Last updated on July 3rd, 2022 at 03:10 pm
On July 9, 2022, the International Organization for the Family (the publisher of ifamnews) and Pemptousia Web Magazine will be hosting a “digital fellowship” with Elder Ephraim, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos in Greece. Elder Ephraim will be talking on the topic “The value of the family in the present age.” The talk will be given in Greek with simultaneous translation into English, French, Russian, Romanian, Georgian, and Arabic, and will begin at 8 pm Athens Time, 1 pm US Eastern Standard Time.
Brian Brown, President of IOF, who will be moderating the webinar, stated:
“We are proud to be hosting this terrific event that will allow people to get to hear from Elder Ephraim, one of the leading lights not just of Orthodoxy, but Christianity in general. He is unafraid to speak truth to power and to bring wisdom to the social crises affecting Western culture.”
Elder Ephraim was born in 1956 in Cyprus and is a graduate of the Theological School of the University of Athens. He is a leading voice of Christianity and Orthodoxy and is an outspoken critic of the “absurdities” of modern Western Culture. As he said back in 2018 in a message to Greek Orthodox Christians in America:
“[W]e feel for modern people who are living in this time of absurdity, of the broad acceptance of sin, of the disintegration of the human person, the deconstruction of every value and institution. We hope and pray that you will remain faithful to the traditions of our Church; that, internally, you will live the life in Christ, which recognizes the value of people and gives meaning to their life.”
Vatopedi Monastery, founded in the 4th century, is one of twenty Eastern Orthodox monasteries on Mt. Athos, the “ark of Orthodoxy.” The current monastery buildings date back to the 10th century and now house over 100 monks.
“Mt. Athos is one of the holiest places in the world. You can literally feel the presence of God there,” Brown stated. “And the monasteries on Mt. Athos, especially Vatopedi, are some of the strongest advocates for the family in the world.”
To register for this unique event, please click here. We encourage you to register as soon as possible as only the first 1,000 people will be able to participate on this Zoom call. (You will also be able to watch the event on Facebook; details to follow.)