About Us

At St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary we are committed to a model of teaching in service to the Church that is Christ-centered, student-focused, and education-driven.

Christ-centered
Perhaps the most important aspect of what we do at St Vladimir’s Seminary is our building on the work of those who have labored selflessly before us. At the most fundamental level, this means that the cornerstone of the teaching and formation that goes on at the seminary is—as it has been since its founding—the gospel of Jesus Christ. Only by keeping Christ as the center of all of our work can we fulfill our calling to be a resource of the Church and for the Church, and to accomplish our mission to “train priests, lay leaders, and scholars of the  Orthodox Christian Faith by focusing on academic rigor and spiritual formation within a residential Orthodox community.”

Student-focused
Ultimately, St Vladimir’s Seminary was founded to serve the Orthodox Church by serving the students entrusted to us for theological education and spiritual formation. These seminarians, and the potential they hold for the Church today and the Church tomorrow, are the purpose of all our education, formation, training, and research. The testimony of our graduates in North America and all over the world is humbling and encouraging: our alumni and current seminarians love the seminary and value their experience. Our ongoing life at the seminary entails a constant recommitment to our students and their formation, the better to cultivate the spiritual and pastoral gifts our graduates will offer to the Church and the world.

Education-driven
St Vladimir’s Seminary is not an institution with an academic department. The seminary is by nature an educational institution in service of the Church. Every one of its constituent bodies and stakeholders is vital to its existence, and are mutually dependent upon each other. Yet understanding the seminary as “education-driven” invites a specific focus on role for the faculty. The seminary’s teachers and scholars are among its key ambassadors; they represent the  seminary to the world. More fundamentally, the faculty are central to the seminary’s core mission of teaching and forming men and women who, in turn,
will be in positions to support the teaching, preaching, and serving ministries of the Church. An education-driven seminary cannot exist without its staff who—with the cooperation of faculty and the support of the Board—oversee the  seminary’s financial health, physical plant, Press, publicity, recruitment, administration, and other operational aspects necessary to serve seminarians and the Church. Following King Solomon’s advice, Without counsel, plans go awry; but in the multitude of counselors, they are established (Proverbs 15.22), the seminary’s educational priorities can be fulfilled by a team that works collaboratively in the service of Christ and His gospel.

Christ-centered, student-focused, and education-driven—we entrust ourselves to the prayers and concrete help of our donors, alumni, and friends who support the formation of our future priests, lay leaders, and scholars. By your prayers, our work here will be pleasing to God who gives even the tiniest seed the power to grow and thrive. We are grateful for your constant support!