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.)

"I Saw the Lord" (Isa 6.1): Entangled Jewish and Christian Perspectives on the Encounter with God

Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) will hold its Third Annual Academic Symposium on November 13-15, 2024. 

This year’s symposium, titled “I Saw the Lord (Isa 6.1): Entangled Jewish and Christian Perspectives on the Encounter with God,” gathers leading Orthodox Christian and Jewish scholars from around the world, who will reflect on the manner in which theophanic texts—biblical accounts of Divine Revelation to the patriarchs and prophets—have always been and remain foundational to their respective doctrinal and spiritual traditions. For more details, see the Vision Statement.

The symposium will commence on Wednesday, November 13, at 6 p.m. (EST), in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium, with two keynote addresses.

• His Eminence, Archbishop Alexander Golitzin (Emeritus Professor, Marquette University): 
  • “THEOPHANEIA: Studying Orthodox Theology with an Eye to Judaism?”
• Rabbi Reuven R. Kimelman (Professor of Classical Judaica, Brandeis University):
  • “How Do We Image an Imageless God?”

The keynote addresses are open to the public and will be published on the SVOTS YouTube channel after the conclusion of the event.

Please register to attend the keynote addresses (in person or online) by clicking the button below.

Register for Keynotes

For more information on the remainder of the symposium, please visit our expanded event page here.

More info

Click here to download flyer

Ask noted scholars your questions about Scripture, theology, ethics, Pan-Orthodoxy, and more at St Vladimir’s Seminary’s fourth annual Education Day Online! This free virtual event is a six-hour “Zoomathon” where you get to participate and pose questions to seminary professors and guest scholars.

Register NOW

Education Day Online will be held Saturday, July 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT (7 a.m. to 1 p.m. PDT). Join the event when a topic that interests you is scheduled, or join several discussions throughout the day. It's up to you when you join and for how long. (See the scheduled topics and scholars below.)

St Vladimir’s Seminary’s Education Day Online is also for a good cause—join us and help raise $50k to educate seminarians! Attendance is FREE. Please consider making a donation as you register or during the event. (If donating through our Giving Page, please write "ED DAY" in the comment section.)

You may submit questions now, as you register, to be asked during the event on July 13 (please indicate what topic your question belongs to in the comment box). Of course, you will be able to submit questions during the event as well.

Schedule of Topics & Scholars

St Vladimir’s Seminary (SVOTS) was well represented at the most recent annual meeting of The Orthodox Theological Society in America (OTSA).

The gathering was held June 6–8, 2024 at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA. Among the participants were The Very Rev. Dr Bogdan Bucur, the seminary’s associate professor of patristics; former SVOTS faculty member and alumnus The Very Rev. Dr John Jillions (M.Div., '80; D.Min., '05), who serves as OTSA’s vice president; alumnus The Very Rev. Dr Peter Baktis (M.Div., ‘85; D.Min., ‘20); and Ph.D. candidate and seminary alumnus Mark Chenoweth (M.Div., '17; Th.M., '18).

“I think it was important that I and a number of St Vladimir’s alumni participated in both OTSA and Paideia conferences this year,” said Fr Bogdan. “I hope that, in the years to come, there can be greater involvement of our faculty and community with both societies. We need to, at least try to, resist the temptation of hunkering down in our respective ideological echo chambers."

At the OTSA annual meeting, Fr Bogdan was part of a panel presenting the work of the group Orthodox Christians in Dialogue With Judaism, and he gave a separate paper titled “I Am the Icon of Your Ineffable Glory: The Image and the Scars of Human Identity.”

The Orthodox Theological Society in America was organized in 1966 under the auspices and with the blessing of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas. To learn more about the OTSA, visit the Society’s website, otsamerica.net.

Photo: Maliotis Cultural Center of Hellenic College Holy Cross 

St Vladimir's Seminary was a big part of this year's Paideia Conference at Antiochian Village, as faculty, staff, and alumni joined discussions about the life of the mind, the creation of culture, and our life in Christ.

Around fifty Orthodox Christians convened for the conference, held May 29 through June 1, 2024. Paideia held its second annual event this year as a “society of Orthodox Christians drawing upon the riches of holy tradition to address issues of modern and postmodern thought and culture.”  Paideia comes from the ancient Greek word meaning “education” or “learning,” and most importantly “culture” as a whole.

Notable contributions from members of the seminary community included keynote addresses by St Vladimir’s Seminary President Fr Chad Hatfield and Alumnus Fr Thomas Soroka; talks were given by Professor Fr Bogdan Bucur; Alumnus and St Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press Senior Editor Fr Ignatius Green; Alumnus and Assistant Professor of Literature Fr Anthony Gilbert; Associate Professor of Medicine Dn Sampson Ryan Nash; Alumnus Fr Alexander Earl; and SVS Press author Dr Edith Humphrey (read more about each paper and speaker here). Fr Chad was also named a co-convener of the Paideia Conference moving forward.

Listen to Fr Chad Hatfield’s Keynote Address

To learn more about the conference and register for future editions, visit the Paideia Society’s website: paideiasociety.org. 

Paideia was the first of two gatherings of theologians and scholars the seminary community participated in this June. The following week, from June 6 through 8, faculty and alumni joined the annual gathering of the OTSA.

Photos courtesy of the Paideia Society

Over the winter and spring months of 2024 one new bishop, five new priests, and five new deacons were added to St Vladimir’s Seminary’s student body and alumni fellowship. Together with ordinations and elevations occurring last fall and summer, twenty-four seminarians and alumni of St Vladimir’s Seminary were ordained to holy orders during Academic Year 2023–2024 and the summer preceding it; another three faculty/alumni were elevated in rank. Glory be to God!

We keep them all in prayer as they continue in their ministries. AXIOS!

HOLY EPISCOPATE

Bishop Nektarios (Papazafiropoulos; M.Div.,’99)
Jurisdiction: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA)
Consecration: 13 April 2024 Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York, NY
Current Ministry: Bishop of Diokleia, Archdiocese Chancellor

HOLY PRIESTHOOD

Priest Joshua Birdsall (M.Div. ’24)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 7 January 2024 at St Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church, Brooklyn, NY

Priest Peter Ries (M.Div. ’24)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 30 March 2024 at Holy Myrrhbearers Orthodox Church, St Cloud, MN
 

Priest Giorgi Lomsadze (M.Div. ’24)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 13 April 2024 at St Athanasius Orthodox Church, Nicholasville, KY
 

Priest Gabriel Khoury (M.Div. ’22)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 24 March 2024 at St Ignatius Antiochian Orthodox Church, Franklin, TN
 

Hieromonk Jacob (Bogdan) Manga (M.Div. ’23)
Jurisdiction: Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 16 June 2024 at St Dumitru Romanian Orthodox Monastery, Middletown, NY

HOLY DIACONATE

Deacon Richard Okello (M.Div. ’25)
Jurisdiction: Holy Diocese of Gulu and Northern Uganda, under the Archdiocese of Kampala of the Patriarchate of Alexandria
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 7 January 2024 at St Basil Orthodox Parish in Gulu, Uganda
 

Hierodeacon Stephen Guirgis (M.Div. ’25)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 30 January 2024 at Three Hierarchs Chapel, St Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY
 

Hierodeacon Cyril Hanna (M.Div. ’25)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 22 April 2024 at Three Hierarchs Chapel, St Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY
 

Deacon Mark Sultani (M.Div. ’23)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 27 April 2024 at St George Orthodox Christian Cathedral, Wichita, KS
 

Deacon Justin Taylor (M.Div. ’25)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 19 May 2024 at Three Hierarchs Chapel, St Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY

St Vladimir’s Seminary Alumnus Antwian (Anthony) Davis (‘19) has been experiencing and witnessing God's miraculous grace from a time beyond his own memories as a small child, and seemingly at every turn since: through the profound faith of his parents; in his journey from serious illness and near death in childhood to health and adulthood; from ordained Baptist minister to seminarian at St Vladimir's Seminary; and during his encounters with the sick, suffering, and incarcerated. In this episode of Voices from St Vladimir's Seminary on Ancient Faith Radio (AFR), Antwian shares powerful stories from his life and conversion to Orthodox Christianity—including why he's thankful to his Baptist parents, who he says "actually raised me to be Orthodox." Antwian, who currently serves as SVS Press Bookstore manager, also reveals his favorite Press books and announces the next stop in his grace-filled journey, this time away from St Vladimir's Seminary.

Listen Now on AFR

Photo: SVS Press Bookstore Manager Anthony (Antwian) Davis (M.Div. ‘19) is raised to the rank of reader at the seminary's Three Hierarchs Chapel on the Feast of Annunciation, March 25, 2023, by the hand of His Eminence Metropolitan Tikhon.