"We understand life backwards, but we live it forwards." With these words from Kierkegaard, Fr John Behr introduced the SVS 2009 Summer Conference. The conference, which promised to examine "20th-century landmarks towards a 21st-century Church," devoted most of its time examining the past. But as Prof. Peter Bouteneff later pointed out, the study of the past is always undertaken in order to understand the present and shape the future, so the problem then lies in how to interpret or "spin" the past.

In presentations by Fr Alexander Garklavs, and later by Fr Hyacinthe Destivelle, Scott Kenworthy, and Vera Shevzov, the Moscow Council of 1917-18 and the vision of St Tikhon were shown to have direct influence on the shape of church life and its structures of authority. Looking to a more recent past, Fr Cyril Hovorun and Matthew Namee sought to critically examine the way in which aspects of 20th century Orthodox Church history in America have been presented. Fr Cyril noted that autocephaly has carried something of an aura - a mythical dimension, as he called it - which went far beyond its obvious canonical implications. Namee dismantled the what he saw as the simplistic notion of early 20th century Church unity under Russian auspices.

Fr. Leonid Kishkovsky discussed the reality of communion between the various Orthodox Churches that led to the proclamation of autocephaly for the Orthodox Church in America, as well as the varying states of communion between Churches since 1970.

Looking further back for insight into the present, Bishop Basil of Amphipolis explored in a fresh way the contemporary implications of Chalcedon's Canon 28, which had placed the churches in the "barbarian lands" under the care of the See of Constantinople. He argued that under the canon's internal logic, North America might properly be claimed by the ancient Patriarchate of Rome, and that the Patriarchate of Constantinople ought to be considered a temporary administrator in view of the Great Schism.

The conference decisively arrived at the present in its concluding session on Saturday afternoon, when Metropolitan Jonah gave a detailed vision for the present and future, solidly founded on the past century that had been so closely examined during the previous two days. (The text of his speech is available here.) Referring frequently to the "kenotic" vocation of the OCA, calling himself "the least among equals," he said that the OCA would joyfully meld itself into "a fully autocephalous united Church in North America, embracing all Orthodox, and freely electing its own hierarchy and, in time, its own patriarch." Along the way, he offered several practical suggestions for interim steps.

Responding to His Beatitude's paper were Charles Ajalat (Chancellor of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of America), Fr Mark Arey (General Secretary of SCOBA, and Ecumenical Officer of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America), Archimandrite Luke Murianko (Abbot, Holy Trinity Monastery, and Rector, Holy Trinity Seminary, Jordanville), and Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit and the Romanian Episcopate (OCA).

Apart from its content, this conference was remarkable for its wide availability to those who were not physically present. Broadcast in streaming video on the internet through St. Andrew House, and archived in audio on Ancient Faith Radio, the lectures and discussions were being viewed remotely by between 100 and 190 people - with a total of over 2,500 log-ons to the site, from all over the US and from 25 different countries. Questions received through e-mail by remote viewers were relayed to and addressed by the speakers.

The questions and comments that came electronically expressed profound gratitude for the opportunity to be "present" at the conference in this way. Many also expressed a degree of frustration at the amount of time devoted to the study of the past, when they wanted to address the burning issues of the present and the future, of a North American Orthodoxy that is in crisis.

Indeed, the conference did not address all the contemporary crises, nor did it solve contemporary problems. But it did lay some vital groundwork for how these may be addressed concretely. One of its main contributions was the gathering of hierarchs, clergy, and lay leaders from multiple Orthodox jurisdictions in North America in order to reflect deeply and critically, and together, on the past and the present. In attendance were five members of the OCA Holy Synod (including the primate), several members of the OCA Metropolitan Council, seminary faculty, staff, and trustees, including Bishop Savas of Troas (Greek Archdiocese), as well as over one hundred registered attendees and countless visitors on the webcast.

In addition, the true sacramental unity all Orthodox Christians share in Christ was manifested by the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning in the Seminary Chapel. By sharing in the one cup of the Eucharist, the disjunction between the unity we preach and the disunited way in which we administer our churches was both highlighted and put in its proper perspective.

Click here to view a gallery of photographs from the Summer Conference.