The program of adult religious education in English of the Holy Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain continues for the second year with particularly high participation. The program was created on the initiative of Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain, who constantly attends the lectures and actively participates. In the first part of the program, topics related to Lent were developed by Archimandrite Fr. Nifonas Tsimalis and then followed by topics from the Gospel of John.
A new round of lectures on the general theme “Orthodox Theology and Christian Culture” started in March this year with the participation of distinguished speakers from Great Britain and around the world, such as Bishop Athenagoras of Patras, Dean of the Patriarchal Orthodox Academy of Toronto, Bishop Raphael of Ilion, the Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Timios Prodromos Essex, Fr. Petros, Protopresbyter Fr. Porphyrios Georgi, Professor of Dogmatic Theology at the Balamand Theological Seminary in Lebanon, the British-born Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne, Fr. Alexios Torrance, Associate Professor of Byzantine Theology at Notre Dame University in Indiana, Professor Antonios Kaldellis, President of the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Ohio, and Sister Magdalene of the Holy Monastery of Timios Prodromos Essex. Some of the topics developed in this cycle are: The Inauguration (Birthday) of Constantinople, The Great Fortieth and the wish of Saint Ephraim of Syros, Saint Gregory of Palamas and the Orthodox tradition, The spiritual legacy of Saint Sophronius Essex, Archimandrite John Maitland Moir: Man Sent by God, Family Life, The Mystery of Chrism.
This weekly activity began in March 2020 every Tuesday afternoon at the Archdiocesan Chapel in central London. Due to the pandemic, it soon had to be turned into an online video conference via Zoom. From a small audience of about fifty participants in the first weeks, with the help of technology at the moment the participation has exceeded five hundred registered listeners.
This cycle will be temporarily suspended on June 22 due to the summer and will start again in September under the same general theme with a wide variety of sub-themes, which have been undertaken by notable speakers. The organization and coordination of the above ministry as well as the catechism ministry for adults in English has been undertaken by Archimandrite Nifon Tsimalis, a clergyman of the Archdiocese of Thyateira.