Holy Cross hosts talk on the importance of the laity

(Holy Cross) - As part of Alumni Homecoming Weekend 2012, Dr. Philip Mamalakis moderated HCHC's first-ever live-streaming panel discussion, entitiled The Vital Ministry of the Laity: The Royal Priesthood of all Believers. The panel was comprised of five lay members of the alumni community, including Gerontissa Foteini, a nun from All Saints Monastery in New York; Elena Khoury, a contract and immigration attorney; Chris Kourlos, a business consultant; Dr. George D. Stavros, Director of the Danielson Institute; and Catherine Varkas, a long-time educator.

Dr. Mamalakis explained that the panel members “shared how they understood their particular vocation as vocation and ministry of the Church.” He highlighted the work of Ms. Khoury as helping the needy through pro-bono legal work, and the work of Ms. Varkas in contributing to the formation of young children. He commented that all of the members of the panel discussed how they strive to present themselves as Orthodox Christians as much as they are able. As a result, as colleagues and clients get to know them, they have the opportunity to get to know the Orthodox Church.

More than 50 students, alumni and guests attended the discussion, which addressed how we strive to live out our priestly ministry in our professional lives. The panel also marked the beginning of live-streaming discussions at Holy Cross over the Internet. One hundred ten online viewers participated in the session. These viewers were able to interact with the panel via email, and one Internet viewer remarked, “I appreciate the time and effort that you expended to conduct this online session. Although I am not a graduate of HCHC, I had the blessing to attend the Diaconate program classes over the last few summers. I was able to listen in to this session while working at my desk…”

Following on the success of this panel, Hellenic College Holy Cross hopes to have at least one live-streaming discussion, lecture, or event per month throughout the course of the academic year. Recordings of all live sessions will be uploaded to our YouTube channel, HCHCMedia, and will also be accessible through the video archive of this website.

The Vital Ministry of the Laity: The Royal Priesthood of All Believers has been archived into 17 segments for easier viewing. Part 1 is above. To view Parts 2-17, please visit our YouTube channel, HCHCMedia.