Metropolitan Gerasimos to Deliver Keynote Address at National Ecumenical Conference

April 24, 2009

His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco will present the Keynote Address at the National Workshop for Christian Unity, an Ecumenical Conference being held in Phoenix, AZ from April 27 - 30, 2009.  The conference, themed "Desert Pilgrimage" will begin with an opening prayer service on Monday, April 27 at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Basilica with participation by His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos, along with other Christian Church leaders from throughout the United States. Also participating in the service will be the combined Greek Orthodox choirs from the Phoenix-area parishes chanting "O Radiant Light".

His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos will deliver the Keynote Address on Tuesday, April 28 at 9:00 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix.  His Eminence's presentation will focus on Ezekiel's call for the people to come together to make a great nation by joining the sticks, recalling the story from the Desert Fathers of Abba John who faithfully watered a dry stick planted in the desert for three years before it bore fruit. In his address, His Eminence will explore the theme of the Workshop through some insights of the Desert Fathers and their call for unity in faith, unity to Christ, and unity of the Church. The Desert Fathers should remind us that the quest for Christian unity is one of struggle, but requiring patience and faithful obedience to the command of Christ.

The conference is sponsored by the National Association of Ecumenical Officers. Now in its 42^nd year, the National Workshop on Christian Unity celebrates the spirit of ecumenism by: providing meeting seminars for all who are concerned with the ministry of Christian unity: laity, clergy, ecumenical officers, theologians, staff of ecumenical organizations; stimulating an exchange of ideas and experiences among people concerned with Christian unity and the bodies they represent; being a source and balance between national planning and local responsibility; general ecumenical discussions and particular interchurch conversations; and regional leadership efforts and local realities; encouraging denominational networks to develop and serve as a framework within which they can interact; and celebrating the unity that already exists among Christians and searching for ways to overcome the divisions that remain. For more information, please visit the conference website: www.nwcu.org.