29th International Ecumenical Conference on Orthodox Spirituality
THE WISDOM OF THE DESERT:
The Sayings of the Fathers and Mothers

Monastero di Bose, 5-8 september 2023
in collaboration with the Orthodox Churches

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Short, incisive, paradoxical, profound but also practical and often humorous, the Sayings of the Desert Fathers or Apophthegmata Patrum are the fruit of the experience of monks who lived in the Egyptian deserts in the 4th and 5th centuries. Subsequently transcribed and assembled into collections between the 5th and 6th century, most likely in Palestine, the Sayings were soon translated into all the major languages of the ecumene, spread throughout all ecclesial traditions, and still today are among the most widely loved texts in all Christian spiritual literature. Our conference, combining the historical-literary perspective with the theological-spiritual one, intends to explore some of the main themes of their spiritual teaching, bringing out, along with the common lines, also the points of tension and different perspectives. We will also ask ourselves why this condensate of human wisdom and evangelical radicalism has crossed the centuries in an uninterrupted manner, and is still able to inspire, in an ever fresh way, not only monks and nuns but more generally the men and women of our day.

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The conference is open to all. Also this year, due to the difficulties of movement from some Eastern European countries, simultaneous translation will be ensured only in Italian, English and Greek. Arrivals are expected on Monday, 4 September; departures on Friday 8 September in the afternoon or Saturday, 10 September in the morning. Accommodation will be at the Monastery of Bose. To register for the Conference, it is necessary to call the Secretariat and send the registration form via email before the 1st of June and by 25 August 2023, until all places have been filled. The Secretariat is available for any further information.