Sophia - Melkite Eparchy of Newton

PROPOSED WORKSHOPSTHEME: GLORIFY GOD with FAITH, LOVE and HOPE1. HEAVEN ON EARTH – THE DIVINE LITURGYThis talk will explain the journey of the Church into the dimension of the kingdom. This is the sacramental entrance into the risenlife or Christ. The Divine Liturgy makes present to us on earth and transports us as earthly pilgrims to the goal of our wanderings:the celebration of the Holy Liturgy in the Heavenly Kingdom by the Great High Priest Himself, Jesus Christ our God.(English – Rt. Rev. Philip Raczka; Arabic – Rt. Rev. Fouad Sayegh)2. LIVING THE LITURGICAL YEAR IN OUR HOMESThis talk will focus on living our tradition in the ‘domestic church” – the home, in the workplace and in our daily lives. It willfocus on celebrating the feasts throughout the liturgical year and the preparation for those feasts with fasting and prayer. It aimsto engender a deeper understanding of our tradition, so that we may be nourished by it and witness to it in our lives.(English – Rev. Fr. Peter Boutros)3. THE CHURCH IS THE PEOPLE OF GODThe word “Church” (Ecclesia in Greek) means a gathering. It expresses the idea of the Church as the people of God, called togetheragain and again to assemble, to constitute a gathering whose purpose is to reveal and to realize, the Church. The Church is thePeople of God, called by Him to be His own. The focus of the Christian life cannot be one of an individual in isolation, separatedfrom others. Rather, the Christian life is about belonging, about an identity so tied to Christ and to others that separation is unthinkable.There is no such thing as a “single Christian”. We cannot be saved outside of the Church.(English – Rev. Fr. Michael Skrocki)4. ECUMENISM(English – Rt. Rev. Alexei Smith)5. MARRIAGE: UNDERSTANDING THE NEEDThis talk takes us to a level of understanding what a specifically Christian sacramental marriage involves. The liturgical servicesof betrothal and crowning have been formulated to proclaim in prayer the Church’s thinking on this mystery. The talk will dealwith relationships and commitment and look to the ritual of the sacrament to discern what the Lord is calling the married coupleto achieve. The prayers, chants and gestures all convey what is the unique calling of a sacramentally married couple.(English – Rt. Rev. Gabriel Ghanoum)6. THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE – THEOSISThis talk will seek to explain the doctrine of Image and Likeness and relate it to man’s potential to grow in the divinity of Godand become a partaker of the Divine Nature. (2 Peter 14) It will discuss ‘theosis’as the purpose of man’s life and focus on thetruth that the purpose of our lives is not salvation but growth in the ‘likeness’ of God!(English – Rt. Rev. Fr. James Babcock)7. PRAYER AND SPIRITUALITYThis talk will discuss contemplative prayer and will help explain prayer as something we become and not something we do. Webecome lovers of mankind as we allow God into our hearts. It will discuss prayer as a relationship with God, whereby as webecome more intimate with God – we are being transformed into his ‘likeness’. It will conclude with a practicum of the JesusPrayer an ancient traditional prayer – frequently called the ‘prayer of the heart’.(English – Rev. Fr. Justin Rose)8. CATECHESIS AND EVANGELIZATION: AN URGENT CHALLENGE FOR THE FUTUREThe talk will focus on youth and total community catechesis.(English – Dr. Frances Nejmeh Colie)9. GOD AND MANThis talk will focus on the relationship between God and man revealed through the dialogue of Christianity with the othermonotheistic religions: Islam and Judaism.(Arabic – Rev. Fr. Samir Abu-Lail)