St. Tikhon's Seminary, the OCA Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, and the Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration will present a two-day dialogue on Orthodoxy and the Environment.

All are welcome, participation can be for one day or two, and limited accommodations are available in Seminary dormitory space.

Featured speakers/facilitators include:

• Igumen Sergius Bowyer, abbot of St. Tikhon's Monastery and music instructor at St. Tikhon's Seminary.
• Dr. Bruce (Seraphim) Foltz, philosophy professor at Eckerd College, a founder of SOPHIA, the Orthodox philosophical association; author of "Inhabiting the Earth: Heidegger, Environmental Ethics, and the Metaphysics of Nature," and co-editor of "Rethinking Nature: Essays in Environmental Philosophy"
• Father Andrew Damick, pastor of St. Paul's Antichian Church in Emmaus, PA, and author of the "Roads from Emmaus" and "Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy" podcast series on Ancient Faith Radio, as well as of the blog "Roads from Emmaus."
• Protodeacon Sergei Kapral of the Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre, PA, a member of the National Council of Churches Commmittee on Eco-Justice.
• Fred Krueger, executive director of the Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration, environmental activist and leader in the ecumenical "creation care" movement in the U.S.
• Dr. Alfred (Kentigern Pavlos) Siewers, associate professor of English, and Nature and Human Communities coordinator, at Bucknell University's Environmental Center; author of "Strange Beauty: Ecocritical Approaches to Early Medieval Landscape," co-editor of "Tolkien's Modern Middle Ages"
• Dr. Elizabeth Theokritoff, visiting lecturer at the Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge; author of "Living in God's Creation: Orthodox Perspectives on Ecology," co-editor of "The Cambridge Companion to Orthodox Christian Theology"

Schedule

Day 1: Friday April 16

8:45-9:15 Registration (posters/exhibits throughout the day, staffed during breaks as possible)

9:15-9:35 Welcome, Bishop Tikhon

9:35-10:55 Session 1: Theology, Philosophy and Liturgy
Dr. Foltz, "Nature and Other Modern Idolatries: Kosmos, Ktisis, and Chaos in Environmntal Metaphysics"
Fr. Andrew Damick, “The Cosmic Cathedral: Orthodox Liturgy and Ecological Vision”

11:10-12:30 Session 2: Monasticism, Saints and Asceticism
Igumen Sergius Bowyer, "Monasticism and the Restoration of Creation"
Dr. Alfred Siewers, "The Desert Sea: Early Irish Ascetic Landscapes of Creation"

12:30-1:45 Lunch

1:45-3:30 Session 3: Bearing Witness Today
Dr. Elizabeth Theokritoff, "Environmental Concerns and Orthodox Christian Witness"
Dn. Sergei Kapral, "The Orthodox Church and Non-Orthodox Eco-Justice Movements"

3:30-3:45 Closing remarks

4:00 Vespers in the Monastery Church



Day 2: Saturday, April 17

8:00 Divine Liturgy in the Monastery Church

10:00-4:00 "Christ in the Wilderness" workshop, facilitated by Fred Krueger

4:00 Vigil in the Monastery Church



For advance registration, costs and accommodation details, please email doepa@socantel.net with the subject heading "Orthodoxy and the Environment Conference."