School of Theology and Religious Studies and Washington Theological Consortium to Host Joint Tachmindji Event

On Wednesday February 20th from 4 to 7 PM CUA will host an event sponsored by the Washington Theological Consortium at which Dr. McPartlan and Metropolitan Kallistos Ware will speak on the documents published by this dialogue last year in Ravenna.  Dean Irwin will also present the School of Theology and Religious Studies’ Johannes Quasten Award for Excellence and Leadership in Theology to Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware), Bishop of Diokleia.

Established in 1985 as the only academic award given by The Catholic University of America’s School of Theology and Religious Studies, the Quasten Medal is named after the Rev. Johannes Quasten, a professor of religious studies who taught at CUA for more than 30 years until his retirement in 1979. Quasten published more than 100 books and articles and is mostly known for his four-volume “Patrology,” a standard reference in the field of ancient church history and historical theology.  Thus, STRS gives this award to those who excel in scholarship and teaching, and are prolific in their publications.

Bishop Kallistos truly embodies the spirit of the Quasten award in many ways.  In particular, STRS would like to acknowledge his work with the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church in the drafting of the Ravenna Document this past October  The text, entitled: Ecclesiological and Canonical Consequences of the Sacramental Nature of the Church: Ecclesial Communion, Conciliarity and Authority, is the first Catholic-Orthodox agreed statement at the international level for fourteen years, and contains some very significant first points of agreement regarding the question of primacy at the universal level in the Church.  In addition, his years as theology professor and his numerous publications and translations regarding the Orthodox faith, are reasons STRS is pleased to present him with this award.

Click here for a schedule of the event.