Categories: orthodox-life, study, australia
Date: 13 September 2008 07:00:31
Not some in-depth analysis or opinion on whether they should be separate, but simply what I did on this very warm Spring day. Summer is definitely on its way: it got up to 30.4°C in the city, where I was until about 13:30. The blanket has been removed from my bed. The heavy [and thus warm] quilt has also been packed away. Of course, now I have done this, I expect a chilly change, with temperatures dipping close to 0 which will necessitate me getting them out again. :)
I headed off this morning to St Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College for their Open Day. [I am always ahead of myself; I am not that near to finishing my Project Management course and am already looking at what next!] A beautiful, albeit small, campus, in a busy part of Sydney city, but with pleasant surrounds that, if it weren't for the constant blaring of music from some concert in a park nearby, would've had you forgetting you were in the city.
There were presentations, descriptions from lecturers, tours of the library and Cathedral [stunning; it was an Anglican church in the past, and was actually an exact replica of a church in England!], as well as some wonderful displays on books, icons and icon-making and sacred music. In addition, there was a photographic exhibition, and all too brief lecture by the owner of the exhibition Dr Ken Parry, on "Byzantine Churches of Constantinople". Two people from my parish also attended the Open Day, and I met a deacon studying at the College whom I had met at the Melbourne Retreats I attended.
I was very impressed with all, particular the talks by the lecturers and the man involved in the College's publishing arm, and in particular the talks by His Eminence, Archbishop Stylianos, who is Dean of the College. It is clear they all greatly value and treasure Orthodoxy, and their explanations of reasons to study, particular His Eminence's [who is a superb speaker], reminded me of why I was drawn to Orthodoxy: its "practical" theology. As an early Christian writer wrote, and as Orthodox continue to echo, "The one who truly prays is a theologian, and the true theologian is one who prays." As His Eminence continued, theology cannot seek to have its aim to contain God in descriptions or boxes: for He cannot be contained, and He cannot be described fully; the purpose of theology, as with our lives, is to experience God, to experience a relationship with Him. And this practical attitude, and the fact Orthodoxy sees theology in this way, was one of the many things that drew me towards it.
I am not planning [though who knows what God has in store?] full-time study; St Andrew's has week-long intensive courses, so I may take a week off work two times a year and do some study. I may do something else. I would like to deepen my knowledge of the Orthodox Faith, and with what I saw today I would be very happy, and I imagine blessed, to do so at St Andrew's.
After crawling home along Parramatta Road [sighs of sympathy I am sure from fellow Sydney residents who have attempted thus in the early afternoon on a Saturday: or perhaps most days and times], I went to a local school to vote. As I have no doubt commented before, voting is compulsory in Australia at all levels: federal, state and local [council]. If you do not vote, at least not without a good reason, there is a fine. Today was the council and mayoral elections, and I have done my civic duty: though with a bit of ignorance I must confess. I must say I tend to follow state, federal and international issues more than local issues [I don't read local papers much], so I am not well aware of the main issues here, though I have a basic understanding. Still: perhaps this realisation may drive me to be better prepared next time.