Lecturer in Music Harrison Russin is the latest scholar to be featured in the Seminary’s Monthly Seminar series. On Tuesday, April 9, 2019, Russin presented his findings on "Monophonic Credos and their Cultural Background in the Late Medieval Period (1300–1500)."

“The paper drew from my dissertation research, which is on the Credo in music in late medieval and early renaissance Italy and France,” said Russin, who is a Ph.D. candidate at Duke University. “For about 500 years there was only one chant setting of the Credo for the mass; between 1300 and 1500, over 60 new melodies were composed, and most scholars still admit they do not know why.”

“I presented numerous examples from literature, theology, canon law, and artwork showing that the status of the Credo changed from a cultural and religious perspective, beginning with theological ideas in the 12th century. I then demonstrated how one of the most popular of those new melodies works on a musical level.”

A lively, stimulating, and engaging discussion followed Russin’s presentation.

The Seminary’s Monthly Seminar series is meant to operate as a kind of academic laboratory for scholars, allowing each month’s presenter to share their latest findings to their peers, engage in discussion, and receive feedback.

Russin is an alumnus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, graduating with an M.Div. in 2013. He also holds a B.A. in Music from Swarthmore College and an M.A. in Musicology from Duke University.

Last week I had the joy of attending the inaugural meeting of the International Orthodox Theological Association (IOTA), a meeting that exceeded the expectations of the organizers.  This effort was conceived by several scholars who were present at the Holy and Great Council on Crete, and after much discussion felt that there would be a benefit to having a range of Orthodox scholars from different disciplines meeting to talk about different aspects of Church life.  It is hard to imagine that such a discussion could lead to a reality only two years later, but the intense effort of a few individuals (Paul Gavryliuk, President; Carrie Frederick-Frost, Secretary; Catalin Jeckel, local organizer; and myself) a chair’s conference occurred in Jerusalem in 2018.  This Chair’s conference set the stage for the IOTA meeting.  The co-chairs of each section selected speakers and topics and organized the sessions with the only constraint being that the best leaders in each field should be chosen.  The hope was that the caliber of speakers would attract a large group, and indeed this was the case.

I was extremely honored to be a part of St. Vladimir’s team. Throughout the entire process, Seminary President Fr. Chad Hatfield and Board member Frank Cerra have been supportive providing advice and discussion liberally throughout the planning process.  Our faculty were also involved (Peter Bouteneff, for example, serves as chair of one of the theology sections).  Romanian hospitality was more than could have been expected with Metropolitan Teofan hosting the entire group at his residence several times for receptions and dinners. 

For me what made the conference exceptional was the program of scholars who presented.  We often had five or six simultaneous sessions, and everyone felt that choosing among them was difficult.  The topics were of broad interest, the speakers were incredible, and most importantly the discussion was civil and academic.  I remember well at the session on Ukrainian autocephaly that speakers on both sides of the discussion participated and that there was broad disagreement among the scholars, yet the discussion was civil, academic and agreeable and at the end the scholars remained friendly and pleasant to each other and to the audience.   This is the type of discourse our Church needs today.  I believe that meetings of this type are sorely needed by the Church.  The next chairs’ conference is scheduled for 2021 and the next IOTA full meeting will take place in 2023.  I hope that the interim will involve publication of proceedings, planning for the future, and working at enhancing participation even further!

On November 18, 2018, Detroit's Own Orthodox Radio (DOOR) featured St. Vladimir’s Seminary Professor Archpriest Sergius Halvorsen. DOOR’s interview with Fr. Sergius covered topics related to faith and science, with a particular focus on Orthodox Christianity and cosmology.

Fr. Sergius, the Seminary’s director of its Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program and assistant professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric, teaches an elective on faith and science at St. Vladimir’s.

“The calling of mankind is to give glory to God and to give thanks to God, and that’s something that sets mankind, men and women, apart from all the other creatures that we know of, because we are uniquely able to give thanks to God for this remarkable creation,” said Fr. Sergius during the interview. “So, if I’m an Orthodox Christian astronomer or physicist or cosmologist, all of the things that I’m discovering I can understand, ‘well, this is a gift. God has given this to me; God has given me both the wisdom and the intelligence to discern this, but also God has given me the life and this amazing universe to live in….’”

• Listen to the full interview here.

Fr. Sergius Halvorsen received his Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from St. Vladimir’s Seminary in 1996, and completed his doctoral dissertation at Drew University in 2002. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1999 and to the priesthood in February 2004. From 2000 to 2011 he taught at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell Connecticut, where he also served as director of Distance Learning. 

The book Becoming a Healing Presence by St. Vladimir’s Seminary Professor Dr. Albert S. Rossi is now available as an Audiobook, narrated by Dr. Rossi himself.

The Audiobook, released August 21, 2018, can be purchased through Amazon’s Audible.com.

"When I give parish retreats some parishioners say they would like to have Becoming a Healing Presence on audio,” said Dr. Rossi, the Seminary’s director of Counseling and Psychological Services. “Now the book is available to a different group of seekers. For me, this is a dream come true."

In the book, first published by Ancient Faith Publishing in 2014, Dr. Rossi draws on the teachings of the Fathers and saints of the Church and gently points the way toward deepening our love for God and for each other, so that others may experience Christ through us.

Dr. Rossi also hosts a bi–weekly podcast on Ancient Faith Radio titled Becoming a Healing Presence. He has written numerous articles on psychology and religion and published a book through Paulist Press entitled, Can I Make a Difference: Christian Family Life Today. His audio CD The Jesus Prayer is available through SVS Press.

The International Society for Orthodox Church Music (ISOCM) held its second North American Pan-Orthodox Music Symposium from June 20 to 24, 2018. This biannual meeting complements the international meetings taking place regularly in Joensuu, Finland, and offers a diverse array of scholarly papers and practical workshops for active choir directors, chanters, and musicians in Orthodox parishes in North America and across the globe.

This year’s symposium, held at St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral in Minneapolis, MN, addressed the theme “Ancient and Modern Creativity.” His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon delivered his own remarks on the symposium theme and officiated at Vigil and Divine Liturgy, both of which were sung splendidly in diverse chant traditions by a choir of symposium participants.

Past conferences of the ISOCM were attended by St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVOTS) faculty Dn. Evan Freeman (Lecturer in Liturgical Art) and Robin Freeman (Director of Music). This year, Dr. Peter Bouteneff (Professor of Systematic Theology, Director of the Sacred Arts Initiative) participated in a panel discussion together with a group that also included Harrison Russin (Lecturer in Liturgical Music). Mr. Russin also delivered a paper on “Organs in Orthodox Worship: Debate and Identity.” Other SVOTS alumni present at the meeting included Fr. Silouan Rolando, Michelle Jannakos, Kevin Fritts, Vera Proctor, Fr. Nick Ceko, Dn. Gregory Ealy, Fr. John Schroedel, and Adn. Joseph Matusiak.

St. Vladimir’s Seminary Professor Rev. Dr. Eugen J. Pentiuc has been appointed the first Archbishop Demetrios Professor of Biblical Studies and Christian Origins at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, effective July 1, 2018. The Jaharis Family Foundation has funded the position in honor of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Geron of America, providing resources for the teaching of biblical studies and the promotion of research and scholarship in this field.

Fr. Pentiuc joined the Holy Cross faculty in 1998 and became a tenured professor of Old Testament and Hebrew in 2009. Fr. Pentiuc has also been Professor of Scripture and Semitic languages at St. Vladimir’s Seminary since 2014. He is a prolific author currently under contract with Oxford University Press for a book titled Hearing and Seeing the Scriptures: Liturgical Exegesis of the Old Testament in Eastern Orthodox Tradition.

Dr. James C. Skedros, Dean of Holy Cross, describes Fr. Pentiuc as "an internationally recognized scholar known for his deep erudition and passionate love for the Word of God...He has brought great honor to Holy Cross and is well deserving of this appointment."

Sections of this article have been reprinted from HCHC.edu.

Two St. Vladimir’s Seminary professors are featured in the latest newsletter of the Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine, Psychology, and Religion (OCAMPR). Priest Adrian Budica, the seminary’s director of Field Education and CPE supervisor, and Dr. Albert Rossi, director of Counseling and Psychological Services, authored a pair of articles about pain and suffering and visiting the sick.

The articles appear in the spring 2018 edition of the OCAMPR Newsletter. Both Dr Rossi and Fr Adrian have led workshops and paper presentations at OCAMPR's annual conferences in recent years."

Dr. Rossi’s article is entitled On Pain and Suffering.

“The psychological perspective regarding pain and suffering pivots on meaning. That is, what does the pain and suffering mean to the sufferer?” he writes. “….Pastorally, we try to have radical empathy, not sympathy toward the person suffering. Active listening provides the skill for radical empathy, trying to allow Christ to move through us.”

In Fr. Adrian’s article, Visiting the Sick, Visiting Christ, Visiting Myself: A Theology of Pastoral Care, he “reflects theologically on the pastoral ministry of a chaplain from an Orthodox perspective.”

“I first came in contact with chaplains during a hospital internship as a seminarian at St. Vladimir’s Seminary,” writes Fr. Adrian. “I was drawn to the idea of a chaplain’s role—mysterious, frightening, awe-some [sic]….

Christ was and is, paradoxically, the One suffering (the patient), the One healing (the physician), and the One connecting (the chaplain).”

Read the articles in their entirety here.

The seminary’s initiative to help revitalize music ministry at Orthodox parishes made a stop in Falls Church, Virginia this weekend. On Sunday, St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Director of Music Robin Freeman led a workshop at St. Mary Orthodox Church.

The Revitalizing Parish Music program  offers training for readers, choir conductors, and choir members in local parish settings.

“It was such a joy to have Robin with us,” said Subdeacon Nicholas Jones, the choir director at St. Mary Orthodox Church. “Her energy and enthusiasm for good music mixed with Orthodox spirituality was essential for helping us continually grow as a choir and in love for God. We learned about many topics that are key to good vocal health, especially in the midst of long services, and could tell an immediate improvement in our sound by the end of the group session.”

Freeman also conducted individual sessions with members of the choir.

Revitalizing Parish Music visits can include half-day, full-day, and weekend workshops for parish choirs. Read a full description of the program, including sample sessions and workshops, and pricing options, here.

In the 21st century, the question of what it is to be human has become central. Implicit or explicit, anthropology—understood as the exploration of being human—informs our understanding of who we are, how we treat each other, and where we look for, and find, deep healing.

On March 28, APOCC (Analytical Psychology and Orthodox Christianity Consultation) met for its 3rd meeting at Union Theological Seminary, "BEING and BECOMING." It was an extended and in-depth conversation between Jungian and Orthodox Christian communities on anthropology, on the role of the body and the incarnate world in our being, becoming, and relating, and how the depths of our psyches and the heights of transcendence can open us to ever-deeper healing, life, and joy.

Archpriest John Behr, distinguished professor of Patristics at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, was one of the members of the panel discussions, alongside Dr. Pia Chaudhari, a member of the seminary chapel extended community; Dr. Harry Fogarty, Jungian Analyst and professor at the Jungian Psychoanalytic Association; and SVOTS Alumnus Priest Sean Levine (’10), Chaplain (MAJ), U.S. Army. The discussion was moderated by Michael Monhart, S.T.M., Jungian Psychoanalytic Association and APOCC co-chair. Several other seminarians and members of the SVOTS community attended the meeting.

The event was co-sponsored by the Institute for Studies of Eastern Christianity at Union Theological Seminary, the Jungian Psychoanalytic Association, and the Fordham University Orthodox Christian Studies Center.

Reflecting on the discussion, Fr. John Behr said, "We clearly have a lot to learn from each other; I particularly benefited from hearing from the others as they reflected on their experience of helping people work through the fragmentation of their own lives and selves, and how these shards can be brought back together, or the moral injury and trauma suffered by soldiers and the real difficulty of working through all this; common to all these discussions was a concern for what it is to be human and how suffering, and learning through this suffering, is part and parcel of our way to becoming human.”

“I do hope the conversations can continue,” he added. “There is much of common concern to all of us."   

APOCC was co-founded in 2016 by Priest Adrian Budica, St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s director of Field Education and CPE supervisor, and Dr. Pia Chaudhari upon meeting at St Vladimir's Seminary Chapel and finding a common interest in the dialogue between Orthodox Theology and the Jungian theory of personality. SVOTS alumnus Fr. Sean Levine and Michael Monhart became co-chairs in 2017. 

APOCC's first meeting in 2017 was also well attended by SVOTS faculty members, students, and community members. APOCC remains in dialogue with those interested via its webpage and mailing list.

Recordings of the meeting can be accessed at:

https://soundcloud.com/adi-bu/apocc-2018; and
https://soundcloud.com/adi-bu/apocc-2018-q-as.

The “Workshop for Readers and Musicians,” sponsored by the Diocese of New York and New Jersey (Orthodox Church in America) and hosted on our seminary campus, Saturday, September 9, 2017, was led by our faculty member, the Very Reverend J. Sergius Halvorsen, Ph.D., assistant professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric at the Seminary.

The workshop drew 40 participants, who, in a survey, gave favorable reviews regarding Fr. Sergius’s instruction, among them:

This was a great opportunity for people to learn more about reading in church. It was an encouragement to our novice readers and a great place for our experienced readers to get quality feedback. Also, I would be in favor of a longer workshop: Saturday and part of Sunday…for us in central PA, anything closer to us in our diocese would be appreciated!

The workshop addressed liturgical reading as a vital ministry. Participants reviewed the Church’s theology that guides and informs that ministry. They also reviewed rubrics and melodic patterns for reading, as well as methods for chanting the “Prokeimenon” and “Alleluia” in synergy with the choir. Additionally, participants had the opportunity to receive vocal coaching and practice. Workshop activities were taught within the framework of a supportive community of fellow readers and liturgical musicians. Some participants also joined our chapel choir in the singing of Great Vespers at the close of the workshop. Clergy who completed the workshop earned six (6) Continuing Clergy Education credits from the Orthodox Church in America.

Father Sergius, an accomplished liturgical musician, served as director of the 1995 St. Vladimir’s Seminary Octet, and over the last ten years, he has contributed to a number of "Archangel Voices" recordings. He received his Master of Divinity degree from St. Vladimir’s Seminary in 1996, and completed his doctoral dissertation at Drew University in 2002. From 2000 to 2011 he taught at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell Connecticut, where he also served as Director of Distance Learning. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1999 and to the priesthood in 2004.