Hieromartyr Grigol Peradze of Georgia (1889-1942) was a profoundly gifted theologian, historian, and linguist who used his vast knowledge for the sake of others. He preached and published homilies, worked tirelessly to recover and preserve treasures of Georgian Orthodox history and culture, and imitated the Lord he so fervently pursued in his studies as he sacrificed his own life to save others in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz.
In honor of this great martyr, St. Vladimir’s Seminary has established the St. Grigol Peradze Scholarship Fund to support seminarians from the Orthodox Church of Georgia, who desire to serve Christ as he did. And on Sunday, February 16, the Seminary is hosting a free luncheon and Georgian musical performance to raise donations for the scholarship!
Join us for Divine Liturgy at 9 a.m. at the Seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel and the luncheon and performance to follow at the Metropolitan Phillip Auditorium (located in the John G. Rangos Family Foundation Building). The event will also feature special guest His Grace Bishop Saba (Inskirveli) of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church in North America.
This free event supports Georgian Orthodox seminarians studying at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. Donations to the St. Grigol Peradze Scholarship Fund will help pay for students’ tuition and other educational expenses. Match their sacrifice and help create an educated future for the Georgian Church!
Donations to support Georgian Orthodox seminarians may also be made anytime on this page (see below), on our Give Now page (click on the Georgian scholarship fund in the “Designation” options), or by calling St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Office of Advancement at (914) 961-8313 x360.
Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) is now accepting applications for Academic Year 2020-2021 from candidates who want to enroll in its degree programs. The application deadline is April 1, 2020 with a late application deadline of June 1, 2020.
In a major new development, the Seminary is now using an online, cloud-based admissions system. Applicants are no longer required to submit paper-based application forms and documents via physical and/or electronic mail, as in previous years. Applicants are instead required to create an online account on the new admissions system, where they will be able to fill out the standard application form, pay the admissions fee, submit documentation required by the degree program they apply for, track the progress of the admissions process, ask for information and assistance from the Admissions Office, receive and manage their offer of admissions, and pay the required deposits before enrollment.
"Saint Vladimir’s acknowledges the major role played by technology in the twenty-first century and the benefits of its usage, especially in the area of higher education administration," said Alexandru M. Popovici, the Seminary's Academic and Recruitment Advisor. "This is why our institution is starting to use a cloud-based education management system, which will allow us to better manage and track the needs of our students over the course of their entire relationship with us—from the moment they submit an inquiry to their eventual graduation. Regarding admissions, the use of this new system will streamline the process, making it easier for both domestic and international applicants to apply for seminary."
Click here to create your personal account and start the application process.
St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVOTS) celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA)’s autocephaly Thursday on an event-filled Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs. The day included Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, workshops, the annual Father Alexander Schmemann Lecture, and the Seminary’s Mid-Year Commencement.
Following Divine Liturgy and lunch, the Seminary hosted three workshops Thursday afternoon focusing on the theme of autocephaly. Priest Anthony Roeber, the Seminary’s professor of church history, led the first workshop, “Autocephaly: The OCA, the Greek Archdiocese, and Antioch.” His eye-opening and candid lecture shed light on motivations and circumstances leading up to the granting of the Tomos of Autocephaly in 1970 by the Russian Orthodox Church to the OCA (then known as the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America) and addressed the reaction of other Orthodox jurisdictions to the Tomos.
"At one level, we can argue the Tomos was a failure because it did not achieve all of the ends that autocephaly is presumed to serve,” said Fr. Anthony. “I will also argue that, in some respects, the Tomos granting was premature, and I will even more strongly argue that what came out of the Tomos is what's most important in the long run."
Listen to Fr. Anthony Roeber’s lecture in its entirety below.
Archpriest John Parker (SVOTS Class of ’04, ’18), who has served as chair of the OCA’s Department of Evangelization, led the next workshop, titled, “Autocephaly & Evangelism.”
"The change of the name of the autocephalous Orthodox Church in America [in 1970 from the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America] was and is an indicator that this church is here for all….,” said Fr. John. "Autocephaly is an inner evangelism in reminding all Orthodox Christians that, in Christ, Jews and Greeks, Turks and Cretans, Romanians, Latinos, Africans, Asians all find true motherland in the nave and at the chalice."
Listen to Fr. John Parker’s lecture in its entirety below.
The final workshop was led by Bishop Daniel. His lecture explored the importance and canonization of North American saints including St. Herman of Alaska, who was canonized the same year the Tomos of Autocephaly was granted (but decided upon a year earlier). Bishop Daniel’s workshop, titled “Autocephaly & New Saints,” also touched upon the possibility of new North American saints.
"This decision to canonize St. Herman [a year before the granting of autocephaly] was a sign that the then-Metropolia...did indeed understand that it already possessed everything that was necessary for the fullness of Church life, and thus the autocephaly was the formal, canonical confirmation of that fact," said His Grace.
Bishop Daniel added there is ongoing discussion about potential candidates for canonization by the Orthodox Church in America, although no formal action has yet been taken, and there is much work that needs to be done before moving forward. He mentioned two of note among the candidates, Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich, d. 1965) and Matushka Olga Michael of Alaska (d. 1979).
Listen to Bishop Daniel’s lecture in its entirety below.
"The Holy Synod continues to collect stories of the lives, intercessions, and miracles worked by God through these two servants of the Church,” said Bishop Daniel, “and the Church continues to reflect upon their holiness, the significance of their lives and example, and to prayerfully await the day when the Holy Spirit will indicate that it is time to move forward with formal canonizations."
ANNUAL SCHMEMANN LECTURE
In the evening, the 37th Father Alexander Schmemann Lecture was delivered by Archbishop Michael of New York and New Jersey, the secretary of the Holy Synod of Bishops and rector and professor of New Testament and pastoral theology at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Archbishop Michael’s lecture, “The Gift of Autocephaly,” was a heartfelt, passionate reflection of the OCA’s legacy and purpose and how the OCA can take the lead in working toward pan-Orthodox unity in America.
council going to deal with it—the reality is, the Church has to be one."
Coinciding with the celebration of fifty years of autocephaly was the launch of preorders for a special, commemorative book edited by Seminary Academic Dean Dr. Alexandru Tudorie and published by SVS Press. The book, The Time Has Come, is expected to launch to the general public in the coming weeks.
MID-YEAR COMMENCEMENT
The Seminary’s Mid-Year Commencement Ceremony followed the Schmemann Lecture. The Seminary granted degrees to one Master of Arts (M.A.) student, Michael Kupec, Jr (in absentia) and four Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) candidates: Archpriest Peter Baktis, Priests Teo Merras and Theophan Whitfield, and Sarah Byrne-Martelli.
Byrne-Martelli, a Board Certified Chaplain endorsed by the Antiochian Archdiocese, became the first woman to graduate from the D.Min. program in its current format.
“I appreciate how St. Vladimir's has been intentional about including men and women serving in all different types of ministries for this program….," she said.
"The carefully chosen course material and written reflections brought new meaning and infused new life into my daily work."
Each of Byrne-Martelli’s fellow D.Min. graduates also spoke at the commencement ceremony. The final graduate to speak, Priest Theophan Whitfield, who also holds an M.Div. from St. Vladimir’s (’10), stressed how much he believed in the D.Min. program’s “dual-focus”: receiving wisdom as students from the faculty and convening as a cohort with other ministers to share experiences and discuss challenges in ministry.
"Pastors need to gather and share wisdom, because when that happens, the craft of ministry is improved, it's sharpened, and we are able to better go out into the world and face those challenges that we do, in fact, meet there," said Fr. Theophan.
The evening concluded with words from His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon.
"Faith in Jesus Christ and a constant renewal of this faith is what we are called to do in the Church,” said His Beatitude. “For fifty years of autocephaly and, indeed, from the first days of the Alaskan mission, we have climbed this high mountain of faith. To the glory of God, we have also descended this mountain and labored in this land....
"To all who have labored, who are laboring, and who will labor, be assured that our Lord God will remember what has been done to His glory in the Church in this land."
On Friday, members of St. Vladimir’s and St. Tikhon’s Orthodox seminaries joined His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon and other Orthodox hierarchs and faithful at the 47th March for Life in Washington, D.C. There, they marched alongside tens of thousands of men, women, and children rallying for the lives of the unborn lost to abortion.
At the March, Metropolitan Tikhon led the group of Orthodox faithful in a prayer service for the innocent children whose lives have been taken.
“Today, we march in solidarity with many others from across our nation to show our government leaders our commitment to life—to life that begins from the very moment of conception,” His Beatitude said following the prayer service. “As we march today, we sing praises to God, our God Who does wonders, praying that He work His wonders and move the heart of our nation to repentance.”
The delegation from St. Vladimir’s Seminary, led by Seminary President Archpriest Chad Hatfield, was organized by the school’s St. Ambrose Society, a pro-life student interest group.
(Some information for this article has been reprinted from OCA.org)
St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) hosted its first intramural Academic Symposium Friday to highlight outstanding papers written by seminarians.
Seminary faculty, led by Academic Dean Dr. Alexandru Tudorie, nominated seven papers to be featured during the Symposium—some of which will be selected later for publication in an upcoming edition of the Seminary’s periodical, the St. Vladimir’s Theological Journal (previously the "Quarterly").
“What really encouraged [us] to prepare this event was the opportunity to reinvigorate academic exchange among the student body and between students and faculty….” said Dr. Tudorie. “The goal is not to create an environment of competitiveness and jealousy but to offer a platform for mutual learning, support, and recognition.”
During his welcome address, Dr. Tudorie thanked second-year Seminarian Asha Mathai, one of the Symposium’s student organizers, for providing the initial inspiration for the event. Mathai had emailed him several months prior to ask if a conference featuring seminarians would be possible.
“I wanted to see our classmates be able to present their papers, and one of our co-organizers proposed they could then be published in the Theological Journal,” said Mathai. “Sometimes you write an assignment, and it just goes into your computer and you never look at it again. But with this Symposium, your paper could be repurposed for something greater that others could benefit from.”
Five of Mathai’s fellow seminarians presented papers at the first Academic Symposium (two seminarians were asked to deliver two papers each). Faculty member Dr. Tracy Gustilo delivered the keynote address, “Becoming Human, Becoming God: From Slavery to Freedom to Divine Captivation.”
"For me, it was a moment of great accomplishment, for which, first of all, l wish to thank God,” said second-year Seminarian Tiberiu Opriş, who delivered his paper, “Richard Hays’ ‘Reading backwards’ and the Orthodox reflection on Scripture,” at the Symposium. “It was also an experience from which I learned a lot, seeing that after the Symposium ended, I got a lot of feedback that I am sure will help me in my future presentations. I also enjoyed hearing the presentations of my other colleagues, from whom I was able to pick up many new things.”
The Seminary plans to host the Academic Symposium twice every academic year. Although the Symposium is currently an intramural event, the school plans to invite other Orthodox seminaries to participate in the future.
Saint Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press has released the second volume of Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev’s monumental series on the life and message of Jesus.
Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching, Vol. 2 focuses on the Sermon on the Mount, examining the Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer, and other teachings of the Lord in light of both current scholarship and the Church’s perennial tradition.
Like the first volume in the series—endorsed by well-known scholars including Pope Benedict XVI and Metropolitan Kallistos Ware—Metropolitan Hilarion’s new work is garnering high praise.
“Metropolitan Hilarion…explains the Sermon on the Mount in language that will be both appreciated by students of sacred Scriptures and understood by more casual readers,” said Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. “This book continually points to the person of Jesus Christ as the one who not only delivered the Sermon, but also personally lived out every facet of it, something we are all encouraged to emulate.
“I wholeheartedly recommend this volume as an important addition to the scholarship of Jesus.”
Craig S. Keener, Ph.D., of Asbury Theological Seminary said the new work “offers fresh intertextual, canonical, and exegetical perspectives” on the Sermon.
“Unlike works that engage exclusively modern opinions,” added Keener, “this volume helpfully draws on the range of interpreters through history, engaging the Church’s longer tradition.”
SVS Press plans to release the remaining four volumes of Metropolitan Hilarion’s series on the life and message of Jesus as they are translated into English. The production and publication of the first and second volumes of Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching were sponsored in part by donors.
Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev is the chairman of the Department of External Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. He has authored numerous works on theology and church history, and is an internationally recognized composer of liturgical music. Several of his works are available through SVS Press, including his landmark Orthodox Christianity series and Christ the Conqueror of Hell.
Faculty, staff, and seminarians gathered Monday to say goodbye to Archpriest David Mezynski, who is stepping down as St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s director of formation. Father David has accepted a counseling position in Rochester, NY, where he will be closer to family.
Father David is a graduate of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (’04), and served as the dean of students there from 2005 to 2009. He has worked at St. Vladimir’s since 2009 as dean of students, assistant professor of Orthodox spirituality, and director of formation. He holds a Ph.D. and MSW from Fordham University in New York.
“Fr. David spent more than a decade at St. Vladimir’s, and we are incredibly thankful for his faithful service here,” said Archpriest Chad Hatfield, president of the Seminary. “His kindness and calming presence will be missed!”
The community of St. Vladimir’s Seminary wishes Archpriest David many years!
Registration is now open for the 2020 Pan-Orthodox Music Symposium, which will take place Wednesday, June 10 through Sunday, June 14, 2020 on the campus of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS).
The event, co-hosted by SVOTS and the International Society for Orthodox Church Music (ISOCM), will explore the theme of “Music as Liturgy,” with masterclasses, keynote presentations, and workshops. The event is designed for choir directors, singers, chanters, composers, musicologists, church school teachers, clergy, youth leaders, readers, and those interested in developing their liturgical music skill sets.
“This Symposium, hosted in collaboration with St. Vladimir’s, represents an exciting new development for both ISOCM and the Seminary in the promotion and understanding of Orthodox church music in the English-speaking world,” said Protopresbyter Ivan Moody, chair of the ISOCM board.
Masterclass topics include:
Vocal Techniques
Choral Leadership
Introduction to Liturgical Conducting
Advanced Liturgical Conducting
Byzantine Chant for Beginners
Advance Byzantine Chant
Composing in the Orthodox Context
Engaging Young People with Music
Each masterclass will provide participants with more than six hours of concentrated learning over three days, taught by experts in the field of liturgical music.
Workshop sessions will explore other themes for application in parish life:
Introduction to liturgical theology
Training for reading and chanting
Arranging settings for voices
Achieving a unified choral sound
Para-liturgical activities
Choosing the repertoire for your choir
Key Note Presentations include:
Music as Liturgy
Liturgy as Music
Liturgy, Music, and the Cathedra
“What’s unique about this gathering, among the many other church-music events, is the range of offerings,” said Dr. Peter Bouteneff, professor of Systematic Theology at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. “I can hardly think of anyone involved in church music at any level or from any chant tradition who will not gain from our time together. That said, perhaps the people who will benefit the most are singers, choir directors, and composers seeking to ‘up their game.’”
Find the full schedule, presentation abstracts, speaker biographies, and information about registration fees and hotel reservations at orthodoxmusicsymposium.org.
Seating is limited for some of the masterclasses, so early registration is encouraged. Participants who complete their registration before March 15, 2020 will receive a discounted rate.
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.
Update: 5/21/20 - Registration for the Pan-Orthodox Music Symposium is now closed.
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Discover “Music as Liturgy” this summer—from home! Plans for the 2020 Pan-Orthodox Music Symposium have been reconfigured to a global online format on Thursday, June 11 through Saturday, June 13, 2020.
The event, cohosted by St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) and the International Society for Orthodox Church Music (ISOCM), will explore the theme of “Music as Liturgy” with masterclasses, keynote presentations, and workshops.
The Symposium, centered this year on the theme of “Music as Liturgy,” is designed for choir directors, singers, chanters, composers, musicologists, church school teachers, clergy, youth leaders, readers, and anyone interested in developing their liturgical music skill sets.
Masterclass topics include:
Vocal Techniques
Choral Leadership
Introduction to Liturgical Conducting
Advanced Liturgical Conducting
Byzantine Chant for Beginners
Advanced Byzantine Chant
Composing in the Orthodox Context
Engaging Young People with Music
Workshop sessions will explore other themes for application in parish life:
Introduction to liturgical theology
Training for reading and chanting
Arranging settings for voices
Achieving a unified choral sound
Para-liturgical activities
The spiritual dimensions of the Church musician
Keynote Presentations include:
Music as Liturgy: Models from Ancient Syriac Christianity
The organizers at St. Vladimir’s Seminary and ISOCM look forward to welcoming you to what promises to be an incredible Pan-Orthodox Music Symposium this summer!
The Nativity season was once again made a little brighter this year for families at St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVOTS) thanks to The Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America (FOCA). In the Spirit of St. Nicholas, FOCA helped fulfill wish lists for married seminarians and their children in the month of December.
FOCA has sponsored the St. Nicholas Wish List Project since 2000, matching chapters and parishes from all over the country with seminary families from both St. Vladimir's and St. Tikhon's Seminary. Items from wish lists range from gift cards to local grocery, gas stations, and other stores to clothing and household goods, school supplies for the seminarians, and gifts for the children.
FOCA is an official organization of the Orthodox Church in America. Fulfilling wish lists is one of many ways FOCA supports seminaries and a number of other causes around the country and abroad. Learn more about FOCA and how to get involved on the organization’s website, here.
