Reader Dr. Geevarghese (Renish) Abraham was ordained to the holy diaconate Saturday, August 20, 2022 in his home diocese of Delhi, India (Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church).
The Rev. Dn. Dr. Geevarghese Abraham is entering his second year of studies at St. Vladimir's. He is currently on sabbatical from St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi, where he serves as assistant professor of English. Dn. Geevarghese earned both his Ph.D. in English studies and M.A. in English literature from the University of Delhi; he also holds a B.A. in English language and literature from Catholicate College, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India.
May God grant the newly ordained Dn. Geevarghese many years!
St. Vladimir's Education Day Online returns! Listen to discussions by Orthodox scholars and ask them your burning questions on a variety of topics, including Scripture, church history, and current events such as the influx of Orthodox seekers and the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court. Education Day Online is a six-hour “Zoomathon” where you get to participate and pose questions to Seminary professors and guest scholars.
The online event is Saturday, August 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT (7 a.m. to 1 p.m. PDT). Participate in discussions and win prizes. Join the Zoomathon when a topic that interests you is scheduled, or join several discussions throughout the day. It's up to you when you join and for how long. (See the schedule below.)
Education Day Online is also for a good cause—join us and help raise$30,000 to educate seminarians! Attendance is FREE. Please consider making a donation as you register or during the event. (If donating through our Giving Page, please write "ED DAY" in the comment section.)
You may submit questions now, as you register, to be asked during the event on August 13 (please indicate what topic your question belongs to in the comment box). Of course, you will be able to submit questions during the event as well.
Faculty members from St. Vladimir’s Seminary will be joined by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon and University of Scranton Professor Rev. Dn. Dr. Michael Azar (SVOTS class of '05).
Matushka Anne “Anya” Hopko, née Schmemann, for the last two decades of Ellwood City, PA, and previously, for many years, of Crestwood, NY, fell asleep in the Lord on Thursday afternoon, August 4, 2022, in Quebec, Canada, where she was vacationing with family. She was 78.
At the time of her repose in the Lord, Matushka Anne was in palliative care in a hospital in L’Annonciation (Rivière-Rouge), Quebec. She had suffered, without warning, a sudden, massive stroke on Wednesday, August 3, while enjoying a late morning cup of tea with family members, together on summer holiday in Lac Labelle, Canada.
Matushka Anne and Protopresbyter Thomas’s five children are Archpriest John (Macrina), Juliana (Gregory), Catherine (Raymond), Mary (Archpriest Nicholas), and Alexandra (Joseph). Matushka Anne had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the falling asleep of Archpriest Alexander Padlo, an alumnus of St. Vladimir's Seminary. Father Alexander reposed in the Lord on Tuesday, August 2, 2022.
The Very Rev. Alexander Padlo was born in 1935. He went on to study at St. Vladimir's Seminary and graduated in 1970. At the Seminary he also served as ecclesiarch under Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann.
In his pastoral ministry, Fr. Alexander Padlo most recently served at Ss. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Miami, FL (Orthodox Church in America), one of the oldest Orthodox parishes in South Florida. He began his ministry there in 2002, having previously served in the Diocese of Western Pennsylvania. He retired as pastor of Ss. Peter and Paul in 2016.
Father Alexander was described by his former parish as a man of prayer and great faith.
More spiritual treasures from St. Isaac the Syrian are available in English for the first time. Saint Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press has published Headings on Spiritual Knowledge, a translation from the recently discovered “Second Part” of St. Isaac's works.
We invite all our beloved graduates of St Vladimir’s Seminary to join us this July for an alumni reception at the 20th All-American Council of the Orthodox Church in America in Baltimore, Maryland. Hear from Seminary President The Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield, Academic Dean Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie, and Seminarian The Rev. Dn David Galloway. Enjoy a wonderful evening of fellowship, drinks, and food with other alumni, and learn about exciting things happening at the Seminary!
The alumni event will take place Tuesday, July 19, 2022 from 8 pm–10 pm at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor Hotel, 401 W. Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21201. RSVP and let us know if we'll see you there!
The Very Rev. Dr. Sergius J. Halvorsen preaches at Three Hierarchs Chapel
Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) has received a $36,300 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Compelling Preaching Initiative to help strengthen preaching at Orthodox Christian parishes in North America.
Lilly Endowment launched the Compelling Preaching Initiative in 2022 with the primary aim of cultivating practices among aspiring and active preachers that can help them to proclaim the gospel to diverse audiences in more engaging and effective ways.
SVOTS was invited by the Endowment to apply, and is one of several dozen organizations chosen to take part in phase one of the Compelling Preaching Initiative.
“The Orthodox Church is heir to the remarkable preaching tradition of the Apostles and the Fathers who followed in their footsteps,” said The Very Rev. Dr. Sergius J. Halvorsen, SVOTS’ assistant professor of homiletics and rhetoric. “Lilly Endowment’s Compelling Preaching Initiative provides St. Vladimir's Seminary with the unique opportunity to support and enhance Orthodox Christian preaching in North America.”
Father Sergius will serve as SVOTS’ director for this effort.
SVOTS plans to use the one-year Compelling Preaching grant to conduct surveys and interviews of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox preachers and hearers, in order to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary preaching. Two areas of interest will be how preachers can better support one another in their ministry, and how preaching resonates with hearers in the local parish. The Seminary would then use the information gathered to plan for programs and initiatives—to aid seminarians as well as preachers already plying their craft in parishes—intended to strengthen Orthodox Christian preaching to build up the Body of Christ.
Currently, SVOTS seminarians in the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program receive homiletics training that includes two core courses in preaching and supervised student preaching in the Seminary’s chapel. Active preachers who are part of the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program take a course in advanced preaching and communications.
ABOUT LILLY ENDOWMENT Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K., Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff, and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education, and religion and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A primary aim of its grantmaking in religion is to deepen the religious lives of Christians, principally by supporting efforts that enhance congregational vitality and strengthen the leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment values the broad diversity of Christian traditions and endeavors to support them in a wide variety of contexts. The Endowment also seeks to foster public understanding about religion by encouraging fair, accurate, and balanced portrayals of the positive and negative effects of religion on the world and lifting up the contributions that people of all faiths make to our greater civic well-being.
This summer, the oldest living graduate of St Vladimir's Seminary, Trustee Emeritus The Very Rev. Paul Shafran, turned 100 years old and celebrated the seventy-fifth anniversary of his ordination to the holy priesthood.
Father Paul was honored at a special ceremony July 2, 2022 at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Church in Trenton, NJ, the parish he served for more than fifty years as pastor. The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, president of St. Vladimir's Seminary, took part in the celebration and spoke along with The Right Reverend Michael (Dahulich), archbishop of New York and the New York and New Jersey (OCA), and other clergy and friends.
Archpriest Paul Shafran was born to an Orthodox family in 1922 in Olyphant, PA, and went on to study at Columbia University and St. Vladimir's Seminary. He graduated from the Seminary in 1945 but returned a few years later for post-graduate studies, and he began teaching liturgics as a member of the faculty in the 1950s. Father Paul married his beloved Matushka Mary (née Obletiloff) November 27, 1947. He was ordained to the priesthood December 28, 1947 by the hand of Archbishop Nikon (de Greve of Brooklyn) at the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection in New York City. Father Paul was elevated to archpriest in 1961.
Father Paul briefly served parishes in the Byesville, OH area during his days as a young pastor. He was assigned to St. Vladimir Church in New Jersey in 1949. His long and distinguished pastorship there saw the Church enlarged twice—the first time in 1951 to twice its original size. He was granted retirement in 2002 and subsequently attached to St. Vladimir Church as pastor emeritus.
Father Paul's priestly ministry was multifaceted. In 1955, he was appointed together with Frs. Georges Florovsky and John Telep to a commission for review of a prayer book published by "Svit." The following year he was appointed assistant chairman of the Sunday School Committee of the OCA, where he would work with The Very Rev. John Kivko and Sophie Koulomzine. In October 1960, Fr. Paul was appointed to a commission by the Great Council of Bishops (along with Protopresbyter John Meyendorff as chairman) for the translation of liturgical books from Russian into English. Father Paul's commitment to theological education at St. Vladimir's Seminary saw him not only teach at the Seminary but also serve as trustee starting in 1966, and he accomplished much in his decades on the Seminary Board. He was instrumental, for example in acquiring two important collections for the Seminary library: part of Fr. Florovsky’s private collection and the personal library of Archimandrite Anthony Repella. Father Paul was also dedicated to the care of the elderly as a trustee of Ss. Cosmas and Damian Adult Home on Staten Island. He has also been known as a confidant to many clergy and hierarchs over the years.
May God grant Archpriest Paul and Matushka Mary many years!
Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded a $1 million grant to help St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) build healthy North American Orthodox parishes by providing training and resources to more ordained and lay leaders—particularly through online education.
The efforts are being funded through Lilly Endowment’s Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. It is a three-phase initiative designed to help theological schools across the United States and Canada as they prioritize and respond to the most pressing challenges they face as they prepare pastoral leaders for Christian congregations both now and into the future.
“We are so thankful and honored that Lilly Endowment recognizes SVOTS as being a key cog in the future of theological education,” said SVOTS President The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield. “They want to see bold and innovative solutions from schools such as ours because theological education is at a crossroads in North America. And because of Lilly Endowment’s support, we will be able to position the Seminary as a catalyst for healthy, thriving parishes.”
Through the five-year Pathways grant, SVOTS will design and develop online learning programs for:
clergy continuing education;
lay catechist certification;
introductory theology courses for adults; and
a variety of skill-building and training for parish lay leaders.
“Orthodoxy in North America faces a critical shortage of clergy as well as multiple other vocations. We also need more trained servants to welcome and catechize the large numbers of seekers and inquirers flocking to Orthodoxy in recent years,” added Fr. Chad. “In light of this and other realities, we want to extend our online learning capacity and target practical and pastoral needs at parishes right now—wherever they are—in addition to training their future clergy and lay leaders here on campus.”
An important facet of the learning programs will be their practicality and accessibility. The online programs are being designed using a new online platform capable of delivering interactive sessions as well as pre-recorded lectures and access to various educational resources. Clergy continuing education will be ideal for Orthodox parish priests already taxed with ministry responsibilities, who may not be able to set aside even a few days or the resources to travel to a regional workshop. For laity who are often asked to serve in positions of leadership—but frequently without adequate preparation—SVOTS will provide training and advanced skills for specific roles such as parish treasurer, council member, and others. Introductory theology studies will be taught by seminary faculty members over the summer months; those courses will be designed for anyone wishing to deepen their understanding and commitment to Orthodoxy, as well as members of the general public who are curious about what Orthodoxy has to offer. Catechist certification will enable trained lay leaders to partner with their parish clergy to welcome, educate, and integrate new individuals and families into the Church.
More details regarding the online learning programs made possible by the Lilly Endowment grant to SVOTS are forthcoming.
SVOTS is one of 105 theological schools receiving phase two grants. Together they represent the broad diversity of Christianity in the U.S. and Canada. The schools are affiliated with evangelical, mainline Protestant, nondenominational, Pentecostal, Orthodox, Catholic, Black church, Latino, Asian-American, and historic peace church traditions (e.g., Church of the Brethren, Mennonite, Quakers).
ABOUT THE LILLY ENDOWMENT
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K., Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff, and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education, and religion and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A primary aim of its grantmaking in religion is to deepen the religious lives of Christians, principally by supporting efforts that enhance congregational vitality and strengthen the leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment values the broad diversity of Christian traditions and endeavors to support them in a wide variety of contexts. The Endowment also seeks to foster public understanding about religion by encouraging fair, accurate, and balanced portrayals of the positive and negative effects of religion on the world and lifting up the contributions that people of all faiths make to our greater civic well-being.
The Orthodox Church in America (OCA)’s Diaconal Liturgical Practicum returned to the campus of St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) this June.
The OCA organizes the Practicum each year to help in the formation of deacons and their ministry in the life of the Church. The fifteenth annual Diaconal Liturgical practicum, held 21–24, 2022, was the first hosted at SVOTS since 2018. Around 25 candidates, altar servers, subdeacons, and deacons took part from nearly every diocese of the OCA and from other jurisdictions.
Subdeacon Greg Polk, one of this year’s participants, said the program exceeded his initial expectations.
“The Practicum is incredibly necessary and of tremendous benefit,” said Sdn. Greg. “Before this week, I assumed the Practicum was more or less training for how to serve the services but now I see it is training on how to be a deacon and all that goes with this awesome and high calling.
“The memories of this week and the friendships I established will be a source of fond reflection for the rest of my life. I am so thankful for what transpired and look forward to the next opportunity to gather with my band of brothers so we can continue to sharpen our skills and discover more of how we can be servants to God and our fellow man.”
Each full day of the practicum began with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and concluded with Vespers. SVOTS Alumnus Archpriest Kirill Sokolov (’07), director of Diaconal and Late Vocations for the OCA, led liturgical practice sessions and reflections on the diaconate, especially the manner in which liturgical service at the Eucharist and the diakonia of charitable works are inextricably linked. Dr. Harrison Russin, SVOTS assistant professor of liturgical music, offered sessions on liturgical chanting, singing, and the manner in which deacons use their voices in divine services. He also directed the singers during Vespers and the Divine Liturgies. Diaconal Practicum participants also heard talks and engaged in discussions with His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon; Archpriest Chad Hatfield, president of SVOTS; Priest Bogdan Bucur, associate professor of patristics; and Archpriest Alexander Rentel, OCA chancellor and SVOTS assistant professor of canon law.
“This year’s participants represented a level of maturity and seriousness in their studies,” noted Fr. Kirill. “I am grateful to God that our parishes and dioceses are raising up candidates for the ministry of deacon. It was encouraging to work with these men and to hear of their devotion to their families, their love of regular church life, and their desire to humbly serve.”
His Beatitude presided over Divine Liturgy on the Feast of the Nativity of the Forerunner of Christ on Friday, June 24, which formally closed the four-day Practicum.
ABOUT THE DIACONAL VOCATIONS PROGRAM The Diaconal Vocations Program (DVP) of the Orthodox Church in America is a program of theological study providing academic preparation for men who may be called to ordination to the Holy Diaconate but unable to attend a seminary. It is also designed to address specific academic and pastoral preparation of non-Orthodox clergy—who may have already earned a theological degree such as an M.Div.—who are seeking entry into the Orthodox Church and may eventually be called to holy orders. The goal of the DVP is to use a process of clergy-guided and mentored reading and studying to teach candidates a fundamental foundation of Orthodox theology and prepare them for the practical liturgical service of the Holy Diaconate.
