Three Hierarchs Celebration in Holy Cross - Boston

Faculty and students from Hellenic Collegeand Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology celebrated the Feast of theThree Hierarchs on Friday January 30th with liturgical services and a specialsymposium on the theme of ‘Philanthropy.'

From the eleventh century, the Orthodox Church observes onthis day a special remembrance of the common witness of St. Basil the Great,St. Gregory the Theologian and St. John Chrysostom. The Church honors them as‘Ecumenical Teachers' because of their appreciation of education and theiroutstanding contributions to theology and pastoral care.

The commemoration began on Thursday evening, January 29th,with the celebration of Great Vespers. Fr. Eugin Pentiuc, Associate Professorof Old Testament and Hebrew, offered the festal homily emphasizing the theme ofthe philanthropy of God. Present at the Vesper Service were representatives of theschools of the Boston Theological Institute. They were participating in theirBoard of Trustees meeting on the campus under the leadership of Fr. NicholasTriantafilou, president of Hellenic College-Holy Cross.

At the Divine Liturgy on January 30 in the Holy CrossChapel, faculty and student clergy participated in the service led by Fr.Thomas FitzGerald, the Dean of Holy Cross, who also offered the homily on theenduring witness of the Three Hierarchs.

Following the Divine Liturgy, students and faculty gatheredfor the Symposium which addressedvarious aspects of the theme of Philanthropy. George Athanasiou, president of the student government, readthe Encyclical on the Three Hierarchs Observance from His Eminence ArchbishopDemetrios. Dr.Timothy Patitsas, Assistant Professor of Ethics, spoke on the theme of "St. Basil'sNew City." Dr.Anton Vrame, Adjunct Associate Professor of Religious Education, spoke on thetopic "Not Inferior to Prayer: The Social Work of the Byzantine Church."

FourHoly Cross students, Jim Kyritsis, Barnabas Powell, David Hostetler, and JacobSaylor, spoke on their participation in relief activities sponsored byInternational Orthodox Christian Charities following the devastation ofHurricane Ike in Galveston,Texas. The presentation, which included slides, wasentitled: "IOCC Frontline: Galveston."

Students and faculty later met to reflect upon thepresentations prior to the Vesper Service. Other faculty members participatingin the discussions included Dr. James Skedros, Fr. Philip Zymaris and Fr.Nicholas Apostola.