OTSA meets each year. Usually, the location alternates between Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, Massachusetts and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, New York. On occasion, the annual meeting of OTSA has been held in Chicago as well. The sessions of the annual meeting are generally open to the public, unless the meeting planners decide to close a particular session. The business meeting of the society is for members only.
OTSA Annual Meeting: 29-31 May 2025
at Holy Cross
Call for Papers: Deadline 5 May 2025
The theme of this year’s OTSA annual meeting is Human experience: How does it shape theology and church life? Conference papers and panels will explore the role of human experience in shaping Orthodox thought and life in the past, present and future. Proposals are invited from the perspective of scriptural interpretation, liturgy, patristics, canonical practice, ethics, artistic expression, spiritual life or any other relevant discipline. Paper and panel proposals should include an abstract of less than 250 words and an abbreviated CV of the presenter(s), sent to the OTSA secretary, Helen Theodoropoulos, at secretary@otsamerica.org or helen60076@yahoo.com.
Paper sessions will be 30 minutes in length and will consist of a 20 minute presentation and 10 minutes for discussion. Panels may be scheduled for 60 minutes. Proposals will be considered for acceptance on a rolling basis, as they come in, with notifications sent out shortly after review. This will be an in-person meeting but under extenuating circumstances, accepted papers may be considered for remote presentation.
Please note that only members in good standing (having paid dues for 2025) are eligible to submit and present papers at the annual OTSA meeting. You can visit the OTSA website to pay your dues to ensure that you can participate in our annual meeting in May.
Please note: a separate link enables members to offer a tax-deductible donation for the Florovsky Fund.
Register Now
Florovsky Lecture
We are pleased to announce that this year’s speaker will be The Rev. Archimandrite Dr. Vasily Permiakov, on the topic “The Church and the Temptation of Totalitarianism: Experiences of the Past and the Orthodox Witness Today.” The lecture will be at Holy Cross on Friday 30 May 2025 at 7:00 pm ET.
Draft Minutes and Proposed By-Law Changes
Members who attend the Annual Business Meeting will be voting on the Minutes from our previous meeting of 7 June 2024 and on an addition to our by-laws, establishing a new category of student membership.
The Annual Business Meeting Minutes are posted on our website; please review prior to the annual meeting.
The changes to our by-laws now establish three (rather than two) categories of membership: Full, Associate, and Student. The additions are identified in red text so they can be easily identified.
Article IV. Membership
Section 1: The Society welcomes as Full Members Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christians, who are presently or were formerly residents of North America, members in good standing of a canonical Eastern or Oriental Orthodox Church, and teaching theology at an institution of higher learning or otherwise engaged in theologically related teaching or research at the academic level. Such candidates have earned a terminal degree in theology (e.g. PhD or DMin) or a minimum of master’s degree in theology (or its equivalent) or a master’s degree in the disciplines noted in Article II, Section 1 and in each case will have either a second level master’s degree in theology (e.g. Th. M) and/or engaged in significant additional directed graduate study in theology. Only Full Members of the Society may serve as officers and cast votes on the by-laws, resolutions of the Society, and membership applications.
Section 2:The Society also welcomes as Associate Members Orthodox Christians who have obtained a Graduate degree in theology and Post-graduate students who have not yet obtained a second level master’s degree (e.g. Th. M) or doctoral students in theology or related disciplines who are not yet ABD; Scholars in theology and related disciplines who are members of non-Orthodox churches and communities.
The same expectations of minimum requirements as stated for Full Members apply to Associate members. Associate Members enjoy the privileges of attending and presenting at the annual meetings, and any OTSA sponsored conferences, joining in discussions at all sessions including the annual business meeting, and a reduced subscription rate for one of the theological journals published by Holy Cross School of Theology, St. Vladimir’s Seminary or other Orthodox entities that OTSA suggests. In any instance where the Society receives a request or mandate from the Assembly of Bishops to present an opinion or advice, Full and Associate Members may participate in the preliminary discussion of the issue at hand.However, the final discussion, preparation, and dissemination of any such document shall be drafted and approved by the Full Members only.
Section 3: The Society also welcomes Student Members who are Orthodox Christians enrolled in a first level graduate theological or religious studies degree program (e.g. MDiv, MTS, MA) from an accredited University or Orthodox theological school or seminary. Student Members enjoy the privileges of attending and possibly presenting at the annual meetings, and any OTSA sponsored conferences, joining in discussions at all sessions (excluding the annual business meeting), and a reduced subscription rate for one of the theological journals published by Holy Cross School of Theology or St. Vladimir’s Seminary or other Orthodox entities that OTSA suggests.