OTSA meets each year. Usually, the location alternates between Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, Massachusetts and St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, New York. On occasion, the annual meeting of OTSA has been held in Chicago as well. The sessions of the annual meeting are generally open to the public, unless the meeting planners decide to close a particular session. The business meeting of the society is for members only.
The 2026 OTSA Conference on the theme of “The Council of Crete (2016) after Ten Years,” will be held June 11-13, 2026 at St Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary
After decades of preparation and preliminary meetings, a large panorthodox council was convened by the Ecumenical Patriarch and was held in 2016 on the island of Crete. The participants deemed it a “great and holy council” marking a major move to return to the worldwide Orthodox Church’s synodal mode of functioning. Although involved in the preconciliar discussions, some Orthodox churches—Antioch, Georgia, Moscow, Bulgaria—chose for various reasons not to participate. However one chooses to consider the Council in Crete, it is obvious that both the event itself and its ongoing reception are significant and warrant serious discussion.
For its 2026 meeting the Orthodox Theological Society of America (OTSA) invites papers and panels that would offer different perspectives on the Council in Crete and its ongoing reception. While OTSA encourages paper topics around the reception of the Council in Crete, papers that explore other theological, historical, ecclesiological, or ethical topics will also be considered.
Please submit proposals by March 30th, 2026, to secretary@otsamerica.org.
Lodging will be available in the St. Vladimir’s dormitories. Additionally, there are a number of hotel and Airbnb accommodations in the vicinity for those who prefer.
Travel Grants
Travel Grants (ten for up to $500.00 each, to cover travel expenses and lodging in the dorms) are available for presenters who attend the entire conference and apply for assistance. You may apply for the travel grant as soon as your proposal is accepted, and grants will be reviewed and approved on a rolling basis.
2026 Florovsky Lecture
The 2026 Florovsky lecture will be a panel consisting of Very Rev. Dr. Alexander Rentel, Very Rev. Dr. Nicolas Kazarian, Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou, and His Grace Bishop Maxim Vasiljević, all of whom were present at the Holy and Great Council of Crete in 2016.