With hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of The Right Rev. Archimandrite Elias Bitar, an alumnus and retired faculty member of St. Vladimir’s Seminary. Father Elias reposed in the Lord May 21, 2020 after long suffering with health conditions.
Father Bitar leaves behind a lifelong legacy as “the voice of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America.” During his nearly forty years in the priesthood, he served as lecturer in liturgical music (with a specialty in Byzantine music) and practical theology at St. Vladimir's Seminary, vicar general of the Archdiocese, and the residing priest for churches in California and New Jersey. Father Elias studied for his Master of Divinity degree at St. Vladimir's from 1972–1975, and subsequently earned a Doctor of Ministry from the Seminary in 2001.
Father Elias Bitar is survived by his children Katrina (St. Vladimir's Seminary Class of 2009), Sr. Ignatia, Martha, Mikey, Antony, and Madeleine, as well as his grandchildren Zachary, Jacob, Samia, and another granddaughter on the way.
He is reunited in the heavenly kingdom with his wife, Kh. Joanne, and his parents, Sadallah and Zahwe Bitar.
In lieu of flowers, kindly send all donations to The Monastery of St. Nina in Union Bridge Maryland, where Fr. Bitar resided. His funeral will be streamed online. More information may be found on the Antiochian Archdiocese website.
May his memory be eternal!
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(The photo and information in this article have been reprinted from Antiochian.org.)
Fathers Georges Florovsky and Alexander Schmemann were the Orthodox theologians par excellence of their generation. Now, On Christian Leadership, one of the most highly anticipated book releases this year from Saint Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press, translates their correspondence into English for the first time. This important work provides a unique window into their theological visions, leadership styles, and interactions with their contemporaries.
The correspondence also reveals a deeply poignant and profound friendship at a time when Florovsky had recently moved to the US to lead and organize the fledgling St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York, while Schmemann was still teaching at the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris. The letters show their subsequent collaboration at St. Vladimir’s Seminary until their tragic rift in 1955.
“Paul Gavrilyuk knows how to tell a story,” said Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield, president of St. Vladimir’s Seminary. “With the publication of On Christian Leadership: TheLetters of Alexander Schmemann and Georges Florovsky (1947-1955), this church historian has not only given us the long-awaited publication of the letters between two of the most influential Orthodox Christian leaders of the last century but he tells the story in a captivating manner, through translation and editorial background, that elevates this book to a place of high standing. Through these pages the reader will gain fresh insights and corrections that shed new light onto a story that is worth telling and revisiting anew.”
Reminiscent of the style of Schmemann’s journals, the letters lay out the challenges of leadership with brutal honesty and good humor, bearing an eloquent testimony to their authors’ dedication to launching a new era of theological education.
About the Author PAUL L. GAVRILYUKis an Orthodox historian and theologian and the Aquinas Chair in Theology and Philosophy at the University of St. Thomas (St Paul, MN). His publications include Georges Florovsky and the Russian Religious Renaissance (Oxford, 2013), and the present correspondence in Russian (Moscow, 2019).
About SVS Press
St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press is the largest publisher of Orthodox Christian books in the English language—housing over 500 titles. Our mission is to partner with reputable authors and translators worldwide in order produce and distribute rich theological texts that preserve the Orthodox faith, tradition and history, while also fostering a platform for new theological and academic works of excellence. Our team is committed to building and maintaining a catalog of work covering a variety of topics, not limited to the following: theology, history, ecclesiology, ecumenism, hagiography, iconography, spirituality, scriptural studies, music, pastoral theology, Christian education, philosophy, biographies, and patristics. SVS Press is one of few seminary presses that make a profit. 100% of our book sales supports St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and its mission to train Orthodox priests and future church leaders.
St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) plans to begin the 2020-2021 academic year as normal with on-campus classes—but the school has alternate plans if a full reopening is delayed due to further COVID-19 restrictions in New York State.
For now, the Seminary is asking incoming and returning students to prepare to be on campus in time for the start of the new school year. Orientation for the new academic year is scheduled for Friday, August 21 through Sunday, August 23. Delayed Commencement Exercises for the Class of 2020 are planned for September 12. If these plans change, the Seminary will announce alternate plans for the 2020-2021 academic year and 2020 Commencement by mid-July.
Additionally, SVOTS has extended its late deadline to apply for admission for 2020-2021 to July 1, 2020. The extension was made to allow prospective students from North America and abroad more time given ongoing uncertainty and logistical difficulties due to the COVID-19 crisis.
For St. Vladimir’s Seminary student Shelby Giokas, there is no question as to what she liked most about her time on campus: the joy of living in a Christian community. “It was so fulfilling and so rewarding,” said Giokas, “there is nothing like it in the world.” And that was exactly what she missed most when a global pandemic caused the Seminary to switch entirely to online courses last Spring. “I remember how we used to talk about the class we had just experienced as we walked together to lunch,” said Giokas. “It was almost impossible for a little Zoom picture to replicate that.”
Fellow student Fr. Christopher Dillon echoed her sentiments. “Some of our deepest learning happened outside the classroom in discussions amongst ourselves.” But what he missed most were the twice daily church services. “It was a huge support just to be able to start and end the day with prayer and to be able to center yourself like that,” he said. It was one of the ways that the Seminary supported students through the challenges of a theological education. And though Fr. Christopher feels like St. Vladimir’s did the “smart thing” by going online, he admits that he found lengthy Zoom classes more exhausting than in-person ones.
Shelby and Fr. Christopher are both part of St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Graduating Class of 2020, a class that, because of the pandemic, was ultimately denied two remaining months of the fellowship and community life that they so treasured.
The stats for this year’s graduating class are impressive. A total of 33 students completed their degrees—or are expected to complete degrees over the summer (19 Master of Divinity; 11 Master of Arts; 2 Master of Theology; 1 Doctor of Ministry). They comprise the Class of 2020 (another 7 students, who are officially part of the Class of 2019, also finished their degrees during this academic year). Most are bound for parishes, some for further academic study, others for chaplaincy, and still others for education.
The graduates’ jurisdictional breakdown was quite diverse and reflected St. Vladimir’s commitment to pan-Orthodoxy. There were a total of 9 from the Orthodox Church in America (OCA); 5 from the Antiochian Archdiocese; 3 Armenian; 1 Anglican; 3 Coptic; 2 Malankara Jacobite; 1 Syriac Orthodox Church (Kyanaya); 1 Malankara Orthodox Syrian; 2 Patriarchate of Alexandria; 1 Romanian Patriarchate; 3 Serbian; and 1 Georgian. Another graduate is unaffiliated.
The Student Council of St. Vladimir's voted Fr. Nicholas Belcher, lecturer in liturgics, as the winner of The St. Macrina Award for 2020. The award is given to a member of the faculty who has particularly blessed the Student Body as an instructor and a guide to the life of Christian service and vocation. As one student said about Fr. Nicholas, "His classes have been the most valuable of my three years at Seminary, covering liturgical rubrics and Byzantine chant, with a consistent sprinkling of practical pastoral wisdom."
“My heartfelt congratulations to St. Vladimir’s Class of 2020,” said St. Vladimir’s Academic Dean Dr. Alex Tudorie, “which not only thrived amidst the normal rigors of graduate school but also patiently and diligently endured all the limitations that were set by a historic pandemic for the last weeks of their experience at the Seminary. We pray for each and every one of you for a smooth and successful transition into God's vineyard!”
Due to pandemic-related restrictions, St. Vladimir’s Seminary has cancelled its commencement ceremony for the Class of 2020, which had been scheduled for September 12.
The Seminary is exploring the possibility of a combined graduation ceremony for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 on May 15, 2021, if it is safe to do so. Details will be forthcoming.
What tools do we, as Orthodox Christians, have to spiritually navigate the challenges and struggles of daily life in the modern world?
Join us Tuesday, May 19, for the free, interactive webinar, “The Healing Path Towards Christ” with Paul Karos, founder of Matrona Ministries. The discussion begins at 3 p.m. EDT (Duration: 90 minutes). Questions during the webinar are welcome.
About the Speaker
Paul P. Karos is the founder of Matrona Ministries, which offers services and programs for Orthodox spiritual growth designed for both clergy and laity. At age 8, he was diagnosed with with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease, that has now taken 98 percent of his vision. Karos has had an extensive 30-year career in the financial industry and has also performed and participated in a variety of ministries in the Orthodox Church—leading retreats for men’s groups, youth and family programs, and parish communities and councils; and leading pilgrimages to Mount Athos. He is trained as a Prepare/Enrich marriage facilitator and has worked in pre- and post-marriage counseling. In 2006, Karos began working with prison ministries, becoming involved in both Bible studies as well as one-on-one prisoner mentoring. He earned his Masters of Arts in Applied Orthodox Theology from The University of Balamand, Lebanon, through the Antiochian House of Studies, and also holds a B.S. of Business Administration from the University of Minnesota. He and his wife, Cindy, have three children.
With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of Archpriest Paul Lazor, an alumnus and former dean of students of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Father Paul fell asleep in the Lord at a hospital near his home of Tobyhanna, PA on May 9, 2020 at the age of 80.
The funeral service for Fr. Paul will be live-streamed beginning at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13, here.
“Father Paul was a beloved dean of students and professor,” said Archpriest Chad Hatfield, president of St. Vladimir’s Seminary. “Truly, what a giant in the history of St. Vladimir's and in the lives of so many people whom his life and ministry touched. He will be deeply missed.”
The Very Rev. Paul Lazor, a native of Canonsburg, PA, was born on June 28, 1939. His grandfather and father, Galician immigrants and factory workers, were founding members of his home parish, St. John the Baptist in Canonsburg. Father Paul attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he obtained a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. He graduated from St. Vladimir's Seminary with an M.Div. in 1964, and was married that same year to Natalia (Manturoff). Over the course of their marriage, Fr. Paul and Matushka Natalia were blessed with three children and six grandchildren.
Father Paul Lazor was ordained to the Holy Priesthood in 1964 by Archbishop John (Shahovsky) of San Francisco, at the old chapel of St. Vladimir’s Seminary. Father Paul served as a parish priest for thirteen years at Ss. Cyril and Methodius Church in Milwaukee, WI and Holy Trinity Church in New Britain, CT.
Even during his student years, Fr. Lazor's love and dedication toward the work of St. Vladimir's Seminary were evident. He was a member of three consecutive Seminary summer octets and served as ecclesiarch of the school's chapel. In 1969, he was asked to join the Seminary faculty on a part-time basis. In 1977, he was appointed as dean of students and became a full-time member of the Seminary's staff and a lecturer on the faculty. He taught regularly in the areas of liturgics, practical (pastoral) theology, liturgical theology, Church Slavonic, and Russian, and was appointed the John and Paraskeva Skvir Lecturer in Practical Theology. He also served as priest and rector of the Seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel. He retired from St. Vladimir’s Seminary in June of 2007.
“Anyone who was a seminarian at St. Vladimir’s when Fr. Paul was dean of students will likely remember him in the choir or serving. He was always at services,” remembered Orthodox Church in America (OCA) Chancellor Archpriest Alexander Rentel. “He loved the services and believed in them, their power to bring us closer to God himself. He loved the services, but he also enjoyed the services. I learned so much from him about the services, organizing them, the underlying method beneath their structure, how to serve, but also just that enjoyment that I mentioned.
“I will always remember a quote, too, from him, which was really from his mother, whom he quoted frequently: ‘Any gift that comes from goodness has an inexhaustible source.’”
Seminary Alumna Matushka Robyn Hatrak was a student in Fr. Paul’s final class as St. Vladimir’s before his retirement from the Seminary.
“Fr. Paul was the heart and soul of St. Vladimir's Seminary,” she said. “He cared deeply about everything, and it showed in how he would pop in and talk to you whether you were baking cookies in the kitchen or you needed help with something in the Chapel. And he always made you feel loved and part of a big team.”
“He was a good priest and a good dean,” said fellow alumnus Fr. Gheevarghese John. “What I remember most are his ‘dos and don’ts’ of being a priest and how we are to conduct ourselves as pastors. Memory eternal!”
As an author, translator, and editor Fr. Paul produced numerous articles, tracts, booklets of liturgical services, and several introductions to books of other writers. His largest work is the book, Evening Worship in the Orthodox Church, an edited translation (with introduction) of three articles by Nicholas Uspensky. His article, "Pastoral Care Today," appeared in the St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly in 1996. On January 28, 2007, Fr Paul delivered the 23rd annual Fr. Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture, entitled: “A Personal Memoir,” in honor of Fr. Alexander.
Father Paul also served in several capacities in church-wide ministries on both the diocesan and national Church levels. He was a frequently invited speaker at retreats and conferences sponsored by Orthodox parishes and institutions throughout the United States (including Alaska) and Canada. He also lectured at Orthodox theological institutions in Russia and Slovakia.
The funeral and burial services for Fr. Paul will be kept small and private due to ongoing COVID-19-related restrictions. His family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to St. Vladimir's Seminary.
Patricia Knutson, a graduate of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, reposed in the Lord on May 6, 2020 at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD due to complications from the COVID-19 virus. She was 71 years old.
Patricia Joan Knutson was born February 20, 1949 in Vermillion, SD to Palmer and Stella (Knudson) Knutson. She attended Wakonda School and graduated in 1967. She was active in chorus and band. Knutson loved music and was a gifted pianist. She earned a Master’s Degree in speech pathology from the University of South Dakota. She worked in the Black Hills region and in the Iowa School System.
Knutson was an avid reader and loved to travel. Trips to Norway, Russia, Romania, and China were her joy. During these years she became interested in Orthodoxy and eventually converted. She completed an M.A. at St. Vladimir’s in 1991.
In recent years, Knutson suffered from early onset dementia and had been living in a nursing home since February 2019.
Due to COVID-19-related gathering restrictions, Knutson’s family held a private burial. A grave-side service was conducted by a local priest, Fr. Sava Leida, very soon after her repose. She was buried next to her parents in a rural cemetery not far from her parental home. Knutson’s family will host a celebration of life service at a later date to celebrate her life with family and friends.
Condolences and flowers may be sent via Wass Funeral Home, Beresford, SD.
Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) is pleased to announce that 30 scholarships are now available to anyone who would like to attend the 2020 Pan-Orthodox Music Symposium, with the theme of “Music as Liturgy,” which will be held as an online event from Thursday, June 11 through Saturday, June 13, 2020. The Symposium is a joint effort and sponsored by the Seminary’s Institute of Sacred Arts and The International Society for Orthodox Church Music (ISOCM).
Each scholarship will cover the complete cost of registration for one Symposium attendee. To download an application, click HERE. The deadline to apply has been extended to May 15. Winners will be announced Friday, May 29.
*(NOTE: Applying for a scholarship will NOT automatically register you for the symposium. Registration for the event should also be completed at orthodoxmusicsymposium.org/registration. Scholarship winners will be reimbursed for any registration costs incurred.)
Exploring the theme of "Music as Liturgy," the Symposium will feature masterclasses, workshops, liturgical worship, and presentations. The Symposium will feature three days of remote singing, engaging dialogue, and learning from experts in the field of liturgical music - and from each other. The 2020 Symposium will provide fellowship and discourse with other directors, hymnographers, composers, singers, chanters, readers, youth directors, church school teachers, musicians, musicologists, and those interested in Orthodox liturgical music.
Join the over 100 people from around the world who have already registered for the Symposium.
About the Institute of Sacred Arts
The Institute of Sacred Arts at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary explores the intersection of human creativity and holiness. With a theology that is holistic, and a liturgy that unites multiple artistic disciplines and all the human senses, the Orthodox Christian tradition is ripe for the exploration and celebration of the sacred arts. Since its founding in 1938, St. Vladimir’s Seminary has fostered the study of icons, music and liturgy. The Institute of Sacred Arts serves to extend the Seminary’s mission in exploring the mutual relationship between theology and the arts by contributing to the work of people and institutions that practice and reflect on the sacred arts, engaging people and institutions of all backgrounds with Orthodox artistic tradition, and inspiring wider public interest in spirituality and the arts.
About the International Society for Orthodox Church Music
Founded in 2005, the ISOCM seeks to provide an open platform for musicians, musicologists, singers, and composers that encourages dialogue, the exchange of information and ideas, and inspires cooperation. The Society sees the promotion of communication between East and West as one of its priorities and hosts biannual conferences, at the University of Eastern Finland on its Joensuu campus. The Society also hosts regional symposia and gatherings elsewhere throughout the world to help create opportunities for collaboration and the sharing of knowledge in the field of Orthodox liturgical music.
For more information about the ISOCM, visit www.isocm.com.
An opportunity to transform your ministry for the better might sound too good to be true, but that is exactly what St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program was set up to be. And its most recent graduates want you to see fruits of the D.Min. program for yourself.
On Wednesday, April 29, we are continuing our latest round of webinars featuring D.Min. graduates presenting their final projects. These webinars—free and open to the public—are meant to give people a taste of what the D.Min. program offers and what it can do for your ministry.
Registration ends at 10 p.m. Monday, April 27, so register soon if you plan on joining us!
This latest webinar presentation will feature Archpriest Peter Baktis, D.Min., and his project, “Creating an Orthodox Missiological Narrative.” He will present a one-hour webinar exploring how we can better communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ. He asks, “Has the Orthodox Church communicated an authentic, transparent narrative to post-modern existential questions? How do contemporary people hear the language that is commonly used in Orthodox Christian discourse?”
Father Peter Baktis is rector of Mother of God Joy of All Who Sorrow, Princeton, NJ; and a recent graduate of the Doctor of Ministry Program. He is a former Army Chaplain, serving for over 25 years, and represents the Orthodox Church in America at the Interfaith Convening Table of the National Council of Churches. Father Peter is also the current president of the Military Offices Association of America in New Jersey and serves on various national and local boards.
