At the Seventeenth International Conference on Patristic Studies held in Oxford, UK, August 10–14, 2015, St. Vladimir's Seminary shone, and among its brightest stars was its publishing house, SVS Press. According to Press Marketing Director Dn. Gregory Hatrak and Production Manager Michael Soroka, the Press's Popular Patristic Series (PPS), especially proved itself as "one of the most useful, accessible, and sought after resources," amongst the nearly 1,000 scholars at the conference.
At the gathering, Dn. Gregory and Mr. Soroka manned the SVS Press section of the vendor booth run by publisher SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge), the Press's UK and European distributor. As they interacted with scholars, authors, and book buyers at the conference and on the city streets, Dn. Gregory and Mr. Soroka came to realize the tremendous respect the Popular Patristics Series had garnered.
"Professor Paul Blowers, an internationally renowned expert on the writings of St. Maximus the Confessor, told us that he sends his best students to SVS Press," noted Dn. Gregory, "and, he assures them that if they are published in a PPS volume, their work will be used as course material at the undergraduate or graduate level."
"PPS volumes are regularly ordered for classroom use in such renowned institutions as Harvard, Fordham, and Notre Dame universities, and Wheaton College," explained Dn. Gregory. "Additionally, when I saw our PPS books on a promotional stand in the famous Blackwell's Bookshop in Oxford, I was struck by how highly respected these volumes are among academics and how highly accessible they are to the average lay reader. I saw similar displays in other public books shops and in religious book shops housed in local churches throughout the city."
Seminary Dean, Archpriest John Behr, a renowned Patristics scholar and editor of the PPS, chaired a session at the conference. He also spoke at a special "wine and crisps" outdoor reception hosted by SPCK and SVS Press on the quad of the Examination Schools at Oxford.
At the reception, Fr. John introduced and thanked SPCK's Commercial Director Alexandra McDonald and Sales Director Alan Mordue, and he also thanked PPS contributors who were present, including Alistair Stewart, translator of the newly revised edition of On the Apostolic Tradition (PPS 54), and Luis Joshua Salés, translator of Two Hundred Chapters on Theology (PPS 53). Father John also enjoined the scholars gathered to submit new translations and studies to the Press for its consideration, in order to expand the breadth of PPS titles.
In turn, PPS collaborators praised their working relationship with the SVS Press family, speaking about the ease of the publication process, high caliber of the editorial staff, and top level strategic marketing. Professor Stewart said, "I've worked with a lot of presses, but I especially appreciate the one-on-one attention afforded by SVS Press staff, along with their collegiality, and in particular, the eye of editor Fr. Benedict Churchill."
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Note: Since its inception in 1951 as the First International Conference on Patristic Studies, organized by Frank Leslie Cross (1900-1968), Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity in the University of Oxford, this four-yearly gathering of scholars from around the world has become a major event for the many disciplines concerned with Patristics.
