WEDNESDAYS
THEME: Sacred Art & Architecture
DATETOPICSPEAKER:+Rev. Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews
March16Sacred Art- part One (Reassessing Art History & Principles I)
March 23Sacred Art- part Two (Principles II, Gallery Art & Challenges)
March 30Sacred Architecture- part One (Intro, Theology, Central Orientation)
April6Sacred Architecture- part Two (Form & Geometry, Elements & Materials)
April 13Wall Paintings and Mosaics (Function & Principles)
FRIDAYS
THEME:The Art of Living and Dying Well
DATETOPICSPEAKER
March 18Estate Planning- Remembering God & ChurchBob Chandler
March 25Neither Male Nor Female (Lenten Retreat topic)Pres. Eugenia Constantinou
April1Natural Burial- Better than CremationJohn Jaskulske
April 8Health Care Directives- Planning for When You Can’tAnne Elizabeth Denny
April 15 Power of Attorney- Trusting others to take care of usMaria Paraschou
SCHEDULE
6:00PM Lenten Service; 7:30PM Lenten Community Meal;
8:00PM Lecture; 8:30PM Q&A; 8:45PM Conclude.
Wednesday’s Theme:Sacred Art & Architecture
When people of different faiths walk into an Orthodox temple, they understand intuitively the beauty of its content and form. Why is that? This lecture series will dive into the details of sacred art (iconography) and architecture as they are expressed in Orthodox church buildings and houses of worship. Among many things we will examine how sacred art and architecture mediates, participates, aids repentance, is liturgical, is prophetic, and reveals. We will look at prime examples of elements including atrium, narthex, nave, dome, iconostasis, altar, apse, light, acoustics, and proportion. The lecture series is primarily based on the writings of Aidan Hart.
Friday’s Theme: The Art of Living and Dying Well
When we think of living well, we imagine physical health, a beautiful home, material wealth, luxurious vacations, early retirement, and beings surrounded by family and friends. We rarely think of death, and when and if we do, we do not think of it as part of living. Yet, aging and death are inevitable and how well we live is determined in part by how well we accept and prepare for this inevitability. This lectures series is meant to give practical advice in order to prepare for aging and dying so that we live life to the fullest.
Meal Hosting- Any individual, family, ministry, committee, or group is encouraged to sponsor a Lenten Meal.
“Living and Dying Well” - Biographies of Speakers
Robert Chandler, JD Bob has practice law for over 40 years, working with three generations of many families, and developing strong bonds with his clients. Bob has extensive experience with estate and business planning, real estate, as well as probate and trust administration. He is also a frequent speaker on estate planning. He is the founding partner of Chandler and Brown, Ltd. and sits on the board for the United Hospital Foundation. His education includes Northwestern University, B.S., cum laude, Wheaton College, M.S., cum laude, Northwestern University School of Law, J.D., cum laude
Presvytera Jeannie Constantiniou, Ph.D. majored in Religious Studies from the University of San Diego (1980), a Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law (1985), a Master of Arts in Practical Theology from University of San Diego (1992), Masters of Theology from Holy Cross Seminary (1996) and Harvard Divinity School (1998), and a Ph.D. from Universite Laval, Quebec City, Canada (2008). She has taught at Hellenic College/Holy Cross Seminary and University of San Diego. Presvytera has led bible studies, taught and lectured on the Bible, early Christianity and Orthodoxy at parishes, conferences, retreats and seminars for over thirty years. She is married to Father Costas and they have on child, Christopher (25).
Ann ElizabethDenny Ann’s passion for helping families prepare for difficult end-of-life decisions stems from her own life. Her mother, Carol, lived with Alzheimer’s disease for twenty years. Like most families, disagreements arose regarding the best care possible for her mother. For most of her career, Ann served as an independent business consultant in the healthcare industry, focusing on solving business problems usually involving how to design solutions with technology. Because of her mother’s journey, she began researching and learning all about healthcare directives. She began by designing a web-based tool to help people write their directives and then wrote a book. Now she writes a blog aiming to normalize this topic and promote awareness. As a speaker, I strive to educate and inspire individuals and families to push past procrastination in order to be prepared.
John Jaskulske Born and raised in Racine Wisconsin, John earned a Mortuary Science degree from the University of Minnesota (1987) and has called this state home ever since. In addition to being a funeral director, John is also an inventor who has created several funeral care products. John lives in Maplewood, MN with his wife Jacque and their three children. “Over the past 30 years I have witnessed changes in the way we care for our dead. Cremation rates have escalated. New options like alkaline hydrolysis and natural burial have also been introduced. Also, unfortunately, as our society has become more transient funerals have become less important.”
Maria Paraschou, JD Maria is an attorney for 3M Company, Legal Affairs, counseling clients on government contracting matters. She primarily supportsstate and federal regulatory compliance, contract administration, procurement matters, and develops/maintains internal compliance and training programs. Her prior work experience includes private law practice and defense contracting. Maria and her family reside in Saint Paul and are active members at St. George Greek Orthodox Church.
Fr. Richard Andrews is pastor/priest of St. George Greek Orthodox Christian Church in St. Paul, MN (since 1999) and a volunteer chaplain with the St. Paul Police Department (since 2006), and a critical incident chaplain with IOCC Frontline (since 2013). He is a graduate of University of Minnesota (Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration & Marketing 1988) Minneapolis, MN and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (Masters of Divinity 1994) Boston, MA. He is Doctoral candidate (Marriage & Family Therapy) at Argosy University. Fr. Rick previously served Holy Apostles GOC in Chicago, IL (1995-97) and Dormition GOC in Racine, WI (1997-99).
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