Crisis: Judgment or Opportunity?
In order to watch videorecording of the conference and to read texts of English-speaking contributors, please, go to Programme and proceedings section and click on the corresponding link
Programme and proceedings
PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME
17 SEPTEMBER, FRIDAY – VIDEO
9.15–9.45 Prayer
Words of welcome
9.45–11.30 Talks
Archpriest Kirill Kaleda (Moscow). God in question. Crisis of faith
Priest Dragos Herescu (Cambridge). The challenge of living faithfully today as Orthodox Christians: pastoral and theological insights from Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
Archpriest Alexius Uminsky (Moscow). Crisis of prayer
Еkaterina Savina (Moscow). Crisis and powerlessness: breaking the deadlock
13.15–13.45 Discussion
13.45–14.00 Video
15.00–17.15 Talks
Boris Bratus (Moscow). Crisis as a way of life or the praise of pandemic
– Crisis of the pandemic
Konstantin Matsan (Moscow). “Thou art”: the crisis of prayer… or a chance?
Kelsey Cheshire (London). Surrender
17.15–17.45 Discussion
17.45–19.00 Round table “’I found that I was in a gloomy wood’. The crisis of faith” Aleksandr Arkhangelsky (Moscow), archpriest Vladimir Arkhipov (Moscow), Yuri Belanovsky (Moscow). Chair: Konstantin Matsan (Moscow)
19.00–19.15 Video
19.15 Prayer
18 SEPTEMBER, SATURDAY – VIDEO
9.45 Prayer
10.00–11.30 Talks
Archpriest Dimitry Simonov (St Petersburg). The gift of love and the crisis of responsibility
Maya Kucherskaya (Moscow). How to talk about faith with modern teenagers?
11.30–11.45 Video
12.00–13.30 Round table “’We had love and now we have repairs’: crises in marriage” Aleksandra and Andrei Bazulin (Moscow), archpriest Dimitry and Nika Kuzmichev (Moscow), Pavel and Ksenia Fedosov (Moscow). Moderators: Vera Erokhina (Moscow) and Yana Rodina (Moscow).
14.30–16.00 Talks
Maria Sisnyova (Moscow). Reaction of the patients at the public institutions to the pandemic and to the restrictions
Hegumen Pyotr (Meshcherinov) (Moscow). Does God believe in us?
16.00–16.30 Discussion
16.45–18.30 Books presentations and talks
Archpriest Pavel Velikanov and Nikea Publishing House (Moscow). Presentation of the metropolitan Anthony’s book “Churchianity vs Christianity”
Fyodor Shankov (Moscow). Neither staves, nor scrip, nor bread, nor silver: what shall we take on the road in crisis
Jean-François Thyri (Moscow). Crisis, new creature and salvation in the works of metropolitan Anthony and Fr Luigi Giussani
18.30–18.45 Video
18.45 Prayer (Vespers)
19 SEPTEMBER, SUNDAY
Liturgy
14.00–14.30 Video
14.30–17.45 Talks
Hieromonk Feodorit (Senchukov) (Moscow). Lessons from the pandemic: dehumanisation as a result of humanism
Hieromonk Giovanni (Guaita) (Moscow). Godforsakenness: the crisis of God? (video)
Frederica de Graaf (Moscow). How do we treat our body in the context of our faith and our spiritual life?
17.45–19.00 Conclusions. Memories. Priest Alexiy Belyaev (Samara), Priest Anthony Borisov (Moscow), Karina Asafovna Chernyak (Moscow), Kelsey Cheshire (London) (text), Gillian Crow (London) (text), Irina Pavlovna Scorer (Exeter), Anna Ilyinichna Shmaina-Velikanova (Moscow). Chairs: Victoria Sergeevna Bogdanova (Moscow), Arkadiy Evgenievich Tarasov (Moscow) (video)
19.00–19.15 Video
19.15 Panikhida
Reviews and reports
Exhibitions
Photographs
‘In Greek, “crisis” means “judgment”. Throughout history we have been in a state of crisis, that is, under the judgment of history, which is ultimately God’s actions towards us. Every era is a time of crashes and renewals. All that seems to be will perish; all that is false will perish. Only the whole, the true will stand, only what really is will stand, and not what merely seems to be.’
Metropolitan Anthony
In one of his talks Metropolitan Anthony reminds us that, when God puts us in a difficult situation, ‘we struggle desperately to return to our former state as soon as possible, rejecting the gift hidden in God’s action because it scares us’. At the conference, we were invited to reflect on what each crisis in which we find ourselves teaches us. We talked about the crises of unexpected meetings and losses, creative searches and illnesses, family relationships and material difficulties, professional problems and social cataclysms, overwhelming doubts and the search for oneself, loss of faith and gaining confidence.
How can judgement of us be a source of inspiration? What do the cataclysms that lead us to confusion say about God, about the world around us, and about ourselves? What can we learn from the words, ministry, and life experience of Metropolitan Anthony, in order to recognize God’s gift to us in a crisis? How can we hear the voice of Christ in the heart of the storm?
The Conference programme included talks, round tables, videos of Metropolitan Anthony’s talks and services, recollections by those who knew Metropolitan Anthony of life in his parish and diocese, and a photo exhibition.
Venue: Alexander Solzhenitsyn House of Russians Abroad, Nizhnaya Radishchevskaya 2, Moscow, Russia
Languages: Russian and English
Registration