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23rd December 2008, 09:16 AM
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I am new here and my knowledge of Orthodoxy in general is only basic. I was wondering about levels of interaction between the various OO churches outside the US. By interaction, I mean, are there low profile exchange of visits by clergy or theology students of one church living at a monastery of another church etc. If there isn't, wouldn't it be a good idea to encourage this mutual exchange so that a better understanding of Orthodox worship is reached by borrowing from each other.
Apart from USA, I guess only UK, Australia and probably Gulf countries have multiple OO communities and therefore there would be a higher level of interation due to the mixed expat population.
Any info on this would be appreciated.
God bless you,
rx | 
24th December 2008, 12:11 AM
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Reps: 22,237,536,444,374,036 (power: 22,237,536,444,383) | | Originally Posted by orthogulf Greetings to all!
I am new here and my knowledge of Orthodoxy in general is only basic. I was wondering about levels of interaction between the various OO churches outside the US. By interaction, I mean, are there low profile exchange of visits by clergy or theology students of one church living at a monastery of another church etc. If there isn't, wouldn't it be a good idea to encourage this mutual exchange so that a better understanding of Orthodox worship is reached by borrowing from each other.
Apart from USA, I guess only UK, Australia and probably Gulf countries have multiple OO communities and therefore there would be a higher level of interation due to the mixed expat population.
Any info on this would be appreciated.
God bless you,
rx
To answer you question in a general sense, yes. From an academic perspective students who study church history at a graduate level will at some point or another interact (going to school, visiting seminaries) with our churches. Also there are clergy who have attended schools other than monasteries for academic reasons.
Also can you please clarify the following statement - Originally Posted by orthogulf If there isn't, wouldn't it be a good idea to encourage this mutual exchange so that a better understanding of Orthodox worship is reached by borrowing from each other.
Thanks.
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24th December 2008, 02:50 AM
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"If there isn't, wouldn't it be a good idea to encourage this mutual exchange so that a better understanding of Orthodox worship is reached by borrowing from each other."
.....what I meant to know was whether members of the various OO communities get opportunities to mingle with each other, get familiar with different prayer and worship traditions, etc. For eg. Other than at ecumenical conferences or official visits, does any form of interaction take place between the laity of OO churches? Communities generally tend to be cloistered and interaction happens only when unavoidable. I was told that in some EO churches, there are occasional cases of say Russian & Antiochian parishes jointly conducting Bible study, retreats, Sunday services, events, medical camps etc.
By holding joint Bible study, retreats or worship services within the OO family, wouldn't members learn about a different style of worship without compromising on his doctrine. Like for instance, knowing something about the Agbeya or Coptic saints could help a Syrian or Indian Orthodox in his journey of faith and vice versa. As I had mentioned, my knowledge about Orthodoxy is quite basic and hence I often look up OO and EO resources available online to widen my understanding.
God bless,
rx | 
26th December 2008, 09:04 PM
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