October 18, 2016
Atlanta, GA: First Day of Pastoral Conference Concludes

The first day of the autumnal Pastoral Conference came to a close at St. Mary of Egypt Church in Atlanta, GA on Tuesday, October 18. After the official conference opening and lunch, the first lecture – entitled "A Christian Ending" – was read by Deacon Mark Barna (cleric of Holy Ascension OCA Church in Charleston, SC). His talk (as well as his book of the same name) touched on the subject of lawful preparation of the body of the reposed and burial in the ancient Christian tradition. A lively discussion then commenced on the subject of the talk, and virtually everyone in attendance posed questions to the speaker.

Along with his Matushka Elizabeth, Fr. Mark has been helping the OCA hierarchy for over ten years in burying dozens of reposed faithful. They consult with church groups nationwide. An audio recording of the talk is available in its entirety below:

"A Christian Ending" - Deacon Mark Barna

For the next two hours, a roundtable discussion was held on various topics of pastoral life.

That evening, a bountiful luncheon was prepared for all of the conference participants, and the clergy, matushkas, and volunteers were afforded an opportunity to interact with one another late into the evening.

Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese