2021 Clergy Convocation

Dear Very Reverend and Reverend Fathers, Christ is in our midst!

This year’s Virtual Clergy Convocation will take place on Wednesday, May 12. It is hoped that as many clergy as possible—priests and deacons; active and retired; assigned and attached—will come and participate. Assigned Clergy are expected to attend. In the event that you are not able to attend, you must contact His Emi- nence, Archbishop Paul, for a blessing to be absent. The retreat will not be open to anyone other than Midwest Clergy.

Our retreat speaker will be Father Silviu Bunta, Ph.D., who serves under Archbishop Alexander in the Bulgarian Diocese. Father Silviu is Associate Profes- sor at University of Dayton and Visiting Associate Professor of Old Testament at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary.

The schedule will be as follows (all times Central):

• 9:30 – 11:15 Session I: Of what Tradition do we speak? A brief look at a new, evangelical Orthodoxy
  Several saints of the last few decades have decried a new “spirit” in the Or- thodox ethos. This presentation wants to trace and track this spirit, and hold it in comparison (and contrast) to the “mind of Christ” by which the Fathers of the Church defined Tradition.
• 11:15 – 12:15 Lunch
• 12:15-1:45 Session II: Ethics or immorality? A false dilemma
  One of the attitudes of the new Orthodoxy addressed in the first presenta- tion is the sense that what our Tradition sets counter to immorality is ethics. Yet, is this what the Scriptures and the Philokalia speak of when they refer to “the good”?
• 1:45 – 2:15 Break
• 2:15 – 3:45 Council of Presbyters

There is no fee for the Convocation, this year, but we ask that all who wish to attend register via the Diocese of the Midwest Reporting website. This will have to be done by the Rector or other registered user for each parish, so please coor- dinate with him or her. Please take care of this as soon as possible. Philip Sokolov will send the Zoom link for the meeting by email shortly beforehand.

Wishing you a blessed remainder of the Fast, I remain, Yours in Christ,