Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL) pushes for Great & Holy Council

Chicago, IL.- At its 20th Anniversary Celebration, Nov. 2 - 3, 2007, in Chicago, OCL— an organization dedicated to a unified and self-governed Orthodox Church in the Unites States— is calling for the Great & Holy Council promised before the end of the 20th century. Expert speakers from various Orthodox jurisdictions and educational institutions will weigh in on the “Need for a Great & Holy Council” affecting 200 million Orthodox in America and globally.

OCL has gathered a roster of eminently qualified clerical leaders and theology experts from diverse U.S. Orthodox jurisdictions to explore the pressing internal U.S. Orthodox issues making a Great & Holy Council imperative now. As part of the OCL 20th Anniversary event set for November 2-3 at Saints Peter & Paul Fellowship Hall, 1401 Wagner Rd., Glenview, IL, these experts will explore, in–depth, The Need for a Great & Holy Council and the dangerous impact of any further delay on resolution of critical issues weakening the Eastern Orthodox Church as never before especially in the United States.

“Because the Pre-Conciliar Agenda Meetings planning for such a Council have been halted since 2001, the chances of this important summit meeting pivotal to Orthodoxyʼs future are virtually non-existent unless we campaign for it now. The last Ecumenical Council met in 787 A.D.,” according to Petkas.

“In fact, there has never been a more appropriate time and reasons for a Great & Holy Council. Long-standing burning and divisive internal U.S. Orthodox issues vital to American Orthodox faithful such as the resolution of the ʽDiasporaʼ beg to be addressed and resolved satisfactorily,” Petkas explains.

On Friday November 2, the 20th Anniversary Celebration Dinner Fellowship at Saints Peter and Paul Fellowship Hall will begin with an informal wine and cheese hour 6:30-7:30 pm. Guests will have the opportunity to meet and chat with iconographer Melpo M. DeFotis, who will display some of her work, and with author Steven Stamatis, who will make available his work, The Janissary Factor. Dinner will begin at 7:30 p.m. with a video presentation reviewing OCLʼs 20 years of work for Christ and His Church. The featured guest speaker is Dr. Constantine Papadakis, President of Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA.

For more information on the OCL 20th Anniversary Weekend Events on Friday, Nov. 2 and Saturday Nov. 3, call OCL Headquarters 877-585-0245 or email ocladmin@ocl.org