During St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s 2021 Fall Semester and the summer preceding it, one new bishop, five new priests, and four new deacons were added to our student body and alumni fellowship. Another eight were elevated in rank or bestowed an ecclesiastical award.
We keep them all in prayer as they continue in their ministries. AXIOS!
HOLY EPISCOPATE
Bishop Gerasim (Eliel) (M.Div., ’12)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Episcopal Consecration: Consecrated as bishop by the hands of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon and members of the Holy Synod of Bishops 29JUNE21 at St. Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX
Current ministry: Bishop of Fort Worth and auxiliary to His Eminence, Archbishop Alexander and the Diocese of the South
HOLY PRIESTHOOD
Priest Haroutiun (Michael) Sabounjian (M.Div., ’18)
Jurisdiction: Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 4–5June21 by His Grace, Bishop Daniel Findikyan at Holy Resurrection Church, New Britain, CT
Current ministry: Assigned as pastor of Holy Resurrection Church, New Britain, CT
Educational and Professional Background: B.A. in Philosophy, minoring in Music and French, from Boston College; served a pastoral internship at the Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Church of Providence, RI, under the tutelage of Fr. Shnork Souin
Priest Thomas Miller (3rd-Year Seminarian, M.Div. Program)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 16AUG20 by His Grace, Bishop Basil at St. George Cathedral, Wichita, KS
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 13JUNE21 by His Grace, Bishop Basil at Holy Ascension Antiochian Orthodox Church, Norman, OK
Educational and Professional Background: Graduate of Liberty University (B.S., '02) and the University of Florida (M.H.A., '07); Served as an officer in the US Air Force Medical Service Corps specializing in global supply chain management, separating from active duty status as a major in the summer of 2019 in order to attend seminary
Hieromonk Basil Paul (M.A., ’21)
Jurisdiction: Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 23June21 by His Eminence, Mor Aphrem Mathews at St. Jacob Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church, Allapra, Kerala, India
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 25June21 By His Eminence, Mor Aphrem Mathews at St. Mary’s Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church, Krariyeli, Kerala, India
Monastic Tonsure: Tonsured 14July21 By His Eminence, Mor Aphrem Mathews at St. Mary’s Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church, Kuruppampadi, Kerala, India
Educational and Professional Background: Bachelor of Engineering from Nagpur University, India; Bachelor of Divinity from United Theological College, Bangalore; Internship in the National Council of Churches in India’s Youth Department
Priest Kosmas (Mitchell) Morfas (M.Div., ‘21)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 17MARCH21 by the hand of His Grace Bishop John at St. George Orthodox Church, West Roxbury, MA
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 11JULY21 by the hand of His Grace Bishop Basil at St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral, Wichita, KS
Current ministry: Pastor of Holy Ascension Orthodox Church, Norman, OK
Educational and Professional Background: B.A. in Religious Studies from Hellenic College Holy Cross, in Boston, MA; previous work includes camp counseling at Camp St. Thekla in Cleveland, SC and serving on staff for the CrossRoad Summer Institute at Hellenic College Holy Cross
Priest Silouan (Blake) Cohen (3rd-Year Seminarian, M.Div. program)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 25MARCH21 by the hand of His Grace Andrei, Auxiliary Bishop of the Romanian Episcopate, at Three Hierarchs Chapel, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 12Dec21 by the hand of His Eminence Archbishop Alexander at Holy Nativity of the Lord Orthodox Church, Shreveport, LA
Educational and Professional Background: Bachelor’s degree in general studies from Louisiana State University, Shreveport, LA; Before coming to seminary Dn. Silouan worked in sales for a wholesale flooring company and as a barista for a large coffee corporation
HOLY DIACONATE
Deacon Nicholas Fine (2nd-Year Seminarian, M.Div. Program)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 12SEPT21 by His Eminence, Metropolitan Joseph at St. Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church, Brooklyn, NY
Educational and Professional Background: B.A. in Bible and Theology from Multnomah University, Portland, OR
Deacon Vitaly Permiakov (SVOTS Faculty; M.Div., ‘04)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 14SEPT21 by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon at St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel
Current ministry: Ecclesiarch and assistant professor of liturgical theology at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Yonkers, NY
Educational and Professional Background: B.A. in Russian culture from the Latvian Academy of Culture (Riga, Latvia); M.A. in humanities from the University of Texas at Dallas; Ph.D. in theology/liturgical studies from the University of Notre Dame; taught at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary, Jordanville, NY from 2011 to 2020
Deacon Anthony (Gaelan) Gilbert (2nd-Year Seminarian, M.Div. Program)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 24OCT21 by His Grace, Bishop Basil at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Cathedral, Wichita, KS
Educational and Professional Background: Adjunct professor of literature and history at Hellenic College-Holy Cross, Brookline, MA; department chair and associate professor of arts and humanities at the University of Saint Katherine, San Marcos, CA; headmaster at Christ the Savior Academy in Wichita, KS; Ph.D. in English and medieval literature and culture from the University of Victoria; M.A. in English language and literature from San Diego State University
Deacon Joseph Thornburg (2nd-Year Seminarian, M.Div. Program)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 31OCT21 by His Eminence, Metropolitan Joseph at St Anthony Antiochian Orthodox Church, Bergenfield, NJ
Educational and Professional Background: B.A. in Christian studies with a minor in philosophy from California Baptist University; youth director and developer of Sunday school curriculum for High School-age youth; served as adult catechist for a number of years
ELEVATIONS & AWARDS
Archpriest Basil Biberdorf (M.Div., ’05)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Elevation to Archpriest: Elevated to the dignity of archpriest 29JUNE21 at St. Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX
Current ministry: Priest-in-charge of St. Nektarios Mission Waxahachie, TX
Archpriest Marcus Burch (M.Div., ’97)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Ecclesiastical Awards: Awarded the jeweled cross 29JUNE21 at St. Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX
Current ministry: Rector of St. John of the Ladder Church, Greenville, SC; chancellor of the Diocese of the South
Priest John Cox (M.Div., ’11)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Ecclesiastical Awards: Awarded the gold cross 29JUNE21 at St. Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX
Current ministry: Rector of Holy Ascension Church, Mount Pleasant/Charleston, SC; dean of the Carolina Deanery
Archpriest Nikolay Miletkov (M.Div., ’06)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Elevation to Archpriest: Elevated to the dignity of archpriest 29JUNE21 at St. Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX
Current ministry: Rector of All Saints of North America Church, Albuquerque, NM
Archpriest Thomas Moore (M.Div., ’99)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Ecclesiastical Awards: Awarded the jeweled cross 29JUNE21 at St. Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX
Current ministry: Rector of Holy Apostles Church, West Columbia, SC
Archpriest Christopher Eid (M.Div., ’10)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Elevation to Archpriest: Elevated to the dignity of archpriest 12SEPT21 by the hand of His Grace, Bishop Thomas at Holy Ascension Antiochian Orthodox Church, West Chester, PA
Current ministry: Priest of Holy Ascension Antiochian Orthodox Church, West Chester, PA
Archpriest Aaron Warwick (M.Div., ‘09)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Elevation to Archpriest: Elevated to the dignity of archpriest 12SEPT21 at St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church, Wichita, KS
Current ministry: Pastor of St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church, Wichita, KS
Protodeacon Andrei Psarev (Th.M., ’04)
Jurisdiction: Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR)
Elevation to Protodeacon: Elevated to the dignity of protodeacon 19DEC21 at the Cathedral of Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, NY
Current ministry: Professor of Russian Church history and canon law and director of Undergraduate Studies at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary, Jordanville, NY
