GERMAN DIOCESE: January 3, 2012
The Cathedral of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia Hosts the Open Orthodox Seminar

The clergy and laity of the German Diocese and their guests gathered in late December, 2012, in the Bavarian capital of Munich for the Open Orthodox Seminar. This event included lectures on dogmatic theology, liturgics, Church history as well as contemporary youth ministry.

On Wednesday, December 26, after a moleben, His Eminence Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany opened the forum, which was followed by a speech titled “The 7th Century: Free Human Will. Theosis. The Podvig of St Maxim the Confessor,” by Protopriest Nikolai Artemoff, Secretary of the German Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

The next day, Nun Vassa, Professor of Liturgics at Vienna University, continued the seminar with a lecture on the participation of the faithful in the Orthodox service.

Deacon Alexander Zanemonetx, teacher of Byzantine History at Haifa University, spoke on the topic “Orthodoxy in the Holy Land During the Byzantine Period.” Fr Alexander also later spoke on “Being a Uniter of the Great and Blessed Flock: Why is the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem Needed?”

A great deal of attention was paid to youth ministry; the diocesan leader in this area is Protopriest Ilya Limberger of St Nicholas Cathedral in Stuttgart. Fr Ilya spoke on “Holy Scripture Through the Prism of Matrimony.” Invited to share their experiences with working with young people were members of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Synod Youth Department, Ekaterina Paliy and Lia Smirnova, who spoke on the topic.

The most important element of the gathering is participation in divine services. The guests, who numbered over a hundred, were treated by the Munich parishioners to a meal and refreshments. The monasteries and parishioners of Munich hosted the participants as house guests. The prayerful mood and opportunity to socialize played an important role in strengthening the bonds between the diocese’s clergymen and laity.

From Sedmitza.ru
Photos: Bishop Agapit of Stuttgart