Blog Post

Report on Eighth Day Seminar on Holiness

by Stephanie Mann

Feast of St Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem
Anno Domini 2020, March 11

I PARTICIPATED in the Holiness Seminar at The Ladder on February 28 and 29, 2020.

Like so many EDI events, Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christians attended. Like so many EDI events, we gathered to learn about a great religious theme (Holiness). And like many EDI events, we examined that theme from different perspectives: the Holy Bible, the Fathers, the Liturgy, and Literature. The difference between the Holiness Seminar and other EDI events was that this Seminar focused on discussing specific texts: we analyzed them, questioned them, debated with them - and with each other - as we sought to understand what the Song of Songs, excerpts from St. Maximus the Confessor, the Orthodox Vespers for the Feast of the Transfiguration, and Flannery O'Connor's short story "Revelation" told us about Holiness in our individual lives and in our culture.

EDI members are readers and we often talk about the books we're reading, want to read, or have read: Director Doom peddles books every opportunity he can. But getting together to engage with texts in this seminar format brings a greater depth to our shared love of reading. Since I majored in English Language and Literature (and earned an MA in the same discipline), I enjoy analyzing a short story like O'Connor's "Revelation" to plumb the depths of her skill and artistry.

I hope to attend another Seminar this year.

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