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SS. Cyril and Methodius Lecture Focuses on Silence

 
petro and chryssavgis
Fr. John G. Petro and Rev. Fr. John Chryssavgis.

A lecture on silence might appear somehow contradictory and St Barsanuphius is hardly a household name even in devout Byzantine Catholic homes.  The  attendees at the 8th Annual SS. Cyril and Methodius Lecture, “Remembering Sacred Silence,” on Friday, May 2, 2008, were doubly rewarded, enlightened and perhaps even surprised at the practical wisdom a 6th century hermit of the Egyptian desert could offer Christian faithful today.

The Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis, a deacon of the Orthodox Church and translator of the Letters of Ss. Barsanuphius and John into English, drew on the Letters and on his own pastoral and personal experience to explore the subtle variations among solitude, silence and stillness as experienced in the spiritual life. He described silence and solitude positively, as opportunities for recovering justice and discovering beauty in life. 

His insights on the humility of listening to another person, on sympathy, and on the possibility of finding stillness even in troubled situations proposed concrete suggestions for spiritual progress and food for continued meditation.  The appreciative audience of nearly 100 people included faculty, alumni and students of the Byzantine Catholic Seminary, Byzantine Catholic, Roman Catholic and Orthodox clergy, religious and faithful, and members of the Pittsburgh academic community.  Lively interaction and discussion continue at the reception which followed the lecture.

Fr. John Chryssavgis earned a degree in Theology from the University of Athens, a diploma in Byzantine Music from the Greek Conservatory of Music, a research scholarship to St. Vladimir’s Theological Seminary, and a doctoral degree in Patristics from the University of Oxford.  He has authored several books and numerous articles on the Church Fathers and Orthodox Spirituality and currently serves as the theological advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarch on environmental issues.  

The Byzantine Catholic Seminary offers this annual lecture as a contribution to the spiritual and academic life of the greater Pittsburgh area.  The lecture has previously featured such notables as Archbishop Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia, Archimandrite Robert Taft, Professor Sebastian Brock, Fr. Paul McPartlan and Dr. Valerie Karras. 

By Fr. Jack Custer

A CD of this lecture is now available. To order, go to - SS. Cyril and Methodius Lecture Address Order Form.


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