"I Believe..." : 1700th Anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council
The Eastern Churches Seminar is an annual ecumenical dialogue among clergy, bishops, and laity of the Orthodox, Byzantine, and Roman Catholic churches in Greater Cleveland. Founded nearly forty years ago through the vision of Notre Dame College’s Lifelong Learning Center and Eleanor Malburg ’84, the seminar has long been offered as a free public event for Christians from Eastern and Western traditions, and for all who wish to deepen their understanding of the Eastern Churches.
Two thousand twenty five marks the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council and the 40th anniversary of the Eleanor Malberg Eastern Churches Seminar. John Carroll University’s Theology and Religious Studies Department and the Tuohy Center for Interreligious Understanding now host the seminar, continuing its mission that shared learning and ecumenical dialogue foster greater understanding and mutual respect.
Presented by the Tuohy Center for Interreligious Understanding at John Carroll University, St. Mary Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, and the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. The program is free and open to the public.
Download the Eastern Churches Seminar poster (PNG)
Event program
- 5:30 pm – Dinner for committee with speaker and guests
- 6:00 to 7:00 pm – Tours of Romanian Ethnic Arts Museum
- 7:00 to 8:30 pm – Great Vespers for Holy Fathers with singers from Orthodox choirs
- 9:00 am – Registration, coffee, and pastries
- 10:00 am – Welcome speech by Dr. Edward Hahnenberg and opening prayer by Fr. Cezar Pelin
- 10:05 to 10:25 am – History of ECS; interviews with Sr. Karita Ivancic (by Kenneth Kovach) and Loretta Nemeth (by Dr. Lucian Vatamanu)
- 10:25 to 10:30 am – Introduction of the “I Believe” theme and the keynote speaker by Fr. Cezar Pelin
- 10:30 to 11:15 am – Keynote speech: The Very Rev. Dr. Bogdan G. Bucur , Associate Professor of Patristics, St. Vladimir Orthodox Theological Seminary
- 11:15 to 11:30 am – Coffee break
- 11:30 to 11:45 am – Remarks by Rev. Joseph Hilinski
- 11:45 am to 12:30 pm – Open forum with all participants
- 12:30 to 1:00 pm – Sharing from the open forum and closing remarks
Notes
Great Vespers of the Holy Fathers will be sung by the Orthodox choir. A tour of the Romanian Ethnic Arts Museum is offered before the service between 6 pm and 7 pm.
Breakfast will be available between 9 am and 10 am on Saturday.
Call for Sponsors
The Eastern Churches Seminar planning committee, comprised of clergy and laity from the Orthodox, Byzantine Catholic, and Roman Catholic traditions, seeks patrons to help defray seminar expenses. Donors contributing at least one hundred dollars will be listed on the patron page of the seminar program.
Donations may be made by check, payable to John Carroll University. Please write “Eastern Churches Seminar” in the memo line and mail to:
Mailing address
Tuohy Center for Interreligious Understanding
John Carroll University
1 John Carroll Boulevard
University Heights, OH 44118
For questions, contact ESC Committee Co-Chair, Kenneth J. Kovach at (216) 704-7322 or coachicbc@gmail.com.
You can contact the Tuohy Center for Interreligious Understanding at tuohycenter@jcu.edu.
