Practical steps to unity (because it is by being authentic and honest to our shared Orthodox Ethos that we can unite, serve each other and also preach the Gospel and offer all to God for the life of the world.)
What can be done?
What can be done?
...those engaged in the process of fostering the reunion of the Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian churches recognized the need for practical guidelines in the following areas: (1) sacramental intercommunion, (2) liturgy, (3) spirituality, (4) administration, (5) catechesis, (6) theological education, (7) marriage and child-rearing, (8) publications, and (9) social and cultural undertakings.
To what extent have we accomplished this task? To what extent have we enabled out theological convergence to find expression on the practical level? My fear is that if our unity remains only on the level of theology, our rapprochement on the level of doctrinal formulae, it will be no unity at all. And there will always be the naysayers among us who, because they do not really know "the other," will continue to use theology as a means of perpetuating division.
Practical Implementation in the American Setting
Let me therefore conclude by offering a few suggestions of what can be done in our own American setting to keep our theological convergence from becoming merely a dead letter, with no effect on our communities. I would suggest that the following three projects be undertaken:
(1) "ENCOUNTER WEEKENDS," in which a non-Chalcedonian parish would invite a neighboring Chalcedonian parish, or vice versa, to spend the weekend. On Saturday, several talks and workshops would familiarize the visitors with the liturgical prayers, practices, and customs of the host parish. Participants from the two parishes would have the opportunity to socialize and get to know one another on a personal level. The weekend would conclude after the visitors attended the Sunday Liturgy at the host parish. I firmly believe that once the sense of "liturgical strangeness" is overcome through such interactive weekends, much of the resistance to formal union will be overcome. It should also be noted that such encounter weekends would not only benefit the members of the visiting parish; in having to respond to the inquiries of their visitors, members of the host parish will certainly come to a more nuanced appreciation of their own tradition.
(2) EPISCOPAL COLLABORATION in such areas as parish visitation, publishing, and social service programs. As soon as Chalcedonians see their bishops alongside non-Chalcedonian bishops, and vice versa, working for a common cause, bonds of fraternity will be quick to form. Bishops of the two communities could make plans for joint visitation of certain parishes, especially in cities where both Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian parishes are found (e.g., Boston, New York, Los Angeles). Publication projects, especially those relevant to the common roots and shared faith of the Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian traditions, could be undertaken jointly. When responding to the human needs created by natural disasters and political strife, why could our churches not pool their resources, thereby manifesting a united Orthodox witness in the secular world? Why, for example, should the non-Chalcedonian churches not be asked to join with their Chalcedonian counterparts in the work of the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)? Such common effort produces common vision.
(3) CATECHESIS AND THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION, through which mutual appreciation of the richness of our respective traditions is fostered. There is undoubtedly a need for popular literature in this subject area, which can be distributed to the people in our parishes and used as the basis for parish study groups. But perhaps more importantly, there is a need for us to make each other known in our seminaries and houses of theological study.
Here I would especially like to challenge the non-Chalcedonian traditions to make courses in their spirituality, liturgy, and patristic traditions available to the Chalcedonian theological seminaries. Because the Chalcedonian communities in this country are larger, they have developed the more established centers of theological learning. It makes good sense for the smaller non-Chalcedonian communities to maintain houses of studies in association with the established Chalcedonian seminary -- much like St. Nersess does with St. Vladimir's. But the non-Chalcedonian house of studies should make courses in its tradition available to the students of the Chalcedonian seminary as well. Thus, while it is easy enough for a St. Nersess student to avail himself of courses here that can give him an appreciation of the Byzantine liturgical tradition and of the Greek patristic tradition, I would like to see our students have the opportunity to take a course in the Armenian liturgical tradition or in the thought of the Armenian church Fathers. In other words, while in our seminaries we Chalcedonians have felt ourselves enormously enriched by the presence of non-Chalcedonian students, we have not always been able to familiarize ourselves with their heritage as extensively as we might like. The association between seminary and house of studies should provide opportunities for "theological cross-fertilization." If our future theologians and pastors, while in seminary, come to a healthy and substantial respect and appreciation for our respective traditions, we can be certain that some of that mutuality will filter down to a popular level, where it can bear much fruit.
SOURCE: Theodore Pulcini, "Eastern Orthodox-Oriental Orthodox Relations: Practical Steps Toward Unity." St. Nersess Theological Review 1. no.1 (New York: St. Nersess Armenian Seminary Press, 2006) 63-65.It seems to me that it is of little consequence to speak of unity on a theological level if there is no experience of unity in the day-to-day encounters between our churches. On the one hand, theological conviction forms experience; yet it must always be remembered that theological positions are forged as a result of, and in interpretation of, experience. It is always easier to remain separated from someone with whom one has never experienced unity. It is therefore imperative that, on a practical, everyday level, we work to forge an experience of solidarity, mutual respect, and reciprocal familiarity. Then the unity for which we have labored so strenuously over these past three decades will become a living reality among us -- a reality in which our common witness to the Gospel is strengthened.
