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.)
February 26, 2025, Yonkers, NY – St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie as President for a five-year term, effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030.
This decision follows a comprehensive international search process led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon (OCA) as chair of the President Search Committee, in collaboration with Committee members: the Right Reverend Archimandrite Jeremy Davis, Executive Chair of the SVOTS Board of Trustees; trustees Dr Carla Thomas, Dr Ana Iltis, and the V. Rev. Dr Philip LeMasters; and faculty members Dr Peter Bouteneff and the Rev. Hieromonk Dr Vasily Permiakov. The search was informed and guided by thoughtful and thorough input from various members of the SVOTS community through a range of evaluative measures.
“I am pleased that Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie has accepted the call of the Board of Trustees to serve as President of St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary,” remarked His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon. “I am confident that he will bring his many talents to bear in fulfillment of the seminary’s mission of training priests, lay leaders, and scholars for the Church here in North America.”
As Professor of Church history, Dr Tudorie was recognized by St Vladimir’s seminarians on behalf of the student body during the 2024 Commencement exercises with the 2024 St Macrina Award for Excellence in Teaching, an honor bestowed each year by student vote.
2024 Student Council President, Kripaya Varghese (M.A. ‘24) presents Dr Tudorie with the St Macrina Award
Most recently, Dr Tudorie stepped into greater leadership at St Vladimir’s Seminary following the retirement of former President the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield in June 2024. As Interim President, Dr Tudorie guided the seminary through a transition period. Under his leadership, the seminary reversed the previous year’s budgetary deficit approaching $2 million, ending the first six months of the current fiscal year with a $100,000 surplus. This turnaround was noted by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) through its Focused Visitation Team (January 2025), whose report commended the Seminary for this impressive performance. The fruit of prudent control of expenses combined with renewal of donor relationships, this firm financial footing places St Vladimir’s Seminary on a new path for enhancing its mission. Dr Tudorie led this renewal while retaining his faculty and teaching duties.
Chair of the Transition Committee, former Treasurer, and longtime trustee Jeffrey Hoff spoke to the quality of Dr Tudorie’s service as the Academic Dean and Interim President, saying, “Since first joining SVOTS in 2018, Dr Tudorie has brought renewal and strength to the academic department. Throughout his leadership during the transition period, he has extended the same across the institution – modeling servant-leadership, improving financial and operational stability, and collaboratively working with faculty, staff, and the board.”
Dr Tudorie leading the faculty information session with participants in the Fall 2024 Open House
The totality of these achievements during his interim presidency has garnered widespread support and appreciation from faculty, staff, students, hierarchs, and trustees. Their responses to the Board’s request for input, as well as the insights from the President Search Committee’s process, and the observations of the ad-hoc Transition Committee of the Board of Trustees, attested to Dr Tudorie’s dedication, alignment to the seminary’s historic mission, and healing leadership, guided by his own deep commitment to the Orthodox Christian faith.
The Right Reverend Archimandrite Jeremy Davis, Board Executive Chair, noted this last quality: “Dr Tudorie is a servant leader, a peaceful presence, a peacemaker, and a man of prayer and devotion. Although he is not an ordained priest, several trustees, faculty members, and students have all noted his pastoral ministry on campus—as a listener, counselor, and advisor.”
During the November 2024 Board Meeting
The Board of Trustees expressed full confidence in Dr Tudorie’s ability to lead the seminary, noting his caring and assiduous leadership, characterized by a spirit of conciliarity and collaboration.
Says Dr Iltis, “With his dedication and talents, and in collaboration with excellent faculty, staff, and students, St Vladimir’s future as an institution that forms clergy, lay leaders, and scholars in the service of Christ and His Church is strong and bright.”
Dr Tudorie remarks that the path to enhance SVS mission and student experience is prepared for the seminary: “We have in front of us a freshly laid foundation, built on the bedrock of Christ’s Church and the traditions of our legacy in Crestwood. It is my honor to carry this forward into the future, by our collective prayers.”
As President-elect, Dr Tudorie will continue as Interim President and Academic Dean until July 1, 2025, when he will formally assume the presidency of St Vladimir’s Seminary.
St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) is a higher education institution that embraces the challenge of serving the Church and the needs of Orthodox Christians in the twenty-first century. SVOTS trains priests, lay leaders, and scholars to be active apologists of the Orthodox Christian Faith, focusing on academic rigor and spiritual formation within a residential Orthodox community. The Seminary is chartered by the University of the State of New York and accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) to offer the following program degrees: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts, Master of Theology, and Doctor of Ministry. www.svots.edu
About Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie
Dr Tudorie was born and raised in Bucharest (Romania). He studied at the University of Bucharest where he earned a B.S., two M.A.s, and two Ph.D.s. (one in Orthodox Theology and one in Byzantine History). In addition to his duties as Professor of Church History, Interim President and Academic Dean at St Vladimir’s Seminary, he is also affiliated with the University of Bucharest, Romania, where he serves as Doctoral advisor in the field of Cultural Studies at the Interdisciplinary School of Doctoral Studies (ISDS). His areas of academic specialization include Church History, Byzantine and Post-Byzantine History, and the Theological Dialogue between Christian Confessions.
Dr Tudorie with his wife Denisa, and their two daughters, Sofia and Theodora
Dr Tudorie has been married since 2004 to Dr Denisa-Mihaela Tudorie (née Alexandru). They have two children, Sofia (b. 2011) and Theodora (b. 2016).
The Tudories have been integrally involved in seminary life since their arrival to the U.S. in 2018. The Drs Tudorie regularly extend gracious hospitality in their home to members of the seminary community as well as to visitors. Denisa has also taken an active role in the St Juliana Society (on-campus fellowship group for women), hosting gatherings, baby showers for expectant mothers, and festivities for children of the chapel community. Together, they support and assure students as they make their transition to seminary life, cultivating a warm and welcoming place for those who call the seminary their home.
Please view Dr Tudorie’s faculty page and CV to learn more about his scholarship and teaching interests.
Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie is a rare leader—both a world-renowned scholar and a humble, Christ-centered servant. As Interim President of St Vladimir’s Seminary, he has shown the visionary leadership and operational acumen needed in this critical season for the Church. I have every confidence that under his guidance, the seminary will continue to flourish as a center for theological education and spiritual formation.
Dn Michael Hyatt Trustee Emeritus
Dr Tudorie with Archimandrite Jeremy Davis, SVOTS Board Executive Chair, and Jeff Hoff, Trustee and Transition Committee Chair
Dr Alex Tudorie combines academic brilliance with the ability to solve complex administrative issues collaboratively, pastorally, and humbly. He leads first and foremost as a servant, with one goal in mind: the sacred mission of the seminary in raising up priests and workers for the Church. He is uniquely suited to guide our seminary into the future.
Protodeacon Peter Danilchick, DHL Trustee Emeritus
The Tudorie family, Christmas 2024
“Those who have no guidance fall like leaves: but salvation lies in much counsel” (Prov 11:14, LXX).
When Alex Tudorie was hired as Academic Dean in 2018, he was a Church historian from Romania with a solid academic reputation internationally, but unknown to the Orthodox this side of the Atlantic. That choice, which came after a serious search, was clear evidence of the institutional integrity of St Vladimir’s Seminary. With his appointment as President at the end of a professionally conducted search, I am proud to say that we remain committed to the principles of integrity, transparency, mutual accountability, and competence.
The Very Rev Dr Bogdan G Bucur Associate Professor of Patristics
Dr Tudorie’s leadership as Interim President was nothing short of transformational—navigating financial challenges with wisdom and integrity while maintaining the seminary’s commitment to being Christ-centered, student-focused, and education-driven.”
Dr Ana Iltis Trustee
Dr Tudorie’s wife, Denisa, hosting the annual St Nicholas Day celebration in 2023
Dr Tudorie has always maintained a completely open door for any student, and the students truly appreciate this. As busy as he is with his duties, he makes time to speak with a student or group of students to hear concerns, share joys, and identify what is working well, and what can be improved in seminary life. He helps to give students a voice for their experience, and I know his advocacy is appreciated by the student body.
The Rev. Dn Dr Harrison Basil Russin
Associate Dean for Residential Life
Assistant Professor of Liturgical Music
Dr Tudorie has consistently demonstrated great kindness, welcoming students into his home for meals and offering personalized support through individual meetings to help them both academically and personally. He embodies the spirit of service within our community, working tirelessly with a heart for the Lord and a deep love for those around him. I am truly grateful for his recent election as president and look forward with hope to the future of the seminary under his leadership.
Laura Ionescu M.Div. '25
Archimandrite Jeremy Davis and Dr Tudorie working in tandem in the seminary board room
I want to express how grateful I am for the care and compassion Dr Tudorie has shown to us students since taking over as Interim President. It is clear in both his words and actions that he strives to ensure St Vladimir's is a place students want to call their home.
At the same time, I have experienced first-hand his commitment to St Vladimir's responsibility to spiritually form its students, and he is particularly well-suited to continue supporting St Vladimir's legacy of academic excellence. I am excited to hear he will be guiding our seminary and very much look forward to the rest of my time at St Vladimir's under his leadership.
Jarrod Huffman M.Div. '26
In Tudorie, the seminary has more than a gifted scholar, deft administrator, and nurturing teacher; it has a model of Christian leadership and a deeply devoted steward of the seminary’s mission.
Tatiana Hoff Trustee
Dr Tudorie fosters the longstanding SVOTS tradition for its annual Thanksgiving dinner, when the faculty serve the students and their families a delicious holiday meal
Alex is such a good man. Our recent successes (financial, operational, accreditation) are in no small part thanks to his leadership, intelligence, hard work, compassion, humility, and sense of fairness. He is a gift to St Vladimir’s.
Dr John Barnet Associate Professor of New Testament
Dr Tudorie speaks to the new graduates during Commencement, May 2024
What motivates Alex’s tireless work is the flourishing of his faculty and staff colleagues and of our students. Over the years, I have seen and deeply appreciated how he has been cultivating a winning and inspiring climate at our seminary.
Dr Peter Bouteneff Professor of Systematic Theology Kulik Professor of Sacred Arts
Dr Tudorie is a God-fearing leader who is a selfless and dedicated shepherd of our seminary!
A man of dignity, honor, and much humility. His noble and virtuous work defines his integrity and Christ-centered leadership and teaching.
With faith in Christ and hope in the Resurrection, we share the news of the repose of the Very Rev. Michael Massouh (M.A. ‘00), who fell asleep in the Lord on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. He was preceded in death by his wife, Kh. Virginia Massouh, less than a year ago, and he is survived by his four children: Ben, Andrew, Thea, and Luke.
Born in Canton, Ohio in 1939, Fr Michael attended McKinley High School and Hiram College. He received a Master’s in Science and a PhD in Science and Technology from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He married Virginia Jacox in 1965, and they started their family in upstate New York before moving to Brookline, MA where he was the Associate VP of Academic Affairs at Boston University. From 1984 to 1999, he worked as the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and later as the Dean of Graduate Studies at Worcester State College.
Fr Michael was admitted to St Vladimir’s Seminary as an M.A. student in Fall 1999 and graduated in May 2000. He took advanced courses in scripture and patristics, as well as pastoral and practical theology courses to prepare for ordination. He entered the priesthood in the Antiochian Orthodox Church at the age of 60. Fr Michael and Kh. Ginny then moved to Ligonier, PA where Fr Michael was the Executive Director of the Antiochian Village Conference and Retreat Center.
In 2004, at the invitation of former Seminary Dean, now the Very Rev. Dr John Erickson, he gave a presentation at the St Vladimir’s Seminary Faculty’s Good Pastor retreat, where the objective was to ensure alignment and involvement of faculty, trustees, and alumni in the pastoral formation process.
Fr Michael was the longest-serving pastor at St Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church in Pinellas Park, FL, from 2005 to 2020. He played a pivotal role in building up and adorning the church, and remained a faithful member of the community during his 5-year retirement, even helping to complete the new hall and plan for a new and improved parish library. He was also a regular contributor to the Antiochian Archdiocese website and The WORD magazine.
To highlight the long-awaited publication of The Journal of Joy, St Vladimir’s Seminary will host a book launch and public lecture.
On Thursday, February 20 at 6:30 p.m., in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium, Dr Răzvan Porumb, the author of the Foreword to the Journal of Joy, will deliver the lecture, “An Orthodox Spirituality for Today: Reading Steinhardt's Journal of Joy in Context.”
Following Dr Porumb’s talk will be a first-hand account describing the personality of Fr Nicolae Steinhardt given by Fr Ștefan Iloaie, professor of Orthodox Spirituality and Bioethics at the Babeș-Bolyai University (Cluj-Napoca), Romania.
Other distinguished guests who will be present for this event include His Grace, Bishop Andrei (OCA - ROEA), Archimandrite Macarie, the abbot of Rohia monastery, the Rev. Dr Radu Preda, professor of Theology at the Babeș-Bolyai University (Cluj-Napoca), Romania, and Mr Kenan Wang, Ph.D student in History at the University of Bucharest.
Following the presentations, seminarians and guests will have the opportunity to engage in a Q&A session with the speakers about Fr Nicolae Steinhardt’s Journal of Joy and its witness to Orthodox spirituality.
You are invited to attend the book launch and lecture in person or watch live online. You will receive one link to watch both after you register. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Light reception to follow the lecture.
Online registration for this event has now closed.
About Dr Răzvan Porumb:
Dr Porumb is the Vice-Principal and Director of Research of the Institute for Orthodox Studies, in Cambridge, UK. He is the author of Orthodoxy and Ecumenism. Towards an Active Metanoia (Peter Lang, 2019) and a number of journal articles and essays among which are the following: "N. Steinhardt’s ecumenism and the impossible that is asked of us," inTendances et directions dans les recherches actuelles des théologiens orthodoxes roumains de la diaspora, ed. C. C. Apintiliesei and C. Pogor (Cerf, 2022), 237-259; "The priorities of justice and freedom: re-learning Christianity with N. Steinhardt," St Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly 65 (2021): 191-206; "Assaulted by Joy. Nicolae Steinhardt (1912-1989)," Forerunner. Journal of the Orthodox Fellowship of St John the Baptist (2017). Prior to his relocation to the UK, he worked for the Metropolitanate of Moldavia (Iasi, Romania) as Editor-in-Chief at Trinitas Press, where he supervised and was involved in the publication and translation of numerous books and journals.
Throughout its history, St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary has served, and continues to serve, as a training ground for Orthodox men and women, preparing them to serve the Church in its many ministries. The Church needs bishops, priests, and deacons, as well as scholars, teachers, catechists, choir directors, and educated leaders of many kinds.
If you feel called to ministry in the Church, are interested in broadening your understanding and experience of the Orthodox Christian Faith, are curious about what seminary life is like, or are planning to apply for the Fall 2025 Semester, then please join us on campus at the St Vladimir’s Seminary Winter Admissions Open House on February 16-17, 2025.
At this Open House, prospective seminarians are invited to experience “life at St Vladimir’s” in its many facets. Worship with the seminary community in the chapel, attend classes, speak with seminarians and professors about the spiritual, academic, and residential life at the seminary, and, if applying, schedule interviews. Come and see if St Vladimir’s Seminary is the place for you!
Open House attendees will be responsible for their transportation to and from the seminary.
Meals will be provided on campus.
Attendees are welcome to arrive as early as Saturday, February 15, and to stay through Tuesday, February 18.
Attendees may request to be housed on-campus on a first-come, first-served basis. After space fills up, rooms may be booked at the Hampton Inn & Suites Yonkers - Westchester; a Block Rate is available until February 4, 2025.
7:30 a.m. — Daily Matins at Three Hierarchs Chapel
8:15 a.m. — Breakfast in Germack Refectory
9:15 a.m. — Attend classes or schedule individual meetings
12:15 p.m. — Lunch in Germack Refectory
1:00 p.m. — Q&A with current seminarians in Germack Common Room
2:00 p.m. — Attend classes or schedule individual meetings
5:00 p.m. — Daily Vespers at Three Hierarchs Chapel
5:45 p.m. — Dinner with Admissions Director & fellow prospective students (Germack)
*This is the official end of the Open House; if you would like to stay through the morning of Tuesday, February 18, you are more than welcome—please let us know, especially if you would like to attend one of the morning classes, schedule a meeting with the Director of Admissions, and/or have lunch in the refectory on Tuesday.
Tuesday, February 18 (Optional)
7:30 a.m. - Daily Matins
8:15 a.m - Breakfast in the refectory
9:15 a.m. - Attend class OR schedule individual meetings
With faith in Christ and hope in the Resurrection, we share the news of the repose of alumnus Fr Symeon Douglas Hadley (Th.M. ‘06), who fell asleep in the Lord on Thursday, February 6, 2025, after a long journey with cancer at 81 years old. He was at home in Hansville, WA with his family, surrounded by love and grace.
The funeral for Fr Symeon will be held at St Elizabeth Orthodox Church in Poulsbo, WA. Details are as follows:
Feb. 14, 6:30 p.m.: Funeral Service for a Priest, followed by Vigil with Readings from the Gospels and Psalms
Feb. 15, 10:00 a.m.: Memorial Divine Liturgy, followed by 9th-Day Panikhida and Burial
He is survived by his wife, Mka Vassiliki Cassiani Karen Hadley of Hansville, WA, his son, Fr Christopher Hadley, SJ of Berkeley, CA, and his daughter, Dr Sarah Hadley, DVM, of Boise, ID.
To read Fr Symeon’s full obituary, please visit lewischapel.com.
On January 30, St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) marked its chapel's patronal feast with a day filled with liturgical and academic celebrations. The feast, commemorating the Synaxis of the Three Great Hierarchs—Sts Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom—was highlighted by a series of divine services and events in the seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel and the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium.
His Beatitude Met. Tikhon blesses the congregation at Three Hierarchs Chapel on the eve of its patronal feast. Photo: Scott Strickland
The day began with the Festal Vigil presided over by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon (OCA) in the evening before the feast. The seminary’s mixed and male choirs, led by Assistant Professor of Liturgical Music, the Rev. Dn Dr Harrison Basil Russin, and Mr Zachariah Mandell, Assistant Director of Chapel Music, chanted antiphonally during Vespers. Matins was sung by the newly reestablished St Vladimir's Seminary Chorale, an auditioned ensemble of students, faculty, and chapel community members under the direction of Zachariah Mandell. The Chorale’s performance marks the start of an exciting new chapter, with an official announcement of the group’s upcoming schedule and goals for the semester soon to follow.
Zachariah Mandell directs the newly reestablished St Vladimir’s Seminary Chorale for Matins of the chapel feast, the first time the current ensemble has sung in public. Photo: Scott Strickland
The following morning, the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was concelebrated by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon and His Grace Bishop Irinej of the Serbian Archdiocese, with several faculty and student clergy. Prior to the Liturgy, His Beatitude tonsured seminarian John Rexford (M.Div. ‘26) as a reader and ordained him to the subdiaconate. The homily was delivered by the Very Rev. Dr Alexander Rentel, Rector of Three Hierarchs Chapel.
From left: His Grace Bishop Irinej, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, the newly ordained Fr Justin and Dn John, and their families. Photo: Scott Strickland
During the Liturgy, third-year seminarian Dn Justin Taylor (M.Div. ‘25) was ordained to the priesthood and second-year seminarian John (Caleb) Rexford to the diaconate. Following the Liturgy, His Beatitude offered heartfelt congratulations to the newly ordained, emphasizing that ordination is a divine gift rather than something earned. “Ordination is the proverbial gift that keeps on giving,” His Beatitude remarked, highlighting the ongoing grace bestowed through ordination.
In the evening, SVOTS hosted the 42nd Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium, followed by its Commencement ceremony for mid-year graduates. Interim President and Academic Dean,Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie, gave the opening remarks, recounting the significant progress SVOTS made over the past six months in terms of its finances and its positive evaluation by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) in early January. He warmly welcomed the visiting hierarchs and academic colleagues from Yale University, City University of New York (CUNY), and Fordham University, as well as the Schmemann Lecture keynote speaker, Dr Henry Maguire, and his wife, Eunice Dauterman Maguire. Dr Tudorie also highlighted the recent addition to the seminary leadership team, the Very Rev. Dr Alexander Rentel as Chief Operations Officer (COO) and Peter Kopcha as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), remarking, “The presence of these new senior spiritual and operational leaders represents a milestone building on the noteworthy successes we have seen recently, namely, renewing our campus culture and strengthening the operational and financial foundations of our beloved institution with a renewed commitment to financial transparency.”
Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie, opening the Mid-Year Commencement ceremony and introducing the Schmemann Lecture speaker, Dr Henry Maguire
Dr Tudorie then proceeded to award Dr Henry Maguire with a Doctor of Arts, honoris causa, from St Vladimir’s Seminary.
Dr Henry Maguire, Emeritus Professor of the History of Art at Johns Hopkins University, delivered the Fr Alexander Schmemann Lecture, “Heaven to Earth, Earth to Heaven: Neoplatonic Theology and the Art of Byzantine Churches.” Dr Maguire’s presentation explored the influence of Neoplatonism on the architectural and artistic elements of Byzantine churches, discussing the mystical hierarchy of lights that unites earthly materials with heavenly representations.
Dr Maguire taking questions from the crowd during the 42nd Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Lecture. Photo: Tatiana Hoff
The lecture was attended by the seminary community, including students, faculty, staff, and numerous online registrants. Over 300 people signed up for the live stream of the event, which is now available for viewing on the SVOTS YouTube channel.
Following the Schmemann lecture, three graduates received their diplomas during the Midyear Commencement: Dn Habib (Caleb McGee; M.Div. ‘24), Sdn Christopher Abdelahad (M.A. ‘24), and the Very Rev. Dr Alessandro Margheritino (D.Min. ‘24), Acting Chancellor of the OCA. Fr Dr Alessandro gave a brief presentation about his participation in the Doctor of Ministry program at SVOTS, reflecting, “People pursue the D.Min. program for various reasons, to challenge themselves academically, to enhance their ministry, to become better priests, chaplains, administrators, youth pastors, counselors and so on. However, throughout this demanding journey, I've been continuously reminded of the foundational purpose of this, this formation to become a better servant of Christ and His Holy Church, irrespective of our specific ministry."
Acting Chancellor of the OCA, the Very Rev. Dr Alessandro Margheritino (D.Min. ‘24), receiving his Doctor of Ministry diploma. Photo: Scott Strickland
In the week following the Schmemann Lecture, Dr Henry and Dr Eunice Maguire remained on campus to engage with seminary faculty and students further to discuss the sacred arts. In addition to individual meetings with students and faculty, the Maguires led a colloquium on the sacred arts on Friday, January 31, attended by distinguished invited guests: Robert Nelson, Emeritus Professor of Art History at Yale University, Annemarie Weyl Carr, Emerita University Distinguished Professor at Southern Methodist University, Vasileos Marinis, Professor of Christian Art and Architecture at Yale Divinity School. These joined seminary faculty Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie, Dr Peter Bouteneff, Dr Rossitza Schroeder, Dr Alexander Lingas, the Rev. Hieromonk Dr Vasily Permiakov, the Very Rev. Dr Bogdan Bucur, the Rev. Dr Sergius Halvorsen, the Rev. Dn Dr Harrison Basil Russin, Dr Ani Shahinian, together with Fr Lucas Christensen, distinguished sacred arts supporter Joan Shell, and select seminarians and community members. Following the colloquium on Friday, students were provided another opportunity to connect with Dr Henry and Dr Eunice Maguire in an evening "fireside chat" over tea and pastries on Monday, February 3.
At the colloquium on the sacred arts, (from left), Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie, Joan Shell, Dr Henry Maguire, Dr Eunice Maguire, Dr Rossitza Schroeder, and Dr Peter Bouteneff. Photo: Scott Strickland
Dr Henry and Dr Eunice Maguire discussing sacred arts topics with seminarians in an evening “fireside chat.” Photo: Tatiana Hoff
The events surrounding the chapel feast day, open to both the public and the seminary community, were a fitting tribute to the memory of beloved former Seminary Dean, Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, and a celebration of the spiritual and academic life at St Vladimir’s Seminary.
