His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and a St. Vladimir's alumnus (MDiv '85, MTh '88), was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from Nashotah House, a seminary of the Episcopal Church, during the school's fall convocation. The academic convocation exhibited, in many respects, the recent cooperative efforts between Nashotah House and St. Vladimir's Seminary.
In 2009, the two seminaries signed a concordat, pledging themselves to prayer and mutual fellowship and cooperation. Both seminaries also have been working in recent years to revive the work of the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius, an organization founded in 1928 by members of Eastern Orthodox and Western Christians churches, with the explicit purpose of deepening the understanding between the two faith traditions. Archpriest Chad Hatfield, a Nashotah House graduate and Chancellor (CEO) of St. Vladimir's, delivered the convocation address this fall.
The honor bestowed upon Metropolitan Jonah came 105 years after St. Tikhon of Moscow, during his tenure as bishop and archbishop in North America, also received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Nashotah House. The citation honoring Metropolitan Jonah pointed to his commitment to the revival of Orthodox and Anglican relations.
