Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, faculty, staff, seminarians, and their families attended a Moleben of Thanksgiving in Three Hierarchs Chapel, and then gathered in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium for the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner. Members of the Board of Trustees also attended, having completed the first day of their two-day fall quarterly meeting.
In keeping with seminary custom, faculty members manned the serving line, dishing out Thanksgiving classics such as turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce for students and their families. Event Coordinator Daria Mayrose orchestrated the event, and made sure each table was stocked with crayons and Thanksgiving-themed coloring sheets to keep the children busy. Each table also featured a decorative sign with messages of gratitude; halfway through the dinner, attendees were asked to look under their seats for the winning ticket. Anyone who found a winning ticket was asked to take the sign at their table and gift it to someone they felt grateful for.
At the conclusion of the dinner, Seminary President, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield recognized departing board member, David Hicks, thanking him for his years of dedicated service to the St Vladimir’s Seminary Board of Trustees. As a parting gift, Fr Chad presented David with an icon of St Vladimir, hand painted by seminarian Daniel Werner (M.Div. ‘26).
The evening concluded with hearty portions of pumpkin and apple pie, followed by a group cleanup effort involving staff and students working as a team.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
