Saint Michael Romanian Orthodox Church
Southbridge, MA
Lecture 1
via Zoom with Fr. Hans Jacobse
Restoring the Fallen Image of Man
Fr. Hans Jacobse is dedicated to helping young men discover authentic masculinity and spiritual wholeness through Orthodox Christianity. A spiritual father to many, he guides men through healing and transformation in Christ.
Lecture 2
with Fr. John Downie
Shifting Sands or Solid Rock - Finding spiritual maturity through communal stability
Fr. John Downie, PhD - having had extensive experience in a monastic environment (2 years in Koutloumousiou Monastery, Mt. Athos) and 15 years in a vibrant spiritual church community in the capital of Romania, Fr. John highlights the necessity of living in community in order to have an authentic spiritual life.
Program Schedule
9:00 am Divine Liturgy with Fr. John
10:30 am Breakfast
11:00 am Lecture 1: Fr Hans Jacobse - Restoring the Fallen Image of Man
11:45 am Break & preparation of questions
12:00 pm Q&A
1:00 pm Lunch
2:00 pm Lecture 2: Fr. John Downie - Shifting Sands or Solid Rock - Finding spiritual maturity through communal stability.
2:45 pm Break & preparation of questions
3:00 pm Q&A
4:00 pm Fellowship
5:00 pm Vespers with Fr. John
6:00 pm Dinner/Cookout
7:30 pm Bonfire
7:30 pm Movie (Optional)
Fr. Hans Jacobse
Father Hans Jacobse has been the Pastor at St. Peter Orthodox Church since 2008 when the church began its mission in a small room at a local Holiday Inn. Along with shepherding the church, he is well known in Orthodox circles for his extraordinary work with young men. He began this ministry years ago when he was approached by a young man asking for help in how to become a man. Followed by similar questions from more young men, Father Hans found his ministry.
Since then, his efforts in this area have expanded to include working with Antiochian Men (AMEN) and The Brotherhood of St. Paisios, both of which are dedicated to helping young men become the men God created them to be.
Fr. Hans was ordained to the priesthood in 1990. Prior to this, he and his wife Presbytera Sue had extensive experiences with youth ministries. He was an Associate at St. Basil Academy in New York, the Diakonia center in Atlanta and spent summers working at Ionian Village in the Spiritual Odyssey program.
Fr. Hans has a BA in History from the University of Minnesota, studied the Greek Language from Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece, and is a Fellow at The Carlson School Executive Leadership Program at the University of Minnesota.
Fr. John Downie
Fr. John Lincoln Downie was born in 1971 in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. In 1992, he graduated from the Christian Geneva College in the same state (the Biology and Philosophy Department).
He spent two years at the Koutloumousiou Greek Monastery on Mt. Athos (1999-2001), where he was received into Orthodoxy through Baptism. Fr. John then studied at the Department of Orthodox Theology at Bucharest University (2001-2006), where he defended his thesis on "The Doctrine of Creation According to Fr. Dumitru Staniloae," getting a Master's Degree in Biblical Theology (2006-2008). The professor coordinator for his master thesis was Fr. Dr. Professor Gheorghe Holbea, the disciple of St. Dumitru Staniloaie, who was canonized by the Romanian Orthodox church in 2024. Fr. John also completed his theological studies defending his PhD studies in the Gospel of St. John on "Relations between the Father and the Son in the Gospel of St. John." The professor coordinator for his PhD was Fr. Dr. Professor Constantin Coman, also a disciple of a recently canonized saint, Saint Sophian (Boghiu) of Antim.
Fr. John's PhD thesis will be published in the Biblical & Orthodox Mission of the Romanian Patriarchy, one of the most important publishing house in Romania.
Fr. John was ordained as a deacon in December 2007 and as a priest in March 2008. He served as a missionary honorary priest at the University Paraklisis of St. Nicholas, known as the Russian Church. He moved backed to America together with his wife, Presbytera Camelia and his three sons, Gregory, Symeon and Dimitry in January 2016. Since then Fr. John has been the Presiding Priest of the Holy Archangel Orthodox Church, under the spiritual leadership of His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae Condrea, the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of the Americas.
Fr. John is the founder and host of the Miracles Among Us podcast, which can be accessed at https://www.miraclesamongus.net/.
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Fr. John has been working as a Group Therapist for a Behavioral Health Hospital specializing in dual diagnosis and substance abuse since 2023.
He has translated many spiritual books and art books from Romanian into English. The most recent translation is a new edition of Elder Cleopa. The book will be published this year by Patristic Nectar Publication, under the name Saint Cleopa of Shastria. Saint Cleopa was canonized in 2014.