Six seminarians submitted essays for the 6th Annual St Matthias Merit Scholarship Contest on Wednesday, November 1, each answering a common essay prompt curated by an anonymous group of donors.
The essay prompt read as follows:
When a forlorn kindergartner arrived home from school, he asked his mother if it was true that he was going to Jupiter to get stupider. His mother answered, 'No;' got him a first-grade book about the solar system; took him to an observatory to see Jupiter and the moon and to a daytime telescope to see Mercury and the sun; and lastly gave him a copy of Psalm 121.
More than acquiring a passion for learning, what was the better part of this experience for this child? Refer to Matthew 15:13-14 and excerpts of Psalm 121 to answer the question in an essay with a 750-word maximum.
The scholarship panel asked the entrants to bear in mind that the intended audience for these essays is school-age youth as well as the general public; eventually, the panel hopes to share a collection of winning essays as a resource for high school readers.
After carefully evaluating each essay submission, the St Matthias Merit Scholarship Essay Contest panel awarded this year’s first-place prize of $3,300 to seminarian Emil Prisquilas Peter.
According to the panel, Emil’s essay, "Girded by the Sword of Trust," took first place because “Emil put himself in the shoes of the child and wrote in an approachable style for youth and parents. In so doing, Emil understood the mother's perspective; effectively summarized the child's preparation to receive and comprehend Psalm 121; and answered the essay question by elaborating on how the child's improved understanding of God will help him deal with ongoing challenges.”
Read the winning essay
The essay contest panel also expressed their appreciation for the thoughtful, well-written essays of the remaining five applicants, and thanked the Seminary for the great privilege of sponsoring the contest.
Emil Peter offered his sincere thanks to the St Matthias Scholarship Essay Contest sponsors, saying, “I am extremely elated for winning the Scholarship Essay Contest this year. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude towards the donors of this scholarship. I urge them to continue supporting the seminarians through their gracious donations and at the same time continue challenging us with interesting topics for the essays every year.”
Emil Prisquilas Peter is a first-year seminarian in the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program at St Vladimir’s Seminary and is projected to graduate in May 2026. Emil hails from Mumbai, India, and is a member of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. He has a B.E. in Electronics Engineering and an M.S. in Computer Engineering and worked a corporate engineering job for three years before deciding to follow his lifelong calling to ministry. After considering multiple seminaries in several different countries, Emil decided on St Vladimir’s Seminary, in large part due to the Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) component of the M.Div. program here, a requirement that is unique to St Vladimir’s Seminary. Emil says, “During my time at St Vladimir’s Seminary, I hope to enhance my knowledge of the Scriptures and also to embark on a spiritual journey that will get me closer to God and to know Him better.”
Congratulations, Emil!
About the St Matthias Merit Scholarship Essay Contest
The St Matthias Merit Scholarship Essay Contest is offered annually, thanks to the generous contributions of a family of anonymous donors. These donors also select the topic of the essay contest each year and develop thorough and thoughtful criteria to determine the winner.
The contest is one of many offerings by the Seminary to help its seminarians graduate tuition debt-free as they go forth to serve the Church. SVOTS also administers need-based tuition grants, need-based scholarships, merit scholarships, continuing education grants, and matching grant opportunities for seminarians. These are made possible thanks to many benefactors who have graciously given funds to St Vladimir’s.
Previous winners:
