Department of Theological and Pastoral Education

Transcription

1 Department of Theological and Pastoral Education Report to The Archdiocese Convention, Boston, MA July 20 26, 2015 by Father Joseph Allen, ThD Director Report Summary: This department will report on the various functions for which it is responsible. The Antiochian House of Studies (AHOS), a school without walls, holds Four Faculties: the Doctor of Ministry Program, the Master of Arts Degree Program in Applied Orthodox Theology, the St. Stephen s Diploma Course of Studies in Orthodox Theology and the House of Studies Residency Program. The year 2015 marks the 35 th Anniversary of the AHOS in which, beginning with a mere 13 students, its contribution to a necessary, but unique, pedagogy is now well known. The D. Min. Program is held in affiliation with the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and most of those classes are held at the Antiochian Heritage and Learning Center. The Master of Arts Degree is held as a Theological program of the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology at the Balamand University in Lebanon. The Residency Program, held at the Antiochian Heritage and Learning Center, includes learning opportunities for all four of these programs. Currently, under the direction of The Rev. Dr. Michel Najim, we are investigating the possibility of a PhD program as part of our affiliation with the Balamand University. We have recently received a letter from the Holy Synod of the Coptic Church in Egypt, asking us to provide a program for their students (which now includes 15 20, as of this writing). Our program, an Eastern Christian Studies Program, includes all Orthodox Jurisdictions and Patriarchates, as well as non- Orthodox from many parts of the world. As of January 2015, the total number of students spread across these four faculties is 207; 168 St. Stephen s, 27 MA and 12 Doctoral Students. Full Report I. Beginning this coming Fall we will be welcoming new Coptic Orthodox students from Egypt. We have received a formal letter from the Coptic Orthodox Synod in Cairo, requesting that we help in the education of their Church Leadership. This means that we will now be or have been educating students from various communions who are interested in studying Orthodox theology, i.e. from the various jurisdictions and Patriarchates, as well as some Roman Catholic and Protestant Communions. The House of Studies has evolved as an Eastern Christian Studies Facility. 1

2 II. To meet these various needs, we now have 5 tracts (specializations): A. Youth Ministry B. Iconology C. Musicology D. Coptic Studies E. Pastoral Counseling While they all study within the St. Stephen s Curriculum, their special tracts are taken within the required courses. Furthermore, each can lead to the Master of Arts Degree in Applied Orthodox Theology, should he or she undertake he Masters Thesis (a fourth year) in that specialization. III. This year, in coordination with our 35 th Anniversary Celebration, September 4-6, the Masters Degrees will be presented at the Heritage and Learning Center by our Metropolitan JOSEPH, and the Dean of the Institute of St. John of Damascus at the Balamand, Fr. Porphyrios Georgi, who will be one of our featured speakers during that celebration. A. However, it is appropriate at this time to merely read their names and titles of their Masters Theses: Lazarus Der Ghazarian The Neo-Chalcedonian Christology of the Fifth Ecumenical Council and Its Importance For the Church Today Deacon Samer Hanna The Sacraments: God s Method for Our Salvation Elaine Kakis Inclusion of People With Disabilities In Worship In the Orthodox Church Ioanna Kelesidis Death: A Study of Orthodox Belief and Practice, Their Interrelationship and the Impact of American Culture On Their Unity William Christopher Mathews, MD The Public Health Principle of Harm Reduction in Dialogue With Christian Bioethics: Injection Drug Abuse and Needle Syringe Programs Deacon Glenn McIntyre The Impact of Technology On Personal Faith 2

3 Father Maximos NNachette Mixed Marriages Between Orthodox and Roman Catholic Philip J. Pelikan War and Killing In War: An Orthodox Perspective James L. Scarpaci The Divine Liturgy, Eucharistic Experience and The Passions of The Soul Christopher Thomas Speckhard Becoming The Best of Ourselves Presenting Orthodox Theology to Youth Through the Lives of Modern Saints. B. The title of the 35 th year celebration is St. Raphael and Orthodox Theological education in Modernity. It will feature (4) speakers, panel discussions and presentations. Also, the Alumni Association will hold their meeting during that time. IV. The Clergy Symposium. The Nineteenth Clergy Symposium was held last year, July 14-18, 2014 at the Antiochian Village. Its theme was For the sick and the suffering... MEDICINE, THEOLOGY and HEALING. A. Each morning there was a formal lecture, and each afternoon there were clergy workshops, which varied according to the ministry of our clergy. Each attendee chose three workshops (one for each afternoon) as electives for the Symposium. B. Daily Orthros, Divine Liturgies, Vespers and Small Complines were celebrated, followed each night by an Evening Meditation. C. Preparation for the Clergy Symposium begins a full year in advance, at the Archdiocese Convention, i.e. at the Departmental Meeting on Wednesday, July 22, 2015, here in Boston. V. Finally, the Department of Theological and Pastoral Education, under the oversight of His Grace, Bishop THOMAS, continues to attempt a very close communication with the Ordination Review Board, chaired by His Grace, Bishop NICHOLAS. We do remind all students that an MDiv from an accredited Orthodox Seminary is normative for ordination to any major Order in this Archdiocese. Others who have earned a MDiv from a non-orthodox School must finish all three years of the House of Studies St. Stephen s Diploma Program in order to apply to the Ordination Review Board. 3

4 We want to especially thank the following: Archdeacon Peter Boulukos, Genevieve Mandalakis and Cheri Mullins, Registrars for the St. Stephen s Diploma Program and the Masters Degree Program; Todd Mokhiber, Katie Strevig and Amy Stiffler, Registrars for the House of Studies Residency Program; John Scanlan, General Manager of The Heritage and Learning Center; Father George Kevorkian, Administrative Assistant; Father David Hester Research Director for the MA Thesis Program; The Symposium Planning Committee; our Hierarchical Overseer, Bishop THOMAS and, of course, Metropolitan JOSEPH for his continued encouragement in this area of Theological and Pastoral Education. 4

5 Theological & Pastoral Education Wednesday, July 22, 2015 AGENDA I. Antiochian House of Studies A. St. Stephen s Diploma Program B. Master of Arts in Applied Orthodox Theology C. AHOS Residency Program D. Doctor of Ministry Program E. Relations with University of Balamand And Pittsburgh Theological Seminary F. The potential PhD Program II. Our relations with the Ordination Review Board III. Clergy Symposium, 2016 IV. Other 5