Dr. Behr-Sigel will also present the annual Florovsky lecture on "Women and Authority in the Church" sponsored by the Orthodox Theological Society of America the evening of Friday, May 30th, at St. Vladimir's. All presentations are open to the public, and pre-registration is suggested.

Retired professor from St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute, Paris, Dr. Behr-Sigel's deep involvement in consultations over the past twenty years on the role of women in the Church gives her an authority and depth of experience unique in Orthodoxy. She was a key presenter at many of the historic global consultations, beginning with Agapia, Romania in 1976.

These consultations, including the benchmark 1988 gathering in Rhodes, Greece sponsored by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, included hierarchs and their appointed representatives from a broad cross-section of world Orthodoxy. They produced detailed resolutions and recommendations for the 21st century growth of Orthodoxy and the fullness of women's participation in the Church. The recommendations will be discussed at the St. Vladimir's conference by several American women delegates who participated in the original consultations.

Known for her zeal and love for the Orthodox Church, Dr. Behr-Sigel's balanced perspective offers frank evaluations of the positives and negatives in the western women's movement as well as in Church practices. She has been called "the grandmother of Western Orthodoxy" by her friends and colleagues in France, among whom are many of the great Russian Orthodox émigrés, including Vladimir Lossky, Paul Evdokimov, Mother Maria Skobtsova, and Frs. Sergius Bulgakov and Lev Gillet.

Dr. Behr-Sigel has commented, "To be living, this Tradition must, in fidelity to the original and fundamental message, attempt to find answers to the new questions asked to the Church in its new circumstances." A prolific author, four of her recent books in English will be featured at the conference: Discerning the Signs of the Times, The Ministry of Women in the Church, The Place of the Heart, and The Ordination of Women in the Church (with Bishop Kallistos Ware).

A special session for professional chaplains in hospital, hospice, and prison ministries is planned at the St. Vladimir's conference May 31. Chaplains planning to attend are asked to notify Demetra Jaquet at WOMENUSA@aol.com.

Registration for the St. Vladimir's conference is $35, and for the Holy Cross lecture is $10. Make checks payable to The St. Nina Quarterly and mail to P.O. Box 397252, Cambridge, MA 02139.