris
Learning Spiritual Discernment
John Behr, St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood NY
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INFORMATION AND CONTACTS
Convegno Ecumenico - Secretariat
Monastero di Bose
I-13887 Magnano (BI)
Tel. +39 015.679.185
Fax +39 015.679.294
I-13887 Magnano (BI)
Tel. +39 015.679.185
Fax +39 015.679.294
e-mail: convegni@monasterodibose.it
HOW TO PARTECIPATE
To register for the Conference, please contact the Secretariat and sendthe registration form by 30 August 2018.REGISTRATION FEE€ 50,00
CONTRIBUTION€ 250,00 participation in the Conference. The contribution covers room and board expenses. Lodgings for the participants from 4 September will be provided at the Monastery and in the nearby area.
Those who don’t require lodging are requested to pay € 20,00 for each meal: please contact the Secretariat upon your arrival.
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FINANCIAL ACCOMODATIONFinancial accomodations are possible for students: contact the Secretariat.
SIMULTANEOUS TRANSLATIONSSimultaneous translation will be provided in Italian, Greek, Russian, English and French.