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!
--
(The photo and some information in this article have been reprinted from The Morning Journal.)
We are excited to announce the return of St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Summer Music Institute, to be held on campus from June 23–27, 2026, with pre-institute intensive June 22–23.
This year’s Institute will celebrate and explore the planting, cultivation, and flourishing of Orthodox musical traditions in North America, and the musicians who laid the groundwork for the English language liturgical singing of today. Teachers and experts including Alexander Lingas, Vladimir Morosan, Photini Downie Robinson, Juliana Woodill, and Alice Hughes will lead courses of study on vocal technique and choral conducting, as well as advanced seminars on Orthodox music. Come worship, build skills, and enjoy fellowship together!
The Institute of Sacred Arts (ISA) at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary explores the intersection of human creativity and holiness. With a theology that is holistic, and a liturgy that unites multiple artistic disciplines and all the human senses, the Orthodox Christian tradition is ripe for the exploration and celebration of the sacred arts. Since its founding in 1938, St. Vladimir’s Seminary has fostered the study of icons, music and liturgy. The ISA serves to extend the seminary’s mission in exploring the mutual relationship between theology and the arts by: contributing to the work of people and institutions that practice and reflect on the sacred arts; engaging people and institutions of all backgrounds with Orthodox artistic tradition; inspiring wider public interest in spirituality and the arts. Learn more at www.instituteofsacredarts.com.
The Rev. Dn. Chad Cordero, a deacon of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), is attached to the Nativity of the Holy Theotokos Orthodox Church in Charlotte, NC. He was ordained to the Holy Diaconate in 2022. Dn. Chad and his wife Jaime are faithful members of the St. Vladimir’s Society, comprised of generous donors who give monthly to St. Vladimir’s Seminary. Dn. Chad graciously shared with us why he supports the Seminary.
Dn. Chad, how long have you been serving at Nativity of the Holy Theotokos?
This has been the first and only parish that we’ve attended since my wife and I moved here from California in 2006. We were catechized and chrismated at this parish. This is our home. We have four children that we are raising here. We have been truly blessed by such an amazing parish community and all the opportunities that God provided us since we have been here, the last twenty years.
How did you first connect with St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVOTS)?
I had heard of SVOTS before, but it wasn’t until 2019 when I began my educational journey to the diaconate that I became intimately involved in what it had to offer and how special it really was. SVOTS had the roadmap, through the OCA Diaconal Vocations Program [frequently hosted on SVOTS’ campus in previous years] that I was able to participate in and follow until my ordination to the diaconate in 2022. During that time I was exposed to all that SVOTS really provides for the Church, and it was very humbling to see. I was beside myself as I witnessed the sacrifice that so many people give to be a part of the SVOTS community and ultimately commit their lives and their families’ lives to serving our Lord Jesus Christ. Since my time in the DVP I have met so many great priests and dedicated families who came from the Seminary. I am excited to see how the Church grows through the amazing work that the Seminary is doing.
And since then, you have become a generous supporter of SVOTS and a member of the St. Vladimir’s Society of monthly givers! Why did you decide to join?
I felt convicted to join the St. Vladimir’s Society as I thought about all the people who have sacrificed so much to serve our Lord. At first I felt guilty that I could not give in the same way that the students (and families) are giving. There is story after story of the students who quit their jobs and moved their families to the campus to follow God’s calling in their life. However, after much prayer and discernment, I realized that I have to follow my calling, and I can still participate even if it looks different. It was about that time that I heard about the St. Vladimir’s Society. I decided to join. I have always been told, “to whom much has been given, much is expected.” Well, I have been given so much, I must take every opportunity to give back, no matter how big or small it is. The Society is one of the ways that I can give back.
Members of the St. Vladimir’s Society such as your family are so important in providing stability for the Seminary each month. How would you describe the importance of monthly giving from your perspective as a donor?
The bonus is that through the Society my family and I can also participate in the work of the Church. Through the many donors that give, we have so many resources that I, and so many others, use on a daily and weekly basis. Resources like liturgical texts and music for organizing the divine services, or daily lives of the Saints and Scripture readings for our spiritual enrichment, and even beyond that to Orthodox educational material for inquirers and the baby Orthodox who just want to know a little more, such as through The Orthodox Faith series (Thank you also, Fr. Tom!). I am so grateful for the small yet meaningful connection I have with this wonderful establishment through the St. Vladimir’s Society.
This sermon by Archpriest Sergius Halvorsen, on Mark 2:1–12, was delivered at Sts. Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church in Glenview, IL, on Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Randa Karadsheh Anderson)
Paralysis.
That is a scary word. When someone is in an accident, or is gravely ill, we dread that word, “paralysis.” We ask, “Are they paralyzed; will they be able to walk again; is the paralysis permanent; will they recover?” Losing the ability to move, to work, to care for loved ones can be devastating. Paralysis is scary. And today we hear about a paralyzed man that is brought before Jesus.
The man is carried by four of his friends on a pallet, a kind of stretcher, but when they get to the house where Jesus is preaching, they cannot get inside. The crowd is too large, there are too many people in the way. So, the man’s friends figure out a way to get him up on the roof, dismantle part of the roof, and lower the man down into the house.
The friends go to heroic lengths to help this paralyzed man. But when you’re hurt, when it is hard to get around, it can be hard to accept help. When people offer to help, the instinctive response is to just try harder to do it yourself. Someone reaches out and says, “Here, let me give you a hand,” or, “Here, let me do that for you.” I usually say, “No thanks, I’ve got it.” And then I fight really hard to do everything by myself.
When it is hard to move or to complete everyday tasks, I hate to admit that I’m weak, or that I’m struggling. So, I politely refuse help: “Oh, thanks, that’s really nice of you to ask, but I’ve got it.” And most of the time I can pull it off. Most of the time I can just grin and bear it, I can fight through the pain and do what I have to do. If I was lying in bed and my friends tried to carry me somewhere, I would argue, “Please, that is not necessary. You don’t need to carry me, that’s a bit much.” And then, if they carried me up on the roof and started dismantling the house in order to lower me down inside, I would really object, “Hey, wait, this is ridiculous! Don’t make such a fuss, I really don’t think this is a good idea.”
It is easy to refuse help, to say that I’m really okay. But what happens when I’m not okay? What happens when it hurts so much that I cannot grin, and I’m just too weak to bear it? What happens when I can’t do everything by myself?
The paralyzed man, lying on that stretcher in front of Jesus, was extremely ill, and physical pain and illness can harm the soul. If the paralyzed man had been in an accident, or had a grave disease that robbed him of his physical strength, his physical paralysis may have caused spiritual or psychological paralysis as well. Physical illness or paralysis can tempt you to just give up: to give up on life, to give up on prayer, to give up on God.
But paralysis also works in the other direction. Maybe the man had suffered a devastating loss, like the death of a child or a spouse; or maybe he had witnessed horrible acts of violence; or maybe he was a victim of abuse. Maybe this man suffered from emotional and spiritual paralysis. He may have thought that his life was simply too hard, or that this world was simply too evil, or that his grief was just too much to bear.
So maybe the paralyzed man had given up all hope. Maybe his arms and legs and nerves and muscles were all perfectly healthy, but maybe his soul had been shattered beyond repair. This kind of paralysis also happens. Paralysis can start in the flesh and move to the soul, but it can also start in the soul and move out to the flesh.
Today, maybe you and I are not hurting as much as the paralyzed man that is brought before Jesus, but we all suffer from some kind of paralysis. When I think of all the sadness and the pain and the loss in my life; when I think of all the horrible mistakes I have made, all the ways I have hurt other people; when I think of all the opportunities I have squandered, and all the gifts I have wasted, a kind of paralysis creeps into my soul.
This kind of paralyzing temptation says, “You’re never going to get better. You’re only going to suffer more.” These kinds of temptations can lead you to give up on life, to give up on prayer, to give up on God. We might still go through all the motions, yet, somewhere deep down inside, part of the soul is paralyzed like that man on the pallet that comes before Jesus.
Spiritual paralysis keeps me from doing God’s will. Spiritual paralysis keeps me from loving people who are hard to love and forgiving trespasses that are really hard to forgive. Spiritual paralysis keeps me from opening the door of my heart to God’s saving grace.
But today, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ says to the paralyzed man, and to us, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” God calls us His children. Jesus says to you and me, “My daughter, my son, your sins are forgiven.” When God forgives our sins, it is not some sort of adjustment to the cosmic spreadsheet of good and evil. That is not how God works.
When Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven,” He is saying, “No matter how much guilt is weighing on your heart; no matter how much dark shame is crushing your soul; no matter what you have done, I love you.” When God says, “Your sins are forgiven,” God is saying, “I love you, just as you are, right now.” God knows our weakness, He knows our guilt and our shame, and He says, “I love you and I want you to be free.”
God’s forgiveness is the gift of freedom and new life.
Of course, we might be like the scribes who questioned in their hearts when Jesus spoke to the paralyzed man, and we might be questioning in our hearts, “Is it possible, can Jesus actually forgive me?” “Can God love a person like me with all my failings?”
Jesus knows our doubt, and He says to us, “Why do you question like this in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your pallet and walk?’ But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Jesus says to us “Rise, take up your pallet and go home.”
When the paralyzed man stands, picks up his stretcher, and leaves the house in front of everyone it is a sign that God’s love is real, that God’s love is powerful, and that God’s love transforms us. And sometimes God gives us miraculous physical healings to remind us of His love and goodness. But God’s mercy is much deeper, and much more powerful than that.
Long after the paralyzed man picked up his pallet and walked out of the house, Jesus encountered another man who was paralyzed. This man was not a good guy. He was a criminal, a thief, someone who had committed crimes and had been sentenced to death. This man had not been brought to Jesus by his friends, his friends had abandoned him. He had been carried by Roman soldiers to Golgotha, and there they crucified him next to Jesus. This man was the Good Thief, one of the men who was crucified with Jesus.
We don’t know exactly what the man had done to arrive at that horrible end. But, we know that something had gone terribly wrong in his life, and in the end, the Roman authorities hang him on a cross and leave him there to die. Yet in the middle of that awful situation, with all that pain, and shame, and guilt, in front of all those people who were jeering and shouting, and gawking at the spectacle of public execution, the Good Thief says to Jesus, “Remember me in Your kingdom,” which is another way of saying, “Jesus, You are my Lord, and I believe that You have the authority to forgive sins. Have mercy on me, and remember me in Your Kingdom.” And Jesus responds, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Jesus does not miraculously free the man from crucifixion. Jesus does not say, “Climb down from the cross and walk.” Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise,” which is another way of saying, “My child, your sins are forgiven; you are loved by God, just as you are—a broken, hurting, person, dying on the cross. You are loved by God, you are forgiven, and you are welcome in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
The Good Thief continues to suffer on the Cross, and the soldiers ultimately break his legs to hasten his death. Jesus does not set the Good Thief free from his physical suffering in that moment, and ultimately the Good Thief dies on the cross. But, Jesus heals the spiritual paralysis of the Good Thief, and welcomes him into the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus heals the soul of the Good Thief so that he can receive God’s love and mercy.
So, when we are suffering, and when our physical suffering continues, God still loves us, He forgives us, and He desires to be in communion with us as His beloved children. And receiving this gift of eternal life from our Lord, being freed from the paralysis of guilt and shame and sin, God calls us to share His love in the same way that Christ shared God’s love with the thief on the Cross. In the moment that Jesus faced the greatest evil, when He was surrounded by the most hateful darkness, He brought love, and forgiveness, and everlasting life to the Good Thief. When Jesus allowed Himself to be nailed to the cross, when He was physically immobilized—paralyzed on the Cross—Christ was still working miracles of love and forgiveness.
Which means that no matter how we might suffer—maybe we are confined to our bed, and maybe we are not getting better—God’s love still transforms and brings new and everlasting life. Because God does not command us to “get better,” He commands us to love and to serve.
So, today we ask our merciful Lord, “In this moment, Lord, in my brokenness, and weakness, heal me of my spiritual paralysis. Open my heart to accept Your love and Your mercy and Your forgiveness. Strengthen me to love when it is hard; give me courage to forgive when it is not easy; illumine my heart with the light of Your perfect love. Lord, remember us when You come into Your Kingdom.”
On his new podcast, St. Vladimir’s Seminary trustee and alumnus Archimandrite Jeremy (Davis) explores the powerful, personal, and often overlooked meaning behind sacrifice—from the burnt offerings of the Old Testament to the self-offering of Jesus Christ to the daily sacrifices of Christian life.
Fr. Jeremy and co-host Greg Walters launchedWelcoming Gifts this winter through Ancient Faith Ministries. Together, they delve into the history of sacrifice, the meaning of Christ's sacrifice, and what the concept should mean for Christians today: a way of expressing and cementing our relationship with God.
“The genesis of it goes back all the way to when I converted to Orthodoxy. I grew up as an evangelical Protestant, and in that tradition I learned about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as well as Old Testament sacrifices in a certain light,” Fr. Jeremy explained on the podcast’s first episode. “But when I became Orthodox, it really didn't mesh with what I was hearing from Orthodox teachers, from Orthodox priests and bishops and theologians. In fact, what I was hearing from them was radically different. It was a vision of transformation rather than a sort of transactional clearing of accounts.”
Archimandrite Jeremy graduated from St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program in 2004. He was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by His Grace Bishop Basil (Essey) on July 16, 2006, and elevated to the rank of Archimandrite (also by Bishop Basil) on March 19, 2017. Fr. Jeremy currently serves as Archiepiscopal Vicar for Toledo and the Midwest (Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America), and is a tonsured monk belonging to the Monastic Brotherhood of St. Silouan the Athonite within the Diocese of Wichita. In addition to his responsibilities within the Antiochian Archdiocese, Fr. Jeremy faithfully serves on St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Board of Trustees.
If you are in the area, please join us at Christ the Savior for Presanctified Liturgy on March 13. The Liturgy will begin at 6:30 p.m. EDT (the reading of the Typica will begin at 6:20 p.m.). The Chorale will lead the hymns and responses. The Liturgy will be further blessed by the presence of His Grace Bishop Benedict of Hartford and New England, former editor of St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press and Seminary alumnus (M.Div. ’10).
If you are interested in hosting the SVS Chorale to help lead services, for a performance, or to lead workshops for your parish, please contact Zachariah Mandell at zmandell@svots.edu.
Please also consider a donation of any amount to support the ministry of the SVS Chorale on their travels.
Following the ordinations in February, more members of the St. Vladimir’s Seminary community were ordained to holy orders in early March. Glory to God!
On Sunday, March 8, on the campus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, His Eminence Archbishop Alexander of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese ordained seminarian Dn. Bogdan Popescu to the Holy Priesthood at Three Hierarchs Chapel. Fr. Bogdan is a seminarian of the OCA’s Bulgarian Diocese.
Fr. Bogdan Popescu being vested for the first time.
Fellow Seminary alumnus Dn. Christopher Abdelahad (M.A. ’24) was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on Saturday, March 7, by the hands of His Eminence Saba, Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. The ordination took place at St. Elias Orthodox Church in Austin, TX. Fr. Christopher has been assigned to St. Anthony the Great Orthodox Church (Antiochian Archdiocese) in Spring, TX, where he will serve as assistant priest.
With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of Archpriest John Ealy, 90, who fell asleep in the Lord on March 5, 2026. Fr. John, an alumnus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary (’72), served in his retirement at St. Stephen’s Orthodox Church in Longwood (Orlando), FL.
Fr. John is survived by his wife Matushka Barbara Ealy (née Soroka), sister Kathleen Donmoyer, children Dr. Nicholas Ealy, Taisia Ealy, and Fr. Gregory Ealy (Miho), four much-loved granddaughters Hannah Mills, Emma Mills, Nino Ealy, and Mila Ealy, and many nephews, nieces, and cousins. Fr. Gregory is also a graduate of St. Vladimir’s (’07).
The Very Rev. John Ealy was born Watson Karl Ealy on May 1, 1935, in Lebanon, PA, to Watson Edward Ealy and Catherine Ealy (née Magyar). Fr. John (affectionately known as “Skip” by his close family and friends) was baptized and grew up at St. Gertrude’s Roman Catholic Church, where he served as an altar boy and attended parochial school. Since his elementary school days, he was always attracted to the Orthodox Church. Many of his childhood friends who lived in the same neighborhood attended the local Serbian Orthodox Church. The nuns at his school looked down on his friends’ church, and Fr. John could not accept this. Unintentionally, these nuns began Fr. John’s journey toward the Orthodox Church.
Fr. John graduated from Lebanon Catholic High School in 1953 and, after working a blue-collar job at a factory that summer, decided to enroll in college. He applied and was accepted to Millersville State Teacher’s College (now Millersville University) in Millersville, PA. In 1961, he received his master’s degree in science education from Western Maryland University and went on to teach for thirty-five years at private and public schools in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Florida.
Fr. John and Matushka Barbara with His Grace Bishop Gerasim at St. Stephen’s Orthodox Church in Longwood, FL, celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Fr. John’s ordination to the Holy Priesthood.
In 1963 Fr. John enrolled in Sts. Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Catholic Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA. In his fourth year at seminary, Frs. John Meyendorff and Alexander Schememann from St. Vladimir’s Seminary were invited to lecture. Their lectures were very well received by the students, something that proved detrimental to the seminary when more than half the students, Fr. John included, left for the Orthodox Church. After taking a teaching job near Harrisburg, PA, he met Barbara Soroka, the love of his life, while singing in the choir at Christ the Savior Orthodox Church. They married in August 1971 and immediately moved to Crestwood, NY, where Fr. John studied at St. Vladimir’s Seminary.
After completing his studies at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, the Ealys moved in 1973 to Ft. Lauderdale, FL, where Fr. John served at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church. Two years later in 1975, Fr. John was reassigned to a small mission near Orlando. It is there, at St. Stephen’s, where he would serve the next twenty-seven years as rector. At the time of the Ealys’ move to Central Florida, St. Stephen’s was a small mission and could not pay Fr. John a living wage, so he took a teaching job at St. Peter’s Catholic School in DeLand, FL. While Fr. John served at St. Stephen’s, the parish grew and became a well-established church in the OCA Diocese of the South. Starting with only twelve people in 1975, parish membership grew to well over 150 by the time he retired.
Fr. John’s ministry can be summed up with the word love. He loved the Orthodox Church, the Divine Liturgy and liturgical services, and its people. He spent countless hours meeting with parishioners, teaching, traveling and visiting missions and churches throughout the Central Florida Deanery as its dean, holding Divine Liturgies and Presanctified Liturgies in homes and churches, and running summer church school programs and summer camps. He was instrumental in establishing St. Justin the Martyr Church in Jacksonville, FL.
After retiring in 2002, Fr. John continued to serve as a supply priest throughout the diocese, filling in at missions and parishes in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. But, in retirement, he also found much time for reading, gardening, cooking, and baking, writing his memoir, spending time with his growing family, and traveling. He took pride in his Hungarian cultural roots, and his love for all things Hungarian—especially its cuisine—was a constant in his life. He was overjoyed to have visited Hungary twice during his retirement. It is quite possible that St. Stephen’s in Orlando is the only Orthodox church in North America where, every Pascha, parishioners would hear “Christ is risen” sung in Hungarian.
The number of lives Fr. John has touched throughout his life, both as a pastor and a teacher, is incalculable. From his early years as a schoolteacher until his retirement—and even during illness—Fr. John never stopped teaching. He firmly believed and taught that our encounter with the Word of God takes place at the liturgical gathering, as we partake of the Eucharist with our brothers and sisters.
With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of His Eminence Metropolitan Dimitrios of Xanthos (James George Couchell). Metropolitan Dimitrios fell asleep in the Lord on Thursday, February 19, 2026.
Metropolitan Dimitrios previously served as a member of St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Board of Trustees and was a frequent visitor on campus. He was a gracious supporter of the Seminary’s mission and donor until the end of his life.
Metropolitan Dimitrios welcoming a delegation from St. Vladimir’s Seminary to the headquarters of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) in St. Augustine, FL, in 2013. (Also pictured: then-Dean Fr. John Behr and former SVOTS staff member Tim Nieuwsma)
Additionally, in his decades of ministry to the Church, His Eminence played a major role in the founding and nurturing of several Orthodox ministries still active today including, but not limited to, being a founder of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF), founding editor of the Orthodox Observer, founding Executive Director of the St. Photios National Shrine, and founding Director of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC).
Born February 17, 1938, in Greenville, SC, Metropolitan Dimitrios was the son of the late James John Couchell and Virginia Trakas Couchell. His Eminence graduated from Spartanburg High School in 1958, then attended Northwestern University for one year before transferring and graduating from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 1963. After continuing studies at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, CT, he became a part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA) staff under Archbishop Iakovos.
Following his retirement in 2007, His Eminence became a resident of St. Augustine, FL, and remained an active member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.
Metropolitan Dimitrios is survived by his son Nikita David Mesfin, whom he adopted in 1985 while visiting an orphanage in Ethiopia, David’s wife Maki, and their children Ezra and Emra. The Metropolitan is also survived by his brother Archon John Couchell and his wife Kiki, and his sister Fanya Couchell Paouris.
May the memory of Metropolitan Dimitrios be eternal!
As Orthodox Christians, we strive for that inner stillness, hesychia—but St. Vladimir’s Seminary alumna Amber Rose Prather wants to make sure kids and their parents alike know that it’s still okay to move.
Prather authored the new children’s book A Saint’s Guide to Praying with Your Feet from Ancient Faith Publishing. The book is inspired by the life of the sixth-century saint Elizabeth the Wonderworker.
“A lot of Christianity in our culture tends to be very disembodied in the way it approaches faith,” Prather explained in an interview about the book. “It’s very much an intellectual exercise. And Orthodoxy is not just that, it’s not just your mind. There’s holy movement in our faith.”
As the mother of an active toddler herself, Prather understands the struggles and emotions children and their parents go through as kids learn to control their energy and movement during church services.
“I know the moment where your kid is the one bolting across the church like, ‘Oh, please. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!’ So having a book like this—where you can talk to your kids about the holy ways to move in church and talk to your kids about how God can use what we have to make us holy—can also remind the parents that it’s okay. It’s okay that your kid struggles with something. It's okay that you struggle.”
Amber Rose Prather graduated from St. Vladimir’s Seminary in 2024 with an M.Div. degree, alongside her husband Andrew. Amber and Andrew met as seminarians at St. Vladimir’s and were married at the Seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel in 2021. Amber also holds bachelor’s degrees in Medieval and Byzantine Studies and Theology and Religious Studies from the Catholic University of America. She has a master's degree in Philosophy, also from Catholic University.
Andrew and Amber were married at the Seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel in 2021.
