Diocese of Eastern PA inaugurates clergy continuing education program
With the blessing of His Eminence, Archbishop Tikhon, the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania will inaugurate a program of clergy continuing education in September 2012.
Organized in response to the need for clergy continuing education as highlighted in the Strategic Plan of the Orthodox Church in America, the program will be open to clergy of all jurisdictions.
Each workshop will consist of a focused, three-hour presentation on a topic of particular relevance to Orthodox clergy and their pastoral ministries in their parishes and local communities. Experts in each field will offer concise presentations, followed by opportunities for questions and discussion.
On Thursday, September 20, Stephanos Bibas, J.D., Professor of Law and Criminology, Director of Supreme Court Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and author of The Machinery of Criminal Justice (Oxford University Press, 2012), will speak on “The Legal Dimensions of Priestly Ministry: Parochial and Pastoral.” The workshop will be held at Saint Nicholas Church, 980 Bridle Path Rd., Bethlehem, PA.
The second workshop will be held at Holy Trinity Church, 1501 Trinity Court, Stroudsburg, PA on Thursday, October 18. Archpriest Alexander Rentel, M.Div., SEOD, Assistant Professor of Canon Law and Byzantine Studies and the John and Paraskeva Skvir Lecturer in Practical Theology at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, Crestwood, NY, will speak on “Canonical Issues in Marriage: Maximums and Minimums.”
The final workshop in the series, during which Mr. Robert Ferdinand, Former Hazleton Chief of Police, will speak on “Challenges Facing Our Communities,” will be held at Holy Annunciation Church, 1228 Second Ave., Berwick, PA, on Thursday, November 29.
All workshops will begin at 10:00 a.m. and conclude at 1:00 p.m. A light luncheon will be served after each session.
Additional workshops are being scheduled for 2013.