I believe that we must, if we wish to understand our Greek Catholic faith, become truly familiar with the first seven Ecumenical Councils of the Church. The declarations of these Councils truly form the foundation of our faith. They are also the only Councils that both the Eastern and Western Churches acknowledge as truly Ecumenical. They are the only Councils in the History of the Church where both the Eastern and Western Churches were present.

Although I have shared information about these before, I thought that I would, over the next several weeks, share some more specific information about these Councils as a means of helping us to better know our faith.

The origins of church councils goes back to the assembly of the Apostles in Jerusalem (circa 53 CE) in which it was decided not to impose on the pagan   converts all the prescriptions of the Old Testament. Prior to this Council, all the Apostles, with the exception of Paul, required that convert males go through the initiation process of Judaism. This Council, therefore, set an example for all generations to come with regard to how to determine what is appropriate for the Church with regards faith and discipline. Following the example of the Apostles, bishops of different provinces used to gather during the first   centuries in order to reach decisions on theological and disciplinary matters that required clarification or had disturbed the consciences of the faithful. It has become the very nature of the Church to attempt to find consensus on religious matters.

This is why our Church, even in this day-and-age, attempts to hold Synods, in imitation of this desire to reach consensus among the faithful with regards to the practices of the Church. While this synodal method of governing the Church still exists, synods do not deal with faith and morals but, rather, with matters of parish life.

Why do I mention this at this time? Our own Eparchy will be holding a Synod in 2015. Two representatives from each parish, together with our bishop and priests, will meet in Synod and attempt to come to consensus with regard the types of programs our parishes should become engaged in and also the future direction of our church. This should be an exciting meeting. While we will not be dealing with the deep dogmas of our faith, we will be dealing with matters that seriously impact our Church and our parishes. I shall keep you posted on any progress we make in planning for the Synod.

It should be noted that the Eparchy of Stamford has already held their first     Eparchial Synod.