Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia Hosts Ecumenical Evening on the Nicene Creed

The evening opened with Vespers according to the Byzantine Rite, celebrated by Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak and accompanied by a men’s ensemble of chanters under the direction of Fr. Herman Majkrzak. This service, held in collaboration with the Durandus Institute for Sacred Liturgy & Music, set a tone of reverence and unity that carried into the program that followed.

Presentations were offered by His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo and Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis, Archdeacon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Executive Director of the Huffington Ecumenical Institute. Archbishop Borys Gudziak served as moderator.

Cardinal Daniel Nicholas DiNardo, Archbishop Emeritus of Galveston–Houston, is a theologian and specialist in patristics, formed at the Gregorian University and the Augustinianum in Rome. A former president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, he has been a strong public advocate in defense of human life and in support of the rights of migrants and refugees. His pastoral leadership and scholarship are deeply rooted in the Fathers of the Church and the classical Christian tradition.

Rev. Archdeacon John Chryssavgis, born in Sydney and now residing in Harpswell, Maine, is Professor of Theology and Executive Director of the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at Holy Cross School of Theology. As an Archdeacon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, he has served as senior theological advisor to the Department of Ecumenical Affairs of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and continues to advise the Ecumenical Patriarch on environmental issues. His publications explore early Christianity, the desert tradition, the theology of creation, and the mission of the Church in today’s world.

In their talks, Cardinal DiNardo and Archdeacon Chryssavgis described the historical setting of the Council of Nicaea. Convened only a few years after the end of severe persecutions, the Council gathered bishops who had once preached in hiding and who suddenly found themselves summoned by Emperor Constantine to address theological divisions that threatened the unity of the empire. The emperor, they explained, sought peace in his realm and recognized that the debates within the Christian community had become too consequential to ignore.

Reflecting on the enduring impact of the Council, Archdeacon Chryssavgis remarked, “1,700 years ago, a group of bishops gathered in a modest church in Nicaea to speak about God. They could not in their wildest dreams have imagined that their words would echo across continents and centuries.” Cardinal DiNardo added from his pastoral perspective, “I’ve come to talk to you as a pastor, as someone who knows and loves the Fathers of the Church—for they are with us and they are living memory.”

Both speakers emphasized that the central question before the bishops at Nicaea was both simple and profound: “Who is Jesus?” Cardinal DiNardo compared the Council’s task to examining Jesus’ “ID card”: How is He one of us? How is He God? He explained that these discussions grew from the growing number of catechumens and the need for clear teaching on the identity and closeness of Christ. “I give credit to those monks who tried to help people understand who the Lord was,” he noted.

The debate of the Council 1700 years ago centered on the Greek term homoousios—“of one essence”—which expressed the Church’s conviction that Christ is of the same essence as the Father. The presenters also noted that the Council addressed practical ecclesial matters, including the establishment of a common date for the celebration of Easter.

Chryssavgis stressed that the significance of Nicaea lies not only in the past but in its continuing influence. “When we speak of Nicaea, we are not simply recalling a distant historical event or an ancient assembly of bishops that convened 1700 years ago. We are speaking first and foremost of an experience that shaped the conscience of the early Christian world and the structure of the early Christian Church—an experience that continues to inform how Christian believers think, how they worship, and how they relate to one another, both in the Church and the broader society.”

He also reminded participants that this year marks another anniversary of great symbolic importance: the 60th anniversary of the Lifting of the Anathemas in 1965, when Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras mutually revoked the excommunications that had separated East and West since the 11th century.

The evening concluded with an invitation to reflect on the future. The 1700th anniversary of Nicaea, Chryssavgis said, is not merely a commemoration but an opportunity to imagine Christian unity anew. He asked what unity might look like in the 21st century and what it means for Churches not only to gather in events such as this but to stand together in defending peace, supporting the poor, protecting migrants, preserving the planet, and promoting the dignity of every human life.

“Unity is crucial for us today”, echoed Cardinal DiNardo.