Our seminary’s oldest living alumnus, the Very Reverend Paul Shafran (Class of 1945), was honored on Saturday, October 28, 2017, along with his gracious wife, Matushka Mary, in celebration of the 70th anniversary of Fr. Paul’s ordination to the Holy Priesthood, the couple’s 70th wedding anniversary, and their faithful service to the Church. Although the celebratory event for the Shafrans was held in October, the actual anniversary date of Fr. Paul’s ordination is December 28, and their wedding anniversary date is November 27.

During the fall celebration, which took place at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Church, Trenton, NJ, where Fr. Paul served as pastor for more than five decades and now is Pastor Emeritus, the couple was presented with a surprise gift: the announcement of an endowed seminary fund established in their name: “The Very Reverend Paul and Matushka Mary Shafran Endowment.” The endowment will provide funds to benefit all aspects of student life at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. (Learn more about the inception of the Shafran Endowment, here.)

Among the 135 guests on hand to honor the Shafrans were the Very Reverend Joseph Lickwar, chancellor of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, Orthodox Church in America; Fr. Paul and Mat. Mary’s family members, and current and former parishioners; and several clergy, including the Reverend Volodymyr Chaikivskyi, current rector in the Trenton parish. Also on hand were many well-wishers from St. Vladimir’s Seminary, including seminary President the Very Reverend Dr. Chad Hatfield; Senior Advisor for Advancement Theodore Bazil; Trustee Emeritus Anthony Kasmer and current Trustees Tatiana and Jeff Hoff; and visiting seminarians. His Eminence the Most Reverend Michael, archbishop of New York City and the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, could not attend due to an unexpected archpastoral responsibility. In his stead, Fr. Lickwar presented Fr. Paul and Mat. Mary with gramotas signed by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America, and members of the Holy Synod of Bishops, commending their 70 years of service to the Church and their 70 years of marriage.  He also read two letters from Archbishop Michael, similarly commending the couple.

The celebration began with Divine Liturgy and was followed by a banquet in the parish’s “Daria Hall.” Speakers feting Fr. Paul and Mat. Mary included the Very Reverend Daniel Skvir, a long-time friend of the Shafrans, who also served as Master of Ceremonies, and Fathers Joseph Lickwar, Volodymyr Chaikivskyi, and Chad Hatfield. Numerous parishioners, family members, and other guests spoke during the “open mic” segment of the program, offering both humorous and tender vignettes about the Shafrans. (View the full program here, which includes a handwritten note from Protopresbyter Thomas and Mat. Ann Hopko on the occasion of Fr. Paul’s 65th anniversary of ordination.)

In his remarks, Fr. Chad praised Fr. Paul and Mat. Mary for their dedication to St. Vladimir’s Seminary, to their parish, and to the Church, prior to announcing the establishment of the endowed fund in the Shafrans’ name. Calling Fr. Paul “the gold standard of the conduct of a priest,” Fr. Chad commended him for blending “the theological with that which is practical” throughout his ministry and for loving his people. These traits, Fr. Chad noted, are the “marks of a great priest.” (View a video of Fr. Chad’s full remarks here.)

Father Paul has served the Seminary for more than 60 years. During the deanship of the Very Reverend Dr. Georges Florovsky [1949–1955], he served as Instructor of Liturgics at St. Vladimir’s, beginning in 1951. Now a Trustee Emeritus of the Seminary, Fr. Paul also accomplished much in his capacity as a Board of Trustees member over the decades. (He is the Seminary’s longest-serving Trustee.) He was instrumental, for example, in acquiring two important collections for the seminary library: part of Fr. Florovsky’s private collection and the personal library of Archimandrite Anthony Repella. He and Mat. Mary continue to be generous supporters of the Seminary.

Our entire seminary community thanks Fr. Paul and Mat. Mary for their service and support, and wishes them many blessed years!

View a gallery of photos of the celebration, taken by: Irakli Chikhladze, Fr. Chad Hatfield, Tatiana Hoff, Mat. Sandy Kopestonsky, and Nina Shafran.

View several videos of interviews with Fr. Paul and Mat. Mary, describing their life-long ministry here. The videos are part of the “Gift and Grace: Stories of Orthodox Clergy and Their Wives” series, a project of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, OCA, created by the Very Reverend John Shimchick.

Do you wish to donate to the “The Very Reverend Paul and Matushka Mary Shafran Endowment”? You may do so directly online here; just indicate your intent in the “Designation” category in the drop-down menu at the bottom of the donation page. Or, you may make a pledge to the fund here; simply download and complete the form, and mail it to the Seminary as indicated.

Memory Eternal!

Archpriest Alvian Smirensky, 88, and his wife, Matushka Helen [Kefeli] Smirensky, 84, fell asleep in the Lord in adjoining beds at Albany Medical Center within hours of one another on Sunday morning, December 10, 2017.

Father Alvian received his diploma from St. Vladimir's Seminary in June 1957. His diploma was retroactively "upgraded" to the Master of Divinity degree in 1976, as were the diplomas of many of the Seminary's earlier graduates. Father Alvian then came back to St. Vladimir's as a part-time student in 1991, and graduated with the Master of Theology degree in May 1995. His thesis was "Matrimonial Legislation in Imperial Russia." 

Father Alvian was born on May 11, 1929 in Harbin, China to Sophia and Nicholas Smirensky. He attended elementary school in Japanese-occupied Manchuria. With conflict increasing between Japan and China, Alvian emigrated with his mother, Sophia, in September 1939, where they settled in San Francisco. He graduated from Saint Ignatius High School in San Francisco in 1948 and later from the Merchant Marine Academy. He served as a naval officer in the Korean Conflict from 1951-1954 on the Destroyer USS John A. Bole. He retired from military service with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. After service in Korea, he moved to New York City to attended St. Vladimir’s Seminary from 1954-1957, and was ordained as a priest in the Russian Orthodox Church on September 13, 1958. Father Alvian served in the U.S. Naval Reserve as a chaplain and as a parish priest in a number of locations, including Sts. Peter & Paul Orthodox Church in Meriden, CT; the Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Wayne, NJ; Saint Basil’s Orthodox Church in Maplewood, NY; Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church in Cohoes, NY; and Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Albany, NY. When Father Alvian retired from parish service, he became attached to the Holy Wisdom Temple, New Skete Monastery. He also served in State government, retiring in 1991 as Director of Information Services for the New York State and Local Retirement Systems.

Matushka Helen was born on November 3, 1933 in Prague, Czechoslovakia to Michael and Elizabeth Kefeli. Helen and her extended family lived in Prague through the German occupation and World War II. They left Prague prior to the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia and lived in a series of displaced persons camps in Germany until November 1949, when, with the sponsorship of the Tolstoy Foundation, Matushka Helen emigrated to the United States with her family and settled in Nyack, NY. She received an undergraduate degree from Barnard College in 1957 majoring in Russian Regional Studies. Later in life, after many years of working in libraries, Matushka Helen completed her Master of Library Science degree in 1985 at SUNY Albany’s School of Library Science. She was a member of the Beta Phi Mu International Library and Information Studies Honor Society. She was employed as a cataloger at SUNY Albany and retired as a senior librarian from the New York State library in 1996. She served as the New York State Library’s representative to the CONSER Operations Committee for a number of years. Matushka Helen loved to read and knit afghans for family and friends and for sick and abused children. She knitted more than 160 afghans.

The Funeral for Father Alvian and Matushka Helen will begin at 10:00 a.m., followed by Divine Liturgy at 11:00 a.m. at New Skete Monastery, 273 New Skete Lane, Cambridge, NY. Interment will follow in the New Skete Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be in their memory to the National Health Law Program (www.healthlaw.org) or to New Skete Monasteries (www.newskete.org). To offer condolences to the family, please visit www.gariepyfuneralhomes.com. Arrangements are with the McClellan-Gariepy Funeral Home, Inc., Salem.

May the memory of Fr. Alvian and Matushka Helen be eternal.

During the week of Sunday, December 3, 2017, St. Vladimir’s Seminary joins in a momentous celebration: the 100th anniversary of the enthronement of Metropolitan Tikhon as Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus, which occurred exactly on December 3, 1917. Metropolitan Tikhon’s remarkable legacy included not only his extremely difficult labor as head of the Church of Russia from 1917—at the start of the Bolshevik Revolution—until his repose in 1925, but also his earlier ministry as head of the Russian Orthodox Diocese in North America in the early 20th century.

The Church of Russia glorified him as a saint in 1989, and Orthodox Christians of the many jurisdictions in North America equally venerate him. During his tenure in North America, he envisioned a future Orthodox Church in the New World, that would include all the national Orthodox communities—Russian, Arabic, Greek, Serbian, Romanian, et cetera—united in one Archdiocese.

St. Tikhon’s legacy is especially meaningful to us here at St. Vladimir’s.

From its beginning in 1938, our school has been guided by the same vision for Orthodox unity and evangelical fervor that St. Tikhon embraced. In our classrooms, in our refectory, and in our chapel, seminarians from all Orthodox jurisdictions interact, converse, sup, and pray together. Our communal life mirrors a unified Orthodox Church with one common goal: to shed abroad the light of Christ. We have the privilege of living daily, experiencing hourly, the hopes and dreams of this humble, gentle saint.

Here are seminary-related resources that celebrate the legacy of St. Tikhon—his life and prophetic wisdom:

• On October 1, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, seminary President, spoke about Patriarch Tikhon’s bold vision to the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in Connecticut (FORCC), a pan-Orthodox group committed to working toward unity and sharing the gospel. On the occasion of their 24th Anniversary Banquet, Fr. Chad reminded them of St. Tikhon’s commitment to an ethnically diverse yet united Orthodox Church and of his passionate desire for a strong evangelical witness to and in America. (Listen to his entire presentation about St. Tikhon and Orthodox unity here.)
• On December 2, the spiritual head of our school and Board Chair, Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America, addressed the Bishops Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, in Moscow, honoring St. Tikhon’s foresight and loving leadership. (Read his insightful remarks here.) (View a video of his remarks here.)
• On December 3, our alumnus, Archbishop Benjamin (M.Div. ’82), who now presides at Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco—which was once presided over by St. Tikhon—visited our campus. His Eminence served the Divine Liturgy and delivered a homily, reading the Salutatory Address offered by St. Tikhon on December 23, 1898, upon his accession to the Episcopal See of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. (Read the entire text of St. Tikhon’s address, titled, “On Cooperation in the Church,” here.)
• On December 3, the Seminary Chorale performed a concert titled “Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs,” in Three Hierarchs Chapel in honor of St. Tikhon’s enthronement and the restoration of the patriarchal system of church governance that had been abolished by Tsar Peter the Great two centuries earlier.

(View a video of the Chorale working hard to prepare  for the concert, under the direction of Mat Robin Freeman,  Director of  Music at the Seminary.)

Holy Father St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and Enlightener of North America, pray to God for us!

[Image: reprinted from OrthoChristian.com]

Today, December 4 (November 21 on the Julian Calendar) marks the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Enthronement as Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus of St. Tikhon (née Ioann Belavin), who now bears the title of “Patriarch of Moscow and Apostle to America.” His enthronement restored the patriarchal system of church governance that had been abolished by Tsar Peter the Great two centuries earlier.

On October 1, 2017, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, president of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, addressed members of the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in Connecticut (FORCC), a lay group committed to pan-Orthodox cooperation, on the occasion of their 24th Annual Benefit Banquet. In his presentation, Fr. Chad used the writings and evangelical vision of St. Tikhon, regarding a united Orthodox presence in the New World. We are sharing Fr. Chad’s talk on the occasion of this momentous anniversary; you may listen to the podcast here.

Fr. Chad encouraged the faithful to ask: “What can I do set in action and motion the steps that need to be taken in order to complete his vision? What can I do to make a faithful witness? What can I do to join the saint who loved America, and literally gave his life for her? What can I do to serve the Church as he served the Church here, serving it in the name of our Lord—and who has called us to unity in Christ?

“Ask in your prayers what needs to be done by you individually, and corporately through gatherings like this one,” he encouraged. “Ask yourselves what our various churches and parishes can do, our dioceses, our archdioceses, our metropolitanates, to achieve an end to the division and brokenness that the events of history have created and we now live with and accept.

“Pan-orthodox unity: truth or fiction?,” he concluded. “If we do nothing else, we can utter the words, ‘Holy Tikhon, pray unto God for us.’”

The Reverend Dr. Eugen J. Pentiuc, internationally renowned Old Testament scholar, will be honored Sunday, November 19, at a book launch celebrating the forthcoming publication of his latest work, titled, Hosea: The Word of the Lord that Happened to Hosea (Peeters Publishers). Father Pentiuc is both Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and Professor of Scripture and Semitic Languages at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. Holy Cross Seminary and the famous biblical school, École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem, will co-host the fete on the seminary campus in Brookline, MA, in Dowd Hall at 1 p.m.

Father Pentiuc’s new monograph is published under the auspices of the École, under the meticulous direction of Father Olivier-Thomas Venard, O.P., and it represents the tireless work of a group of international biblical scholars. Father Pentiuc was the main author and team leader of the Hosea project.

Hosea is the second volume, after Philippians (Peeters, 2016), to appear in the newly created B.E.S.T. (acronym for La Bible en Ses Traditions =The Bible in Its Traditions) series, recently launched by the École. Creating a B.E.S.T. volume entails a collaborative online platform that brings together dozens of researchers and scholars, working across 29 categories of annotation: Jewish studies, patrology, Ancient Near East studies, archeology, liturgy, and so forth. The series’s new and expanded digital format continues the École’s mission to transmit the Scriptures to the general public; the École created the first Study Bible, La Bible de Jérusalem, also known as The New Jerusalem Bible, in 1956 (Cerf).

The new digital Study Bible offers the modern reader a fresh scriptural translation based on the Old Greek (Septuagint and second-century A.D. Jewish translations), Hebrew (Qumran and Masoretic), Syriac (Peshitta), and Latin (Vulgate) texts, accompanied by a wide variety of study notes divided into three sections: text, context, and reception. These notes cover various interpretive aspects: from mere textual, lexical, and literary glosses to sophisticated Jewish and Christian patristic and liturgical commentaries and theological treatises, and further including modern and secular forms of scriptural usage (e.g., literature, visual arts, music, dance, cinema and television). (View a video summarizing B.E.S.T. project, here.)

The layout for each volume in the B.E.S.T. series (See the Hosea volume layout, here.) attempts to imitate the Medieval Glossa Ordinaria (“Standard Gloss”), consisting of patristic annotations placed in the margins of the Latin Vulgate of Jerome. This ingenious layout emphasizes the polyphonic centrality of the biblical text as well as the irreducibility of the rich and multifaceted interpretations generated by the text in various communities of faith throughout the centuries.

In the Introduction to the new volume, Series Editor Father Venard writes of Father Pentiuc’s contribution: “The impulse given to our work by Professor Eugen J. Pentiuc, an internationally recognized West Semitist (Pentiuc 2001), has brought to the present writing its clearly philological contour, perseverance in formulating historical hypotheses throughout Hosea’s ancient prophecies (Pentiuc 2002), and an emphasis on the present-day relevance of Hosea’s teaching on the true personality of God, whose intimacy with the human being went even to the Incarnation (Pentiuc 2006).”

Dr. James C. Skedros, the Dean of Holy Cross, noted, “During four working summers between 2010 and 2016, as ‘researcher-in-residence’ at École Biblique in Jerusalem, Father Pentiuc, an internationally recognized biblical scholar and Semitist, has proved one more time his refreshing creativity, deep erudition, and passionate love for the Word of God. With this ecumenical-in-scope publication, Father Pentiuc has brought great honor to Holy Cross and to Orthodox biblical scholarship. Thank you, Father Eugen, for your tireless work and genuine dedication to our school!”

[revised and reprinted from the website of Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, with permission: http://www.hchc.edu].

more information about the B.E.S.T. series.

• B.E.S.T. Project official website: https://bibletraditions.org/
• Video about “The École Biblique (B.E.S.T.)”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZNigOlZ3Sg
• Video, titled, “Invitation by Olivier-Thomas Venard, O.P. to the Two Orthodox Seminaries in the USA”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZMgCo3DitU&t=27s
• Video of Father Eugen J. Pentiuc, “The Book of Hosea: From Iron Age to the Digital Age” (Talk at the Scripture and Theology 2017 Colloquium, Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto):
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT9yi8TKtUw&t=284s
• Video of Father Eugen J. Pentiuc, “Introducing the B.E.S.T. Digital Study Bible Project”:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQPVM23nnSg&t=1149s

With faith in Christ and in the hope of resurrection, we share of the passing away of our alumnus, His Grace Dr. Zachariah Mar Theophilos, Metropolitan of the Malabar Diocese, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, on Tuesday, October 24, 2017.

His Grace, a member of St. George Orthodox Church, Chengaroor, was born on September 16, 1952, to Mr. MP Chandapillai and Mrs. Achamma Chandapillai, Manjanamkuzhiyil, Puthussery South Post, Kallupara, Thiruvalla. He had his early education in local schools at Kallupara, and college education at Marthoma College, Thiruvalla. After taking his Bachelors Degree in Science (BSc Maths) from the University of Kerala, he enrolled in the Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam, for theological studies. After earning his Graduate Degree in Sacred Theology (GST) there, he earned the Bachelor of Divinity (BD) degree at the Senate of Serampore University. After taking his M.Th. there, he completed research studies on the topic, "The Bible and the Holy Land, Past and Present," at St. George College, Jerusalem. He earned his Doctor of Ministry degree at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in 1998; his doctoral thesis was titled, "Strengthening Prayer Life in Indian Orthodox Syrian Christian Parishes in America."

His Grace was widely travelled in the Gulf and European countries. He received the order of Deacon from His Grace Yoohanon Mar Severios in 1977. On May 15, 1991, His Grace Dr. Philipose Mar Theophilose Metropolitan ordained him a Priest at St. George Orthodox Church, Chengannur. He served the Church as fulltime General Secretary of MGOCSM from 1999 onward and held the post of Warden, Student Centre, Trivandrum and Kottayam, Visiting Faculty of St. Basil Bible School, Sasthamcotta, and Governing Board Member of Thadakam and Manganam Ashrams.

When His Grace was studying at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, he offered his pastoral services at some of the parishes of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Diocese. His Grace was instrumental in the strengthening of the MGOCSM (youth ministry department) of the Malankara Church, when he served as its General Secretary.

His Grace Zachariah Mar Nicholovos conveyed the prayerful condolences of the clergy and faithful of the Northeast American Diocese. Memorial prayers were offered at all of the MOSC parishes in the Diocese of Malabar in India. Additionally, prayers were held at St. Basil Orthodox Church, St. Thomas Orthodox Church, and St. Gregorios Orthodox Church in New York and New Jersey.

Let us keep the newly departed Metropolitan in our prayers, especially the grieving Diocese of Malabar. May the memory of His Grace Dr. Zachariah Mar Theophilos, be eternal!

Many Orthodox Christians are familiar with decrees, proclamations, canons, and doctrines promulgated by the major Ecumenical Councils of the Church and other local synods. But they rarely wonder: "Who drafted the texts I'm reading? What method did the drafter use?”

To answer those questions Archpriest Alexander Rentel, assistant professor of Canon Law at St. Vladimir's Seminary, is offering a course to seminarians Spring Semester 2018 titled, “Contemporary Issues in Canon Law.” The class will provide seminarians an opportunity to study conciliar theology and the conciliar process that began in the twentieth-century and led to the Council in Crete in 2016. After this reflection, the class will become hands-on and seminarians will collaborate on drafting a message from a mock council.

In this, they will work with a visiting expert, the Reverend Dr. Protopresbyter Nicolas Kazarian, who assisted the drafters of the Message and Encyclical promulgated by the Council of Crete (June 19–26, 2016). This practical work will allow the seminarians to ensure the “lost art” of notating proceedings and drafting accurate statements of conciliar meetings. Funding for the guest lecturer is provided by a grant award from the Ganister Orthodox Foundation Fund, a fund of the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania.

“Church councils and synods formulate dogmatic teachings and canons for two reasons,” said Fr. Alexander. “One, to fight against heresies and schisms; and two, to promote the common and unifying tradition of the Church found in Scripture and patristic writings.

“Clergy and laity—since the inception of the Church—have depended on these formulations for many reasons,” he explained, “including, clear knowledge, pastoral direction, church order, and liturgical guidance.

“For example,” he remarked, “these formulations help us answer questions like: What do we believe about the divinity of Jesus Christ?, How does the priest perform an inter-faith marriage?, or, How do we celebrate Annunciation within the Great Fast?.”

Father Alexander Rentel will be the course instructor and facilitator of all class work. He participated in the Council of Crete as a member of the Press Office of the Ecumenical Patriarch. Father Nicolas, who is a research associate at the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (Paris, France), and a priest in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, will collaborate with Fr. Alexander for the last three classes. He will introduce the process of drafting a conciliar message and will then oversee the drafting of such a message by the students. Father Nicolas was also a member of the Press Office of the Ecumenical Patriarch at the Council of Crete.

“Through this course,” Fr. Alexander concluded, “we want to ensure that future church leaders know how to record church proceedings and how to apply church decrees, and I am wonderfully heartened by the fact that we will have Fr. Nicolas—an expert in this field—teaching our seminarians.

Our well-known and much-loved alumnus, The Mitered Archpriest Michael Margitich, Pastor Emeritus of Saint Seraphim of Sarov Cathedral, Santa Rosa, CA, fell asleep in the Lord on Saturday, November 11, 2017—Veterans Day. Father Michael was born in Shenandoah, PA, on November 29, 1928, to William [Vasili] and Anna Margitich, émigrés from Carpatho-Russia. His father was a cantor in Uzhorod before coming to the U.S. He attended Saint Vladimir’s Seminary and Columbia University, New York, NY concurrently, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1953.

He married the former Eleanor Gogats on June 14, 1952, at his home parish of the Holy Assumption, Clifton, NJ. On July 18 of the following year, he was ordained to the priesthood in Cumberland, RI, by His Eminence, Archbishop Dmitri [Magan] and was assigned to All Saints Church, Hartford, CT, where he served for one year before becoming a US Air Force Chaplain in 1954. He achieved the rank of full colonel after serving for 30 years.

Father Michael served at several Air Force bases, including Parks AFB, Pleasanton, CA; Weisbaden AFB, Germany; and Keesler AFB, Biloxi, MS, where he was able to procure and move an Air Force base chapel for use by the Orthodox community. He was next assigned to Saigon, Vietnam in 1966–1967, and later Lowry AFB, Denver, CO; Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, AL; Hickam AFB, Honolulu; Travis AFB, Fairfield, CA; Maxwell AFB, Bellevue, IL; Andrews AFB, Washington DC; and Hanscom Field, Lexington, MA. At each of these facilities he provided liturgical services for Orthodox military personnel, as well as counseling and pastoral care for those who found in him a good and loving father. He always made an effort to establish friendships with local Orthodox clergy wherever he was posted.

Following his retirement from the military on November 11, 1984, in Massachusetts, Father Michael and Matushka Eleanor moved to Kingston, MA, to oversee the budding Mission of Saint Mark of Ephesus in the Diocese of New England. Very quickly, he was able to acquire a church building, no longer being used by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, and oversaw the growth of the mission. In 1989, the Margitiches moved to Santa Rosa, CA to be near family. He was assigned by His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of the West to serve as chaplain for the Nuns at the Monastery at Point Reyes, CA. He also served as the Confessor for the Nuns at Kazan Skete, Santa Rosa, CA after the repose of Archimandrite Dimitri. In 1990, he was named Rector of the Protection of the Holy Virgin Parish, Santa Rosa, where he organized the funding, design and construction of Saint Seraphim Church in 1996. While he retired as Rector on December 31, 1998, he continued to serve, counsel, work and support the parish in every way possible during its critical years of growth.

Father Michael was preceded in death by his brothers Archpriest John, Deacon Joseph, and Steven. He is survived by his wife, Matushka Eleanor; daughter Irene [Nevis]; son Archpriest Lawrence Margitich [Ann]; son Mark [Gina]; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; brothers Emil, George, and Basil; and sisters Helen and Ann. He was loved by many and will be missed by all.

The Funeral Service for a Priest will be celebrated at Santa Rosa’s Saint Seraphim Cathedral on Tuesday, November 14, at 6:00 p.m. The Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at the cathedral on Wednesday, November 15, at 9:30 a.m., followed by interment at Healdsburg Cemetery. Donations in Father Michael’s memory may be made to Saint Seraphim Cathedral, 90 Mountain View Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95407-8201.

May Father Michael’s memory be eternal!

[The content of this story was originally published on oca.org.]

The Board of Trustees of St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary has resolved to open the search for the vacant position of the Academic Dean of the Seminary.

St Vladimir’s is a graduate theological school that is chartered by the Regents of the University of the State of New York. The Seminary’s degree programs are registered by the New York State Education Department and accredited nationally by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. The Seminary serves Christ and his Church through education and scholarship by preparing future priests and church leaders, continuing the task of theological reflection and scholarship, and providing expertise and resources for the Church and the world.

From its establishment in 1938, St Vladimir’s Seminary has been committed to maintaining the highest levels of theological scholarship and pastoral formation, to advancing a pan-Orthodox vision for the Church in this country, and to addressing the challenges of life in the contemporary world.

The Position

The Academic Dean of the Seminary is the Chief Academic Officer, whose primary responsibilities are to lead and supervise the faculty and to oversee all academic activities of the Seminary, under the supervision of the President of the Seminary. The Academic Dean is appointed by the Board of Trustees and reports directly to the President of the Seminary.

Those considered for the position of Academic Dean will 1) be active participants in the sacramental life of the Eastern Orthodox Church, 2) possess the academic credentials necessary for appointment at the rank of Professor on the Seminary faculty, 3) possess demonstrated ability to manage academic faculty and promote their development and productivity, and 4) have the skills necessary to advance the academic mission and current programs of the Seminary as well as to develop new programs to meet the needs of the Church and the world in the 21st century.  The Academic Dean works with the President, the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, and students in continual support of the official mission of the Seminary:

St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary serves Christ, his Church, and the world through Orthodox Christian theological education, research, and scholarship, and the promotion of inter-Orthodox cooperation. In this way, the Seminary prepares students for ministry as bishops, priests, deacons, lay leaders, and scholars so that they may build up Orthodox communities, foster Church growth through mission and evangelism, teach the Orthodox faith, and care for those in need.

Experience and Personal Attributes

The Seminary seeks applications from qualified respondents with the following experience and characteristics:

•  Deep acquaintance and experience with the theological tradition of the Orthodox Church

•  Willingness and ability to support productive relationships among the various Orthodox jurisdictions and the wider Christian sphere

•  A desire to embody the values of the Seminary and the ability to express a compelling vision for its life and purpose

•  The capacity to build effective relationships and cultivate a supportive and productive learning environment for faculty, staff, and students

•  An established reputation for academic excellence

Application

Information about St Vladimir’s and its programs is available at www.svots.edu.  Qualified applicants should send a letter of interest addressing their background and experience as these relate to the position description to His Beatitude, The Most Blessed Tikhon, Orthodox Church in America, P.O. Box 675, Syosset, NY  11791-0675 or by email to deansearch@oca.org by January 31, 2018.  Please include your statement of intent, Curriculum Vitae and three references.  The Search Committee will request further documentation from candidates as necessary.

The review of applications will begin as they are received on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Our seminary was very well represented at the 2017 Annual Conference of the Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine, Psychology and Religion (OCAMPR), held November 2–4 at the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Cultural Center, Somerset, NJ. Among the several faculty members in attendance was the Very Reverend John Behr, D.Phil., holder of The Father Georges Florovsky Distinguished Professorship of Patristics at St. Vladimir’s, who had been invited to offer a theological perspective on the conference theme: “Resiliency: Body, Mind, and Spirit.”

Other faculty members present included the Reverend Adrian Budica, supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education; Gayle Woloschak, Ph.D., professor of Bioethics; and Albert Rossi, Ph.D., director of Counseling and Psychological Services. Father Adrian led a workshop titled, “Burning Bush: Can a Caregiver Be both ‘on Fire’ and ‘not Consumed?’,” and he co-led another workshop titled, “Healing and Transformation in Jungian Psychology and Orthodox Christianity,” with seminary alumnus the Reverend Sean Levine, Chaplain (Major) U.S. Army. Father Adrian also co-led a meeting of Orthodox Chaplains with Sarah Byrne Martelli, currently a Doctor of Ministry student at the seminary and a Board Certified Chaplain at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Woloschak participated in a workshop titled, “Orthodox Medical Missions around the World,” and Dr. Rossi led a workshop titled, “Becoming a Healing Presence.” (Read the full Conference Program here.)

Other alumni represented were Chaplains Clio Pavlantos, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; and Beryl Knudsen, Danbury Hospital. Additionally, several current seminarians and their wives observed the conference proceedings.

​All the presentations will be available soon on Ancient Faith Podcasts.