10/1 - University of Scranton's Center for Eastern Christian Studies to Sponsor Lectures

The University of Scranton's Center for Eastern Christian Studies announces its 2002-2003 lecture series, which will address Eastern Christian perspectives on married priesthood, beginning at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21, in the lecture room of the center.

The featured speaker for the opening lecture will be the Rev. Stanley S. Harakas, professor of Orthodox theology emeritus at Holy Cross Orthodox Seminary, Brookline, Mass. Father Harakas will speak on "Married Priesthood: The Orthodox Experience." His talk will address the origins of the married priesthood, theology, canon law, historical perspectives, and practical and personal aspects in the life of the Orthodox Church.

On Monday, Nov. 11, the Rev. David Petras, professor of liturgy at SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary, Pittsburgh, will speak on "Married Priesthood: The Ruthenian Catholic Experience." The lecture starts at 7 p.m. Father Petras will address the question of a married priesthood for from the Ruthenian Catholic perspective. He will discuss the historical perspective of a married presbyterate of both East and West in the first millennium, as well as the difficulties of a Byzantine Catholic Church existing within the Roman Communion in the late 19th and 20th centuries.

On Monday, Feb. 17, 2003, the Rev. Romanos Russo, pastor of Church of Our Savior, Yonkers, N.Y., and professor of Russian and Russian Literature at Queens College, N.Y., will discuss "Married Priesthood: the Experience of the Melkite-Greek Catholic Church." The Melkite Church has attempted to reestablish the practice of ordaining married men to the priesthood wherever the needs of its faithful require. The differing tradition of the Latin Church in the "diaspora" causes inevitable sensitivity in this area. The experience of the past, present realities and future prospectives form the main thrust of the lecture.

All lectures are free and open to the public.

The Center for Eastern Christian Studies at The University of Scranton serves as a focal point for several activities - academic, pastoral and ecumenical - all designed to promote knowledge and understanding of the Christian East. The center houses a Byzantine Rite chapel, a library of 20,000 books and a Rare Book collection, staff offices and a lecture-social hall.

For additional information, call Sister Joan L. Roccasalvo, C.S.J., coordinator of the center and adjunct professor of theology/religious studies, at 941-6116, or e-mail roccasalvoj1@scranton.edu.