"Thanks be to God, things at our mission—the Nativity of the Lord in Shreveport—are moving along at a steady pace," reported SVOTS alumnus Fr. Jason Foster recently. "Over the last six months, we have welcomed 12 new members into the Church via baptism or chrismation, and we have another 11 catechumens and three enquirers."

The Nativity of the Lord Mission is one of several that currently receives funding through the Orthodox Church in America's Church Planting Grant Program. The mission's growth, however, has not been without its challenges, each of which can be seen as a "good thing!"

"On the first Sunday of August, we had 83 people in attendance at the Divine Liturgy," Fr. Jason said. "With so many people packed into 600 square feet of space in the credit union facility in which we meet, one young visiting couple left shortly after they had arrived, no doubt due to crowding issues! This made us revisit our short and mid-range building plans!"

Due to the time and expense involved in construction programs, Fr. Jason and his parishioners are considering other alternatives regarding "sacred space."

"The possibility of moving to a new location is appealing, but everyone is most excited about being able to experience a fuller liturgical life," he said. "Sometimes challenges are positive indeed!"

Mission members are equally thankful that their relationship with the nuns at the Nativity of the Lord Monastery, Kemp, TX continues to deepen.

"During Great Lent, at the invitation of Mother Barbara, Matushka Ashley led our ladies and others in a retreat titled 'Lent: Running the Good Race,'" Fr. Jason added. "Over the summer, our men made two work trips to help with the building of the monastery's new retreat center. And, not to be left out, our children raised $600.00 during their 'Great Physician' pan-Orthodox Vacation Bible School in June and donated the funds to the project. We also enjoyed a visit from the nuns as they joined us for the celebration of the Great Feast of Pentecost."

With the blessings of His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Denver and His Eminence Archbishop Nikon, OCA, the mission joined with St. George Greek Orthodox Church for the celebration of Holy Week and Pascha.

"It was a wonderful and beautiful time together as we observed a full week of services in their newly renovated temple," commented Fr. Jason, who presided at the services. "Maintaining strong relationships with the neighboring Greek and Antiochian parishes assists us—and them—in carrying out the Great Commission."

Father Jason insists that incorporating various events throughout the year helps strengthen fellowship and friendships."This year, we held our third annual Annunciation Celebration on March 25," he added. "After the Divine Liturgy—in true Louisiana fashion—we enjoyed a crawfish boil, fish fry, fun and games. This is one of the largest events during the year. And in June, we gathered in the woods of Arcadia for a day of prayer, fishing, food and fellowship."

Ministering to children and youth is also central to the mission's life and growth.

"Our youth enjoyed an event-filled summer complete with an overnight retreat that included Bible studies, prayer and a lot of outdoor activities," Fr. Jason said, adding that "as we prepare to end our third and final year on the OCA Church Planting Grant, our hearts are full of joy. Each month, without fail, a check from the OCA arrives, which we place in the offering plate to offer back to God with thanksgiving."

Father Jason enthusiastically anticipates the mission's immediate future.

"My pastoral prayer has always been that the money invested in us by the OCA would produce good fruit in God's vineyard here in Shreveport/Bossier," he said. "Thanks be to God, our 'storehouse' is getting full, and there is no doubt that our Lord has blessed our mission through the OCA Planting Grant. Now, as a mature and stable community, we are called to continue the work of the Gospel."

Seminary Alumnus The Rev. Bohdan Danylo (SVOTS '98) was recently elected as Bishop for the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat, Parma, OH, an Eastern Catholic communion. Pope Francis appointed the bishop-elect, who is a member of the clergy of the Eparchy of Stamford and the present rector of Saint Basil Seminary.

Father Bohdan Danylo was born on May 22, 1971 in Giżycko, in the province of Suwalki in Poland. After studying philosophy in Lublin, he moved to the United States where he received theological education at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. and was ordained a priest for the Eparchy of Stamford on October 1, 1996. 

After a year of service as curate in the parish of St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Hartford, CT, he was appointed Vice Rector of the Seminary of St. Basil the Great in nearby Stamford. He continued his studies at St. Vladimir's, and then at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, where in 2005 he obtained his Licentiate in Theology. After returning to the U.S., he served as the Rector of the same Stamford seminary, where he is also the eparchial vocations director. The bishop-elect speaks English, Ukrainian, Polish and Russian.

The Hierarchical Liturgy with the Rite of Ordination and Installation of Fr. Bohdan will be held on Tuesday, November 4,2014, at St. Josaphat Cathedral in Parma, OH. The entire community at St. Vladimir's Seminary wishes Fr. Bohdan many years of good health as he begins his Episcopal Ministry!

On August 7-8, 2014, the Diocese of the Midwest, Orthodox Church in America (OCA), held its first ever "St. Macrina Orthodox Institute Catechist and Diaconal Vocations Conference." SVOTS alumni led several sessions at the conference, attended by 43 students and held at St. Andrew's House, a pan-Orthodox center in Detroit, Michigan.

"The Institute provides an excellent opportunity for those interested in theological education, or contemplating a vocation in ordained ministry, to get their feet wet. It also provides a wonderful opportunity for our alumni to teach," noted Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, director of Admissions and Alumni Relations at St. Vladimir's and one of the instructors.

His Grace Bishop Alexander [Golitzin] (SVOTS '73), locum tenens of the Diocese of the Midwest, and The Rev. Paul Gassios (SVOTS '94), diocesan administrator, presented lectures. Paul Saieg (SVOTS '13) and Tracy Gustilo (SVOTS '14) led workshops.

Students also took opportunities to meet with Bishop Alexander and Vocations Director, Fr. Elijah Mueller (SVOTS '98). Presentations on Orthodox spirituality rounded out the program.

The Catechist & Diaconal Vocations Program seeks to help local parishes and deaneries within the Midwest Diocese to set up high-quality, rigorous continuing education programs to train men and women to assist in parish and deanery ministries. Program courses include, among others, Old and New Testament Studies, Church History, Patristics, Dogmatic Theology, Ethics, and Liturgical Practice.

The Website for the Orthodox Church in America, Oca.org,  published a story on July 29, 2014 about St. Athanasius Orthodox Church, with rector Fr. Justin Patterson (SVOTS '05).

On Sunday, July 27, 2014, the faithful of St. Athanasius Church here worshipped for the first time in their new church building.

Over 120 people were present at the final Liturgy in the parish's storefront, for the procession (by car) to the new church after the Liturgy, and for the opening of the doors of the church with a Service of Thanksgiving marking the long journey that led to this day. The move into the new church is but the most recent step in the 12-year history of this community.

Saint Athanasius community was founded in 2002 as a mission of the OCA Diocese of the South. On the Great Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, about 25 souls were received into the canonical Church from the Evangelical Orthodox Church. With the granting of both the national and diocesan church planting grants, our first pastor, Fr. David Rucker, was able to devote himself to full-time parish ministry, and the parish grew rapidly.

Saint Athanasius graduated from the church planting grants in 2006, the same year Archbishop Dmitri of blessed memory appointed a new rector, Fr. Justin Patterson, to serve the community.

In 2012, the parish purchased its current property, using the sale of another property to quickly pay down the mortgage and launch a capital campaign. The parish family of St. Athanasius, comprised of about 60 families, raised over $400,000.00 in the past three years. In the fall of 2013, the parish body approved plans and received the blessing of Archbishop Nikon to break ground on the new $974,000.00 "Phase One" project.

Space has been set aside on our parish campus for future phases of construction, which will include a large traditional temple and additional office and educational space.

The building committee has worked diligently to stay within budget for this project and, as of this publication, is on track to meet that budget, as the project wraps up. Saint Athanasius will host a fall open house for local community friends. Archbishop Nikon has offered to preside at St. Athanasius' formal Dedication, slated to be held in early February 2015 in conjunction with the celebration of the parish's 13th Anniversary.

The parish expresses its gratitude Archbishop Nikon for his support during this project, as well as to the OCA and the Diocese of the South for the support St. Athanasius received, particularly during its formative years. The parish family looks forward to supporting the institutions that have made the growth of Orthodoxy in Kentucky possible!

Alumnus Dr. Will Cohen graduated from Brown University in Providence, RI in 1988, before earning his Master of Divinity at St. Vladimir's in 2002 with the thesis "Ecclesiology and the Dialogues between Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches."  At Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., he continued a similar course of study, and was awarded a "distinction" for his defense of his dissertation,"The Concept of Sister Churches in Catholic-Orthodox Relations since Vatican II."  In 2009, he joined the University of Scranton as an assistant professor in the Theology/Religious Studies department, where he recently received an award for "Excellence in Advancing Interdisciplinary Learning." 

Svots.edu asked Dr. Cohen to reflect on his experience as an Orthodox academic, and to explain how St. Vladimir's helped prepare him for his current responsibilities.

The University of Scranton is a Jesuit institution.  What are some of the challenges and rewards of being an Orthodox Christian academic in a Jesuit world?

I love where I work and I love my job.  I get to teach the Bible, to speak freely of God and faith to roomfuls of 18-year-olds, and there's absolutely nothing of what I believe to be important and true in the biblical revelation that I have to steer clear of in my teaching.  That strikes me as an extraordinary blessing.  Of course if the students weren't required to take a Bible course as part of their general education requirement, it's doubtful I would have a job (in this day and age, there aren't many theology majors, especially with the economy being what it's been).  But even though many of them come in feeling like they shouldn't have to bother with this sort of course, they're usually pretty engaged by the material once we dive in.  Who, in the end, isn't at least somewhat interested in what it means to be a human being?  

My colleagues in the Theology department are prayerful, deeply reflective people who have read widely not only in theology but in philosophy and literature.  They're also into things like the World Cup and the latest decisions of the Scranton City Council.  It's fun to hang out with them and I learn a great deal from them.  In terms of how I fit in as an Orthodox Christian, it's interesting, and I don't know if this reflects a general pattern or is more particular to me and to here, but to the extent that there's a theological spectrum among the Catholics in the department— of the fifteen of us, eleven are Catholic —I tend to be appreciated for different reasons by those on either end.  Overall, there's an immense respect for Eastern Christianity, and I think this is true at most North American Catholic schools today.  I suppose that if I felt, myself, that Orthodoxy and Catholicism were ultimately incompatible traditions, as some Orthodox (and some Catholics) believe, then being here would be alienating, but my own experience is that it's a context very nourishing of my own faith.  Incidentally, my department's most recent hire is a wonderful Scripture scholar, Dn. Michael Azar, also Orthodox and a graduate of St. Vladimir's.     

What are your thoughts on working with collegians in today's academic and cultural climate?

On the one hand, the world that today's students have grown up in isn't especially ennobling; I'm talking about the tendencies in our commercial culture to focus on what's superficial and trivial.  On the other hand, most students turn out to have had something happen to them that isn't trivial at all, like the divorce of their parents or the death of a family member.  Even what may seem less dramatic, like having had friends turn on them in middle school or high school, often came along with pretty serious cruelty that forced them to wonder about life.  As soon as existence takes on this element of being a puzzle one doesn't altogether understand, then one is ripe to learn—I mean the kind of learning that involves learning how to live, how to be, which is what philosophy and theology can address.  Theology isn't mere therapy in a reductive sense, but of course what is objectively true is also consoling and uplifting.  St. Irenaeus saw all of fallen existence as therapeutic, including death itself, since it spares us from eternal imprisonment in the delusion and darkness of our alienation from God.  This kind of an idea isn't floating around in the cultural experience of most of today's college students; but if they're exposed to it in a theology class, and if it's unpacked for them a little, it can speak to them.    

How would you describe the state of Catholic/Orthodox relations and ecumenical engagement today?

It's difficult to take the temperature of Catholic-Orthodox relations.  We know we're not in full sacramental communion; it's also clear that there's an immense amount of mutual exchange on various levels.  It's likely that there's more contact and influence today, running in both directions, than during certain periods when Christian East and West were "undivided" but already rather isolated from each other.  A key question today, I think, is whether one believes reconciliation is possible.  I can't count the number of people who've said to me:  "It'll never happen."  Of course I can hear this only so many times myself, from Catholics and Orthodox alike, before there's a despairing temptation to agree, but I don't agree.  I understand why people feel it's a long shot.  My dissertation director, Paul McPartlan, published a little book entitled One in 2000? Towards Catholic-Orthodox Unity—this was back in the '90s—and people joked that the title must have been referring to the odds.  It will take a miracle, no doubt.  But as we sing in the great prokeimenon at Vespers on the evening of major feasts, "What god is so great as our God?  You are the God who works wonders" (Psalm 77).   I believe God can pull off this miracle of Orthodox-Catholic unity and wants to.  Actually it will be a miracle comprised of countless little miracles, plenty of which have already happened.   

What would you say is most memorable or enduring from your SVOTS years?  How did your seminary experience influence your approach to theology and ministry?

Maybe I shouldn't go straight back to Irenaeus but another saying of his comes to mind.  He famously said that the glory of God is a human being fully alive.  What's had the most lasting impact on me from my years at SVS is without question the vitality of teachers and fellow students who reflected some of this radiance of the glory of God.  It's not a matter of idealizing people, nor of comparing one to another.  But where people have genuine hope in the process of being unshackled from whatever hinders them from the fullness of life, and submit themselves to this process, even if at times with a certain admitted reluctance, there's joy.  And I felt this joy in the presence of all sorts of people, only a few of whom I will name, and again not in any deliberate order.  Father Tom Hopko, Fr. Paul Lazor, Dr. Al Rossi, Dr. David Drillock.  I had the joy of spending some time with Mat. Julianna Schmemann when she asked for someone to edit some of her essays.  The day I first visited the campus, not yet decided between SVS and an M.Div. program elsewhere, a lecture by (newly retired ) Fr. Paul Tarazi blew me away.  It was extraordinary to hear him carry on, with a combination of nuance and ferocity I had never witnessed before, about the faith and the ease with which those who think of themselves as its standard-bearers can debase it.  He used to call me Cohen the Gentile, because at the time I wasn't yet Orthodox.  

Probably the person whose scholarship has had the most impact on my own is Fr. John Erickson, who wasn't yet a priest when I was there.  Anyone working today in the area of Orthodox ecclesiology is indebted to his remarkably careful and perceptive writings.  His church history lectures were works of art, and he always used to seem to have such a blast giving them.  He and Dr. Paul Meyendorff have been longtime members of the North American Orthodox-Catholic Consultation, and they've both given me a lot of gracious encouragement in my own ecumenical work over the years.  Father John Behr, though, was the one who was most relentless about pushing me to pursue a doctorate after I graduated from SVS, something I hadn't thought I would necessarily do (I had thought I was maybe too old).  I'm grateful for his prodding.

As to how the seminary more generally has influenced my approach to theology, I would say that it formed me to understand the need for theology to be personal.  It's always a selling point, and rightly so, that at St. Vladimir's, study and worship are inseparable.  Praise and love of God stand at the center.  And since this is a God not just of the universe —though He's that—but of people, a God who cares tenderly for people, it was always a given at seminary that if we are to grow in love of God we have to grow in knowledge of ourselves.  Father Tom used to say that there has to be someone on the planet who knows everything about you, someone from whom you have no secrets.  This basic point of transparency is something that has stuck with me:  the goal of being the same on the inside and on the outside. 

The word authenticity is sometimes overused, but I find that to be authentic, to be myself—not according to my own demands, nor merely according to the demands of others either, rather by opening myself to the demands of God—is the ongoing challenge that was laid out for me at St. Vladimir’s, in a way that hangs together.  God is who He is and we, by loving Him and one another through Him, become who we are.  

Will Cohen lives in Scranton with his wife Julie, the University's director of community and government relations, and their three children Ella, Matthew, and Jonathan. He is a Subdeacon at All Saints Orthodox Church in nearby Olyphant, PA and vice president of the Orthodox Theological Society in America (OTSA). Whenever he is able, he enjoys being in a coffee shop with a notebook and pen and/or spending time in New York City with his family.

Imagine walking in the footsteps of Jesus and his followers. Now imagine uncovering firsthand the very buildings they would have seen and discovering objects they would have used in their daily lives, including domestic wares and implements for fishing.

"Such were the experiences of St. Vladimir's seminarian Elizabeth Siniscalchi and alumnus Priest Aaron Warwick [M.Div., '09], both of whom participated in the 2014 season of the Bethsaida Excavations Project," said Nicolae Roddy, Ph.D., associate professor of Old Testament at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, and co-director of the Bethsaida Project since 1996.

Seminarian Siniscalchi, from West Palm Beach, FL, and Fr. Aaron, pastor at St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church, Wichita, KS, along with Dr. Roddy, also a St. Vladimir's Seminary alumnus [M.A., '89], labored in sweltering 100-degree heat over a period of two-weeks in June and July. They participated in the archeological dig to help bring the world of Jesus to greater light.

While Dr. Roddy and Fr. Aaron worked in the "fishing" area, dubbed "Area C," Seminarian Siniscalchi worked in another section on Iron Age in "Area A,Seminarian Elizabeth Siniscalchi works in an Iron Age section in Bethsaida South and West," under the direct supervision of Dr. Sarah Kate Raphael during the first week and under Dr. Carl Savage of Drew University during the second week.

Mentioned more than any other city in the New Testament with the exception of Jerusalem and Capernaum, Bethsaida, which means "House of the Fishermen," is known from the Gospels as the hometown of the apostles Andrew, Peter, and Philip. St. John Chrysostom knew of a tradition that adds James and John, the sons of Zebedee, to that list of fishermen as well.Dr. Nicolae Roddy (left) in Bethsaida with Fr. Aaron Warwick and Elizabeth Siniscalchi

The Gospels relate that Jesus performed miracles in the environs of Bethsaida, most notably healing a blind man and feeding a multitude of people. Because its citizens failed to discern the meaning of Jesus' mighty works, the city was cursed, along with nearby Capernaum and Chorazin. Lost to history for roughly seventeen centuries, Bethsaida was rediscovered in 1987; it was found nestled at the foot of the Golan Heights near the northern shore of the large freshwater lake the Bible calls the Sea of Galilee, exactly where the first-century historian Josephus places it.

"A large courtyard-style house full of fishing implements was uncovered during the early years of the dig," related Dr. Roddy. "This season a wide pavement leading from the Fishermen's House down toward the mouth of the Jordan River and dating to the time of Jesus was exposed, and I've dubbed it the 'Avenue of the Apostles.' A large Iron Age city lies beneath, which is being excavated elsewhere on the 20-acre mound."

"I truly want to praise Elizabeth and Fr. Aaron for their contributions to this dig, not only for their hard work but also for the personal examples that they have set before other volunteers," Dr. Roddy concluded. "I welcome the participation of other SVOTS students and alumni in seasons to come."

At Creighton University, Dr. Roddy teaches courses in Hebrew Bible / Old Testament. He is past President of the joint Rocky Mountain / Great Plains Region of the American Academy of Religion (AAR), the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), and American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR). He is also Senior Editor for the Journal for the Orthodox Center for the Advancement of Biblical Studies. In addition, Dr. Roddy is a Faculty Associate for the Goren-Goldstein Center for Judaic Studies at the Faculty of Letters, University of Bucharest, Romania. He has lectured at several universities in Romania and has made additional scholarly presentations in Israel, Rome, Berlin, Vienna, and Amsterdam.

For more information about the Bethsaida Excavation Project, you may contact Dr. Roddy personally: nroddy@creighton.edu. 

The Very Rev. Macarius Targonsky, a 1955 alumnus of St. Vladimir's Seminary, reposed in the Lord Wednesday, June 25, 2014, at Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, Alaska. He was 84 years old. Services were held on June 30 and July 1, with The Right Rev. David (Mahaffey), bishop of Sitka and Alaska, and other diocesan clergy presiding, and he was buried in the Holy Assumption Orthodox Church Cemetery in Kenai.

Father Macarius was born Sept. 4, 1929 in Meriden, CT. In 1952, he earned his Bachelor's Degree at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, WV, where he was a member and secretary of the Phi Alpha Theta Society. He studied at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary where he earned a diploma, and then completed his studies by graduating from Columbia University and earning a Master of Divinity Degree at St. Vladimir's Seminary, writing his thesis on the preaching of St. John Chrysostom.

"Mr. Targonsky has a real literary talent, as well as a keen understanding of the ideal of the Christian pastor and preacher," wrote St. Vladimir's Professor of Dogmatics Dr. Serge Verhovskoy, Fr. Macarius' thesis evaluator.

Years later, Fr. Macarius made a donation to the Seminary. In his letter he stated, "I hereby with the enclosed check...offer my gift to my spiritual 'mother,' St. Vladimir's Seminary, because from 'her' I had received excellent spiritual training, and am now what and who I am because of her."

Chancellor/CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield has lived and traveled in Alaska. "I remember Fr. Macarius from my own days in Alaska and Kodiak, where he served at Holy Resurrection Church. He was known as a faithful priest and the father of several adopted children that drew him close to St. Herman." Added fellow alumnus Theodore Bazil, senior advisor for Advancement at the Seminary "Fr. Macarius was a good man, and one we will never forget."

After his ordination at New York's Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral by Metropolitan Leonty, Fr. Macarius served for six years in Pennsylvania, at Holy Trinity Church, Wilkes-Barre and St. Mary's Orthodox Church in Osceola Mills, before he and Matushka Marie moved to Alaska to serve at Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Kodiak.

During the years Father and Matushka Marie lived Kodiak, he assisted in the transfer of St. Herman of Alaska's holy relics from Spruce Island to Kodiak, and then hosted the hierarchs, priests and faithful at St. Herman's canonization on August 9, 1970.

Father Macarius briefly left Alaska to fulfill short-term assignments in Buffalo, NY and Kenosha, WI, returning to serve at the Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church in Kenai, and the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord Church in Ninilchik. For the last five years of his life, he was attached to Holy Assumption.

Father was preceded in death by his parents, Helen and Macarii Targonsky, son, Nicholas, 10 brothers and sisters and a grandson, Cecil Demidoff. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Matushka Yvette Marie Tagonsky of Kenai; daughters and sons-in-law, Nina and Rick Weatherly of Modesto, CA, Evdokia (Dunya) and Ron Aho of Kenai; sons and daughters-in-law, Alexander and Nancy Targonsky of Seward, and Dimitri and Annette Targonsky of AK; numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren; and a sister, Lottie Cepanewski of Meriden, CT.

May His Memory Be Eternal! 

A new video features the unique ministry of Youth Equipped to Serve (YES) with Director Katrina Bitar, St. Vladimir's graduate of the Class of 2009. YES is a program under the auspices of the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve (FOCUS); its central purpose is to engage youth in formative weekends of service in needy neighborhoods throughout the United States. 

Katrina was involved for many years in camping and youth ministry in California, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. A graduate of Rutgers University, she earned her Master of Theology at St. Vladimir's and accepted the position with YES after receiving her SVOTS degree. In a profile of Katrina published in the 2013 St. Vladimir's Annual Report, she notes that the ultimate goal of YES is "to raise up a generation of service leaders in the Church." 

As many people saw last month, the San Diego region experienced dramatic fires that burned thousands of acres and, interestingly, got people thinking about the fragility of "ordinary" life. At the Orthodox Church in America's St. Katherine of Alexandria Mission, the faithful also shared the view that the area is very dry as well, resulting in a strong thirst for God. According to The Rev. Andrew Cuneo (SVOTS 2010), rector, "we rejoiced when we received our own 'firepower' in the form of a 2014 Mission Planting Grant for our community in Encinitas beginning this very month."

Much of that spiritual thirst has been evident in the Mission's two-and-one-half year existence. The Mission began with about 23 folks—including Fr. Andrew's family of five. Sunday Liturgy attendance now averages about 80. One factor was critical in helping the Mission begin on solid footing.

"Perhaps the most important experience I had was actually after seminary," Fr. Andrew noted, "when we spent a year training at St. Seraphim's in Santa Rosa, CA and learning the 'feel' of a growing parish, watching just about everything a mature priest and a healthy community does." It was The Very Rev. Lawrence Margitich's community that ensured that on-the-job practical training could complement the rich education provided by St. Vladimir's Seminary.

"I absolutely love the Diocese of the West," Fr. Andrew adds. "It is a mission-oriented Diocese with deep connections to the Russian mission on this coast going back many centuries." This mix of traditionally Orthodox communities and ordinary Californians makes for a productive combination. Father Andrew has seen a large influx of former Protestants who "happened all to be, it seemed, in the same book group already reading Fr. Alexander Schmemann and C.S. Lewis. Once one member became a catechumen, the rest—and their families—followed suit. It wasn't a case of successful fishing at all: the fish jumped into the boat!"

Those searching were able to find a rich Orthodoxy because of the families at St. Katherine's who grew up in the Church and cherished their own personal memories of St. John of San Francisco. In particular, the talent in musical conducting has led to several parish members playing a role in founding and performing for the Patriarch Tikhon Russian-American Institute. "There's so much going on in the parish right now," Fr. Andrew adds, "Whether it's serving the Blessing of the Waters at the Pacific Ocean, walking in the San Diego March for Life, or crossing the border to build houses at Project Mexico, we still want to keep a beautiful, reverent liturgical life at the center. Prayer is the vital connection to Our Lord and His saints which makes this not only possible, but meaningful."

Just last month, the mission faithful celebrated a Molieben to St. Sergius of Radonezh to commemorate the 700th Anniversary of his birth and to bless a handmade copy of a large 15th century iconographic shroud of St. Sergius. "The project has brought many of our parishioners together in a collaborative effort, which has included dying our own silk fabric and designing a special typeface for the names of St. Sergius' spiritual children around the border of the shroud, along with learning a traditional split-stitch method." The shroud now hangs in St. Katherine's chapel, itself a converted office space. It has been a tiny but beautiful worship space both for the Mission and St. Katherine College, which has generously hosted the Mission.

As the Mission prepares to move into its own, larger space this summer, it will need its own firepower. "Our feast comes from the altar: the icons and relics we have are our spiritual weapons: the community members are the servants of God: and the Planting Grant makes this possible. To be able to serve as a full-time priest because of this grant is simply ideal." 

On June 5, 2014, hierarchs, clergy, and lay delegates from the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America convened in Chicago, IL at the Hyatt Regency Hotel for a Special Convention, with the purpose of selecting three candidates whose names will be submitted to the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Antioch for the office of Metropolitan. Two of the nominees chosen were St. Vladimir's alumni—The Right Rev. Bishop Basil (Class of 1973), Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America, and The Right Rev. Bishop John (Class of 1984), Diocese of Worcester and New England.

Also elected was The Most Rev. Archbishop Joseph, Diocese of Los Angeles and the West and Locum Tenens for the Diocese of Eagle River and the Northwest.

Vicar General for the Antiochian Archdiocese and SVOTS Lecturer in Liturgics The Very Rev. Thomas Zain was interviewed by Ancient Faith Radio immediately following the vote. In the interview, Fr. Thomas thanked His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan of Buenos Aires and all Argentina, who has served as the Patriarchal Vicar of New York and all North America since the repose of former SVOTS Board of Trustees Vice President His Eminence Metropolitan Philip on March 19, 2014. "His Eminence has done a magnificant job of guiding us since he arrived here; he gave us a masterful speech of the land mines of this process and he anticipated our questions ahead of time. It seemed everyone is of one mind."

"The Synod in Antioch has the right to choose any one of these three as the next Metropolitan. God willing, the Holy Spirit will work among them," Fr. Thomas said.

Listen to the AFR interview