SVOTS Chancellor/CEO Archpriest Chad Hatfield was invited by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow to be one of the presenters at an academic conference marking the 1000th Anniversary of the Repose of St. Vladimir. Throughout 2015 there have been various programs and conferences marking this significant anniversary. Father Chad was asked to speak specifically on “The Legacy of St. Vladimir’s Seminary” in the Orthodox world. (Read about the Seminary's celebration of the 1000th Anniversary.)
“This was a big challenge," noted Fr. Chad, "as each speaker was limited to twenty minutes.” Our Chancellor offered a brief history of Orthodox seminaries in North America, much of which was new information to his Russian audience. He also shared background on the key figures in the history of St. Vladimir's.
A second academic conference on St. John Cassian was organized with former SVOTS Trustee Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) hosting, and Fr. Chad in attendance. Two new SVS Press publications by Metropolitan Hilarion were presented at this conference: Prayer: Encounter with the Living God, and St. Isaac the Syrian and His Spiritual Legacy. The latter includes a chapter by Seminary Dean, Archpriest John Behr, on "St. Isaac of Nineveh on the Cross of Christ."
