Catholic-Orthodox Community Gathering: Women and the Diaconate
Sponsored by The Aquinas Center's Catholic-Orthodox Initiative.
Doors open at 6:30pm for Happy Hour. Dinner and the program will begin promptly at 7:00pm. Registration is required.
Program Title: The Ordained Female Diaconate: A Historical Reality – A Fruitful Future?
Program Description: In early and medieval Christian history, particularly in the Christian East, the church ordained women as deacons. Their ministry was primarily oriented to the women in their communities: they performed the more intimate parts of the baptism of adult women, took the Eucharist to women in their homes, served as chaperones when female parishioners needed to speak with male clergy, and served as choir directors and in other liturgical roles in women’s monasteries. Liturgical manuals, church canons, and civil legislation from the fourth century on make it clear that female deacons were ordained at the altar and considered the equivalent of their male counterparts, although their ministry was specifically to women and…
University Event Topic: Religion & Ethics. Department / Organization: Aquinas Center. Speaker/Presenter: Dr. Valerie Karras has earned doctorates in patristic theology from the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki and in church history from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and a Master of Theological Studies degree from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. In more than 20 years of teaching, she has been a church history and theology professor at the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, Saint Louis University, and Hellenic College/Holy Cross Greek Orthodo… Cost: Free.
Thursday, November 6, 2025, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM.
Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church
3431 Trickum Road
Marietta, GA 30066.
Listening for Hope
University Event Topic: Religion & Ethics. Theology. Department / Organization: Aquinas Center. Speaker/Presenter: Rev. Dr. Amey Victoria Adkins-Jones, Assistant Professor of Theology and Africana Studies, will discuss the meaning of the season of Advent, the significance of spiritual disciplines to center and persist through the demands of this time of year, and how Mary (and specifically manifestations of the Black Madonna) holds out pathways of hope for us even in the midst of hopelessness. Cost: Free. Registration / R.S.V.P. link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YWYuCWp8NTnYKA1ArGfFeU3e_JfmUZnzs55Ymo8TRLI/edit. Contact Name: Tina Guyden. Contact Email: tina.guyden@emory.edu.
Tuesday, December 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Candler School of Theology
Room tba
1531 Dickey Drive
Atlanta, GA 30322.
Aquinas Day: Bad Catholics, Good Trouble: Reimagining Catholic History as a Call to Action
What does it mean to be a "bad Catholic"? Catholics who joined the struggle for civil rights in the 1960s were called criminals, and worse, by fellow Catholics who considered themselves the "real, good, sincere" ones. Drawing from his webcomic series Bad Catholics, Good Trouble© Matthew Cressler will share some forgotten stories that reveal how the Catholic tradition has both reinforced oppression and inspired radical witness. From white nuns hit with bricks while marching for justice to Black activists confronting racism in their own church, these stories challenge our standard narratives. Ultimately, his talk will pose the question: What might "good trouble" look like for Catholics and other Christians today?
This annual event is held the last week in January, near the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas Day provides the opportunity for younger theologians to be introduced to Emory and the greater Atlanta community expanding our vision into the future of theological thinking.
Aquinas Day Schedule:…
University Event Topic: Religion & Ethics. Department / Organization: Aquinas Center. Speaker/Presenter: Matthew J. Cressler, Ph. D. is a writer, rogue scholar, and chief of staff of the Corporation for Public Interest Technology. He is the author of Authentically Black and Truly Catholic: The Rise of Black Catholicism in the Great Migrations and creator of Bad Catholics, Good Trouble, the educational webcomic series. He's written for America, The Atlantic, National Catholic Reporter, The Revealer, Slate, U.S. Catholics, and numerous academic journals. Cost: Free. Contact Name: Tina Guyden. Contact Email: tina.guyden@emory.edu.
Thursday, January 29, 2026, 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM.
Candler School of Theology, Room 360
1531 Dickey Drive
Atlanta, GA 30322.