Diaconal Liturgical Practicum— Full Description & Faculty
June 19–23, 2011
Intense liturgical training is the focus of this 5-day program to be held June 19–23, 2011 on the campus of St. Vladimir's Seminary.
Practical liturgical training for deacons and lay diaconal candidates will be supported by celebration of the Divine Liturgy and other services. Intensive workshops aim to provide participants with the skills needed to serve effectively in the Orthodox Church as an attentive server, deacon, or priest. Attention will be given to the liturgical patterns of movement that inform the entire rite of the Church. Participants will also receive guidance on concelebrations and hierarchical celebrations so that they can effectively prepare for such occasions. In addition to practicums, focused presentations by faculty will augment the deacon's understanding of his place in the liturgical life of the Church and the deacon's broader vocation as a symbol to the faithful of the diakonia of Christ our Lord. Instruction in public speaking and vocal technique will also be offered.
Participants are invited to arrive the afternoon of Sunday, June 19, 2011. The program begins with supper in the seminary refectory followed by an opening prayer service and the first session. Sessions conclude in the late morning of Thursday, June 24, following the celebration of the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy.
This practicum, which is being offered for the fourth consecutive summer, is held in conjunction with the Orthodox Church in America's Diaconal Vocations Program (DVP) and is highly recommended for participants in the Church's program by the Holy Synod. "Diakonia is at the center of the vocation of every Christian," explains His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, primate of the Orthodox Church in America. "The hierarchs thank God for the growth in diaconal vocations throughout our Church and this annual program that gives deacons a strong context for their service at the holy altar."
Liturgical workshops led by Archdeacon Kirill Sokolov, director of the Diaconal Vocations Program, will aim to provide participants with the skills needed to serve effectively in the Orthodox Church as an attentive server, deacon, or priest. Particular focus will be given to the typical celebration of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom by one priest and one deacon.
Priest Sergius Halvorsen will lead sessions on public speaking, teaching, and preaching, as well as church reading and vocal technique. Fr. Sergius holds an M.Div. from St. Vladimir's Seminary and a Ph.D. in Liturgical Studies from Drew University. He has recently accepted a position at St. Vladimir's Seminary as "Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric," which he will commence in the Fall semester of 2011.
Archpriest John Behr, Dean of the Seminary, will describe the purpose of this concentrated liturgical training for deacons and diaconal students.
"The seminary's former dean, Fr. Alexander Schmemann, taught that everything in worship concerns us as the Church of God, making us the living body of Christ," says Archdeacon Kirill. "Thus, everything in worship concerns me, as a living member of that body. The deacon's prominent role in worship requires that he studies and learns the rubrics of the services. The training we provide offers just such an opportunity for learning."
Questions? E-mail diaconal2011@svots.edu. We look forward to meeting you in June!
