After wrapping up a busy semester of teaching and travel, The Alexander Schmemann Professor of Liturgical Theology Dr. Paul Meyendorff traveled to Helsinki, Finland, to represent St. Vladimir's Seminary and the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) at the fifth meeting of the organization, Quality in Orthodox Theological Education, or QuOTE. The workshop was attended by official representatives from the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Orthodox Churches of Russia, Greece, Romania, and Finland.
At the beginning of the conference, His Beatitude the Most Rev. Metropolitan Ambrose of Helsinki greeted the participants. Over the course of several days of meetings, Dr. Meyendorff presented SVOTS' innovative program, "The Good Pastor," incorporated in the SVS 2010 Strategic Plan.
"The Good Pastor" project grew out of an intensive four–year period of study and development aimed at enhancing the formation of seminarians for service to the Church. The project was a precursor to the "New Curriculum" implemented in 2006, which ultimately served to increase St. Vladimir's scope and effectiveness and further develop the resources needed for sustaining the seminary's work.
Future meetings of the group are planned to further discuss theological curricula, with the aim of articulating common standards for Orthodox theological institutions everywhere. "It's important that SVOTS be a voice in the discussion of the development of Orthodox graduate education around the world," noted Dr. Meyendorff.
View the Agenda for the Fifth QuOTE workshop in Helsinki
