Since July 2016, thirteen seminarians and alumni from St. Vladimir’s Seminary have been ordained to Holy Orders, among them seven priests, five deacons, and one subdeacon. Six of those ordained are in the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), five are in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA), one is in the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church (MOSC), and one is in the Syriac Orthodox Church in North America (SOC).

“In keeping with our Mission Statement,” noted Archpriest Chad Hatfield, president of the Seminary, “we continue to prepare candidates for ministry as bishops, priests, and deacons, in order to serve the Church. “I am always grateful to God when one of our students or alumni fulfill the mission of our school by answering the call of Christ to Holy Orders,” he said. “And I am grateful as well for the quality of these students and graduates, who hail from a variety of places and represent a multitude of fascinating educational and professional backgrounds. Upon ordination, they each take one more step along the path our Lord has been preparing for them.”

Listing of SVOTS seminarians & alumni ordained July 2016–January 2017

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 Priest Seth Earl, 3rd-year M.Div. Seminarian

Jurisdiction: Diocese of the South, Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the OCA, in Three Hierarchs Chapel, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, on the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, 8SEPT16
Priesthood: Ordained by His Grace Alexander, bishop of Dallas and the Diocese of the South, OCA, in St. John the Wonderworker Orthodox Church, Atlanta, GA, on the Feast of St. Gregory of Nyssa, 10JAN17
Current ministry: Seminarian serving at Ss. Peter & Paul Orthodox Church, Jersey City, NJ
Educational and professional background: BA in Religion from Luther Rice College and Seminary; worked at a Law Office and in Refugee Resettlement

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 Priest Paul Girgis, 3rd-year M.Div. Seminarian

Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Grace Nicholas, bishop of Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, D.C. and assistant to Metropolitan Joseph, AOCANA, in St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Little Falls, NJ, 3MAY15
Priesthood: Ordained by His Grace Nicholas, bishop of Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, D.C. and assistant to Metropolitan Joseph, AOCANA, in St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church, Bridgeport, CT, 11DEC16
Current ministry: Seminarian serving at St. Mary’s Antiochian Church, Brooklyn, NY
Educational and professional background: Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Washington State University; Project Controls Professional at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

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 Priest Nicholas A. Garklavs, M.Div. 2007 Graduate

Jurisdiction: Diocese of the New York and New Jersey, Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Beatitude Metropolitan Herman, then-primate of the OCA, in Three Hierarchs Chapel, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, on the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, 8SEPT06
Priesthood: by His Eminence Michael, archbishop of New York and the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, OCA, in St. Mary Magdalen Church, New York, NY, 29JAN2017
Current ministry: Current ministry: Acting Rector of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (OCA) in Whitestone, Queens, NY
Educational and professional background: Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Liberal Arts, St. John's College, Annapolis, MD; Business Associate, The Buckley School, New York, NY

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 Priest Mircea Geana, M.Div. 2007 Graduate

Jurisdiction: Diocese of the New England, Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Eminence Nikon, archbishop of Boston and the Diocese of New England, at Holy Resurrection Church, Claremont, NHJ, 30NOV15
Priesthood: Ordained by His Eminence Nikon, archbishop of Boston and the Diocese of New England, at Holy Resurrection Church, Claremont, NH, 16OCT16
Current ministry: Attached to Holy Resurrection Church, Claremont, NH
Educational and professional background: Masters of Music Education from Boston Conservatory; Music Teacher, Henneker, NH

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 Priest Ignatius (Edward) Hunter, M.A. 2016 Graduate

Jurisdiction: Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania, Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Eminence Mark, archbishop of the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania, in Christ the Savior Orthodox Church, Harrisburg, PA, 5JAN17
Priesthood: Ordained by His Eminence Mark, archbishop of the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania, in Holy Cross Orthodox Church, Williamsport, PA, 8JAN17
Current ministry: Attached to Holy Resurrection Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre, PA; living in Napaskiak, AK
Educational and professional background: Bachelor of Arts in Religion, History, and General Economics from Lycoming College, Williamsport, PA; M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, KY; Candidate for Graduate Certificate in Secondary Education for the University of Alaska, Southeast

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 Priest John Mikitish, M.Div. 2016 Graduate

 Jurisdiction: Diocese of the New England, Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the OCA, in Three Hierarchs Chapel, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, 21MAY2016
Priesthood: Ordained by His Eminence Nikon, archbishop of Boston and the Diocese of New England, OCA, in Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church, New Haven, CT, 13NOV2016
Current ministry: Attached to Church of the Holy Transfiguration, New Haven, CT
Educational and professional background: B.A. in Russian & Eastern European Studies at Yale University; pursuing a Ph.D. in Russian Language and Literature, with a special focus in Medieval Slavic Literature at Yale University

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 Priest Patrick (Wesley) Pulley, M.A. 2016 Graduate

Jurisdiction: Diocese of the South, Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Diaconate: Ordained by Archbishop Irénée, on behalf of His Grace Alexander, bishop of the Diocese of the South, OCA, at St. Cyprian of Carthage Mission, Midlothian, VA, 27AUG16
Priesthood: Ordained by Bishop Alexander, bishop of Dallas and the Diocese of the South, at St. Cyprian of Carthage Mission, Midlothian, VA, 24DEC16
Current ministry: Assigned to St. Cyprian of Carthage Mission, Midlothian, VA, as Pastoral Assistant
Educational and professional background: Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Virginia Tech (’97); Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary (’09)

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 Deacon Isaac (Brandon Solomon) Danevicius, 2nd-year M.Div. Seminarian

Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Grace Nicholas, bishop of Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, D.C. and assistant to Metropolitan Joseph, AOCANA, in St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Little Falls, NJ, 23OCT16
Current ministry: Seminarian serving at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Little Falls, NJ
Educational and professional background: B.A. in Biblical Studies and Theology from Biola University in 2009; Fifth Grade Teacher at Cair Paravel Latin School in Topeka KS; Shipping Manager for the Institute for Excellence in Writing in Locust Grove, OK.

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 Deacon Andrew Honoré, 2nd-year M.Div. Seminarian

Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Grace Nicholas, bishop of Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, D.C. and assistant to Metropolitan Joseph, AOCANA, in St. Stephen the Protomartyr Church, South Plainfield, NJ 16OCT16
Current ministry: Seminarian serving at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Danbury, CT
Educational and professional background: BA Liberal Arts; formerly enlisted in Navy Reserves and currently a commissioned officer in the Navy’s Chaplain Candidate Program; former restaurant owner

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 Deacon Jeremiah Phillips, 2nd-year M.Div. Seminarian

Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Grace Nicholas, bishop of Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, D.C. and assistant to Metropolitan Joseph, AOCANA, in St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church, Bridgeport, CT, 11DEC16
Current ministry: Seminarian serving at St. Stephen the Protomartyr Church, South Plainfield, NJ
Educational and professional background:  BA in Graphic Design and Digital Media from California Baptist University in 2009; General Services Department of Provident Savings Bank in Riverside, CA

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 Deacon John (Edward) Valadez, 2nd-year M.Div. Seminarian

Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Grace Nicholas, bishop of Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, D.C. and assistant to Metropolitan Joseph, AOCANA, 13NOV16, in St. John the Baptist Antiochian Orthodox Church, Levittown, NY
Current ministry: Seminarian serving at St. John the Baptist Antiochian Orthodox Church, Levittown, NY
Educational and professional background: BA of Art History from CSULB; butcher and Associate Team Leader at Whole Foods Market

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 Deacon Simon (Shiryl) Mathai, M.Div. Graduate 2016

Jurisdiction: Malankara Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church in North America (SOC)
Full Diaconate (M'Shamshono): Ordained by His Eminence Mor Titus Yeldho, 13NOV16, in St. Ephrem Cathedral, Whippany, NJ
Current Ministry: Assists to celebrate liturgy at St. Ephrem Cathedral as well as serves as an advisor for Youth Ministries and a diocesan representative at ecumenical events
Education and Professional Background: Master in Public Health from Drexel University, MBA from Rutgers University; currently serves as a Senior Manager at Pfizer, Inc. 

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 Subdeacon Thomas (Shawn) Thomas, M.Div. Graduate 2016, 1st-year Th.M. Seminarian

Jurisdiction: Northeast American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC)
Sub-Diaconate (Apodyaqno): Ordained by His Grace Metropolitan Zachariah Mar Nicholovos, for the Northeast American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC), 17SEPT16, in St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church, Elmhurst, IL
Current ministry: Assists and accompanies His Grace Metropolitan Zachariah Mar Nicholovos during His Grace’s parish visits to celebrate liturgy, preside over sacraments, and perform diocesan administrative tasks; speaker at different retreats and conferences in both the Northeast American Diocese and the Diocese of South-West America,
Educational and professional background: Bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cell Biology and a minor in Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; worked two years in a laboratory at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago that specializes in Alzheimer's and dementia research.

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Peter Bouteneff
Fordham’s Lincoln Center Campus,140 W. 62nd St.,10023,New York,NY,US
URL: http://soundingthesacred.com/registration

We are pleased to announce an international conference to be held from May 1-4, 2017 in the heart of New York City’s vibrant Lincoln Center music scene: “Arvo Pärt: Sounding the Sacred.” This event will bring together scholars from diverse fields (music, theology, sacred acoustics/sound studies, architecture, religious studies, philosophy), as well as artists experienced in the performance and recording of Pärt’s music, to create a unique forum for the exchange of ideas, research, practices and creativity on the topics of sound and the sacred. The event is hosted by the Sacred Arts Initiative and the Arvo Pärt Project at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, in collaboration with the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University, and funded mainly by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.

Description

The music of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is frequently connected with experiences of the sacred. Although the composer’s religious affiliation is specifically Orthodox Christian, his music and its impact carry an appeal beyond confessional and religious boundaries. His popularity crosses over customary distinctions between classical and popular music, sacred and secular art, liturgical space and concert hall.

The unique impact of Pärt’s music has been explored musicologically—and more recently through the lens of spirituality—but not yet in terms of the more basic elements of sound and embodiment. We seek to break new ground exploring primary questions around how music achieves its visceral and spiritual effect on human beings through the materiality of the movement of air impressing itself on the human body.

Speakers

Confirmed speakers/participants include Andrew Albin, Peter Bouteneff, Jeffers Engelhardt, Kevin Karnes, Alexander Lingas, Ivan Moody, Bissera Pentcheva, Robert Saler, Andrew Shenton, Toomas Siitan, and Sevin Yarman, as well as an exclusive filmed interview on the conference theme with Paul Hillier. We are seeking to interweave musical performances with presentations and discussion sessions.

This conference is open to the public, and offers a public music performance on Wednesday evening, May 3, 2017. Details on both the conference and the concert are now available at soundingthesacred.com.

St. Vladimir’s Seminary recently launched a program that offers training for readers, choir conductors, and choir members in local parish settings. Called “Revitalizing Parish Music,” the program creates tailor-made solutions to typical problems experienced by church choirs and choir directors.

“St. Vladimir’s has always striven to express the beauty of our faith through music, and to bring this into parishes,” said Robin Freeman, the new Director of Music at the Seminary. “Thousands of faithful recall the Octet that traversed the country; the music books and CDs published by SVS Press that enriched music programs and introduced new repertoire; and The Institute of Liturgical Music and Pastoral Practice, which provided training for church musicians who desired to hone their skills.

“Our new program,” she explained, “combines aspects of all these initiatives and brings them right into the parish.”

Mrs. Freeman, an accomplished singer and choral conductor, has developed half-day, full-day, and weekend workshops for parish choirs, addressing everything from “music reading skills” to “achieving a unified choral sound” for choir members; and everything from “building a vocabulary of gestures” to “placing singers in the correct voice parts” for directors. Parish choirs may choose from among a variety of Sessions and Workshops to suit the individual needs of their particular ensemble.

Parishes may even choose to invite the “SVOTS Chamber Choir” for the weekend. Chamber Choir section leaders can help train members of the parish choir by singing alongside them in rehearsals and liturgical services. The workshop can culminate in a concert performed by the parish choir or the Chamber Choir, or a combination thereof. (Read a full description of the program, including sample Sessions and Workshops, and pricing options, here).

The first parish choir to benefit from the program was under the direction of Stephen Fong, at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Danbury, CT, where Archpriest Luke Mihaly is the pastor. Mrs. Freeman and her family attended Divine Liturgy at the parish; afterwards, she held an afternoon workshop tailored for the choir.

Choir Director Stephen Fong remarked, “Robin's workshop was an overwhelming success. Her highly tailored approach, both before and during the event, and her expertise, professionalism, and enthusiasm made the most out of the time we had and brought our small choir to another level.

“We’re already looking forward to another visit!” he added.

Father Luke likewise affirmed, “It was very nice to be able use the talent at St. Vladimir's Seminary as a resource for our parish. 

“Robin Freeman was able to make a real difference in our parish choir and thus the prayer life of our parish,” he said, “plus, it's always a joy to see the entire Freeman family.”

“I’m excited about this new venture,” concluded Mrs. Freeman, “as I further share whatever talent God has entrusted to me with our brothers and sisters in Christ and re-connect the Seminary with parish life.”

Read a full description of the program, including sample Sessions and Workshops, and pricing options, here.

When Dr. Lewis Patsavos delivered the 34th Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture on the topic, “Reflections of a Canonist,” he urged both a holistic approach to the study of the church canons and a living application of them. Theology, he reminded the audience, cannot be isolated from spirituality, or from church life, or from service to and communion with others. Likewise, he advised, proper interpretation of the canons requires not only intent personal prayer but also acute awareness of ecclesiastical consciousness—“the mind of the Church.”

“It is the task of the canonist to interpret the spirit of the canons in a way which conforms to that revelation [of God] as experienced in the twenty-first century,” he reminded his audience. “It is not one’s personal theology or predilection that matters, but the theology which reflects the mind of the believing community, that is, the mind of the Church.”

Dr. Patsavos, who earned his Doctorate in Theology from the University of Athens, Greece in 1974, subsequently taught at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology for 40 years. His dual responsibilities of teaching Orthodox Canon Law and directing the school’s Field Education Program enabled him to observe the pastoral nature of the canons contextually in ministerial settings, and he began to discern an essential connection between his two seemingly disparate duties.

“We rejoice in the fact that the greatest Fathers and teachers of the Church have been pastors,” he said. “They have been individuals who are not simply skillful thinkers but more importantly, they have been persons of prayer and participants in the joys and sorrows of human life. Spirituality grows with the experience of the community and with sensitivity to the many complex situations which arise in the life of the community.

“I found as a result,” he remarked, “that the canons were not looked upon as sacred texts to be followed assiduously, but as living directives which speak to the human condition.”

During his lecture, Dr. Patsavos also touched upon two other areas in which his knowledge of canon law are particularly useful: his decades of work in the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Bi-lateral Consultation; and his understanding of the challenges presented to Orthodox churches in the United States as regards ethno-centrism and administrative disunity. Listen to his entire lecture here.

Preceding the lecture, the Board of Trustees and faculty of St. Vladimir’s conferred a Doctorate of Canon Law honoris causa upon Dr. Patsavos. The guest lecturer was deeply moved by the honor, and deeply grateful that two Deans of Holy Cross, Dr. James Skedros and Fr. Alkiviadis Calivas, as well as many friends, were among the audience. “I will wear the hood and color of St. Vladimir’s with great pride,” he said. Read the doctoral citation here.

Also in attendance were His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in American and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Seminary, and His Grace Irinej, bishop of the Eastern Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Tikhon concluded the Academic Convocation and Schmemann Lecture by graciously thanking the lecturer, and by remembering, with both solemnity and the victorious joy found in Jesus Christ, the repose of Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann (December 13, 1983) and his newly departed wife, Matushka Juliana (January 29, 2017). He particularly noted that Fr. Alexander and Mat. Juliana would have marked their 74th wedding anniversary on the day of this year’s lecture

In a show of solidarity to protect the rights of the unborn, students, administrators, and alumni from St. Vladimir’s Seminary joined in the 44th annual March for Life in the nation’s capital. The theme of this year’s March, “The Power of One,” drew hundreds of thousands of supporters and spawned sister events across the nation.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), and Chairman of the Board of the Seminary, along with seminary President Archpriest Chad Hatfield, had opportunities to speak on Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) during the rally. View EWTN’s coverage of the March for Life on its Facebook page.

In his remarks His Beatitude noted, “The Orthodox Church is a prayerful Church. Our Lord, Jesus Christ calls us to purify ourselves and strive for holiness. This, however, challenges us to speak out, proclaiming that life is indeed a gift from God. Life is not just biological existence, but a manifestation of the life of God himself.”

The rally began with newly elected Vice President Pence speaking at the Washington Monument. From there the crowd moved past the Capitol to the Supreme Court to merge with another large group already gathered. Among the Orthodox Christian seminaries represented, including St. Vladimir’s, were Christ the Saviour Seminary, Johnstown, PA; Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary, Jordanville, NY; and St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan, PA.

SVOTS seminarians who marched included: Priest Paul Girgis, Dn. Brandon Danevicius, Dn. John Valadez, and Dn. Jeremiah Phillips, and Evan LeDoux (Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America); Joseph Wessler (Serbian Orthodox Church); Daniel
Vanderkolk (OCA); and Dimitrios Nikiforos (Church of Greece). Also participating were Priest Ignatius Green (ROCOR), assistant editor at SVS Press, and Chief Financial Officer Melanie Ringa.

Read related story on the website of the Orthodox Church in America

Photo credits: Subdeacon Roman Ostash, Archpriest Gregory Safchuk

Matushka Juliana Schmemann, a lifelong educator in New York City girls’ schools and former headmistress of the Spence School, died on Sunday, January 29, at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, where she had been in residence since the fall. She was 93.

Matushka Juliana was born to a family of White Russian émigrés and was raised and educated in France. In 1951 she and her husband, Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, moved to New York, where Matushka Juliana began a long teaching career at the Chapin School, the Spence School, and the Brearley School.

In 1977 she was appointed headmistress of Spence, on East 91st Street. A serious illness compelled her to resign in 1981, but once recovered, she joined the faculty of Brearley, where she remained until her retirement. Matushka Juliana is warmly remembered by many generations of women to whom she taught French and Russian, and to whom she was always “Madame Schmemann.” The French government awarded Matushka Juliana the Palme d’Argent medal for service to French culture.

Matushka Juliana was born on October 6, 1923, in Baden-Baden, Germany, where her family, the Ossorguines, found themselves after the Russian revolution. Her son, Serge Schmemann, a member of The New York Times editorial board and for many years a Times foreign correspondent, wrote a book, Echoes of a Native Land, tracing 200 years of Russian history through the former estate of the Ossorguines south of Moscow.

Matushka Juliana’s family soon moved to Paris, where she attended the College Sainte Marie de Neuilly outside Paris and the University of Paris-Sorbonne, where she earned a licence ès lettres degree in classics. In 1943 she married Alexander Schmemann, a priest and widely acclaimed theologian who became dean of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and who played an instrumental role in founding the Orthodox Church in America. Father Schmemann died in 1983.

In retirement, Matushka Juliana was active in church affairs and wrote two books, My Journey with Father Alexander and The Joy to Serve, which discussed the challenges of being an Orthodox Christian in the modern world. She travelled all over the country lecturing to women’s groups.

She is survived by a sister: Sophie Ozerov of Sea Cliff, NY; three children: Anne Hopko, of Ellwood City, PA, Serge Schmemann, of Paris, France, and Mary Tkachuk, of Bronxville, NY; nine grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and four great great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, 46 Seymour St., Yonkers, NY: Thursday, February 2, 7 p.m., Memorial Service and Friday, February 3, 9 a.m., Divine Liturgy, followed by interment at the cemetery of the Monastery of St. Tikhon in Waymart, PA.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Matushka Juliana’s memory be made to the Justin Solak Foundation at www.iamaffected.org.  Justin was a beloved great-grandson who died one year ago.

On the evening of January 20, 2017, priest and famed composer Fr. Ivan Moody shared his thoughts on the past, present, and future of Orthodox music, during a public conversation with faculty from St. Vladimir’s Seminary: Robin Freeman, director of Music, and Harrison Russin, lecturer in Liturgical Music.

Father Ivan currently is a researcher at CESEM-Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and also is Chairman of the International Society for Orthodox Church Music (ISOCM). ISOCM has recently released a book by Fr. Ivan, titled Modernism and Orthodox Spirituality in Contemporary Music

During the evening Fr. Ivan spoke with impressive facility on a range of subjects. He touched upon everything from deciphering early musical notation written on papyri to creating fresh repertoire in sacred music, and from the “monophony and polyphony wars” in church history to the therapeutic function of music in contemporary church and society.

A podcast of the event is available here as part of the “Voices from St. Vladimir’s” series on Ancient Faith Ministries.

In mid-January 2017, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, seminary president, and Deacon Gregory Hatrak, director of Marketing and Operations at SVS Press, traveled to Moscow, Russia, to attend a formal presentation of a recently released press title, Patriarch Kirill in His Own Words, in the presence of several honored guests and local media. The book, a collection of writings by His Holiness Kirill, primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, was first presented to the Russian patriarch on the occasion of his 70th birthday, November 20, 2016, at a Jubilee, which Fr. Chad also attended.

The book is the first co-publication between SVS Press and the Ss. Cyril & Methodius Institute for Post-Graduate Studies (CMI), and it was formally presented at the Institute on January 13, by His Eminence Hilarion (Alfeyev), metropolitan of Volokalamsk and head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations and CMI rector. The volume—which exists in Russian and English language versions—contains carefully selected fragments of sermons, articles, reports, speeches, books, and interviews by Patriarch Kirill, spanning more than 35 years of pastoral ministry and theological creativity, from 1980 to 2016. It is formatted as a daily reader spanning one calendar year.

“This book is yet another gift from Russia, a new tool for evangelism,” said Fr. Chad, who is the Edtior of the SVS Press’s Orthodox Profile Series, of which the book is part. “And, it has become quite popular among readers both in the U.S. and in Russia.”

His Eminence Hilarion similarly remarks in the volume’s preface, “The book includes vivid quotes from the main personal missionary project of Patriarch Kirill, that is, the author's TV program ‘The Word Shepherd’ which, for more than 20 years, is regularly published on the premier channel of Russian television. Through this program, a lot of people, after decades of state atheism, first heard of the faith, and made their first steps towards God.”

During his stay in Russia, Fr. Chad was also invited by Metropolitan Hilarion to make remarks at the annual Gaidar Forum, held at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration in Moscow. He participated in a forum discussion on January 13, titled, "Religious and Ethnic-Cultural Diversity: Development, Stability, Security."

Additionally, Fr. Chad and Dn. Gregory attended a performance of Metropolitan Hilarion's work "Christmas Oratorio" at the Crocus Concert Hall on January 14.

“St. Vladimir's Seminary,” noted Fr. Chad, “is beginning to plan a performance of the same musical work at a West Coast U.S. venue in 2017. 

“Further,” he stated, “St. Vladimir’s Seminary has begun to lay initial plans for a Moscow-St. Petersburg tour for friends and supporters, and information on proposed dates for that pilgrimage will be made public soon.”

Order Patriarch Kirill in His Own Words here.

Over Winter Break 2017 three SVOTS seminarians participated in an IOCC Action Team that helped rebuild homes in New Orleans, an area devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005: Dn. Andrew Honoré, Evan LeDoux, and Antwian (Anthony) Davis. Seminarian Davis shares his experience ministering—andbeing ministered to!—during his one week adventure in Louisiana.

My trip to Louisiana was amazing—so amazing that my experience is almost hard to put into words. To begin, the people from IOCC who put the trip together were great: they took care of us from the moment we signed up to the time we got on the plane to go back to the Seminary.

And, one thing we never had to worry about was food. As soon as we landed, the IOCC Team took us out to eat, and from there on, we never stopped eating the great cuisine of Louisiana!

For me though, the best part of the experience was getting to spend time with all the people on the trip—students from the other seminaries, and even other seminarians from St. Vlad’s. I know that might sound a little strange, but because of our busy class schedules while the Seminary is in session, we just do not have the opportunity to see each other or to spend time around each other as much as we’d like. This was a chance to get to know each other personally, outside of the daily routine of classes and schoolwork.

After the workday, we went back to the Lutheran church where our daily meals were prepared, and cleaned up for dinner. After dinner we enjoyed a little down time before vespers, and after vespers each of us gave a reflection about our day—which offered us a time to get to understand each other personally and spiritually. We even spent a couple of nights hanging around an outside fire pit, having refreshments and, again, getting to know each other a little better.

One day we visited the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, to see where most of the flooding took place during Hurricane Katrina. That eye-opening experience alone was worth going on the trip; I saw where the devastation had occurred and how the city is still rebuilding ten years later.

The work I did for Habitat for Humanity was rewarding and life changing—an opportunity to step outside of myself and my daily routine, to do something for someone else and help them start life in a new home. (Personal note: don’t shy away from a trip like this if you lack building experience, because the onsite supervisors are there to help and make sure safety always comes first.)

I would recommend this IOCC Seminary Build to anyone who would like to have a wonderful experience working with good people from several seminaries, IOCC, and Habitat of Humanity—not to mention the unforgettable experience of Southern hospitality!

Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family,4250 Harewood Road N.E.,20017,Washington,DC,US

Father John will bring his years of experience in Ecumenism and teaching in Eastern Orthodox theological studies to reflect on the shifting terrain of what unites and divides in the quest for Christian Unity. While he will focus on the relations between the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church, he will identify the issues of unity and division in terms that apply to all Christian communities and individuals who care deeply about church unity.

The event, which will run from 6 p.m.–9 p.m., is free and open to the public. The evening will begin with an Orthodox Christian service, a Molieben to the Holy Spirit, and a reception will follow Fr. John’s presentation.

Parking is located at the rear of the Shrine. RSVP here by February 7, or call 202.832.2675.

Download a flyer to share.