With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of Archpriest James Doyle, who fell asleep in the Lord January 12, 2021, at the age of 80.

He was born on August 2, 1940, to James and Marion Doyle, in Providence, RI, and is survived by his sister, Rose, of North Providence.

He took classes at St. Vladimir's Seminary between 1958 and 1962. He then enlisted in the United States Army, in which he served until 1967. Among his other duties, he studied Russian and other Slavic languages in the Army's language schools.

After his Honorable Discharge from the Army he went to Paris, France, to study at Saint Sergius Theological Institute, from which he graduated in 1969, with additional studies at Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium. While at Saint Sergius, he worked closely with Father Nicholas Afanasiev, the noted Orthodox theologian.

Father James was ordained to the Diaconate on June 25, 1969 at Saint Sergius, and then to the Priesthood, on June 28, 1969 at Saint Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Paris, by Archbishop George, of Syracuse. Over the years of his ministry, he received a number of special recognitions, including his elevation to archpriest, and his award of the Jeweled Cross.

After his ordination he served parishes in Brussels, Belgium, until his return to the United States in 1975 to teach patristics and Old Testament at Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Seminary, South Canaan, PA. He served at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Leavitt Street, Chicago, from 1979, concluding his ministry there as its dean, in 1983. From 1983 until his death he was on staff at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, fondly remembered there by a generation of fellow staff, faculty, and students.

He assisted at a number of parishes in the Greater Chicago area over the years, for the last twenty years serving in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. Of very special note was his service at Assumption Church, Hegewisch, from 2004 to very shortly before his death. Of all his pastoral ministries, none was closer to his heart. He was deeply loved by the congregation, there, and it was, for him, a cherished spiritual home.

With the blessing of His Eminence, Archbishop Paul, Fr. James will be buried from the parish he served, Holy Assumption, by His Eminence, Metropolitan Nathanael of the Greek Metropolis of Chicago.

Services will be at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Hegewisch, IL. A wake will be held Monday, January 18 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. On Tuesday, January 19, Orthros begins at 8 a.m., followed by Divine Liturgy.

May the memory of Fr. James be eternal!

(This article was adapted from OCA.org)

The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America has issued an encyclical entitled, “We Rejoice Even in Tribulation”: An Encyclical of Hope. The Holy Synod offered the work out of love and gratitude to its faithful at the end of this year. The Synod also intends for the encyclical to be seen as an encouragement for the year to come.

In the encyclical, the Synod seeks to find meaning in the year that has past, which has been marked by a pandemic, political polarization, economic anxiety, and civil unrest, and calls the faithful to a renewed faith and hope in Jesus Christ and service to one another.

Click here to download the encyclical in PDF format.

In January 2021, printed copies will be mailed to all parishes, monasteries, and institutions of the Orthodox Church in America.

The Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program at Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) has benefited from the recent additions of outstanding scholars to the program: Drs. Gregory J. Abdalah, Jeffrey P. Bishop, Ana S. Iltis, and John Mark Reynolds.

“We saw an opportunity to address areas we needed in the D.Min. program, and we were able, thanks be to God, to recruit professors of great quality for that purpose,” said Academic Dean Dr. Ionuţ-Alexandru Tudorie.

"The D.Min. program provides clergy and other pastoral professionals with advanced knowledge and skills through critical reflection on the practice of ministry,” added Very Rev. Dr. Sergius Halvorsen, the D.Min. program director. “The tremendous wealth of experience and expertise that our new faculty bring to the program is a great benefit to our students." 

The D.Min. faculty members, who joined SVOTS at the beginning of the academic year, have brought varied and distinguished expertise to St. Vladimir’s. Dr. Gregory Abdalah, assistant professor of pastoral theology, is himself a graduate of SVOTS’ D.Min. program who has worked extensively in youth ministry and other pastoral capacities; he has been invited to speak at various camps and youth retreats around the US and Canada.  Dr. Jeffrey Bishop, professor of health care ethics, is the Tenet Endowed Chair in Health Care Ethics and director of the Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics at Saint Louis University; he holds degrees in medicine and theology. Dr. Ana Iltis, professor of philosophy, is director of the Center for Bioethics, Health and Society and professor of philosophy at Wake Forest University; she is published widely in bioethics and serves on several National Institutes of Health data safety monitoring boards. Dr. John Mark Reynolds, professor of philosophy, is the president of The Saint Constantine School in Houston, TX and a fellow of the Center for Science and Culture at The Discovery Institute; he is the author of numerous books and is a frequent blogger and lecturer on a wide range of topics. All four professors are active members of the Orthodox Church.

“Over the past few years, we have been able to bring in a number of scholars who are well respected in their fields,” said SVOTS President Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield. “The addition of these newest faculty members is a major draw for our already excellent Doctor of Ministry program.”

The new faculty members join Rev. Dr. Gregory Edwards as the five professors who teach exclusively for the Doctor of Ministry track. Other Seminary faculty members, including D.Min. Program Director Very Rev. Dr. Sergius Halvorsen, Very Rev. Dr. Alexander Rentel, Very Rev. Dr. Nicholas Solak, and Rev. Dr. Bogdan Bucur, also teach D.Min. courses.

About the Doctor of Ministry Program
The accredited Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary was launched in 2013 to offer continuing education to clergy and help address immense challenges facing pastors in their ministry across North America and abroad. The D.Min. program provides priests, chaplains, and other pastoral professionals with advanced knowledge and skills, integrating doctoral level academic work with pastoral spirituality. The program combines distance learning, one-week onsite intensives, and an academic schedule tailored to the cycles of the liturgical year so that D.Min. students can continue to serve in their current ministries while completing their doctoral degree.

The D.Min. program recruits a new cohort every two years, with the next scheduled to begin in the fall of 2022. Contact Very Rev. Dr. Sergius Halvorsen, program director, at shalvorsen@svots.edu for more information about the D.Min. track at St. Vladimir’s Seminary.

DMin program

5 pm deadline

DMin program

DMin program

DMin program