The Orthodox Canon Law Society of North America (OCLSNA) holds an annual forum for the presentation and discussion of papers on every aspect of Orthodox canon law and on related topics relevant to the discipline. Orthodox canon law includes the entire field of Eastern Christian canonical history and practice, including the Oriental and Eastern Catholic traditions. The discipline extends beyond the review of formal legislation and includes a vast scope of practice and literature. The canonical and legal life of the Church is reflected in such diverse areas as hagiography, liturgy, art, hymnography, civil litigation, and pastoral practice.
Conference attendance and membership is open to all. Although blessed by Orthodox hierarchy, the society is academic in nature and not affiliated with any Orthodox jurisdiction or with the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States. The Society is an incorporated non-profit. The website of the society provides further information on recent activities (https://www.oclsna.org/news) and membership (https://www.oclsna.org/membership).
The society aims to foster growth in the study of the Orthodox canonical tradition by gathering scholars, professors, graduate students, attorneys, seminarians, and interested clergy in academic conferences to provide an avenue for the presentation of papers embodying current research in a professional setting.
The location of this year’s conference will take place on October 18–19, 2024 at the Maliotis Cultural Center located on the campus of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, 50 Goddard Avenue, Brookline, MA 02445.
The Program Committee invites proposals for papers on all topics and in all disciplines related to Orthodox canon law, as described above broadly construed. Scholars, professors, graduate students, attorneys, seminarians, and interested clergy are encouraged to contribute. Since the society is academic in nature, all are welcome to submit proposals without any consideration of denominational affiliation.
Paper proposals for the 2024 conference may be in the form of individual papers and complete panels. In both cases, abstracts for proposed papers must not exceed 500 words and must be written in a manner comprehensible to the members of the Program Committee. All proposed papers must be substantially original and, for the most part, not have been published previously. Each author is permitted to deliver only one paper at the conference.
To find more information, see the attached flyer, or visit the Society’s website at https://www.oclsna.org/conference.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) Do I need to submit a completed paper before or at the conference?
No. Completed papers are never submitted. Papers are read at the conference but not submitted. Only proposals for papers are submitted to the program committee. These proposals take the form of abstracts. Please follow the instructions for their submission. The criteria for their acceptance are listed in the instructions.
2) Will the accepted abstracts be published?
Yes. All accepted abstracts will be published for the conference.
3) How long should a conference paper be?
The presentation of the paper must not exceed twenty-five minutes. The expected average time for reading a paper is twenty minutes. Please ensure beforehand that your presentation does not exceed the allotted time limits. Typically, three papers will be assigned to a panel. The presentation of the three papers and a question and answer/discussion time that follows will be allotted a maximum of two hours total.
4) Will the papers be published in a conference volume?
No. Papers will be read at the conference, but not published. The text of the paper will not be distributed. Only the accepted abstract will be published for the conference. Absent extenuating circumstances, the submission of the accepted abstract for publication constitutes an agreement to present the paper at the conference.
Abstract submissions should be sent to orthodoxcanonlawconference@gmail.com per the guidelines found on the conference information page https://www.oclsna.org/conference.
Questions should be directed to Bartholomew Mercado at orthodoxcanonlaw@gmail.com.