Metropolitan Philip presented the relics on behalf of His Beatitude Vladimir (Volodymyr), metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine, of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).
Chancellor/CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield acknowledged the extraordinary gifts, saying, "Three years ago on November 13, 2010, when the Episcopal Secretary of the Archdiocese of Canada of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) a permanent and most gracious gift from Metropolitan Philip and the Ukrainian Church."
He added, "The rare Gospel Book, given to us at the same time, is a reminder that 75 years ago the decision was made to give our seminary a missionary saint as its patron. This book, commemorating the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of the Rus', will inspire us to remember our first charge to be a missionary school."
The SVOTS Chancellor travelled to Ukraine last June, where he and the Rector of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary, Metropolitan Antony (Borispolsky), reached a cooperative agreement between their respective theological schools. The agreement will offer opportunities for student and teacher exchanges; the sharing of educational models; the development and execution of joint research projects; the co-sponsoring of symposia, conferences, and seminars; and co-publication of scholarly materials.
