St. John Chrysostom’s Counsels St. Olympia About Her Despondency
This bright Theophany season, St. John the Evangelist Orthodox Church, is proud to offer a four-part lecture series
on “St. John Chrysostom’s Counsels St. Olympia About Her Despondency”, presented by Father Basil Aden.
These talks will also be “Live Streamed” via our St John Facebook page for those who are unable to attend in person.
Father Basil Aden will present a four-part exploration of the Letters of St. John Chrysostom to St. Olympia at the time of his exile.
Through St. John’s letters, we will learn how to combat the thoughts of discouragement, hopelessness and depression. This study will be unique because it focuses on a woman saint and her spiritual struggles.
Its main resource will be Saint John Chrysostom: Letters to Saint Olympia
(St. Vladimir’s Press: 2016) translated by David C. Ford. It would be good if the participants would have the book. The cost is $18 on Amazon.
A secondary resource would be Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica (2009) by Ana Smilijanic and Elder Thaddeus.
Come join us on Wednesdays at 6pm for Daily Vespers & Jesus prayer followed by lecture series.
Lecture Schedule from 7-8pm:
1-15-2020: 1. Parallel Trials: The Story of St. Olympus and St. John Chrysostom
1-22-2020: 2. The Grip of Negative Thoughts
1-29-2020: 3. Orthodox Weapons Against Despondency
2-05-2020: 4. “Taking Every Thought Captive”
About Father Basil Aden
Father Basil Aden is a retired archpriest of the Diocese of the Midwest, OCA. With his wife Sandra, he now divides his year between his summer home in Muskegon, MI and winter home in Mesa, AZ. Fr. Aden has served as Mission Director of the diocese of the Midwest and as priest in charge of Christ the Savior Orthodox Church in Rockford, IL as well as other Orthodox parishes and missions. He was a member of the Stewardship Commission of the Carpatho-Russian Diocese, centered in Johnstown, PA. He continues to research, write, and lecture on topics of church history and the religious response to contemporary issues in the secular world.
Father Aden earned the degrees of Master in Theology and Doctor of Ministry from the University of Chicago and served as a Lutheran pastor for twenty-five years before being received into the Orthodox Church in 1998. He studied the Lutheran-Orthodox dialogues under the direction of Fr. John Breck at St. Vladimir’s Seminary and his conversation between Lutheranism and Orthodoxy is ongoing. He was Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Rock Valley College, Rock Valley, IL where he published a textbook introduction to the study of religion in the contemporary world.
His wife, Sandra is a retired librarian. They have a son, a daughter-in-law and three grandchildren living in the Grand Rapids area. Another son lives in Indianapolis. They enjoy their family, the outdoors, reading, and trips, especially to Arizona in the winter. They give thanks to God for the wonderful hospitality and fellowship of the members of St. John’s.