With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of St. Vladimir’s Seminary Trustee Emeritus Mitchell Zunich. Zunich, 93, died on the Feast of Holy Pascha, Sunday, April 19, at his home at St. Mary of the Woods Assisted Living in Avon, OH.

Zunich was born May 10, 1926 in Lorain, OH. He served with the US Army during World War II in the 357th Regiment of the 90th Infantry Division. During his service, he participated in the battles of Rhineland and Central Europe and received the European-African-Middle-Eastern Theater Ribbon with two Bronze Stars, a Good Conduct Medal, a WWII Victory Medal and an Occupation Medal for Germany. His division was awarded the Bronze Star and participated in the liberation of Flossenburg Concentration Camp. Zunich attended the Ohio State University where he earned a bachelor of science in accounting. He founded Mitchell Zunich & Co. Certified Public Accountants, retiring in 2001. He was active in the community, having served as an officer, president, and board member of many organizations including the Lorain Rotary Club, Lorain Salvation Army, Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority, the City Bank Co., Lorain Family YMCA, Clearview School Board, and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. In the 1990s, Mitchell and his wife, Violet, helped establish a scholarship for Serbian Orthodox seminarians at St. Vladimir’s so that no young Serbian Orthodox men would be turned away from becoming priests. Zunich was a member of St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Lorain, the Serbian National Federation, the Ohio Society of CPAs, and the AICPA.

"Mitch was honored to be on the Seminary’s Board of Trustees," said fellow St. Vladimir's Trustee Emeritus Brian Gerich. "He served many years as one of the four Serbian trustees along with [Trustee Emeritus] Alex Machaskee, Leon Lysaght, and myself.

"During our 1990’s Capital Campaign, I asked Mitch to join with me in establishing endowments for scholarships for Serbian Orthodox students studying to become priests. He immediately accepted, and he and his beloved wife Violet added to their endowment regularly. Mitch was pleased to know that as students graduated they were debt free as they prepared for a lifetime of serving our Lord."

"I remember Mitch as a quiet, decisive, compassionate gentleman who was a staunch supporter of our Orthodox Christian faith and a great contributor of time, talent, and treasure to St. Vladimir's Seminary," added Alex Machaskee. "He was a founding contributor to Monastery Marcha in Richfield Ohio, a decorated veteran of World War II, and a highly esteemed civic leader."

Mitchell Zunich is survived by his sons, Mitch Zunich of Cleveland and Rob (Eva) Zunich of Avon Lake; grandchildren, Neven, Dane, Rada, and Mila Zunich; and sister, Sophie Tyrin of Chicago. Zunich was preceded in death by his wife of 58 years, Violet M. Zunich (née Kobac) on Sept 7, 2014; infant son, Nick Zunich, in 1959; parents, Nikola & Stanka Zunich (née Kunic); brothers, Demeter, George, Nick, and Mike Zunich; and sisters, Mildred Stamatis, Dorothy Kovan, Nellie Raynovich, and Mary Zunich.

Due to restrictions on social gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, private family funeral services will be held. Hieromonk Nektarije Tesanovic of St. George Serbian Orthodox Church will preside with burial to follow in Elmwood Cemetery in Lorain. Memorial contributions may be made to St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, 3355 Grove Ave, Lorain, OH, 44055 or St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, 575 Scarsdale Rd, Yonkers, NY, 10707. Arrangements are under the direction of Gluvna-Shimo-Hromada Funeral Chapel, 3224 Broadway Ave, Lorain. Online condolences may be made at www.gluvna.net. 

May the memory of Mitchell Zunich be eternal!

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(The photo and some information in this article have been reprinted from The Morning Journal.)

The annual St Nicholas Day celebration at St Vladimir’s Seminary was a joyful and memorable event for all who attended. After leaving the children’s shoes in the hallway, families gathered in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium, where the children spent time creating holiday crafts and enjoyed delicious treats. Laura Ionescu (M.Div. '25) led the children in singing several traditional carols, adding to the festive spirit.

St Nicholas (played by an unnamed seminarian) even made a surprise visit, delighting the children with the story of St Nicholas. Upon his departure, the children returned to their shoes to find them filled with special goodies.

Seminary families were also very grateful to receive several generous deliveries of Christmas presents from nearby parishes, organized by the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America (FOCA).

Thank you to all who joined us at the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium for this wonderful tradition. We look forward to continuing this celebration in the years to come!

The Board of Trustees at St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) met for their fall session on November 7-8, 2024. In addition to their formal meetings, board members attended several meet-and-greet receptions to interact with students, faculty, and staff. The female trustees organized a reception for the women on campus, as well. The trustees also attended the annual campus Community Thanksgiving Dinner, enjoying the opportunity to mingle with seminarian families and share a festive time of fellowship.

The Board of Trustees joined the seminary community for Vespers in Three Hierarchs Chapel before the annual Thanksgiving Dinner (not pictured, Board Chairman His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon (OCA), who arrived the following day)

Faculty and board members serve students and their families, in an annual St Vladimir’s tradition

Seven new trustees were added to the board this fall. His Beatitude, The Most Blessed Tikhon appointed three bishops to join the board: Their Graces, Bishops JOHN (Abdalah), IRINEJ (Dobrijevic), and NIKODHIM (Preston). The newly appointed hierarchs joined His Grace, Metropolitan ZACHARIAH Mar Nikolovos (Poothiyottu), Northeast American Diocese, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, who has served on the board since 2012 and was reappointed as a trustee at this meeting.  Four others were elected by the board at its business meeting on Friday, under His Beatitude’s chairmanship: Dr Randa Anderson, Ms Shoshanna Clark, the Rev. Dn Gabriel Otte, and the Rev. Dn Dr Philip Wagner. These seven joined three trustees who joined or rejoined the board earlier this year: Mr Frank Barrett, Ms Tatiana Hoff, and Mr David Solheim. 

Fall 2024 St Vladimir’s Seminary Board of Trustees meeting in progress

Finally, Dr Frank Cerra stepped off the board after completing twelve years of service—the maximum of four terms allowed in the bylaws—and Dr Nicholas Pandilidis was honored with trustee emeritus status, following his retirement from the board earlier this year. Both of these longtime trustees have earned the hearty thanks and deep respect of their fellow trustees.

At the same meeting, the Rt Rev. Archimandrite Jeremy (Davis) was reelected as executive chair of the board and Dr Ana Iltis and Fr Mihai Faur were reelected as Corporate Secretary and Treasurer, respectively. The board received reports on the work of the seminary and discussed the leadership transition and search process now underway.

Archimandrite Jeremy observed, 

Even in the midst of this transition, the seminary continues to fulfill its essential role of preparing Orthodox Christians for service to Christ and His Church. This is largely due to the faithful and tireless work of Academic Dean and Interim President Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie and all the faculty and staff. Alongside their dedication, the strength of our board gives me great confidence in the future of the seminary. Under His Beatitude’s chairmanship, we have a distinguished group of trustees with a breadth of skills and life experiences and a deep, shared commitment to the seminary’s Christ-centered, student-focused, and education-driven mission. Their love for St Vladimir’s was especially clear on the first day of our meetings, as we sat down for a roundtable discussion with the faculty about the seminary’s future and then engaged with students in small-group Q&A. Each trustee was visibly energized by this opportunity to reconnect with the heart of the seminary, the reason we are all serving on the board. 

All St Vladimir’s Seminary alumni are invited by the Alumni Board to attend a virtual town hall meeting on December 7th at 2:00 p.m. Eastern (11:00 a.m. Pacific). The purpose of this event is:

• For alumni to learn more about what is happening at the seminary from the Academic Dean and Interim President, Dr Alex Tudorie. There will be an opportunity to send in questions ahead of time (see below), as well as to submit questions live;
• To discuss the upcoming Alumni Board elections, and to begin the process of nominations;
• To discuss alumni initiatives for reunions and other events, ways to strengthen the relationship between St Vladimir’s Seminary and its alumni, and offer ideas for upcoming events like the All-American Council Reunion with the new Director of Alumni Relations, Zach Mandell;
• To reconnect, albeit via Zoom, with old friends and classmates. 

For those attending, questions may be submitted on the registration form. If you cannot attend, you may still submit questions via email at alumni@svots.edu; the Town Hall will be recorded so that you can view it at a later date.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP here:

RSVP

We hope to see you there, and we hope that this event is a catalyst for an active and thriving relationship between our alumni, alumni board, and the seminary. Even if you cannot attend, do not hesitate to reach out, about this event and in general. We want to hear from you, growing together in communion, in community, and in our common mission of serving Christ and his Church. Email Zach Mandell, Director of Alumni Relations, any time at zmandell@svots.edu, or call at 914-961-8313 ext. 342.