Squealing with delight, children at the seminary participate in one of the most anticipated events of Pascha afternoon: the annual Easter egg hunt. They scout under every bush and tree, behind every rock and lightpost, to fill their baskets with multi-colored hard boiled eggs. Gathering eggs as if they were treasured jewels, the children eagerly compare their finds—"But, we don't eat the eggs," they admit. The joy of the hunt, and the joy of the Lord, is expressed in their faces.
O who serves Nicholas the Saintly.
Him will Nicholas receive,
and give help in time of need.
Holy Father Nicholas!
With the singing of this traditional St. Nicholas hymn, the children of the Three Hierarchs Chapel's Sunday community welcomed special guest St. Nicholas for his annual visit to St. Vladimir's Seminary. As is customary, the identity of the good saint was camouflaged by his abundant white beard, but astute children perceived he bore a striking resemblance to The Rev. Dr. David Mezynski, associate dean for Student Affairs. During the celebration, grown ups and kids alike also enjoyed a potluck meal and a time of carol singing.
Metropolitan Philip Auditorium morphed into Super Bowl Central on Sunday evening, February 3. Fans of the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers clustered around the big screen to watch the game, while students, faculty, and staff—not to mention kids!—enjoyed pizza and snacks.
During the early October fall recess, students enjoyed "Oktoberfest," an evening of relaxation and good food. Campus Chef Nat served up delicious bratwurst and spare ribs (look for his upcoming SVS Press cookbook release When You Feast) and faculty and seminarians alike enjoyed polka music and fellowship.
The next morning, the St. Herman's Society for Orthodox Ecology kicked off the semester recess with Campus Clean-Up Day. After an 8:30 a.m. molieben to the Holy Spirit "At the Beginning of Any Good Work," students set out across the seminary with trash bags, gloves, and rakes. Five workers labored to render the 12–acre campus to pristine condition—often a challenge when surrounded by a populated surburban neighborhood.
On the last weekend in October, 2013, students and their families gathered in the Germack building to participate in the "Chili Cook-off & Kids Costume Party." Contestants brought crock pots featuring their special version of chili recipes, and when the winner was announced, no one was surprised that the prize went to legendary St. Vladimir's cook, Fr. Alexander Rentel.
On Sunday, December 8, 2013, the children of the Three Hierarchs Chapel's Sunday community welcomed special guest St. Nicholas for his annual visit to St. Vladimir's Seminary. As is customary, the identity of the good saint was hidden under his abundant white beard. During the celebration, grown ups and kids alike also enjoyed a potluck meal, after which St. Nicholas presented each child with a gift.
The following week, students finished papers, sat for finals, and joyfully made travel and holiday arrangements while breathing a collective sigh of relief at the end of the term.
On November 11, 2013, Seminarians Megan Martha Carlisle and Ashli Moore travelled to Washington, D.C. to represent St. Vladimir's at the pan-Orthodox ecology conference "On Earth as it is in Heaven." The event was sponsored by the Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration and hosted by St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral. The conference focused on practical applications of Orthodox theology and ecology, and presentation topics ranged from examinations of worldwide ecological trends to architectural design in Orthodox parish construction.
His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios delivered the keynote address. "Harmony between heaven and earth, just as between creation and humanity, has always been a fundamental vocation and principle in the Judeo-Christian scripture and tradition, as well as in our Orthodox liturgy and spiritual life," he emphasized.
Martha Carlisle was one of the members of the last panel of the day, in which participants discussed ecological concerns in the context of Orthodox higher education. She said a few words on the subject of campus activism, highlighting the existence of the St. Herman's Society for Orthodox Ecology at St. Vladimir's Seminary and advocating the commingling of work, study, and prayer, with ecological concerns. Earlier that afternoon, St. Vladimir's Seminary Trustee Anne Glynn Mackoul moderated a panel devoted to the topic "Putting Theology into Action in the Parish."
"Our prayers fill us with the hope and humility necessary to carry out our tasks," she noted. "As fallen human beings, we almost never see ourselves clearly. We overestimate our abilities, and believe that we can save the earth ourselves. Or we underestimate them and give up when the problem seems too large. Communion with God keeps us from those extremes. We are not God; but we are his instruments. We cannot do everything, but, with his help, we can do something."
Representatives from Holy Cross Seminary in Brookline, MA, St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan, PA, and Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) also attended the conference. The panel moderator was Dr. Alfred Kentigern Siewers, professor of English and Environmental Studies at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA.
By Sandro Margheritino, third-year seminarian and Student Council President
The formation of a seminarian happens both inside and outside the classroom. Over the course of the 2013-2014 winter break, three St. Vladimir's seminarians participated in the first-ever International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) Seminary Action Team. Together with junior seminarian Sara Staff and middler Tor Vegard Svane, I traveled to New Orleans to join nine other seminarians from five Orthodox theological schools to work as part of an IOCC home-build team, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. The leader of our group, IOCC's Country Representative for the United States Dan Christopulos, was joined by his co-leader The Very Rev. Paul Wesche, rector of St. Herman's Orthodox Church (Orthodox Church in America) and president of the Minnesota Eastern Orthodox Christian Clergy Association.
Thanks to the generosity of many donors, IOCC was able to offer this great opportunity to seminarians for the minimal cost of $150, which included our flight plus our room and board. In the last few years the organization has provided hands-on opportunities for ministry within the United States, allowing students, professionals, and retirees to work together to help out their most vulnerable neighbors. Subsequent to two major hurricanes, Katrina in 2005 and Ike in 2008, IOCC has mobilized teams of volunteers to help build homes for those displaced by these tragic disasters through their long-term partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
Our team flew to New Orleans on the early evening after the Feast of Theophany on January 6, and stayed through Sunday afternoon, January 12. After an orientation on Tuesday morning we split into small teams working in different sections of two houses, sheetrocking ceilings and walls for eight hours each day. Most of us had very little experience in construction, and we made our fair share of mistakes measuring walls incorrectly or putting a few screws in the wrong places. However, the Habitat supervisors patiently guided and taught us what we needed to know; they modeled for us an example of forbearance with our inexperience and care for us personally. We will remember their example when we are called upon to show the same spirit in our future ministry with people we will serve in the Church.
After finishing a full day of physical labor, we were allowed time for reflection and prayers in the evenings. In our open discussions on the team, we learned more about the work of IOCC, and how we might further the cause of Christian charity once we leave St. Vladimir's. We also made time to drive around those neighborhoods of New Orleans that were most devastated by the hurricanes. In the Lower Ninth Ward, many of the lots are still empty, and only a few bricks on the ground indicate where houses once stood, while a number of houses are still severally damaged.
One of the most rewarding aspects of our trip was the inter-seminary fellowship. There are very few events which bring seminarians from different schools and different jurisdictions together. Seminarian Sara Staff commented afterwords that "The IOCC home-build mission trip was especially meaningful in that we worked toward a common goal alongside fellow seminarians from across the United States...gaining a new perspective on missions in general. It was very challenging to be reminded that Christ's love is made manifest through His people ministering to the poor. I hope to cultivate and share all that I have learned!"
Added Seminarian Tor Svane, "As a seminarian we learn many things in the classroom, but there is less time to put into practice the love of Christ in a practical manner such as this. Working in New Orleans together in a physical and down-to-earth context brought us together in a way that academic work couldn't have done. Friendships were made and strengthened through our shared labor and our common goal, and I thank God for this opportunity."
Two deans from the Diocese of the West, Orthodox Church in America (OCA), visited seminarians from their diocese during the last week of February, 2014. The Very Rev. David Brum of the Desert Deanery and The Very Rev. Matthew Tate from the Mission Deanery met with students to hear about their time at St. Vladimir's, and to offer encouragement about future ministry and educational endeavors.
In early April, 2014, a Russian film crew visited St. Vladimir's Seminary to interview people for a documentary on the life and influence of Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann (+1983), former dean of the seminary. The work of these filmmakers was itself filmed by Dn. Gregory Uhrin, an Orthodox Christian and producer at YCN, a TV station that covers south and central Vermont, and New Hampshire's Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee Region.
Deacon Gregory, a member of the Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Claremont, NH, where The Very Rev. Andrew Tregubov (SVOTS '95) is pastor, participated one year in the Diaconal Practicum offered each summer at St. Vladimir's. A large part of this local TV production consisted of his interview with Fr. Andrew, and was filmed at the Holy Resurrection parish.
