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Published by Hellenic
College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of
Theology, February 28, 2005
Dr. Kyriaki
Karidoyanes FitzGerald Leads Retreat in San
Antonio |
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San Antonio--Dr. Kyriaki
Karidoyanes FitzGerald taught a course on Orthodox
Spirituality and led a retreat at the Academy for
Spiritual Formation meeting at the Oblate Renewal
Center in San Antonio Texas on January 10-15,
2005.
Over sixty participants from throughout the
Southwest attended the course and ecumenical
retreat. Priests, ministers, chaplains and lay
leaders from a number of Christian churches and
traditions met daily for prayer, lectures, and
group discussions.
Dr. FitzGerald introduced the participants to the
spirit of Orthodox Spirituality. Among the topics
she discussed were: “Holiness and the Healing
Nature of Authentic Relationships,” “The Spiritual
Guide, Discernment and Orthodox Spiritual
Practices” and the “The Saints as Witnesses in and
for the World.” She also led the participants in
discussions on spiritual direction, iconography,
and liturgical formation.
The Academy for Spiritual Formation is an
ecumenical study and retreat program supported by
the Upper Room Ministries of the United Methodist
Church. The curriculum of the Academy is designed
especially for clergy and lay leaders desiring to
enhance their pastoral abilities and strengthen
their spiritual disciplines. The program also
seeks to examine the traditional aspects of
Christian spirituality within an ecumenical
context. For many of the participants, this
retreat was their first exposure to the teachings
and spirituality of the Orthodox Church.
On behalf of the Academy, the coordinator of the
program, Rev. Michael Ripski, commended Dr.
FitzGerald for her clear, sensitive and thoughtful
presentations on Orthodox Spirituality and
Pastoral Theology, and for her contribution to the
retreat. He noted that this was the first time
that many participants studied with an Orthodox
theologian. Rev. Ripski said that participants had
gained valuable insights into the distinctive
teachings of Orthodox Christianity and its rich
spiritual insights.
A theologian and licensed psychologist, Dr.
FitzGerald is a graduate of Hellenic College and
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. She
did advanced studies in Orthodox Theology at the
University of Thessaloniki and she received her
doctorate from Boston University.
She has taught courses in Pastoral Theology at
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and
St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. She
also lectured on Orthodox Spirituality at the
Ecumenical Institute in Geneva, Switzerland.
She was the Distinguished Lecturer in the year
2000 at the Patriarch Athenagoras Institute at the
Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley, CA.
As a licensed psychologist, she is also a Fellow
in the American Association of Pastoral
Counselors. She has served as the Director of
Education of the training program at the Worcester
Pastoral Counseling Center and has served on the
clinical faculty of Andover-Newton Theological
School.
She has been a clinical supervisor at Healthsigns
Pastoral Counseling Center in Yarmouth MA and a
consulting psychologist at the Gosnold Counseling
Center in Falmouth, MA. She now maintains a
private practice in Sandwich, MA.
Having served on the Board of Directors of the
Interfaith Sexual Trauma Institute at St. John’s
University in Collegeville, MN, she was active in
developing ecumenical guidelines related to clergy
sexual abuse.
Active in various ecumenical dialogues, she has
served as representative of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate at a number of conferences and
consultations in over thirty countries. She has
been a member of the Faith and Order Commission of
the World Council of Churches. She has also been
active in programs of the National Council of
Churches and the Massachusetts Council of
Churches.
A noted lecturer and retreat leader, she is the
author of Women Deacons in the Orthodox Church and
Orthodox Women Speak. With her husband, she has
written Happy in the Lord: The Beatitudes for
Everyday, An Introduction to Orthodox
Spirituality. Her lectures on the topic of
“Authentic Relationships” delivered at the
Patriarch Athenagoras Institute in Berkeley, CA
will soon be published.
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