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COMMUNITIES IN ACTION
On The Sacrament Of Listening
Dr. Philip Mamalakis
Father Joseph Allen Memorial Lecture
The Father Joseph Allen Memorial Fund Lecture series continued on October 21, 2023, with a presentation by Dr. Philip Mamalakis. He spoke on the topic of “The Sacrament of Listening” to an audience at St. Anthony Orthodox Church, Bergenfield, New Jersey, where Fr. Allen served for decades. Dr. Mamalakis is the Associate Professor of Pastoral Care at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. He teaches classes on pastoral care and counseling: marriage; family grief and dying; and mental health. He is a noted author and frequent lecturer throughout the United Sates and overseas.
Dr. Mamalakis engaged in a lively discussion with people from area Orthodox parishes on the importance of truly listening to others, and its importance in building and strengthening relationships in our lives. He suggested practical exercises to improve one’s listening ability.
The evening also provided fellowship, beginning with Vespers and refreshments.
The event was sponsored by the Father Joseph Allen Memorial Fund (FJMF). The FJMF was created in Father Joe’s memory to provide Orthodox Christian educational opportunities. Father Joe served St. Anthony as its pastor for 53 years. He was an academic teaching at both Holy Cross and St. Vladimir’s seminaries, the author of many books and articles, a Vicar General of the Antiochian Archdiocese, and inaugural chaplain of the Order of St. Ignatius. Father Joe was a founder and director for many years of the Antiochian House of Studies and St. Stephen’s Course in Applied Orthodox Theology. He was instrumental in realizing St. Anthony’s legacy as among the first pan-Orthodox parishes in the United States.
Display materials related to Father Joe’s diverse ministry and St. Anthony’s history were exhibited as part of the evening program. The FJMF is in the process of developing a Learning and Media Center and Archive at St. Anthony. The first FJMF Lecture was held in October, 2022 with Dr. Gayle Woloschak, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies at Northwestern University, who spoke on Orthodox Bioethics and Pastoral Ministry.
