"Not by bread alone will man live,
but by every word of God." (Luka 4:4)
From 5-th till 11-th of September 2011 the holy Diocese of Varna and Veliki Preslav (Bulgaria) has organized successfully the Week of the Orthodox Book under the motto “The revival of a person’s spiritual life” for 13-th year. The event has become part of Varna’s cultural life – international forum of Orthodox spiritual life and culture. Until now in this already traditional for Varna event have participated many clerics and theologians from Greece, Russia, Serbia, Monte Negro, Romania, Ukraine and Bulgaria. During it are organised Theological Conferences, Seminars and Round tables concerning current topics of the church life. B.O.Y.A. has been co-organizer of the event with financial and organizational assistance for twelve consecutive years.
The Week of the Orthodox Book was opened on 5-th of September at 18.00 o’clock by His High Eminence Metropolitan of Varna and Veliki Preslav Kyrill. There have been official greetings on the behalf of the town mayor. That evening was presented the new publication of Varna and Veliki Preslav Holy Dioceses “Church and History” – the first volume of articles, addresses, memoirs and epistles of Metropolitan of Varna and Preslav Simeon (1840 -1937). Metropolitan Simeon is a well-now church hierarch who has contributed a lot to the Bulgarian church and state history.
This year the evening sessions took place in the Town Hall. During the evening program Orthodox authors, editors and publishers from Bulgaria and abroad promoted their works. The next evening were presented the currently translated in Bulgarian books “Spiritual Alphabet” by St. Dimitrii Rostovski, “Thoughts For Every Day of the Year” and “Passions and How to Fight Them” by St. Theophanes the Recluse. Also priest Voukashin Milichevich, Chief Editor of the Official Radio of the Holy Dioceses of Belgrade and Korlovci “Slovo Liubve”, presented the work of the radio. The listeners paid a great attention to this presentation.
On the third evening session of the program were presented the lectures: “St. Cosmas of Etolia – the apostle of the enslaved people” by Archimandrite Chrisostomos, Protosingel of the Holy Metropolis of Ierissos, Ardamerion and Holy Montain, and “The Christian Family and the Contemporary Chalenges” by priest Alexander Dzhakovac, chief editor of the magazine “Orthodoxy” official edition of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The audience followed both lectures with great interest. Also was presented the recently issued book in Bulgarian “Feeling for God – eight homilies for the spiritual growth” by Arhim. Emilliyan ex-abbot of the Holy Monastery “Simono - Petra”, Holy Mount Athos.
From 6-th till 8-th of September 2011 within the frame of the “Week of Orthodox Book” was organized the Seminar on Catechesis with the title “Spiritual Education and Catechism in the Church”.
In this event, organized in the past by the B.O.Y.A. in many places around the Balkans, participants shared their experience in religious education mainly in the parishes’ church schools and in the public schools as well. The participants have presented their catechetic work including in multimedia presentations and showed recently published textbooks from their regions.
The morning sessions of the Seminar took place in the Festival and Congress Center of Varna. In the opening day His Eminence Metropolitan Kyrill of Varna greeted the participants and focused on the importance of catechesis and seeking for new means and methods for its more systematic organization.
Archimadrite Chrysostomos Maidonis, protosyngel of the Holy Diocese of Ierissos, Ardamerion and the Holy Mountain presented a report on the topic “Catechesis of experience of the experienced”.
Mrs. Desislava Panayotova, catechist from the Church “St Kyrill and Methodiy” in Sofia, Bulgaria and responsible for the Official Intenet web site of the Bulgarian Patriarchate, presented the activities of the Consultation centre of victims of the Sects and Destructive cults in this church.
On the behalf of The Holy Diocese of Kifissia, Greece, Archpriest Haralampos Theodosis presented the activities of the Spiritual centre of the parish of St. Nectarios, Kato Kifissia and Mrs. Constantina Mastroyanni, catechist, presented an input on catechesis, its organization and contemporary problems.
Protopresbyter Prof. Georgios Metallinos, professor in the School of Theology of the University of Athens, presented a very interesting input “The parish – the life of the Orthodox Church Community yesterday and today”.
Archimadrite Emilianos Kazantzidis, abbot of the Holy Monstery of St. Panteleimon in Agia Larisis (Holy Diocese of Dimitriada and Almirou, Volos -Greece) in his report “Objectives, principles and methods of traditional Orthodox Enlightenment” analyzed the concept and the goals, the principles and the methods of traditional Orthodox education. Priests and laymen catechists presented the catechetic work of two parishes, namely of the old church “St. Paraskeva” and of the church “Transfiguration” from Sofia. Two reports were dedicated to the religious education in the public schools in Serbia and Slovakia. More concretely they were the following: “Religious Education in Slovakia – the new challenges” by priest prof. ThDr. Jan Zozulak, Ph.D. and Viera Zozulakova, Ph.D. and “Some aspects of the teaching the subject Veronauka (Catechesis) in public schools in Serbia”.
On 8-th of September, day of the celebration of the Nativity of the Mother of God, all participants participated in the Holy Liturgy in the Cathedral “The Dormition of the Mother of God” in Varna, presided by His Eminence Bishop Ioan, Vicar of the Metropolitan of Varna Kyrill.
As a conclusion and closing of the Seminar in the evening program were presented the lectures “Tradition and Renewal in the Orthodoxy” by Protopresbyter Prof. Georgios Metallinos and “The importance of the life and deeds of St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain for the contemporary Church life” by Archimandrite Emiliyanos Kazantzidis. As well there was a presentation of the new book “Church, community, society” by the author Mariyan Soyadinov, from the Orthodox Theological Faculty of Veliko Turnovo University, Bulgaria and former President of the Balkan Orthodox Youth Association from 1993 till 2006.
On 9-th of September in the evening program were presented the books “Nikolai Gogol and the Orthodoxy”, “Fiodor Dostoevski and the Orthodoxy”, “Sergei Esseni and the Orthodoxy” and “Ana Ahmatova and the Orthodoxy” published in Russian by the International Public Fund “Unity of the Orthodox Peoples”. It is a pity that these editions have not been translated in other languages but at present there are no sponsors for such endeavour.
Especially interesting was the presentation of the feature film “The Angel’s Aisle” by the director Nikolai Draiden which has been accomplished with the help of the General Consulate of the Russian Federation in Varna and with the kind permition of the Russian Film Studio “Lenfilm”.
On 10-th of September in the morning program were organized video projections in the Spiritual center in the church “St. Archangel Michail”. There were presented the Orthodox documentary films “Pilgrimage to the Eternal City”, 3-rd serial “The ones that are going to their death” by the director Vladimir Hotinenko, “Pure Tradition” for the third edition of the First old times Sunday Fair “Bread and wine” in the village of Spatovo in 2010 and the film-concert “Nikolai Koutin – 35 years on the stage” for the Bulgarian opera singer that have sang many church songs with the male quire “Metropolitan Metodiy Kousev” from the town Stara Zagora.
In the afternoon in the Big Studio Hall of Radio “Varna” were presented the lecture “The Spirit of the old Melnik” by Iane and Elena Kamenarovi for the tradition and the customs of Melnik region and their interrelations with the Church life. Also there was a concert of purely traditional folk songs and instrumentals by the formation “Bread and Wine” from Melnik.
In the evening program were presented the recently published books in Bulgarian: “Christian ethics, vol. 1” and “Orthodox Spiritual Life” by Prof. Georgios Mandzaridis from the Theological Faculty of the Aristotelian University of Thessalonica. Also were presented new publications of the Synodal Publishing House of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
On Sunday the last day of the event has been served a Holy Liturgy in the church “St. Nikolai” in Varna, presided by His Eminence Bishop Ioan, Vicar of the Metropolitan of Varna Kyril. At the end of the Holy Liturgy Bishop Ioan blessed and addressed the guests of the “Week of the Orthodox Book” and announced its closing. For the very conclusion of the event there were traditional folk dances (choro) with instrumental accompaniments on tambura, kemene, gaida – traditional musical instruments. The musicians and the dancers from the formation “Bread and Wine” and the rest of the people had gone to the nearby Spiritual Center “St. Archangel Michail”. There all that waned to participate in the dances took part in the feast.
Protoierei Vassiliy Shagan Chairman of the Board of trusties of the two above mentioned churches and responsible for the organization of the event thanked all the donors and sponsors and wished them God’s help in every good deed they undertake.
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