Training Events

We invite church school directors, teachers, and parents to read over the new information for this year's Creative Festivals. There are many improvements, so be sure to browse through the entire Creative Festivals site!

Fr. Thomas Speaks to Institute ParticipantsReport and Photos by Shelley Pituch

View Photo Gallery

The 2011 Orthodox Institute, held at Antiochian Village, near Ligonier, PA, over the weekend of November 3 – 6, was advertised as “an event like no other” and it proved to live up to its claim in more than one way. The theme was “Scripture through the Lens of the Holy Land” and this was the first time that the Orthodox Institute was a multi-jurisdictional collaboration between the host of the event, the Antiochian Department of Christian Education, and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, the Orthodox Church in America Department of Christian Education, and the Orthodox Christian Education Commission.

A new brochure and updated registration form are now available for the 2011 Orthodox Institute: "Scripture through the Lens of the Holy Land." For further information and to download brochures and forms, please visit www.antiochian.org/christianeducation/oi2011.

Everyone I have spoken to about the 2011 Orthodox Institute at Antiochian Village is very excited about this “event like no other!” Mark your calendars now for November 3-6, 2011 at Antiochian Village, outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. NOW is the time to approach your parish council about setting aside funds.

More information

Download Brochure (PDF)

Download Flyer (PDF)

Download Registration Form (PDF, Revised 9.3.11)

Download Complete Description of Course Schedule and Events

Here are some highlights:

Orthodox Institute SessionA successful season for the Orthodox Institute, an innovative and highly regarded Christian Education training program pioneered by Antiochian Christian Education Director Carole Buleza, concluded with a three day Institute at Antiochian Village in November. Institutes took place in cities both in Canada and the U.S. St. Michael's Church in Van Nuys, California was the site for the first Institute on September 18; subsequent Institutes were hosted in Edmonton on October 2, then Harrisburg on October 9, Ontario on October 23, and finally at Antiochian Village on November 4-7. Noted iconographers and speakers taught sessions that fit into one of three tracks: Church School Director, Teacher Training, or Orthodoxy. Participants came from all regions and jurisdictions.

Besides racking up the miles, Director Carole Buleza also met with many teachers across the country, and she commented on the spirit of pan-Orthodox cooperation present this year, enabling her to reflect afterwards that this year's Institute "was a decisive event for Orthodox Christian Education." (See an Institute photo gallery here.)

Attendees offered these retrospectives:

This past November the halls, meeting rooms and dining hall at the Antiochian Village were alive with the language of iconography. At this year’s Orthodox Institute, the 10th anniversary, the theme was icononography; the history of icons; the stories they tell; praying with icons and using them as a tool for teaching. The three-day institute began with a keynote address by Frederica Mathewes-Green, who spoke of her personal experience with icons and her journey to Orthodoxy; this was followed by two days of workshops on icons, which included presentations by the well-known iconographer/illustrator, Niko Chochelli, iconographer, Cheryl Pituch and authors, Anton Vram and Chrissie Hart and the staff of the Antiochian Orthodox Department of Christian Education.

• 2010 Orthodox Institute, November 4-7
• 2010 Orthodox Institute Edmonton, October 2
• 2010 Orthodox Institute Harrisburg, October 9
• 2010 Orthodox Institute Ontario, October 23

2010 ORTHODOX INSTITUTE

Update: Oct. 5, 2010

November 4-7, 2010
Antiochian Village

Download Brochure (PDF)
Download Flyer (PDF)
Download Registration Form (PDF)
Registration Deadline: October 8
Please note: We will accept registrations beyond the deadline date

The Orthodox Institute welcomes all Christians who love icons to join us the first weekend in November. The event offers 15 courses for teachers, directors and those interested in the faith in an enjoyable atmosphere of fellowship and learning. The Institute is held at the Antiochian Village Conference Center which sits nestled in the beautiful Laurel Mountain region, near Ligonier, Pennsylvania, an hour from Pittsburgh. Plan to arrive before 5:00 for dinner on Thursday evening. The first program will be the keynote address at 7:00 that evening. The keynote address is by Frederica Mathewes-Green, based on her book, The Open Door, Entering the Sanctuary of Icons and Prayer. The event ends Sunday afternoon, around 1:00, after the brunch that follows Divine Liturgy.

We are pleased to offer a spectacular event for our 10^th Anniversary Institute: “Icons: Windows to Heaven,” with iconographers Niko Chocheli and Cheryl Ann Pituch. Read interviews with both iconographers here. We are also pleased that Dr. Anton Vrame, Director of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Department of Religious Education, will be with us to present a course on his work, The Educating Icon. The books noted above will be available at the Conference Center bookstore. Book-signings will be scheduled during the weekend. The schedule allows you to take three classes on Friday, and three on Saturday. The courses marked with an asterisk will be offered both days. The course listing is as follows:

Ontario Training InstituteDon't miss these training events this fall:

October 2, 2010, at St. Philip Church, 15804 – 98 Street, Edmonton, AB. Contact Nellie Salloum at njsalloum@yahoo.com. 

     Go HERE for the Priest's Letter; Go HERE for the flyer; Registration information and details HERE.

October 9, 2010, Christ the Saviour Church, 5501 Old Locust Lane, Harrisburg, PA 17109. Contact Myra Kovalak, mekovalak@gmail.com.

     Go HERE for the flyer; Registration information and details HERE.

October 23, 2010 at the “Orthodox Institute Ontario,” St. George Church, Richmond Hill. Contact Joanieunis@hotmail.com.

     Go HERE for the flyer; Registration information and details HERE.

Mark your calendars for next year's Conference: March 31-April 3, 2011.

Icon used by permission of www.comeandseeicons.com

"Of all the holy works, the education of children is the most holy." - St Theophan the Recluse

Policy on Training Expenses
In parishes of the Antiochian Archdiocese:

1. Fees for the Teacher Training Workshop are required and should be used to cover costs of hosting the workshop. Average fees are around $20 per person.