The St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine Celebrating the Feast of Indiction and the Protection of the Environment Webinar in Honor of the Protection of the Environment
Featuring Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis & Dr. Lee Ann Clements
Covid-19 and the Renewal of the Earth
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
7 – 8 PM (EST)
The Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine, located in Saint Augustine, Florida, is delighted to present a special webinar presentation with Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis and Dr. Lee Ann Clements entitled “Covid-19 and the Renewal of the Earth,” on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, the Feast of the Indiction. The event is hosted online by The Department of Inter-Orthodox, Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. The free broadcast will be live-streamed and open to all (pre-registration required). Registration for the live event may be completed at https://goarch.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LjdoDIFnR-a9l8sqX9R10w. Participants will be able to ask questions. For those who miss the live broadcast, the Shrine will archive this unique event on its website and Facebook page.
The webinar is part of a dual observance shared between the Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Augustine. Both Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics observe the day as a special remembrance of Creation and for the Protection of the Environment.
Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis is an author and theologian serving as Archdeacon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and theological advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarch. He is a clergyman of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Born in Australia, he graduated from Athens University and Oxford University. His publications focus on medieval theology, as well as on the history of the Eastern Church. His interests embrace the areas of spirituality and ecology. He co-founded St Andrew’s Theological College in Sydney, where he also taught at the University of Sydney. In 1995, he was appointed Professor of Theology at Holy Cross School of Theology and directed the Religious Studies Program at Hellenic College. He has published over thirty books and numerous articles in several languages. His book Creation as Sacrament: Reflections on ecology and spirituality was published in 2019 by Bloomsbury. He lives in Maine.
Lee Ann J. Clements, PhD is the Chair of the Committee on Integral Ecology for the Diocese of St Augustine. She earned her BA in Biology from the University of Virginia, and her MS and PhD in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina. She is a Professor of Biology and Marine Science at Jacksonville University, and during her 32-year career has served as Chair of the Division of Science and Mathematics, Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Associate Provost, and now as Director of Academic Integrity. Dr. Clements has taught numerous students in courses such as Introduction to Marine Science, Biological Oceanography, Oral Communications in the Biological Sciences, and Physiological Ecology. She served on the boards of the National Conferences for Undergraduate Research (NCUR), and the Jacksonville Museum of Science and History (MOSH). Her research interests center around adaptations of marine organisms to changing environmental conditions. She has long been an advocate for science communication, informal education about the environment, and protecting our natural world.
Environmental concerns of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has gained a reputation as a prominent environmentalist, putting the support of the Patriarchate behind various international environmental causes. His work throughout the years has earned him the nickname “the Green Patriarch.”
Since 1989, the Ecumenical Patriarch has invited Orthodox Christians throughout the world to reserve September 1 the ecclesiastical New Year, as a day of prayer for environmental protection. Numerous Christian communions have followed suit, encouraged by the World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches. In August of 2015, Pope Francis announced plans to mark a day of prayer as well, saying he was calling on Roman Catholics to follow the lead of the Patriarch of Constantinople and Orthodox Christians in observing September 1 as a day of prayer for environmental protection.
On Monday, August 31, beginning at 6:30 PM Eastern Time and live-streamed (here https://www.facebook.com/SaintPhotios/) the St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine will hold the first of what is planned to be a new annual event; the service of Great Vespers for the Feast of the Indiction and Protection of the Environment, with His Grace, Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos, presiding. This special service was composed by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
