The Reverend Adrian Budica has been appointed to the faculty of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, as Supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and Director of Field Education. The appointment of Fr. Adrian, a seminary alumnus (M.Th., ’10), is effective July 1, 2015.
“We welcome Father Adrian, with his extensive pastoral experience and extraordinary educational credentials,” said The Very Reverend Dr. John Behr, seminary dean. “His chaplaincy roles at four major urban hospitals, his priestly service at a large cathedral, and his missionary mind, charitable heart, and sharp intellect will be gifts to our seminarians as they train in pastoral care.”
Father Adrian has been certified as an Associate Supervisor by the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). He presently is pursuing two other certifications: as a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) and as a CPE Supervisor (“Full”) with ACPE. He anticipates certification by both bodies in the fall of 2015.
Since completing his initial ACPE supervisory training in record time, successfully meeting with two regional committees and two national committees for certification, Fr. Adrian has been serving on the Administrative Board of the ACPE Eastern Region. For his work with ACPE, he was recognized as an “Emerging Leader 2015” at the recent ACPE National Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.
In a soon to be aired PBS documentary produced by Journey Films, Fr. Adrian will be featured in the 2–hour long production “Chaplains,” which records his experience as a training supervisor at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, along with other men and woman who serve as chaplains in various settings.
Currently, Fr. Adrian is employed as the CPE Supervisor and Coordinator of Clinical Pastoral Education at Bridgeport Hospital in Connecticut, a position he will retain while a faculty member at the seminary. Additionally, since 2011, he has served as priest at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, in Brooklyn, New York, where the Very Reverend Thomas Zain is rector.
Upon his appointment as a new faculty member, Fr. Adrian said, “I am truly blessed with the opportunity to give back to my seminary and to the Orthodox Church through teaching at St. Vladimir’s, using an educational model that has been transformational for me personally and pastorally.
“I am indebted to my seminary professors—especially Dr. Albert Rossi—and to my CPE supervisors for their guidance,” he continued, “and I am looking forward to being both part of the faculty and of the students’ spiritual journeys in personal and pastoral formation, competence, and reflection.”
Added Fr. John Behr, “Father Adrian’s new position represents the fruit of our ‘Good Pastor’ program begun as part of our seminary’s ‘Strategic Plan 2010,’ and it also signifies the next stage in the program’s evolution, which will ensure that our seminarians fulfill hundreds of pastoral care hours in a supervised setting under a certified—and Orthodox Christian—instructor.”
Currently, all Master of Divinity students at St. Vladimir’s Seminary are required to fulfill one unit of CPE, which represents 400 hours of hospital visitation and related self-reflection under the watchful eye of a certified CPE supervisor onsite at local hospitals. With the addition of Fr. Adrian to the faculty, the seminary is taking the first steps in offering students CPE with supervision on the seminary campus in a wider variety of institutional settings.
The Very Reverend Dr. Chad Hatfield, seminary chancellor/CEO, noting the importance of expanding the CPE program at St. Vladimir’s, said, "Some critics of CPE say that it is dominated by Mainline Protestants. As a minority, we Orthodox Christians must witness to and also navigate this world of pastoral care, to make us better prepared for ministry."
Read Fr. Adrian Budica’s resume here.
Read about the Seminary’s current CPE requirements here.
Read about the Seminary’s Master of Divinity program here.
