FALL RETREAT 2017
A Latter-Day Saint: Fr. John of Kronstadt
with Distinguished Guest Speaker, Dr. Nadieszda Kizenko
- Saturday, September 30
- 6:00PM - Great Vespers, followed by presentation with Q&A
- Refreshments to follow in the Parish Hall
Dear Parish Faithful,
Announcing our Fall (Mini-)Retreat with Dr. Nadieszda Kizenko on Saturday, September 30. Dr. Kizenko is a very distinguished scholar — and a practicing Orthodox Christian — and she has written the definitive biography on one of the most beloved saints of late Imperial Russia - Fr. John of Kronstadt (+1908). It will be good for us to hear of a "latter day" saint of the Church from her.
We would like to thank Dr. Scott Kenworthy for making her visit to our parish possible, as Dr. Kizenko is being brought to Cincinnati through Scott's department at Miami University, where she will be delivering a lecture.
I hope many of you plan on attending.
Fr. Steven
About Dr. Nadieszda Kizenko:
Ph.D., Columbia University
M.A., Columbia University
A.B., Harvard University
Nadieszda Kizenko is Chair of the Department of History, Professor of History, and Director of Religious Studies at the University of Albany, State University of New York (SUNY/Albany). She has received widespread praise for her first book, A Prodigal Saint: Father John of Kronstadt and the Russian People (Penn State Univ. Press, 2000), in which she “draws upon rich and virtually unknown documents from the Russian archives, including Father John’s diaries, to reveal both the inner life of an aspiring saint and the symbiotic relationship between a living icon and his followers.“
Dr. Kizenko is currently completing a history of confession in Russia from 1666 to the present. Her courses and seminars cover both Russian and East European history, as well as religion and film.
Read more about Dr Kizenko's book and order from Amazon...
Visit her Faculty page at SUNY/Albany...
A Good Weekend -
This past weekend, Dr. Nadieszhda Kizenko visited our parish and spoke to us on Saturday evening and during the post-Liturgy discussion on Sunday. Her talk on Fr. John of Kronstadt was quite remarkable as she raised the issue of modern-day sanctity through the example of Fr. John who, though not exactly "modern" any longer, did live into the 20th c.
She again spoke to us on Sunday about the practice of Confession in Imperial Russia, a subject she is currently writing a book about. Dr. Kizenko is a very engaging and lively speaker who brings her subject to life through her knowledge and enthusiasm. She is also a practicing Orthodox Christian who speaks of the Church from within.
We had a strong parish response on Saturday, with over fifty parishioners and a few guests in attendance. We would again like to thank our parishioner, Dr. Scott Kenworthy, for arranging Dr. Kizenko's visit with us. Following the talk on Saturday evening, we enjoyed some fellowship and refreshments in the church hall. We would like to thank all of those who contributed either food or drink; and those who assisted with the set-up and clean-up to follow.
- Fr. Steven