On Thursday, September 20th, 2012, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Bethlehem, PA hosted a three-hour workshop as part of the Clergy Continuing Education Program of the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania. The workshop was opened with prayer and the singing of a Molieben to our Lord. The topic of the presentation was: “The Legal Dimensions of Priestly Ministry: Personal, Parochial and Pastoral”. The guest speaker, Stephanos Bibas, J.D., Professor of Law and Criminology, shared his knowledge on the different legal aspects of pastoral ministry in the United States. After the presentation, Professor Stephanos answered questions from the clergy and offered further insights into various legal matters. All the clergy present shared a light lunch in the Church hall.

Shortly after this presentation, the Liturgical Life Committee of the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, which was recently formed to discuss and resolve issues of liturgical practice within the diocese, held its second meeting and addressed matters relating to the order of Vespers, the order of the funeral service and the various cycles of services. Each of these topics will be addressed in upcoming meetings of the Committee.

This was a first of the three workshops offered by the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania with the blessing of His Eminence, Archbishop Tikhon to the clergy of all Orthodox Jurisdictions. For information about two upcoming workshops, please download the Clergy Continuing Education Brochure.