Patristikon 2025 Conference (Vancouver, Canada): “Freedom as a Common Christian Value: St. Cecilia & the Journey to Nicaea I as Witnesses to Christian Freedom.”

Saturday, November 22nd, 2025, Sister Vassa will give the key-note lecture at the Patristikon 2025 Conference in Vancouver, Canada (at Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral – Main Hall). She will also receive the St. Cecilia Award (courageous advocacy and excellence in performing arts), presented by the Italian Ambassador to Canada.

The conference is entitled, “Nicea at 1700 & The Glories of St. Cecilia.”  In Sister Vassa’s talk, “Freedom as a Common Christian Value: St. Cecilia & the Journey to Nicaea I as Witnesses to Christian Freedom.” She will reflect on St. Cecilia’s martyrdom as an example of the Christian freedom of the pre-Nicene Church, which made possible the Council at Nicaea of 325. Her talk will emphasize the paradox that it was both the divisions and the witness to the truth of the church of the martyrs that led to the Council. Finally, Sister Vassa will reflect on the hope that arises today, paradoxically, both from our Christian divisions and our martyrs, in the face of a rising authoritarianism in different parts of our world.

Schedule of Conference:

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM: Registration and Welcome (Registration with coffee, tea, and light pastries; Welcome remarks introducing the theme of St. Cecilia’s musical legacy and the Council of Nicaea’s doctrinal unity; Opening prayer invoking St. Cecilia).

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Speaker: Bishop Thomas Dowed, “The Council of Nicaea: Foundation of Catholic Doctrine.” (Exploring the Nicene Creed’s role in shaping Catholic theology and its relevance today.)

10:15 AM – 11:15 AM: Speaker: TBD, “Nicaea’s Legacy in Anglican Worship and Tradition” (Examining how the Nicene Creed influences Anglican liturgy, with ties to St. Cecilia’s musical patronage.)

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Lunch Break (with discussion tables on St. Cecilia and Nicaea; Display of Nicene Creed manuscripts or St. Cecilia-inspired art.)

12:45 PM – 1:45 PM: Speaker: Dustin Hiles, “The Glories of St. Cecilia: Martyr, Musician, Saint” (Celebrating St. Cecilia’s martyrdom, faith, and influence on sacred music, with anecdotes on her enduring legacy.)

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Panel Discussion, Participants: Sister Vassa Larin, Bishop Thomas Dowed, Anglican Speaker, Moderator (TBD). The topic of the panel: “Unity in Diversity: Lessons from Nicaea and St. Cecilia for Today’s Church” (Discussing ecumenical unity inspired by Nicaea and St. Cecilia’s universal appeal through music.)

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM: Coffee Break

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM: Keynote Address by Sister Vassa Larin, “Freedom as a Common Christian Value: St. Cecilia & the Journey to Nicaea I as Witnesses to Christian Freedom.”

5:00 PM: Closing Remarks and Prayer

6 PM – 9:00 PM: Dinner and Concert Honoring St. Cecilia.

Presentation and Inauguration of the St. Cecilia Award for Courageous Advocacy, presented by the Italian Ambassador to Canada.

Recipient: Sister Vassa Larin for courageous and heroic defense of Ukraine.

• Concert:

Program featuring sacred music, such as Handel’s Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day (etc.)

• Performed by Dustin Lee Hiles (Tenor) & Heidi Muendel (Soprano), Ukrainian Chorus, Ukranian Dancers.