The Eastern Diocese held its third Clergy Continuing Education Gathering—the final one for the autumn 2022 season—on October 11-13, at the Betania Retreat and Spiritual Center in Medway, MA.
The retreat was aimed at the clergy of the New England region, but the 14 priests attending hailed not only from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, but also from Minnesota, Florida, Texas, Illinois, and Ohio.
As in the other two regional gatherings, Diocesan Primate Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan addressed the clergy via video hookup from the New York City rehabilitation facility where he is recovering from his injuries in last summer’s automobile accident.
Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian presented four lectures focusing on the Bible, drawing on his doctoral background in the subject. He spoke on the effective use of Scripture in sermons, and gave helpful advice for studying the Bible alone and in the company of parishioners.
In addition, the clergy participated in daily prayer services, and enjoyed an evening of fellowship generously hosted at the home of Fr. Krikor Sabounjian, pastor of Holy Translators Church in Framingham, MA.