The St Matthias Merit Essay Scholarship has been offered annually at St Vladimir’s Seminary since 2018, thanks to the generous contributions of a family of anonymous donors. These donors select the topic of the essay contest each year and develop thorough and thoughtful criteria to determine the winner. For this year's 7th Annual Contest, second-year seminarian Dn Jonathan Reavis (M.Div. ‘26) was chosen to receive the $3,500 scholarship for his essay, “Faith Amidst Uncertainty: Parenthood as a ‘Yes’ to God’s Earth.”
This year's essay topic was as follows:
After carefully reviewing their child's first year of public education, the child's parents adjusted their budget and started teaching their son at home. (Refer to the2023 St Matthias Essay prompt for background.) As a decade passed, it became evident that homeschooling had definitely led to positive outcomes for their child and family.
In this decade, homeschooling is harder on the family budget. Yet, homeschool enrollment is rising rapidly as more and more parents hope for and work towards successful outcomes for their children and families. However, increasingly more couples are no longer wanting to have children.
Essay Question: What comfort is there in hoping and laboring for the best outcome of one's children when one can choose an easier lifestyle by avoiding them? In answering the question, include Proverbs 16: 2-3 and limit your essay to 750 words.
Dn Jonathan’s essay made a compelling case for faith in God through family. In his opening he referenced the letters of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor imprisoned by the pre-WWII Nazi regime, writing, “For Bonhoeffer, marriage is not only a means of sanctification, but also a commitment to work with God in the world — to labor in faith against hopelessness. ... How he described marriage, however-- as a 'token of confidence in the future'-- rang true to my experience, and I applied this understanding to parenthood." He expanded his thesis by pointing to the Annunciation and the Garden of Gethsemane and concluded with Proverb 16:1-3.
The scholarship committee thanked all of the contestants for their effort in submitting high-quality essays, saying, “Thank you again for allowing us to provide this essay scholarship. Every year it is a bounty of thoughtful insights that we welcome and hope it is of benefit to all who participate and assist in its fruition.”
Dn Jonathan Reavis and his family came to St Vladimir’s Seminary in Fall 2023 from Kansas City, MO. He is a member of the Orthodox Church in America, Diocese of the South.
The St Matthias Merit Essay Scholarship is one of many offerings by the Seminary to help its seminarians graduate tuition debt-free as they go forth to serve the Church. SVOTS also administers need-based tuition grants, need-based scholarships, merit scholarships, continuing education grants, and matching grant opportunities for seminarians. These are made possible thanks to many benefactors who have graciously given funds to St Vladimir’s.
[SVOTS Communications / YONKERS, NY] — St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) is seeking applications for its next president, aiming to have the new leader in place by the summer of 2025. Academic Dean Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie will continue to serve as Interim President throughout the search process.
The Rt Rev. Archimandrite Jeremy Davis, Executive Chair of the Board of Trustees, said, “We are so grateful to Dr Tudorie for his humble leadership during this time of transition and his exemplary care and concern for students and employees at St Vladimir's. We trust that the seminary's Christ-centered, student-focused, and education-driven work will continue to be carried forward carefully and prayerfully under his stewardship.”
His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon chairs the president search committee, whose distinguished members each contribute unique expertise to the process:
Archimandrite Jeremy Davis, Trustee
Very Rev. Dr Philip LeMasters, Trustee
Dr Ana Iltis, Trustee
Dr Carla Thomas, Trustee
Dr Peter Bouteneff, Faculty
Rev. Dr Vitaly Permiakov, Faculty
St Vladimir’s Seminary serves as a pan-Orthodox graduate institution under the canonical jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church in America dedicated to preparing future priests and church leaders. The seminary's programs hold accreditation from the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) in the United States and Canada and are registered with the New York State Education Department.
The president must be an Eastern Orthodox clergyman and will be expected to provide visionary leadership and collaborate closely with the Board of Trustees, faculty, and staff to advance the seminary’s educational mission. As its chief executive officer, the new president will oversee all administrative functions, ensure effective financial management, and promote the seminary's mission within the broader Orthodox community and beyond. Key responsibilities will also include fostering a vibrant Orthodox Christian culture on campus, supporting the pastoral care of students and staff, and enhancing the seminary's visibility through advocacy and relationship-building with donors and partners.
Applications, nominations, and expressions of interest for this significant position can be sent to presidential.search@svots.edu. Applications received by November 30 will receive priority consideration; applications received after that date will be considered until the position has been filled. Candidates should submit a letter of interest highlighting their qualifications, along with a current curriculum vitae and the contact information of at least four references. All communications will be held in strict confidence.
For more information about St Vladimir’s Seminary, please visit our website atwww.svots.edu.
Close to fifty St Vladimir’s Seminary faculty members, staff, students, and their family members were in attendance on Sunday, September 29, for a performance by the renowned choral ensemble, Cappella Romana, directed by Associate Director of the Institute of Sacred Arts and Professor of Music Dr Alexander Lingas. The program, “Lost Voices of Hagia Sophia,” featured medieval Byzantine chant from choristers at the Byzantine emperor’s cathedral. The concert took place at the majestic Church of St Ignatius Loyola in Manhattan, as part of their “Concerts at St. Ignatius” series. According to the St Ignatius Loyola website, “For a thousand years, Hagia Sophia was the largest domed interior in the world. Its stunning reverberation—of over 11 seconds—informs how this music is performed in the live acoustics of St Ignatius, which is, perhaps, only slightly less reverberant than Hagia Sophia!”
More than simply a musical performance, the evening was both an evocation of a sacred space and an experience that recalled the sonic and visual grandeur of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Constructed during the reign of Justinian I (527-65), Hagia Sophia famously had 60 priests, 100 deacons, over 100 readers, and 25 cantors in the 6th and 7th centuries. Dr Alexander Lingas drew on his extensive research of medieval Byzantine music to reconstruct a soundscape that facilitated the audience’s encounter with the ancient chants of Hagia Sophia.
Dr Peter Bouteneff, Professor of Dogmatic Theology, Kulik Professor of Sacred Arts, and Director of the Institute of Sacred Arts at St Vladimir’s Seminary, spoke of his admiration for the work of Cappella Romana, saying, “Cappella Romana is a very special ensemble, owing not only to their full, pristine sound but also to their unique repertoire. Nobody in the world does quite what they do. They bring together the brilliant vision of their artistic director and the profound skill of their singers.”
Thanks to the generosity of the SVOTS Board of Trustees, all seminarians, seminarian families, faculty, staff, and employees who attended the performance were given complimentary tickets.
As a follow-up to this landmark event, Director of Publications for Cappella Romana, Richard Barrett, visited St Vladimir’s Seminary later in the week to give a two-part workshop on Byzantine music, presenting his composition of the text and music for hymns for his patron saint, St Richard of Wessex. This presentation was open to the entire seminary community and was of special interest to seminarians studying Byzantine chant and those involved in the composition of sacred music. Seminarian Fr Josef Candelario (M.A. ‘24) took part in the workshops and remarked, “Everyone who attended was so engaged, and they had so many great questions for Richard. You could really tell that what he presented really set the creative ‘gears in motion.’ And I hope that it will come to fruition in the production of new liturgical compositions unto the glory of God!”
The workshops were part of a yearlong project at St Vladimir’s Seminary led by Dr Lingas aiming to encourage reflection and renewal relating to Eastern Orthodox liturgical singing in the Seminary Chapel of the Three Hierarchs. This program is made possible by a $25,000 Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.
During his time on campus, Richard helped chant the Small Paraklesis with the St Ambrose Society, praying for unborn children and abortion victims and their relatives. Richard, who also serves as Director of Music at Dormition Greek Orthodox Church in Somerville, MA, extended an invitation to the SVOTS Seminary Chorale to send a contingent to his parish on February 6–7, 2025 to help chant the All-night Vigil to St Richard.
The Institute of Sacred Arts at St Vladimir’s Seminary explores the intersection of human creativity and holiness.
Since its founding in 1938, St Vladimir’s Seminary has fostered the immersive study of the Liturgy, and of the visual, musical, and rhetorical arts. The Institute of Sacred Arts 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 Christian artistic tradition;
Inspiring wider public interest in spirituality and the arts.
The Institute finds its expression in a curriculum infused with the arts; academic symposia and conferences; publications and cultural events.
St Vladimir’s Seminary is now offering an M.A. degree with a concentration in Sacred Arts. The concentration features coursework in both theoretical and applied theology and the arts, with opportunities to specialize in a particular discipline: music, iconology, art history, liturgy, architecture, et al. Numerous opportunities for in-depth study and creative collaboration with sacred arts scholars from a range of disciplines include subsidized internships and an annualartist-in-residence program.
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, and are curious about what seminary life is like, then please join us on campus at the St Vladimir’s Seminary Fall Open House on October 13-14, 2024.
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, and speak with seminarians and professors about the spiritual, academic, and residential life at the Seminary. 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 Friday, October 11 and to stay through Tuesday, October 15.
Pending available space, attendees may elect to be housed on-campus on a first-come, first-served basis for free, at the invitation of St Vladimir’s Seminary. After space fills up, rooms may be booked at the Hampton Inn & Suites Yonkers-Westchester; a block rate is available until October 3, 2024.
*This is the official end of the Open House; if you would like to stay through the morning of Tuesday, October 15, 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.
The St Vladimir’s Online School of Theology is pleased to announce its latest learning opportunity: asynchronous courses! Beginning in June 2023, the Online School has offered six public courses with our distinguished faculty. These world-class courses had only been accessible during the period when they were offered live, but now, anyone can register to access the recorded lectures, the reading list, and the faculty powerpoint slides.
St Vladimir's Online School of Theology asynchronous online courses offer a comprehensive learning experience designed for flexibility and depth. Each course offering is available for 60 days upon registration, providing ample time for thorough exploration. With a modest course fee of $125, students gain access to four engaging video lectures led by esteemed professors, supplemented by four informative PowerPoint presentations. The in-depth reading recommendations further enrich the learning journey, ensuring a well-rounded educational experience tailored to individual interests and schedules. Join us in discovering the richness of theological education from the comfort of your own home, at your own pace.
This past Sunday, September 29, 2024, marked the 24th anniversary of the repose of Sophie Koulomzin, former faculty member at St Vladimir's Seminary and prolific author, speaker, and Orthodox Christian education expert. In honor of her memory and in gratitude for her legacy, we are republishing her biography here. May the memory of Sophie Koulomzin be eternal! Vechnaya pamyat!
Sophie Koulomzin (December 3, 1903–September 29, 2000), renowned Orthodox Christian religious educator, was born Sophie Schidlovsky in St Petersburg, Russia, in 1903. She was the daughter of Sergei Schidlovsky, the last vice president of the Czar's Duma, or Parliament. A life of privilege was replaced by one of poverty as the family endured the first years of Soviet rule, then fled, first to Estonia, where her father died, then Berlin, then Paris.
In Germany, she studied philosophy at the University of Berlin and took part in philosophical discussions led by Nikolai Berdyaev, The Rev. Sergius Bulgakov, and Semyon Frank, leading Russian religious thinkers and former Marxists who became liberal Christians and were expelled from the Soviet Union by Lenin in 1922. They were formative in her development as a broad-minded Orthodox Christian activist.
In 1926, a scholarship from the John D. Rockefeller Fund took her to the U.S., where she graduated from Columbia University with a master's degree in Religious Education. Returning to Paris, she became a leader of the Russian Christian Student Movement, taught émigré children in church schools and summer camps, and edited two volumes of church school lessons. This experience strengthened her conviction that “what émigré children needed most of all was to experience being Orthodox in a non-Orthodox culture,” laying the foundation for her work in Orthodox religious education in the United States.
Mrs Koulomzin was married in 1932 to Nikita Koulomzin, an engineer who was also of aristocratic descent. They had three daughters, Elizabeth, Olga, and Xenia, and a son, George. During their family’s time in Paris, Mrs Koulomzin did social work among poor Russian émigrés, working with Elizabeth Skobtsova, who became the Orthodox nun known as “Mother Maria” and died in the Ravensbrück concentration camp as punishment for rescuing Jews during the German occupation. Mother Maria has since been canonized by the Orthodox Church. Surviving the occupation, the Koulomzin family lived in Paris and then in the French provinces, where they also helped Soviet prisoners of war taken by the Germans.
In 1948 the Koulomzins moved to Nyack, NY, and Mrs Koulomzin resumed work as a religious educator, creating an English-language education program and lecturing across the country. She founded the Orthodox Christian Education Commission (OCEC) to coordinate the work of the various Orthodox Christian church jurisdictions in America.
Faculty in 1958 At Union Seminary: back row (left to right): Boris Ledkovsky, Fr Paul Schneirla, Veselin Kesich, Archimandrite Dr Firmilian, Nicholas Ozerov; front row: Sophie Koulomzin, Alexander Bogolepov, Fr Alexander Schmemann, Nicholas Arseniev, Serge Verhovskoy
Beginning in 1954, she taught for nearly 20 years at St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary. Her tenure at the seminary began with an invitation from Seminary Dean Fr Georges Florovsky to present a lecture on Christian education to a clergy meeting. Her expertise was immediately recognized and she was hired to teach a regular course on religious education. Mrs Koulomzin worked alongside theologians and scholars whom she had known from her life in France, including Fr Alexander Schmemann, whom she had taught as a young boy in her religious education classes in Paris.
Fr Schmemann wrote the forwardto Mrs Koulomzin’s book, Lectures in Orthodox Religious Education (now out of print), which summarized the course she taught each year at St Vladimir’s Seminary. He enthusiastically affirmed Mrs Koulomzin’s aptitude for her work, saying, “...in the Orthodox Church in America nothing is more needed today than a clear formulation of religious teaching…No one is better qualified to guide us in this responsible task than Mrs Sophie Koulomzine. Her academic teaching is the fruit of a life-long experience in the field of religious education and her work during the last years as Executive Secretary of the Orthodox Christian Education Commission has won the admiration of those, who are privileged to be associated with her.”
Saint Vladimir's Seminary 1962 yearbook biography
In 1970, St Vladimir’s Seminary recognized Mrs Koulomzin’s great contributions and work in building up Orthodox religious education in America and abroad by awarding her the Degree of Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa.
Mrs Koulomzin spoke of her life’s work in humble terms, writing in her 1980 memoir, Many Worlds: A Russian Life, that the Orthodox community’s “appreciation of my personal work was often exaggerated. As a matter of fact I was an elderly woman, a housewife, a mother and grandmother, with no theological education, but bearing within me the heritage of a great Christian culture and of a great Orthodox revival, shaped by catastrophic historic events. I could speak to teachers and parents in our common, family-life kind of language, making our daily life experience part of our experience of life with God. My particular capacities happened to meet at the right moment the strong need of the people. The greatness of their need and of their receptivity conferred on me a dimension I did not really have” (p. 301).
After her official retirement in 1974, she continued working. At the time of her death she was president of “Religious Books for Russia,” founded to send Bibles and religious literature to Russia.
Mrs Koulomzin's books, including God Is with Us, History of the Orthodox Church, and Our Church and Our Children, have become classic texts in Orthodox Christian Religious Education, including within Russia itself. Her memoir, Many Worlds: A Russian Life, written when she was 77, ends with an account of her first visit back to her homeland, in 1970. In July 1999 Patriarch Alexy II, primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, issued her the “Order of St Olga” for her many years of service to the Church.
All current seminarians at St Vladimir’s Seminary are invited to compete in this year’s St Matthias Essay Contest!* The deadline to submit your essay is 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, October 1, 2024.
The St Matthias Merit Scholarship Essay Contest has been offered annually since 2018, thanks to the generous contributions of a family of anonymous donors. These donors select the topic of the essay contest each year and develop thorough and thoughtful criteria to determine the winner.
This year's topic is as follows:
After carefully reviewing their child's first year of public education, the child's parents adjusted their budget and started teaching their son at home. (Refer to the2023 St Matthias Essay prompt for background.) As a decade passed, it became evident that homeschooling had definitely led to positive outcomes for their child and family.
In this decade, homeschooling is harder on the family budget. Yet, homeschool enrollment is rising rapidly as more and more parents hope for and work towards successful outcomes for their children and families. However, increasingly more couples are no longer wanting to have children.
Essay Question: What comfort is there in hoping and laboring for the best outcome of one's children when one can choose an easier lifestyle by avoiding them? In answering the question, include Proverbs 16: 2-3 and limit your essay to 750 words.
Please submit your essays to klin@svots.edu no later than Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, with the following items in the header:
1.) Printed name of author
2.) Signature of author
3.) Date of submission
This year's scholarship for the first-place essay will be $3,500.
To read past winning essays of the St Matthias Merit Scholarship Essay Contest, clickhere.
*If you have already won a St Matthias Scholarship in the past, please kindly abstain from participating.
The newest hire at St Vladimir’s Seminary, Zachariah Mandell (M.Div. ’20), has a multi-faceted job description: Director of Admissions, Financial Aid, and Alumni Relations and Assistant Director of Chapel Music. We sat down with Zach to talk about his upbringing, his own journey within the Church, and his vision for seminarian life and community.
Zach, please share a bit about your upbringing in the Church and your ties to the seminary.
I was born into a cradle Orthodox family in central Pennsylvania with a mix of Carpatho-Rusyn, Slovak, and some Russian roots. My dad has always been the choir director of the parishes we’ve been a part of, and my mom has always been a leading soprano. Both sides of my family were largely Orthodox; on my mom’s side, my grandfather, Fr Thomas Hopko, and great-grandfather, Fr Alexander Schmemann, are well-known for their contributions at St Vladimir’s. Even with these deep roots, there was never any pressure to go to seminary, for which I'm really grateful because it really ended up, thank God, being my own journey, my own decisions, my own movement.
Zach directing the righthand choir at St Vladimir’s Seminary on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, 2024
I think I can point to a few experiences where I started to engage my own faith more seriously. I went to Penn State University, and one of the big reasons I went, other than wanting to march in the Blue Band, was because it had such a strong OCF associated with it and a strong parish, Holy Trinity Orthodox Church. When you're in college, it’s not always easy to wake up on Sunday morning to go to church, and having that support, those friendships, and the choir to sing with were all really important for me as a college student.
Marching in the Penn State Blue Band, Fall 2013
In my junior year of college, I studied abroad in Greece, and as a deeply naive 20-year-old, I was thinking to myself, “This is amazing–it's an Orthodox country, so it's going to be so easy to just be 'orthodoxing' all the time.” I had already traveled abroad in Mexico, Egypt, and Italy, but this turned out to be the first time in my life that I felt homesick or had ever experienced culture shock, and those feelings were particularly strong in the context of church. I wasn’t prepared for how isolating it felt to be in church where everything was so familiar but not familiar at the same time, and it pulled the rug out from under me a little bit.
Part of what made it so difficult was that as a classics major, we were required to visit archaeological digs and museums every weekend, so I wasn't really going to church much at all while I was there. After the first month or so, I'd go and sit on a rock somewhere with a view of the Acropolis and listen to a recorded liturgy (this was before live-streaming), and I thought that could be enough to have some connection to church.
I think it was the difference in the aesthetics of worship, and probably, my own immaturity, that was making me feel a bit isolated. What furthered that isolation was not just missing the music I liked, but missing something very real—the communion of church, both the Eucharist itself and the extended communion, the community. It makes sense, especially having grown up so deeply rooted in a specific church tradition. Being in that same church but feeling like it wasn’t my own challenged my sense of identity because I wasn’t comfortable in a way I always had been.
At an archaeological site in Greece, Spring 2013
That was a turning point, a critical experience for me. I had been going to church before that, but the feeling of missing something, that hunger for communion and community, made me realize that my faith wasn’t just an idea; it was something real.
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to go back to Greece this past year, and I realized, "I can do this now." This new sense of appreciation came from more experience, more curiosity about things that aren’t my way—exploring that discomfort, learning to say, "This is uncomfortable, but that’s interesting."
And after that experience in Greece, and even a little bit before that, I started engaging more. That’s when I began to really talk to my grandfather–in the last few years of his life–and have more serious conversations with him.
At the same time, I was working at youth camps—specifically, the New England Archdiocese Youth Rally, where I worked from 2012 to 2019. That’s when I really started engaging with the priests there, seeing them as mentors: Fr John Hopko, my uncle, Fr Sergius Halvorsen (who I now work with), and Father Dennis Rhodes. That’s when I began to read more. I studied Greek and Latin Language and Literature in college, and that gave me a little window into a new curiosity as I began reading the Church Fathers and even just the Gospel, thinking, “Wow, look at the Greek!” There was so much depth. I’d think, “Oh, this word is so cool.”
And, you know, as a millennial, of course, I was listening to podcasts. But don’t worry, it was Fr Tom’s podcast! That was such a gift for me—not just for my own spiritual formation and education, but also because it gave me a way to experience my grandfather as a teacher. I saw how other people experienced him and realized, “Huh, that’s just how he is.” It showed me a more complete picture of him, especially at that point in his life. I saw a person who was clearly striving toward wholeness. I’d listen to a podcast and think, “Yep, same guy who holds court at Thanksgiving, talking about Church Fathers and Scripture, telling people, ‘No, you’re wrong.’” (laughter)
A family visit to Ellwood City, PA
It was like listening to him in real life, and in these later years, experiencing him in those two ways helped me see how others saw him. I felt like I had a connection, like when someone would ask, “What’s he like?” and I’d say, “Well, kind of like what you see, but also, I’ve gone fishing with him, and he kisses the fish before throwing them back in the water.” All of us grandkids have memories like that.
On the lake with Grandpa
I applied to grad school during my last year of college because that’s just what you do when you study something as esoteric as Classics and Greek and Latin Literature—you apply for grad school. So, I went to grad school, and I got one semester in. Then I went to the OCF College Conference, and I thought, “I think I’m going to apply to seminary.”
Two months before my grandfather passed away, in January 2015, I visited him on my way back to school and told him, “I think I’d like to go to seminary.” He encouraged me to finish my degree first and then go to seminary, and that’s exactly what I did.
Thank you for sharing that fascinating look into your journey within your own faith and your deep family ties to the seminary. You are now the Assistant Director of Chapel Music here. Let's talk about your musical background. How did your interest in music begin? Was it mainly through your family, and how did playing instruments fit in? How did you grow into what you’re doing now?
Yeah, so in the beginning, as I mentioned earlier, my dad was always the choir director at the parishes I grew up in, and my family was very musical—my mom’s a singer, and my dad was a music teacher and choir director. Some of my earliest memories are of going to church with my dad when I was about four, going to Vespers, standing in the choir loft, and singing along to the bass part with my squeaky little voice. There’s even video evidence of me singing along with my dad in Vespers. So, I grew up with music in church, always around the choir loft.
When I was in elementary school, I started playing trombone, which was hard to avoid with a dad who was a band director. I started in fourth grade, even though the band director told me my arms were too short to play it—I chose trombone anyway. I loved it and kept playing through high school, while also singing in every ensemble.
Church music was always something I loved, but it really blossomed in college. I was asked to be the choir director at Holy Trinity in State College during my senior year, and that’s when I really started to dive into the services, the liturgical flow, and the beauty of hymnography. There was so much depth in matins and hymnography that I hadn’t experienced in my home parish.
Directing the choir at Sts Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, Buffalo, NY, Spring 2016
After graduating, I moved to Buffalo, where a parish needed a choir director. Fr Vlad Zablotskyy hired me, and as a poor grad student, I jumped at the chance. That experience shaped my love for liturgical music—not just the music itself, but also the role of the choir. I started to understand how we lead the congregation, not just sing. It became one of my core focuses when I went to seminary, where I wanted to dive deeper into liturgical texts, hymnography, history, and the pastoral aspects of church music.
While at seminary, I took advantage of every opportunity to study conducting, music theory, and composition. Deacon Harrison Russin and Robin Freeman created classes for those of us who were really interested, and I was able to conduct and sing at a high level in the chapel, in performances, and in recordings.
After graduating, I was hired as the full-time choir director at St Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral in Minneapolis. It was an incredible opportunity to apply what I had learned and explore what it meant to be in a pastoral role—working with people of different backgrounds, desires, and spiritual needs. At St Mary’s, we explored deeply what it means to be a church choir, and how to put that into practice.
Performing a choral concert at St Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral, Minneapolis, MN, December 2022
In terms of objectives, especially at a place with a high musical level, it’s easy to get preoccupied with the music itself, but the balance is important. Choirs in the Orthodox Church have a lot to balance. On one hand, services will happen no matter what, people are often volunteering, and life happens, so it's not entirely about musical perfection. It's a service and ministry, a sacrifice of praise, and we bring ourselves and offer ourselves where and when we are. On the other hand, we're also striving to offer our best to God. We offer the first-fruits, the whole-burnt offering–so it's also, I would say, not just a nice idea but necessary to be intentional, mindful, and strive to sing the music well so that our service and ministry of leading the congregation in worship can be beautiful, prayerful, AND unobtrusive. And maybe most importantly, it's necessary to have the ability to move on and be mindful of the moment, not to be distracted by the mistakes (or even the really beautiful moments), but to say, ok, thank God, whoops, wow, and continue. So I guess what I mean to say is that, as a service and ministry in the church, we're trying to balance where we are now with where we want to be in a way that keeps us engaged but not obsessed with progress or mistakes, and also that is not static. The Orthodox faith is dynamic, and I believe a choir should strive to reflect that, always becoming something more together.
So for us, it wasn’t just about concerts—our role was primarily the services. How do we engage with that? How do we become a group within the parish that is welcoming and part of the larger community, while still being a distinct group? That was the beautiful challenge we embraced.
Directing at St Vladimir’s as a seminarian
Coming back here after directing for a few years in a parish has been really cool. Standing on the same podium where my hands were once shaky, now with more experience, feels like a beautiful snapshot of my life’s trajectory—same guy, same place, but a different world. There are so many talented singers here right now, and building musical trust with them so quickly has been incredibly exciting. I’m really looking forward to what we’ll get to do together this year. So, I guess there's a bit of a "stay tuned" there!
It’s also worth mentioning that you're also a composer. You attended the 2023 Summer Music Institute Composition Workshop with Benedict Sheehan, where your music was performed and analyzed. Are you still involved in composing?
Yes, I am, though I haven't produced anything recently. But the composition process is something I’ve been really passionate about over the last few years. After the 2023 workshop, I convinced some music colleagues from Minneapolis to start composition workshops with me, where we’d bring our music and work through it together.
Having his composition sung in the Composer’s Reading Session during the 2023 Summer Music Institute
Last October, at the Midwest Diocesan Assembly, I was proud to bring six or seven compositions from my friends and fellow singers in Minneapolis and St Paul to share with the St Andrew of Crete Music Society. It was such an incredible moment—realizing we were doing something so special.
Now, I’ve had the chance to work with talented composers on campus, talking about their music, playing with it, and helping them shape it. Even just having a small role in helping them find what they want it to be has been so cool. I’m feeling inspired to pick up the pencil again and get those creative juices flowing!
Moving on to your experience as a seminarian at St Vladimir’s Seminary. In your new role as Director of Admissions, Financial Aid, and Alumni Relations, how does your experience as a seminarian shape your vision for the student experience here? We’ve already seen you get involved in community life beyond your formal role. Can you talk about that?
Sure. Being a seminarian, and now working at the seminary, I’ve come to realize the importance of balance. Seminary life is intense, to put it mildly. Deacon Harrison Russin said it well at orientation: in grad school, you’re a student. But in seminary, you’re a student, you're serving, you're forming—it’s many roles combined. There are so many expectations, like helping out with last-minute tasks for visiting bishops, alongside community service and chapel life. It’s a humbling experience, and it requires sacrifice.
For me, as a single guy coming from grad school, the transition was easier than for some who give up a lot—stable family life, careers—to come to seminary. But I still experienced imbalance, focusing too much on my tasks and neglecting myself. It’s a blessing to be back here now, and while I don’t claim to have magical wisdom, I can offer my experience to current students. I live in the same space as them and try to model the balance I believe is important. Balance isn’t something you achieve and hold on to—it’s a constant process of falling down and getting up again.
It’s really fulfilling to see new students come in, often being the first person they meet as Admissions Director, and to share my journey with them, offering encouragement and support. I respect anyone who makes the decision to come here—it’s not one made lightly.
Reflecting on my own time here, by my last year, I was so focused on grades and perfection that I started getting migraines and vertigo—deeply stress-related. It wasn’t just the workload, but how I approached it. Expectations—both from others and myself—were high, and I realized I had to rethink how I invested my energy. Not everything is life or death, and you have to be able to keep going.
With seminary classmates and friends
After seminary, I sought therapy and started reorienting how I approached myself and others. I realized that when Christ says to love your neighbor as yourself, the “as yourself” part matters. If you don’t care for yourself, you won’t last long trying to serve others. Learning to love myself was hard, but crucial. Without grace for myself, I couldn’t truly extend it to others.
That’s something I tell every new student—you won’t make it through here or anywhere else unless you work towards balance and self-care. It’s vital, especially in the face of the pressures at seminary, where everyone is focused on important formation for future work.
It’s also about finding community. We’re all going through this journey in different ways, but we can find strength together. When I was a student, my friends and I shared the struggles of classes and life here. Married and single students alike face challenges, especially families who can feel isolated. Building a supportive community from the start makes a world of difference, and it models how life in the church should be—living in community, supporting, and praying for one another.
As an alumnus, and now, the newly minted Director of Alumni Relations, how would you like to build up the community of students who have already graduated? You're already building up the community here. How about the alumni community?
As Director of Alumni Relations, my focus is really on just that–relations. I want to build and maintain relationships with alumni and stay connected with those who are graduating now. My goal is to help alumni connect with each other, hear their stories, and share what they’re doing.
A lot of us can feel isolated in our ministries—whether you’re a priest, choir director, or Sunday school teacher, it can feel a little lonely out there. Personally, many of my closest friends are from seminary, and we stay in touch at least weekly, if not daily. I’d love to expand that sense of camaraderie.
Enjoying a local Greek Festival with seminarians and their families, September 2024
One of the key things I want to do is share stories—what people are doing, and how they’re navigating their ministries. And I want everyone to know, my phone is always on—please call, reach out, share what’s happening.
It’s so important for us here at St Vladimir’s Seminary to know what our alumni are doing, to celebrate their efforts, and to lift each other up. That’s how we can all stay connected and brought together.
Thank you for sharing so many wonderful ideas and thoughts today, Zach. To wrap up our interview, do you have a favorite seminary memory or something fun to share?
Oh man, some fun seminary memories! One fantastic memory was building the community garden on campus during the summer of 2018. A group of us worked together, thinking about what it all meant, but mostly just doing it—building something as a team. That fall, through the St Herman Society, we dried the herbs and hot peppers we grew, which was quite an adventure. We even used marigolds and nasturtiums from the garden to make table settings for Ed Day. That was such a special memory.
Enjoying the fruits of his labors in the seminary garden
Besides that, it was the joy of singing. We had some fantastic concert series while I was here, and those are some wonderful memories. Then there were the late-night chats in the hallway with friends, getting so excited about whatever we were discussing, telling ourselves, "We should go to bed," but then starting up again.
It sounds like you're making new memories now with the community and some fun new initiatives like the fermentation club.
Yes, the fermentation club has been great! There are some really inspiring students here who have a gift for bringing people together. Just last night, the north side of campus had a little bonfire block party. Anyone was welcome, and we stayed up late, reminding ourselves about liturgy the next day but just enjoying being together. I think the pizza ovens are coming out for the next one!
On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Lifegiving Cross, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon (OCA) raised Seminary faculty member, Assistant Professor of Liturgical Theology, the Rev. Dn Dr Vitaly Permiakov, to the Holy Priesthood. His Beatitude arrived on Friday, September 13, and presided over the Festal Vigil that evening and the Divine Liturgy on the following day. The Vigil was sung by antiphonal choirs; a male ensemble led by the Rev. Dn Dr Harrison Russin, and the mixed choir led by Zachariah Mandell. Several smaller student ensembles sang select pieces prepared for the feast. At the conclusion of the Great Vigil, His Beatitude performed the solemn rite of the Exaltation of the Cross, as the choir sang 500 repetitions of the petition “Lord have mercy.”
Concelebrating at the Divine Liturgy with His Beatitude were the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield, Skvir Professor of Pastoral Theology, the Very Rev. Dr Alexander Rentel, OCA Chancellor, the Very Rev. Alessandro Margheritino, OCA Secretary, the Very Rev. Dr Kirill Sokolov, Chancellor of the Diocese of the West, the Rev. Alexis Torrance (University of Notre Dame, Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne), the Rev. Demetrios Harper (St Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary), and chancery, seminary, and visiting clergy.
In his homily during the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude spoke of the Cross as central to our Christian worship and path to salvation; through the Cross, “Christ has made death a passage way into life, life everlasting, life abundant and overflowing, life incomparable to this fleeting life, life not as the world knows or gives.”
At the conclusion of the Liturgy, Interim President and Academic Dean, Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie, welcomed His Beatitude and the visiting clergy warmly, and expressed his joy and gratitude for the ordination of his fellow faculty member. Seminary students, staff, and faculty congratulated Fr Vitaly heartily, at the service and via the Seminary Whatsapp group, with one student saying, “Axios to the man who taught me the Liturgy!”
Fr Vitaly celebrated his first Divine Liturgy as a priest the following day, Sunday, September 15, in Three Hierarchs Chapel.
About the Rev. Dr Vitaly Permiakov
Born to a Russian family in Riga, Latvia, Fr Vitaly Permiakov, Ph.D. relocated to the United States in 1999 after completing his undergraduate studies. He entered St Vladimir’s Seminary with the blessing of the late Archbishop Dmitri (Royster) of Dallas (OCA) (d. 2011). After finishing seminary, Fr Vitaly enrolled in a doctoral program in Liturgical Studies at the University of Notre Dame, where in 2012 he defended his dissertation on the history and origins of the Byzantine rite for the consecration of churches. Fr Vitaly taught at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary (Jordanville, NY) from 2011 to 2020, and joined the full-time faculty at St Vladimir's Seminary in August 2020.
Fr Vitaly's ordination to the priesthood marked the next milestone in his 22-year journey through the ecclesiastical ranks of the Church, all of which took place at Three Hierarchs Chapel at St Vladimir’s Seminary. He was tonsured to the rank of reader as a seminarian in 2002. In 2021, on the Feast of the Annunciation, he was ordained subdeacon. On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, September 14, 2021, he was ordained to the Holy Diaconate through the hand of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon. Three years later, His Beatitude ordained Fr Vitaly to the priesthood on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, September 14, 2024.
May God grant the newly ordained Fr Vitaly Permiakov many blessed years!
