Pappas Patristic Institute Hosts Major International Colloquium

The Pappas Patristic Institute at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology hosted a three-day Colloquium on the Mystagogy of St. Maximos the Confessor from April 28-30, 2022, that drew renowned patristic scholars from all over the world to present diverse perspectives on the work and related topics.

The Colloquium opened on campus the evening of Thursday, April 28, with a lecture by the Very Reverend Archimandrite Maximos Constas, PhD, Director of the Institute and Professor of Patristics and Orthodox Spirituality at Holy Cross. His spoke on “The Body as Ritual Space: The Mystagogy and the Architecture of Deification” to a capacity audience in the auditorium of the Maliotis Cultural Center, which hosted a reception afterward.

On Friday and Saturday, the Colloquium proper took place at the Sheraton Commander Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Friday’s speakers included Archbishop Alexander Golitzin, Marcus Plested, Jean-Claude Larchet, Fr. Michael Bakker, Paul Blowers, Fr. Demetrios Harper, Fr. Vitaly Permiakov, Jelena Bogdanovic, and Robin Jensen with Fr. Lucas Christensen. Saturday speakers were Fr. Nicolaos Loudovikos, Tamsin Jones, Fr. Andrew Louth, Fr. Demetrios Bathrellos, and Thomas Cattoi. The day concluded with a roundtable discussion.

The Colloquium, a highly complex interdisciplinary undertaking, was co-organized by Tikhon Pino, PhD, Assistant Director of the Institute and a Holy Cross graduate. The entire proceedings were livestreamed, allowing registrants unable to attend in person the opportunity to participate from anywhere. All of the proceedings were recorded and will be made available for viewing by paid registrants via the Institute’s website, pappaspatristicinstitute.com.