Presentations

With part of the St. Phoebe Center Board at IOTA 2023 in Volos Greece. L to R: Gust Mecera, Ann Marie Mecera, Carrie Frederick Frost, Kristina Baktis, and Helen Theodoropoulos.

Select Past Presentations

“From the Monastery to the Living Room: A Cautionary Tale of the Laicization of Contemplative Practices” Ascetic Practices and the Mind Conference at The Catholic University of America, March 1-2, 2024.

“In all and for all? Who is included in the Orthodox Christian Liturgy?” Conference at Yale Institute of Sacred Music, February 22-23, 2024.

“Deaconesses for the Orthodox Church Today,” St. Phoebe Center Anniversary Year In-person Symposium at Holy Cross Hellenic College in Boston, November 10-12, 2023.

“Watchfulness, Quiet, and Stillness as Family Values: Hesychasm in Contemporary Christian Family Life,” Valparaiso University, October 9, 2023.


Lectures at University of Eastern Finland, September 2023.

“Women and Diakonia in the Orthodox Church Today,” Keynote Address at Women’s Lived Orthodoxy, an event organized by the Orthodox Church of Finland at Valamo Monastery in September 2023. In Finnish.

 

“Church of Our Granddaughters by Carrie Frederick Frost: An Evening with the Author,” St. Phoebe Center Anniversary Year Online Event, 7-8:30pm eastern on September 3, 2023, the Feast Day of St. Phoebe.

 

“Myth-busting: Addressing the Myths around Ordaining Deaconesses,” St. Phoebe Center Anniversary Year Online Event, Noon-1pm eastern on July 19, 2023.

 

“Church of Our Granddaughters: On Menstruation,” Axia Women, July 30, 2023 at 4:00pm.

“An Incarnational Model: A Constructive Theology of Sex Differentiation,” Orthodox Theological Association in America (OTSA) and International Orthodox Theological Association (IOTA), Volos, Greece, January 2023.

Nova Forum Seminar: Maternal Body, January 28, 2023 at Nova Forum for Catholic Thought in Los Angeles.

“Practices of Synodality: For the Life of the World” and “Women and Synodality in the Orthodox Church,” at Pro Oriente Conference, November 2022.

“The Status of the Reinstitution of Deaconesses in the Orthodox Church Today: Consecrated in Africa, Considered Elsewhere,” American Academy of Religion, November 2021 and Orthodox Theological Society of America, January 2022.

“Does the Orthodox Church have a Woman Problem?” IOTA Talks Series, recorded in Eagle River, Alaska, August 2021.

“Women in the Orthodox Church: Promise and Possibility” Eagle River Institute, August 1-5, 2021. Eagle River Institute began in 1995. Sponsored by Saint John Orthodox Cathedral, it is held each summer August 1-5, and offers instruction in a variety of Orthodox topics, including theology, history, liturgy, spirituality, and scriptural studies. In 2020, it began a cooperative effort with the International Orthodox Theological Association (IOTA) to develop catechetical resources. All three founding IOTA board members (Paul Gavrilyuk, Gayle Woloschak, and Carrie Frederick Frost) appeared at the 2021 session.

“Living Christianity as a Woman,” A Discussion with Dr. Elena Narinskaya, Dr. Mary Cunningham, Rev. Dr. Gabrielle Thomas, and Dr. Carrie Frederick Frost at the Centre for Applied Theology and Women’s Ministries Initiative, April 19, 2021.

For the Life of the Word: Marriage and Family: Speaking on the Orthodox Christian Network with Fr. Chris Metropolous and Dr. Philip Mamalakis on the document, For the Life of the World: Toward a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church, November 19, 2020.

“Speaking Up for Silence: An Argument for a Popularizing the Jesus Prayer Among the Laity”at Orthodox Theological Society in America Conference, November 12-14, 2020.

“The Jesus Prayer: Just for monastics?” Speaking with Father Anthony Perkins on his Back Porch, Saturday, October 17, 2020 at 10am eastern.

Women Scholars in the Orthodox Church: Fordham’s Orthodox Christian Studies Center Webinar Series, September 29, 2020. Watch the interview here. 

Orthodoxy on Tap, New York City at Beekman Pub on February 13, 2020.

“The Female Diaconate and the Orthodox Church” with Kyra Limberakis and Teva Regule at Fordham Orthodox Christian Studies Center, New York City, February 11, 2020.

“Glad with the Sight of Sons and Daughters: How We Understand Children within Orthodox Marriage” at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Center for Family Care‘s Pastoral Challenges in Marriage Conference in Houston, Texas, January 25, 2020.

With group chairs and other leaders at IOTA’s 2023 conference in Volos, Greece.

“Does Unity or Uniformity Matter in the Church’s Practices of Menstruation and Communion, childbirth prayers, and miscarriage prayers?” as part of a Unity/Uniformity in Women’s Ministries in the Church I moderated at the Orthodox Theological Society in America Conference, November 2019.

“Why Now?” at Reviving the Female Diaconate in the Orthodox Church: Has the Time Come?  presented by the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on March 30, 2019 at St. Sophia, Sts. Faith, Hope & Agape Greek Orthodox Church, Fr. John A. Limberakis Cultural Center in Jeffersonville, Pennsylvania.

In Romania in January of 2019 at the inaugural International Orthodox Theological Association (IOTA) conference with my fellow founding IOTA board members Dr. Gayle Woloschak and Dr. Paul Gavrilyuk and His Eminence Teofan, Archbishop of Iaşi.

” ‘Without Corruption You Gave Birth to God the Word’: How We Understand Mary’s Virginity During Childbirth,” International Orthodox Theological Association Inaugural Conference in Iasi, Romania, January, 2019.

“Purifying the Churching Prayers: Reconciling the Post-Childbirth Prayers with the Church’s Theology of the Body,” New Directions in Orthodox Ministry Conference, Oslo Coalition, December 14, 2018.

“Why Ordination?” and “Why Now?” at The Call to Revive the Female Diaconate: Thirty Years After Rhodes, St. Phoebe Center for the Deaconess Conference at Saints Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church in Glenview (Chicago), IL, November 3, 2018

“The Very Hour of Giving Birth” or “The Fortieth Day”: When Are Mothers Welcome Back to Church After Childbirth and Why?”, Orthodox Theological Society in America at Holy Cross Hellenic College in Brookline, MA, October 18, 2018.

Book Panel on The Orthodox Reality by Vigen Guroian, Orthodox Theological Society in America at Holy Cross Hellenic College in Brookline, MA, October 18, 2018.

“Motherhood & Orthodox Theology,” on Family Matters with Father Alex Goussetis, Ancient Faith Radio, June 5, 2018.

“On Motherhood, the Church, and Orthodox Theology,” on Come Receive the Light with Fr. Chris Metropulos, Orthodox Christian Network, May 29, 2018.

“Introducing: The Reception of the Holy and Great Council: Reflections of Orthodox Christian Women,” at Leadership 100’s 27th Annual Conference, Miami Florida.

“Workers in the Vineyard: The Resiliency of Lay Laborers,” Panel Discussion at Orthodox Christian Association of Medical, Psychology, and Religion, November 4, 2017.

“The Royal Priesthood: A Call to Engage the Clergy and the Laity,” St. Phoebe Center for the Deaconess Renewing the Male and Female Diaconate in the Orthodox Church Conference, October 7, 2017.

“Deaconesses in the Orthodox Church in Africa,” Detroit’s Own Orthodox Radio, May 21, 2017.

With Patricia Ann Bouteneff (since then founder and President of Asia Women) and Dr. Pia Chaudhari during a panel discussion on women and the Holy and Great Council of 2016 during the meeting of the Orthodox Theological Society in America in October of 2016.

“The Depiction of Motherhood in Orthodox Iconography,” Detroit’s Own Orthodox Radio, November 6, 2016, program 76.

“Women and the Holy and Great Council,” Moderator of Panel Discussion at Orthodox Christian Theological Association (OTSA) Conference, October 2016.

“Accept Their Crowns into Your Kingdom: An Orthodox Christian Understanding of Marriage,” Huffington Ecumenical Symposium on Christian Family Life and the Challenges of Faithfulness, 2016.

“Pastoral Care of Perinatal and Infant Loss: The Importance of Rites,” Orthodox Association of Medicine, Psychology, and Religion Conference, 2016.

“Women in the Orthodox Church,” Saint Sophia Orthodox Church, Bellingham, Washington, 2015.

“John Chrysostom on Women and Mothers,” Saint Anselm Institute “Doctors of the Church Series,” University of Virginia, 2014.

“Women, Mothers, Children, and the Church,” Presentation to 20th Regular Sobor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, 2013.

“The Time Has Come: The Why and the How of Bringing Change to the Postpartum Rites of the Orthodox Church,” The Sophia Institute Conference, 2013.

“A Theological Vision of Motherhood,” Women Disciples of the Lord Conference, Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, 2011.

“Searching for Mothers in the Fathers,” The Sophia Institute Conference, 2009.