22 November–12 December 2014 • Off-Campus • San Francisco, London, Moscow
St. Vladimir's Dean The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr has been on the road, offering retreats and lectures to the faithful both in the United States and overseas. During the second week of December, he'll conclude his busy fall schedule with a trip to Moscow, Russia, where a select group of eminent scholars have been invited to present papers in The Second International Theological Patristic Conference, themed "St. Simeon the New Theologian and his Spiritual Heritage."
The Conference is being sponsored by the Ss. Cyril and Methodius Theological Institute of Post-Graduate Studies and the National Research Nuclear University MEPhi (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute). A cooperative agreement between St. Vladimir's and Ss. Cyril and Methodius was signed in 2013, allowing for the exchange of teachers, students, and resources between the two institutions.
Over the weekend of November 22 and 23, Fr. John presented a retreat to the faithful of San Francisco's Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, the Orthodox Church in America's Diocese of the West episcopal see, presided over by The Most Rev. Benjamin, archbishop of San Francisco and the West. The Dean's topic, "Becoming Human," was the theme of his 2013 SVS Press book of the same title.
Father John scarcely had time to unpack his suitcase in New York before heading in the opposite direction, to London, England, where he delivered the Annual Constantinople Lecture on Thanksgiving Day, November 27. Sponsored by The Anglican and Eastern Churches Association and The Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius, his talk centered on one of his recently explored themes, the paradox of life through death so central to the Christian message. "Christ has set us free from the fear of death," noted Fr. John. "He has turned death inside out....This reversal is located in the heart of the Gospel."
The lecture was "a wonderful opportunity to meet old friends and meet new ones," Fr. John reflected afterwards.
The next day, Fr. John journeyed to The Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Crawley Down, West Sussex, to lead a retreat for the Anglican religious group, the "Community of the Servants of the Will of God." Formed in the 1950s, the community consists of men and women who follow the Rule of St. Benedict while endeavoring to unite the traditions of East and West through their liturgies and prayer practices.
"I've benefitted from their fellowship at other conferences," explained Fr. John. "It was a joy to finally be able to visit with them in their community, to be present at their worship, and to share my work on the formation of Christian theology and spirituality."
