Join Moscata, a friendly and informative dog, who leads readers through an Orthodox women’s monastery in the newest children's book from St. Vladimir's Seminary (SVS Press).
Enjoy the beautiful illustrations in Moscata Visits a Monastery as you explore the church the nuns are building, the candle factory, the cemetery, and the grounds. Find out how the nuns work and pray, what they wear, how they serve Christ, and why they have chosen the monastic life.
December 13 marked thirty-eight years since the repose in the Lord of St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s former dean and renowned theologian Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann (September 13, 1921–December 13, 1983), and 2021 marks 100 years since his birth. In remembrance of Fr. Alexander, St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, D.C. invited his son, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Serge Schmemann, to speak about Fr. Alexander’s life and work.
Serge Schmemann began by recounting his last moments with his father and reflecting on a question Fr. Alexander raises in his journals. Noting in his opening entry that he had been a priest and theologian for more than a quarter of a century, Fr. Alexander asked, "What does it all mean?"
"The question is a spiritual one,” Serge remarked, “…but to me, as someone who shared part of his life, there's also the challenge of melding, of combining that question that he raises with a life that really went an incredible long journey, from the poverty and statelessness of an exile and ended up helping shape the new Orthodox Church in the new world.”
Serge Schmemann’s entire reflection on Fr. Alexander may be watched below, courtesy of St. Nicholas Cathedral and Archpriest George Kokhno. The talk was part of the Primatial Cathedral Adult Education program. Serge also spoke for the program last year.
May the memory of Protopresbyter Alexander be eternal!
The Rev. Silouan, a seminarian of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is in his third year studying in St. Vladimir's Seminary's Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program. Before enrolling at St. Vladimir's, Fr. Silouan worked in sales for a wholesale flooring company and as a barista for a large coffee corporation. He holds a bachelor's degree in general studies from Louisiana State University, Shreveport, LA.
Father Silouan and his wife, Matushka Katie, are parents of Sophia, Genevieve, Christopher, Brigid.
With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of Alumnus Archpriest Nicholas Neyman, who fell asleep in the Lord Sunday, December 12, 2021 after a brief illness.
The Very Rev. Nicholas Neyman moved to Crestwood, NY in the 1960s with his wife, Khouria Malvi, toattend St. Vladimir's Seminary. Father Nicholas studied in the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program from 1966 to 1970, and was ordained to the Holy Priesthood in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA).
Father Nicholas and Kh. Malvi are known and beloved especially for their longtime ministry at Camp St. Nicholas in Frazier Park, CA, where they spent twenty-four years. As they oversaw the Camp, the Neymans began traveling 100 miles each way to serve at Holy Cross Church in Palmdale, CA, which they helped establish. Over the course of his priestly ministry, Fr. Nicholas also served as pastor of St. Mary Orthodox Church of West Palm Beach, FL. Following retirement, Fr. Nicholas served at St. John the Baptist Churchin Post Falls, ID.
He is survived by Kh. Malvi, their children Richard (Mary Jo), Marianna (Bill), Kh. Julianna (Fr. Samer), and Kh. Joanna (Fr. Mark), and many grandchildren.
Glory to God, and thanks to the generosity of so many people, St. Vladimir's Seminary raised approximately $117,000 on Giving Tuesday to help educate more seminarians! That amount includes more than $97,000 already donated and another $20,000 in pledges.
We know there are many worthy causes to give to on Giving Tuesday and throughout the year, so we sincerely appreciate the many generous gifts we have received. The amount raised on Giving Tuesday is an enormous contribution to the mission of St Vladimir's to train more leaders for the Church.
Thank you from all of the seminarians, faculty, staff, and families of St. Vladimir's Seminary!
The corner of 81st Street and Ridge Boulevard in Brooklyn now bears the name of longtime St. Vladimir's Seminary professor The Very Rev. Paul Schneirla (1916–2014). In recognition of his long life of ministry and his zeal for faithful collaborations, officials from the City of New York co-named that section of roadway Father Paul Schneirla Way at a dedication ceremony October 24 in front of the church where Fr. Paul served for fifty years, St. Mary's Antiochian Orthodox Church.
Among those attending the dedication ceremony were St. Mary’s pastor Fr. Michael Ellias (St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s class of 1995), Fr. Paul’s son Peter Schneirla and his wife Caroline, his daughter Dorothy Downie and her husband Robert, State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, Consul to Lebanon John Abi Habib, and City Councilman Justin Brannan, who served as master of ceremonies.
“His arrival in Brooklyn was a case study in the right place, the right time, the right people, and the right man,” Fr. Paul’s son Peter told the Brooklyn Reporter. “I can think of no one more worthy than my father to be honored in this way.”
Father Paul served as pastor of St. Mary’s from its inception in 1951 until his retirement in 2002. He remained pastor emeritus of the church until his death on September 20, 2014, at the age of 98.
“At the end of your life, all you have left is what you’ve given to other people,” said Fr. Paul’s daughter Dorothy. “With Fr. Paul, his influence will extend far beyond his own lifetime through the families and friends he so faithfully served.”
The Very Rev. Paul Schneirla converted to Orthodox Christianity from a Protestant background as a young man. He came to St. Vladimir’s Seminary as a student in the early 1940s, when the campus was still located in New York City. He was ordained a priest in 1943 and served in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA) for seventy-one years.
Father Paul took on a number of important ministries over the course of his priestly life in addition to his parish ministry and teaching at St. Vladimir’s. He also served as the first chairman of AOCANA’s Department of Christian Education, as dean of the Atlantic Deanery, and as the first editor of The Word magazine. A tireless advocate for Orthodox unity in America, Fr. Paul worked under the direction of hierarchs Metropolitan Antony Bashir (+1966) and Metropolitan Philip Saliba (+2014), as the Archdiocese’s ecumenical officer. Father Paul had been a member of the General Board of the National Council of Churches (NCCC) since the 1940s and at the time of his death was the last surviving member of the original founders of The Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (now succeeded by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America).
The conference, titled Links Between Times: Conclusions and Perspectives, took place November 23–25, 2021 in both Belgrade and Sremski Karlovci. It was co-organized by the Archive of the Serbian Orthodox Church, directed by Dr. Radovan Pilipovic, and the website Historical Studies of the Russian Church Abroad, directed by Dn. Vitaly's fellow St. Vladimir's Seminary alumnus, The Rev. Dn. Dr. Andrei Psarev ('04), professor of Russian Church history and canon law at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, NY. The conference received letters of greeting from His Holiness, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia and His Beatitude, Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and Ukraine.
Deacon Vitaly and Dn. Andrei were among a number of speakers at the conference. Scholars from Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, Belarus, the United States, and Canada delivered more than twenty papers. Deacon Vitaly presented "Can We Speak of a Unique Liturgical Tradition of the Russian Church Abroad" to highlight the unique place of ROCOR among the churches of Russian tradition from a liturgical perspective. Part of his presentation included the history of the new Slavonic translation of the Liturgy of St. James. Deacon Andrei's lecture was titled "The Development of the ROCOR's Attitude to the All-Russian Council of 1917–1919 with Regard to the Issue of Conciliarity.”
On Friday, November 26, Dn. Vitaly served at Divine Liturgy on the Feast of St. John Chrysostom at the historic Serbian Orthodox monastery of Vavedenje (Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos) in the Senjak district of Belgrade. The Liturgy was presided over by His Eminence, Metropolitan Mark (Arndt) of Berlin and Germany (ROCOR).
About The Rev. Dn. Vitaly Perkmiakov
Born to a Russian family in Riga, Latvia, Dn. Vitaly Permiakov, Ph.D. relocated to the United States in 1999 after completing his undergraduate studies. He entered St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) in Yonkers, NY with the blessing of late Archbishop Dmitri (Royster) of Dallas (OCA) (d. 2011). After finishing seminary, Dn. 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. Deacon 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.
Deacon Vitaly was tonsured to the ecclesiastical rank of reader in the Orthodox Church in America at Three Hierarchs Chapel, St Vladimir’s Seminary, in 2002. In 2021, on the Feast of the Annunciation, he was ordained subdeacon, also at Three Hierarchs Chapel. On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, September 14, 2001, again at the Seminary chapel, he was ordained to the holy diaconate through the hand of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon.
To address the growing need for priests and other vocations in the Orthodox Church, the Board of Trustees of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) has voted to relocate SVOTS from its current location in Yonkers, NY. The new location and the timing of the move have yet to be determined, but the Board recognizes that the Seminary will not be able to expand and adapt to the needs of the twenty-first century Church if the campus remains in Yonkers.
Following eighteen months of extensive research and deliberation at five Board meetings, the Board reached the relocation decision on Friday, November 5, 2021. Board members and Seminary administration worked with three professional consulting groups during this process and concluded that SVOTS’ current location is untenable for numerous reasons, including the following:
The New York City area’s high and rising cost of living impacts seminarians, their families, and employees and makes it difficult for SVOTS to recruit faculty, staff, and students.
The Yonkers campus is landlocked, leaving no room for expansion. Expansion is needed due to rising enrollment, increasing operational and staffing needs, ongoing and future initiatives (such as adding online educational programs to current residential offerings), and other infrastructure needs.
The legal and regulatory environment in the New York area makes significant alterations to campus infrastructure or growth extremely difficult, even if expansion of the current campus were possible.
Preliminary estimates from contractors have revealed it would take tens of millions of dollars to make necessary improvements to SVOTS’ aging and deteriorating campus in order to be a viable institution in the twenty-first century. Simply bringing the Yonkers campus to an adequate standard could easily cost as much or more than relocating and building a brand new campus to fit the Seminary’s needs for decades to come.
“Much prayer and a long process of due diligence and discussion led to the Board’s decision to relocate the campus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary,” said The Rev. Dn. Michael Hyatt, trustee and executive chair of SVOTS. “We considered doing nothing; we explored investing into the campus in Yonkers; but we believe without doubt the legacy and long-term future of SVOTS lies with relocation in order to expand and meet the demands of the twenty-first century.”
“Over its more than eighty-year history, St. Vladimir’s Seminary has relocated multiple times in order to fulfill its mission and purpose, including the move to Yonkers in the 1960s,” said The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, president of SVOTS. “Now we find ourselves again at a critical juncture in the Seminary’s history, and we simply cannot afford to do nothing or to try staying in New York—there is risk no matter which avenue we decide to take.”
“We have a duty to serve the Orthodox Church in the face of the current reality confronting theological seminaries in North America. Over the past decade, more than fifty seminaries accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) have either merged or closed their doors entirely,” added Fr. Chad. “The time has come to make a bold move, not just to survive but to thrive and expand for the sake of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Because of the Board’s decision, a relocation task force will evaluate various cities throughout the country, and Seminary administration will complete a comprehensive project plan, a detailed fundraising plan, and a five-year financial model. The Board will consider the location and timeline for relocation at its May 2022 meeting.
“Biblical studies occupies a pivotal position in the Seminary’s curriculum with core and elective courses on the Scripture and New Testament, Greek and Hebrew languages,” said Fr. Chad. “This immensely generous donation will go a long way as St. Vladimir’s looks to attract more world-class Orthodox scholars and make important contributions to the Church in the field of Orthodox biblical scholarship.”
The endowment will be used to fund faculty, support efforts to promote scholarship in the field through student exchanges with Russia, and make possible more conferences and seminars that promote the Orthodox approach to the study of Holy Scripture. The investment of $250,000 by the donor will be the first installment in building the endowment to the level that will fund a chair in biblical studies.
It is hoped this first significant gift will help attract additional support from other individuals, family trusts, and bequests for growth of the endowment. For further information about ways to contribute to the endowment please contact:
In celebration of his landmark, multi-volume Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching(SVS Press), St. Vladimir’s Seminary hosted the author, His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev), and several noted biblical scholars at the two-day event, Searching the Scriptures. The event was held on campus Thursday and Friday, November 11 and 12, 2021, and drew nearly 600 people from twenty-four countries around the world who either attended in person or signed up to watch online.
Searching the Scriptures’ lectures and discussions surrounding Metropolitan Hilarion’s six-volume work and New Testament scholarship more broadly led to fascinating exchanges between guest scholars—some of whom are Protestant Christians—and the author. The lively sessions invited the promise of further discussions to be hosted by the Seminary in the future, particularly surrounding attempts to find the “historical Jesus” and other aspects of New Testament scholarship in dialogue with the Orthodox tradition. The Seminary also plans to publish the papers presented at the academic conference in a forthcoming volume from St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press.
A recording of Metropolitan Hilarion’s keynote and all lectures and discussions from the event will be made available on the Seminary’s YouTube page.
KEYNOTE & ACADEMIC CONFERENCE
Searching the Scriptures began Thursday with Vespers at Three Hierarchs Chapel, immediately followed by a panikhida, presided over by Metropolitan Hilarion, on the occasion of the two hundredth birth anniversary of famous Russian writer and devout Orthodox Christian Fyodor Dostoevsky (Nov. 11, 1821–Feb. 9, 1881).
Metropolitan Hilarion discussed his monumental work, Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching, and his desire to see a stronger Orthodox voice in modern biblical scholarship. In writing Jesus Christ, His Eminence explained he hoped to enrich his own understanding of the discipline in the process.
“I realized that I wanted to write a biographical study .... I wanted to approach Jesus precisely from the historical perspective, to show what kind of man he was, what his character was, how he reacted to other people, what his background was,” His Eminence explained. “The task that I set myself was not to expound Orthodox Christology, but rather to reproduce the living image of Jesus on the basis of the sources available and to present his teaching as it is reflected in the Gospels.”
His Eminence relied on patristic as well as modern New Testament scholarship in writing his volumes on Jesus. At the conclusion of his keynote, Metropolitan Hilarion offered an insight from Jesus Christ’s first volume:
The gospel story of Jesus Christ...may be compared, I argue, to a collection of treasures amassed over two thousand years in a safe with two locks...two keys are required. One key is the belief that Jesus was fully human, with all the aspects of a real, flesh-and-blood person. However, we need a second key also: belief that Jesus was God incarnate. Without this key, the safe will not open, and the treasures will not radiate with their original brilliance. The gospel image of Christ will not come to the reader in all its resplendent beauty. In modern New Testament scholarship, the [second] key is very often simply not used at all. In the Orthodox tradition, sometimes the [first] key is put aside, and we tend to concentrate more on the divine dimension of Jesus' life and teaching than on the human side of his story. This is one of the reasons why a dialogue between the Orthodox tradition and the rich and multi-layered tradition of modern New Testament scholarship can be mutually enriching for both sides.
Friday’s lectures and discussions offered an enticing glimpse into the possibilities of such dialogue, as some guest scholars offered both praise and thoughtful critique of the Jesus Christ volumes. His Eminence took time to express his appreciation of the scholars’ points and directly addressed some of the points raised, among them his criticism of the Q-Source Hypothesis proposed by many biblical scholars to explain similarities in the so-called “synoptic Gospels” of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Members of the audience watching online and in person were delighted by that and other discussions offered throughout the day by His Eminence and the other lecturers, of Orthodox and non-Orthodox faiths, who were invited to speak at Searching the Scriptures: Garwood P. Anderson, Ph.D., dean and professor of New Testament at Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Nashotah, WI; John Barnet, Ph.D., associate professor of New Testament at St. Vladimir’s Seminary; Bruce Beck, Th.D., assistant professor of New Testament at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA and director of the Religious Studies program at Hellenic College; Carl R. Holladay, Ph.D., professor emeritus of New Testament at Candler School of Theology (Emory University) in Atlanta, GA; Edith Mary Humphrey, Ph.D., William F. Orr Professor Emerita of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary; Craig S. Keener, Ph.D., the F.M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY; Gregory E. Sterling, Ph.D., the Rev. Henry L. Slack Dean of Yale Divinity School and its Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament; and James Buchanan Wallace, Ph.D., chair and professor of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, TN. One of the scheduled speakers, The Rev. George Parsenios, Ph.D., dean and professor of New Testament at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, was unfortunately unable to attend the conference due to illness.
Divine Liturgy
Although the academic conference of Searching the Scriptures came to an end Friday evening with final remarks from Metropolitan Hilarion, the celebration of Divine Liturgy the following morning brought the previous days of prayer, fellowship, and discussion to its perfect and fitting culmination. On Saturday, November 13, His Eminence presided over the Liturgy at Three Hierarchs Chapel on the Feast of St. John Chrysostom, one of the Three Ecumenical Teachers along with Ss. Basil and Gregory who are the Chapel’s patrons.
The Seminary community gives thanks to God for these edifying days. Beautiful concluding remarks offered by His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion point to the inspiration behind this and all the efforts of St. Vladimir’s—of her seminarians, faculty, staff:
“Jesus belongs to the entire world and to every person. He has something to say to every human being, both to those who are already in the Church and to those who are on the path to it—and even to those who are far from it and from any religious affiliation at all.”
