Call for presentations

Presentations Overview

The Assembly will consist of two tracks. A clergy track will be presented on Thursday and Friday, November 2nd and 3rd. A laity tract will occur from Friday to Sunday, November 3rd to 5th. This gathering aims to increase the appreciation of the Byzantine Ruthenian Church’s history (both in the “Old Country” and the United States) and Byzantine Ruthenian art and culture. The second target of the assembly is to learn about the best practices occurring in our parishes today, which are contributing to the growth of our communities, with the hope that the attendees will incorporate this information into their parish activities. Developing concrete steps to ensure the future and development of our Church is the third objective of the Assembly. The synodal meetings revealed these three topics to be the most important to those participating in the process.

The assembly committee seeks proposals from individuals or teams, bother clerical, and lay for presentations to discover the best practices utilized in our parishes throughout the United States. The presentations may be based on personal experience or academic research.  The ideal would be a combination of the two.  The Eparch of the presenter will be contacted to receive his nihil obstat. 

There are two primary areas for exploration:

Where we are – these sessions will explore the present conditions of our Church, both good and bad – looking at its development and growth over time.  How have we grown, and how have we changed.  Where we have developed, where have we fallen short, and what have we learned from these experiences. Evangelization and the different approaches that individual parishes have taken for growth will be presented in this section. In these sessions, we will explore the present parish life in our communities by presenting success stories that can be used as examples for other communities to utilize. Best practices will be explored. 

Where are (or where should) we going –in these sessions, presentations will focus on what we should be doing as a Church.  It is an opportunity to present a vision for the future.  This is an opportunity to present the dream of the Byzantine Catholic Church going forward.  What can be done that has not been done?  The conclusion of this section will discuss the steps to utilize the fruits of this gathering to make the dream a reality. 

How to Submit a Presentation

1. Review the themes and ideas in the following table.  Use these suggestions to spark ideas about what you can contribute, but do not limit your thoughts to those presented.  If there is something that you believe should be explored, do not hesitate to submit a proposal.

2. Present your topic in a short paragraph using the submission form. Explain your topic and how you would like to present it – for example, an individual presenter or a group presentation.  The final presentation would be no more than an hour, including Q & A. This may be modified depending on the number of successful submissions. Your presentation may take the form of a breakout session. 

3. Would you like to present to the clergy, the laity, or both?

4. Create a short video (no more than 5 minutes) presenting your topic

5. Submit this proposal information form, the video, and a short bio to Fr. Edward Cimbala via email to  byzantineassembly2023@gmail.com

The committee will contact you to discuss or clarify your proposal if necessary.

Themes and Ideas for Topics

• The observance of the Divine Office as well as the Divine Liturgy is necessary for a living, healthy parish and for the survival and thriving of every Church.

• A proposal for recovering an ancient successful ecclesial paradigm: Pre-evangelization, Evangelization, Catechesis, and Mystagogy as a seamless process and the members of the Byzantine Ruthenian Church as missionary disciples.

• The Divine Liturgy as a Tool for Evangelization – The Divine Liturgy as a Missional Act

• The Culture of the Byzantine Ruthenian Catholic Church as a Tool for Evangelization

• Young Adults and their attraction to the Byzantine Catholic Church – Why they long for Liturgy

• Successful Mission Outreach and Parish Development

• Evangelization and the Church Year – the Seasons of Fasting and Feasting a School for Evangelization

• The Liturgy after the Liturgy as a means of developing community

• What is the mission field for the Byzantine Catholic Church in America? Where should we be developing new parishes?

• Principles to be applied to becoming a parish of the future

• Listening to the people in the pews: Closing, Rebuilding and Revitalizing Parishes

• The development of a Byzantine Mission Theology

• A Blueprint for the Growth of the Byzantine Catholic Church in America

• The use of social media for Evangelization

Timeline

May 1 Requests for presentations out

June 1 Application deadline - Videos and support materials received

June 15 Committee reviews submissions

June 20 Presenters Notified

July 1 Assembly Scheduled Announced and major promotion begins 

Presenter compensation

Presenters will receive a stipend of $250.00, and their Assembly registration will be covered.

Have Any Questions?

Please do not hesitate to contact Fr. Ed Cimbala at 212-677-0516 or fredcimbala@gmail.com if you have any questions or need additional information to aid you in formulating your proposal.