2025 Pastoral Conference

2025 Pastoral Conference

The faithful of St. Seraphim Cathedral are pleased to welcome all our diocesan clergy and their Matushki to Dallas, Texas for this year’s pastoral conference!

 

Below, you will find the schedule for this year’s conference — including times for various meetings such as the Bishop’s council and Diocesan council, as well as information about our guest speaker, the Matushki luncheon, and Hierarchical Liturgy. Because we gathered together in Richmond, Virginia for the Diocesan Assembly just a few months ago, we have tried to keep the schedule for these two short days we are together relaxed, with a balance of worship, pastoral dialogue, and fellowship.

 

Hotel

 

The hotel we have selected is DoubleTree by Hilton Dallas – Campbell Centre – located at: 8250 North Central Expressway Dallas, Texas 75206. You can book your room(s) here. The Cathedral is located approximately 5.5 miles away, or about a 10-15 minute drive from the hotel, depending on traffic. The Cathedral is located at: 4208 Wycliff Ave., Dallas, TX 75219.

 

Registration

 

Please register for our conference by following the link here. Additionally, on Tuesday, February 18th, we will have an open registration in the parish hall between 11am-1pm, at which time you will receive a welcome packet.

 

Transportation

 

If you are in need of assistance with transportation from either the DFW airport, or the Love Field airport, please fill out thisGoogle form. Although we cannot guarantee transportation for everyone, we will do our best to accommodate requests. Please note that the Love Field airport is much closer to the Cathedral and hotel when making travel plans. Not all airlines service that airport, however.

 

Questions?

 

Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns to frtheophan@stseraphimdallas.org. May God bless your travels and we look forward to seeing you soon.

 

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

 

Please note that the schedule below may have slight adjustments. We will provide any updates closer to the Conference.
NOTE: All Clergy and invited guests arrive no later than noon on Tuesday, February 18.
No one departs until after the session which ends at 11:30 AM and travel blessing on Thursday, February 20.

 

Schedule:

 

Monday, February 17th
  • Bishop’s Council Meeting – Afternoon (TBD)
  • 2 – 5 PM time frame followed by meal.
Tuesday, February 18th
  • Diocesan Council Meeting – Morning (probably 9 – 11 AM CT/10 AM- Noon ET)(Zoom for all non-local D.C. members)
  • All clergy expected to arrive no later than 12:00pm
  • Registration in parish hall – 11am – 1:00pm
  • Light lunch provided – 12:00 – 1:00pm
  • First Session with Fr. Dn. Sampson – A Framework and Overview for Doing Ethics – 1:00 – 3:00pm
  • Break – 3:00 – 3:30pm
  • Second Session with Fr. Dn. Sampson – Pastoral Concerns about Technology, Transhumanism, and Artificial Intelligence – 3:30 – 5:00pm
  • Vespers in the Cathedral – 5:15 – 6:00pm
  • Cocktails and Fellowship – 6:00pm – 6:45pm
  • Texas BBQ Supper – 6:45pm
Wednesday, February 19th

 

  • Hierarchical Liturgy – 9:30 – 11:30am
  • Deanery Lunches – 12:00 – 2:00pm
  • Matushki Luncheon with Bishop Gerasim – 12:00 – 2:00pm
  • Third Session with Fr. Dn. Sampson – Pastoral Concerns about Sex, Gender, and Reproduction – 2:30 – 4:30pm
  • Supper in the Parish Hall – 5:00pm
  • Movie Popcorn & Sneak Peek Viewing of the new feature length film El Tonto Por Cristo (Fool for Christ) – 6:15 – 8:15pm

 

Thursday, February 20th

 

  • Fourth Session with Fr. Dn. Sampson – Guiding People Through a New Culture of Mistrust – 9:00 – 11:00am
  • Final Words from the Bishops and Chancellor – 11:00 – 11:30am
  • Closing Prayer and Travel Blessing – 11:30am
  • Departure – Noon

 

Our Speaker

 

Rev. Dn. Sampson (Ryan) Nash, MD, MA -Medical

Plenary Speaker

 

 

The Hagop S. Mekhjian, MD, Endowed Chair in Medical Ethics and Professionalism & Director of The Ohio State University Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities The Rev. Dn. Sampson (Ryan) Nash, MD, MA is the Hagop S. Mekhjian, MD, Endowed Chair in Medical Ethics and Professionalism and the Director of The Ohio State University Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities. He also holds appointments as adjunct Professor of Christian Ethics at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and Professor of Medicine at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. In addition to being an active educator, administrator, and serving as a healthcare ethics and clinical bioethics advisor and consultant, Dr Nash continues to be active in Palliative Medicine caring for patients primarily with advanced cancer. Dr Nash’s scholarship focuses on practical, procedural, and policy issues related to Medicine, Clinical Bioethics and Palliative Medicine. He also explores ethics foundations at the nexus of medicine, ethics, theology, religion, and culture. Dn Sampson serves at St. Gregory of Nyssa Orthodox Church (OCA) in Columbus, Ohio. He is the grateful husband of Sarah and proud father of four daughters. He occasionally helps them run their small farm north of Columbus. Dr. Nash received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and his master’s degree in Bioethics from Trinity International University. He completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Texas Medical School, a fellowship in palliative medicine at the University of Alabama School of Medicine and was a fellow and visiting scholar at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine. Dr. Nash has been recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care, and Fellow in the Academy of Fellows of the Center of Bioethics and Human Dignity. He has repeatedly been named to the “America’s Best Doctors” and “World’s Best Doctors” lists.
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