Successful Inaugural Conference of the Orthodox Canon Law Society of North America in Brookline, Massachusetts

The inaugural conference of The Orthodox Canon Law Society of North America (OCLSNA) took place on October 18–19, 2024 at the Maliotis Cultural Center located on the campus of Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, 50 Goddard Avenue, Brookline, MA. The conference included 17 presentations by Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholics, and others who gathered to provide papers embodying current research on all aspects of canonical studies and for discussions of canonical praxis in a professional setting. The Orthodox Christian Attorney Network partnered with the Society and sponsored the luncheon program on the confidentiality of Orthodox confession and its implications in civil litigation. The conference speakers demonstrated the quality of their scholarship and the scope of this multidisciplinary field. By the end of the conference, there were eighty participants.

The Rev. Dr. Patrick Viscuso, the president of the Society, stated regarding the inaugural conference, “We adopted an academic culture of avoiding invited papers and structuring a program based on the submission of paper proposals in the form of abstracts that were chosen based on a blind evaluation process. We feel that this opened a greater opportunity for the presentation of the most current research; and will prevent stratification and elitism. In addition, the moderators of each conference session introduced the presenters very simply, with their names and the title of their papers, one after the other without elaborate biographies. After three 20–25-minute papers, the audience was then encouraged to participate during each session’s 45-minute discussion period. In this way, more time was given to concentrate on the contributions of each presenter and to share ideas. In the future, only very exceptionally will we accommodate virtual presentations. The in-person conference for presenters and participants provides a greater opportunity for individual engagement, learning, and networking; and thus promotes our aim of fostering growth in the study of the Orthodox canonical tradition.”

Blessed by hierarchy, the OCLSNA is an incorporated non-profit academic society. The Society is Pan-Orthodox as well as unrestricted in denominational affiliation. The principal purposes of this academic society are to cultivate a new generation of canonists, to encourage cooperation with individuals and organizations conducting research in related fields, to establish meaningful dialogues with other organizations dedicated to canonical studies, and to respond to canonical needs. The society aims to foster growth in the study of the Orthodox canonical tradition by gathering scholars, professors, graduate students, attorneys, seminarians, and interested clergy in academic conferences. 

 Orthodox canon law includes the entire field of Eastern Christian canonical history and practice, including the Oriental and Eastern Catholic traditions. The discipline extends beyond the review of formal legislation and includes a vast scope of practice and literature. The canonical and legal life of the Church is reflected in such diverse areas as hagiography, liturgy, art, hymnography, and pastoral practice.