A television documentary produced and aired in Lebanon in October 2015, marked the 35th anniversary of the enthronement of His Eminence the Most Reverend Elias (Audi) of Beirut, metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Beirut, Lebanon, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. Metropolitan Elias graduated from St. Vladimir's in 1969, and served for a time as rector of the Virgin Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church in Yonkers, NY, before returning to Lebanon to take the post of Assistant Dean at the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology, University of Balamand in Lebanon.

In more recent years, Metropolitan Elias has represented the Church of Antioch in meetings of the Council of Middle East Churches and the World Council of Churches. He has also chaired the Joint Dialogue Committee between the Vatican and the World Council of Churches.

View the documentary (in Arabic)

The following is a tribute to alumnus Bishop Suriel, Ph.D., of the Holy Diocese of Melbourne, Victoria, Tasmania, ACT, South Australia, Western Australia, New Zealand and All Oceania. It was first published in the 2014 Annual Report, The Far Reach of St. Vladimir's Seminary, which featured those who have benefitted from the Seminary's ministries and people. The article is by Ralph Toss, Former General Counsel to His Grace, and Reader in the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of New York and New England.

Just a few words sum up His Grace Bishop Suriel: He’s there for you.

The focus, sacrifice, and love His Grace demonstrates in making these words come true are beyond comprehension, because he’s there for you while performing his duties as diocesan bishop, while working on his Masters and Ph.D. degrees, while doing ecumenical work, while fighting for Egypt’s Coptic minority, and while doing missionary work in Fiji, Pakistan, and Tonga. Despite his heavy commitments, and in all circumstances, he’s there for each sheep of his flock.

I first met Bishop Suriel at a youth retreat in 1998. This towering young bishop had nary a grey hair in his beard and spoke with an Aussie accent. Bishop Suriel reminded us Western youth that the Church was a relevant organism that could feed us spiritually. He had an obvious love for Christ and us, and needless to say—we fell in love with him.

When Bishop Suriel was appointed as day-to-day administrator of the Archdiocese of North America, how lucky I was to live just a few miles away! At that time, my father was sick, and His Grace visited numerous times, as if my father were his own. During the last few months of my dad’s life, and in the midst of His Grace’s studies, he was still there for us: pacing hospital hallways at all hours, and praying with us, crying with us, and interceding on our behalf up to the moment of my father’s death.

He’s been there for countless others. He’s flown back from dozens of international meetings to be with his children, hurt in heart-wrenching accidents or approaching the end of their earthly journeys. He’s been there at weddings, baptisms, engagements, graduations, barbeques, and festivals. He’s been there—in long black robes and black dress shoes, after neatly folding his panagia and putting it aside—to grab a tennis racket and beat us, dressed in shorts and sneakers, at a game. He’s been there to guide meetings and strategy sessions seeking to make the Church relevant to God’s people.

Following St. Paul’s command, His Grace “rejoices with those who rejoice, and mourns with those who mourn” (Rom 12:15). Because he’s been there for me, I am where I am. And the Church is where it is. We, collectively, couldn’t have gotten here without his being there: obeying God’s voice and loving God’s flock.

Watch a YouTube video of Bishop Suriel’s homily, “The Power of Prayer,” as he speaks of persecuted Coptic Orthodox Christians in Egypt.
Read about the ties between St. Vladimir's and St. Athanasius Theological Coptic Orthodox College in Australia.
Read about Coptic seminarian Abraam Mikhail.

In early September, 2015, Dr. Bradley Nassif (SVOTS 1985) delivered the opening address at the third International Consultation of Orthodox and Evangelical theologians. The topic of his paper was, “The Gospel in Eastern Orthodox Perspective.” Dr. Nassif focused on how the Church conceived and expressed the gospel in the age of the Ecumenical Councils (325-787 AD). 

As guests of His Beatitude Archbishop Leo of Karelia and All Finland and the Evangelical Alliance of Finland (SEA), Dr. Nassif and 62 other Orthodox and Evangelical leaders gathered September 1-5, 2015 at the Sofia Cultural Centre, Helsinki, for a Consultation sponsored by the Lausanne-Orthodox Initiative. The goal of the Initiative is to work towards better understanding between Orthodox and Evangelical communities, and to strive for healing where wounds exist. Representing Christian communities from twenty-five different countries, attendees at the consultation discussed the theme ‘The Gospel as Good News," examining the common understanding of the meaning and purpose of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, how this is communicated today, and its implications for community transformation and pastoral ministry.

In 2013 Professor Nassif was the keynote speaker for the first Consultation. His address, titled “Tradition, Catholicity and the Mind of the Church,” was included in the newly published book The Mission of God: Studies in Orthodox and Evangelical Mission (Regnum Press, 2015), edited by Dr. Mark Oxbrow of the Mission Center at Oxford University.

Most recently, Dr. Nassif edited a collection of essays in honor of Fr. Paul Tarazi, professor emeritus at St. Vladimir’s, titled, Festschrift in Honor of Professor Paul Nadim Tarazi, Vol. 2: Studies in the New Testament (Peter Lang, 2015). Contributors included Archbishop Demitrios Trakatellis, Archbishop Athanasius Yvetic, Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, and others. 

Professor Nassif also recently received a $50,000 annual grant given by the Kullis Foundation. The goal of the grant is to promote an annual Orthodox Speaker’s Series at North Park University in Chicago, where Dr. Nassif serves as Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies. The conference, which is free of charge, is designed to strengthen the practical life of Orthodox pastors, leaders and parishioners of local churches.

The inaugural conference lecture will be given by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware on Saturday, March 5, 2016, at North Park University, with the proposed topic of “The Unchanging Gospel in an Ever-changing Culture.” Father John Behr, St. Vladimir's Dean, Dr. Edith Humphrey of Pittsburgh Seminary, and Dr. Marcus Plested of Marquette University, will be respondents. Future series will continue to focus on the centrality of the Gospel in Orthodox life and thought.

Seminary Alumnus the Reverend Dr. John Tavlarides (D.Min., '96) fell asleep in the Lord on September 21, 2015. The entire seminary community expresses our condolences to his wife, Presbytera Harriet, and his family.

Father John was the Presiding Priest Emeritus of Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, D.C., where he faithfully served for nearly six decades. He graduated from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1953, and was ordained to the priesthood shortly after.

Father John pursued graduate theological studies at several notable institutions, including General Theological Seminary in New York, New York, and The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Father John served the faithful of Saint Sophia Cathedral as an assistant priest from 1956-1960, and then subsequently led the community as Cathedral Dean from 1960-2011.

Seminary Alumnus Archpriest Thomas Succarotte (M.Div. '78) fell asleep in the Lord on August 8, 2015. The entire seminary community expresses its condolences to his wife, Matushka Tanya, his son Mark, and his extended family.

Father Thomas served as rector of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin Church in Madison, Illinois from 1979 until his retirement in 2010. In addition to his pastoral duties, he served as Dean of the St. Louis Orthodox Deanery.  He also acted as the police chaplain for the cities of  Madison, Granite City, and Pontoon Beach, and for the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, State Police, FBI, and ATF.

Memory Eternal!

On April 30, 2015, St. Vladimir's alumnus Fr. James Bozeman (SVOTS 2012) and the faithful of St. James Church in Beaufort, S.C. marked their patronal feast day with the celebration of the blessing of the newly acquired site on which their future church will be built.

Joining them were Fr. James' former classmate Archimandrite Gerasim (also Class of 2012), administrator of the Diocese of the South for the Orthodox Church in America (OCA); the Very Reverend Marcus Burch (SVOTS 1997), chancellor of the Diocese; alumnus the Very Reverend Thomas Moore, dean of the Carolinas Deanery; Alumnus Fr. John Parker, chair of the OCA's Department of Evangelization; and Fr. Christopher Foley, priest-in-charge of Holy Cross Church, Highpoint, NC.

Archimandrite Gerasim offered an inspiring sermon that illumined the true purpose for which God gives land to His people—to provide a place for His people to keep His commandments.

St. James Mission was planted on April 30, 2012 with the blessing of His Eminence, Archbishop Nikon. Father James, who was assigned Priest-in-charge two months later, celebrated the community's first Divine Liturgy on July 1, 2012. The mission was initiated under the direction of Fr. John Parker and the efforts of three Beaufort families who met in a classroom of a local Baptist church. St. James—one of five mission communities receiving a Planting Grant from the Orthodox Church in America—has grown to 20 families who meet in a rented facility.

"I am grateful to our parishioners for their support and vision for the future of our mission," said Fr. James. "We began with a small handful of people, meeting in a borrowed space, and possessing very few of the things we needed to celebrate divine services. In less than three years, through the support of our local sister churches, our deanery and diocese, and the OCA's Planting Grant, God has regularly provided for our mission's needs. By His grace, St. James is becoming a true 'Church family' with a vision not only for a beautiful building on a beautiful piece of land, but for Christ's name to be proclaimed in its fullness here in Beaufort and in coastal South Carolina."

Along with a goal of raising funds, breaking ground and building within the next five years, Fr. James and his parishioners continue to focus on missionary outreach in Beaufort and in building on this foundation a strong, growing and spiritually healthy Church community.

Seminary alumnus Archpriest Peter Baktis, Ch (COL) USA was honored recently for his twenty-five years of dedicated service as a chaplain with the United States Armed Forces. During the same retirement ceremony, held at the US Intelligence and Security Command Headquarters in Ft. Bevoir, VA, Matushka Jeanne also received the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal for her dedicated service to soldiers, families and civilians.

Father Peter graduated from St. Vladimir's Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree in 1985 and wrote his thesis on the development of North African Ecclesiology. He also holds a Master of Theology degree from General Theological Seminary, New York City, and a Master in Strategic Studies degree from The United States Army War College, Carlisle, PA.

The grandson of Belarusian and Lithuanian immigrants, Fr. Peter grew up in Brooklyn, NY. He and his family were members of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, East Meadow, NY. It was while serving as an altar boy that Fr. Peter first felt the call to the priesthood.

Father Peter entered the Army Chaplain Corps in 1990. He was deployed as an active duty chaplain in Kosovo, Iraq, Kuwait, and Bosnia and also served at installations in the United States, Germany, and South Korea. His most recent assignment was as Intelligent and Security Command Chaplain at Fort Belvoir, VA. Immediately prior to that he served as Chief Chaplain at Fort Bliss, TX.

His awards include: Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Southwest Asia Service Medal with Bronze Star, Armed Forces Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon–3, and the NATO Medal with Bronze Star.

We ask God to grant many more years of health to Fr. Peter and Mat. Jeanne as they take up active parish ministry at the Mother of God, Joy of All Who Sorrow Parish, Princeton, NJ.

Archimandrite Gerasim [Eliel], seminary alumnus (’12), was nominated at a special Assembly of the Diocese of the South, Orthodox Church in America (OCA), on February 16, 2015, to fill the vacant See of Dallas and the South as its hierarch. Father Gerasim received 81 votes on the first ballot—more than the required two-thirds majority to be nominated—with the remainder of the votes divided between four other candidates. His name will be submitted to the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops for canonical election at their spring session in March 2015.

As valedictorian of the Class of 2012, Father Gerasim delivered the Valedictory Address, and at Commencement he was awarded triple honors: magna cum laude academic standing; a commendation for his contribution to community life; and a commendation for his Master of Divinity thesis, titled, “Russian Icons in a Native Church: Conflict in Culture in Western Alaska.”

From 2000 until 2009 Father Gerasim served as Abbot of St. Herman of Alaska Monastery, under the Serbian Orthodox Church. After his graduation from St. Vladimir’s, he served for one year as assistant priest at Holy Virgin Mary Cathedral, Los Angeles, CA. Since September 2013 Father Gerasim has served as rector of St. Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX.

The seminary community congratulates Father Gerasim on his nomination, and wishes him God’s blessing.

The Reverend Deacon David George Daumit, alumnus and former member of St. Vladimir's Seminary’s Board of Trustees, reposed in the Lord on January 28, 2015, at the age of 59. Ordained to the Holy Diaconate on March 21, 2010, Dn. David had been serving at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Phoenix, AZ, with The Very Reverend Christopher Salamy.

St. Vladimir's Alumni Association Board Chair and fellow St. George parishioner Gregory Abdalah notes, “As a trustee and an alumnus, Dn. David was an excellent witness to the gospel and to the mission of St. Vladimir's. He provided a wonderful model of service and humility in his years as a student, and then later, when he served on our Board. As a mentor to many, his presence will be greatly missed.”

In addition to earning his M.Div. degree and M.A. in Religious Education degree in 1984 from St. Vladimir’s, Dn. David also earned an M.S. degree in Gerontology. While at Seminary, and following his graduation, Dn. David served as the Assistant Director and Director of the Department of Youth Affairs of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, and was also given a grant under the direction of The Very Reverend Dr. Joseph Allen, to research the creation of a Department of Ministry to the Aged.

Deacon David spent the last 25 years in the Senior Services industry, most of which have been in the Assisted Living sector. He started his first assisted living company, Potomac Group Home Corporation, in 1989. In 1990, in conjunction with the greater Washington chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, he developed the first specialized activities program for Alzheimer’s residents. He retired from Potomac Homes in 2004.

Deacon David most recently was operating New Dawn, an Assisted Living and specialty Alzheimer’s Care company, of which he was Founder and CEO. He had served on the National Board of Directors of the Alzheimer’s Association, The National Board of Directors of The Assisted Living Federation of America, and several state chapter boards, including Maryland and New Jersey.

Deacon David is survived by his loving wife, Ronice, and three children, Rebecca, Harmony, and Travis; and three beautiful grandchildren, Addison, Jackson, and Nola; and brothers Rick and Ronald.

St. Vladimir’s representatives who will be attending Dn. David’s funeral include Chancellor/CEO The Very Reverend Dr. Chad Hatfield, Board of Trustees Treasurer Anthony Kasmer, Associate Chancellor for Finance Melanie Ringa, and Senior Advisor for Advancement Theodore Bazil.

The funeral schedule is as follows:

Sunday, Feb 1, 2015—Trisagion Prayers following Divine Liturgy

Thursday, Feb 5, 2015—Viewing from 5 p.m.–7 p.m. and Trisagion at 6:30 p.m., St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church

Friday, Feb 6, 2015—Funeral 10 a.m., followed by the Interment at Paradise Memorial Gardens

A Meal of Mercy will be offered in memory of Dn. David in The Legacy Ballroom following the interment.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church (4530 E. Gold Dust Ave., Phoenix, AZ  85028) in Dn. David's memory. All memorial gifts will be used for St. George's ministry to senior citizens.

The Rev. Christopher Eid (SVOTS 2010) was named Dean of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Charleston, WV in 2014. He will assume the role in late July of 2015, when SVOTS alumnus The Very Rev. Olof Scott retires. Archpriest Olof has served at the St. George Cathedral for 39 years. The Cathedral is the episcopal home of The Right Rev. Thomas, auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Charleston, Oakland and the Mid-Atlantic.

A native of Syria, Fr. Christopher was raised in an Orthodox home among the clergy members of his family. He attended and served at the Bosra Horan Archdiocesan Chancery Church of St. George in Syria before moving to the United States. While working full-time after arriving in the U.S., Fr. Christopher also attended the City University of New York (CUNY), obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in International Criminal Investigation.

After completing his professional training, he established a career in executive protection security and investigation. However, his love for the Church compelled him leave his job; with the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Philip of blessed memory, he enrolled in seminary and completed his M.Div. degree in May of 2010.

After graduation, Fr. Christopher was ordained to the Holy Diaconate on September 8, 2011 and then to the Holy Priesthood on September 11, 2011.

Immediately following ordination, Fr. Christopher was given a temporary assignment to serve alongside Fr. Elias Bitar (SVOTS 1975) at St. George Orthodox Church in Little Falls, NJ, before moving to Houston, TX to serve at St. George Orthodox Church from December 2011 to December 2014.

Remembering his time at St. Vladimir's, Fr. Christopher noted that "because of my years of education at St. Vladimir's, I have been equipped to quench the spiritual thirst of those seeking Christ. Continuing on the same path that the M.Div. program encouraged us to follow, I am committed to working with all Orthodox Christian organizations in order to serve the future of Orthodoxy, whether they be children born into the faith or and those who will be coming home through mission work."