Faculty News • By Deborah (Malacky) Belonick

Icon of St. Panteleimon, the Unmercenary HealerThis coming fall semester, Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) will become a requirement for all new students enrolled in the Master of Divinity program at the seminary. This means that beginning in academic year 2012–2013, incoming seminarians who are M.Div. candidates will be required to complete 400 hours of hospital visitation and related self-reflection under the watchful eye and direction of a certified CPE supervisor.

“And that’s great news,” says Dr. Albert S. Rossi, adjunct professor of Pastoral Theology and supervisor of Hospital Field Ministry at St. Vladimir’s. “Our students will be receiving training that’s ‘off-the-charts’ enlightening: CPE will not only challenge our seminarians to face their own fears and demons regarding providing pastoral care and their own prejudices, but it also will provide them with skills that are transferable to their future pastoral ministries.

“This new requirement will benefit our seminarians greatly,” Dr. Rossi continued. “Besides earning 1 full CPE unit from an accredited CPE program, they will be simultaneously earning 3 academic credits counted toward their M.Div. degree.

“More importantly,” Dr. Rossi noted, “they will hone their listening skills and discover the value of being ‘present’ to hurting people. I always claim that ‘listening is love delivered’—whether that’s in a hospital setting or at a church coffee hour—and learning to listen is exactly what CPE will train our students to do.”

Clinical Pastoral Education began in 1925 as a form of theological education that takes place in clinical settings where ministry is being practiced: hospitals and health care facilities; hospices; psychiatric and community care facilities; geriatric and rehabilitation centers; and even parish-based settings. In the case of St. Vladimir’s seminarians, all CPE learning will take place in hospital settings, either during their Middler academic year or during their summer recesses.

“For many years,” noted Dr. Rossi, “our seminarians were required to do 100 hours of hospital field work under the supervision of Dr. Sarah Fogg, director of Pastoral Care at St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers, which was very beneficial to them.

“During the past couple of years, however” he continued, “we have slowly begun to allow our students to substitute 1 unit of CPE in lieu of their hospital field work.

“Surprisingly, we found that most of our seminarians preferred to do more work—400 hours of hospital work and self-reflection instead of the required 100 hours of fieldwork—in order to earn the 1 CPE unit,” he said.

“This showed that they recognized the value of the skills they were learning in CPE, in particular the value of skills ‘transferable’ to their future pastoral ministry, such as knocking on a hospital door while not knowing what they may face when they open it; or, being challenged regarding their mannerisms, expressions, and conversations with patients as they discuss their experiences in debriefing sessions with their CPE peers and supervisor,” he explained.

Dr. Rossi himself is an integral part of the new CPE requirement, in that he conducts both “intake” and “exit” interviews for participating seminarians. At their intake interviews, students receive an overview about the Orthodox Christian perspective of suffering, an understanding of a basic pastoral counseling model, and a fundamental orientation about the CPE program. At their exit interviews, students review their CPE supervisor’s report, discuss their experience with the program, and constructively create guidelines for the future. Their CPE unit certificate goes into their permanent student record, with the option of also including their CPE supervisor’s report.

Students who complete their first CPE unit often go on to fulfill three more units, in order to be certified as “institutional chaplains,” Dr. Rossi noted. He also remarked on the “extraordinary success” that SVOTS graduates have in being accepted to CPE residency programs, which have included such venues as Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City; Veteran’s Administration Hospitals in the Bronx; Westchester County Medical Center; and St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers.

“I’m joyful and humbled (but proud of our students) to say that being a SVOTS seminarian is known as a ‘credential of integrity’ among CPE supervisors nationwide,” Dr. Rossi concluded. “Many of our students, after earning their M.Div., are going on to some of the most prestigious programs in the country.”

RELATED STORIES

Senior Seminarians Accepted into Prestigious Chaplaincy Programs

In Memoriam

With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of St. Vladimir’s Seminary Trustee Emeritus Anthony Kasmer. Kasmer, of Newtown, PA, passed away Sunday, October 11 at the age of 90.

Kasmer was a faithful supporter and great friend of St. Vladimir’s Seminary. His twelve years of service on the Seminary’s Board of Trustees included three years as board treasurer and four years as the head of the Audit Committee. He also served as chair of the Finance Committee and advised the committee after he retired from the Board in 2016. Kasmer had said his most “memorable moment” as a trustee was co-chairing the Seminary’s 75th Anniversary Gala with Trustee Emeritus Alex Machaskee.

Kasmer (third from right) and fellow committee members for St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s 75th Anniversary Gala, November 7, 2013.

“I am so saddened by his passing,” said Seminary Chief Financial Officer Melanie Ringa. “Tony was a dedicated supporter of St. Vladimir’s and a good friend and mentor. He will be greatly missed. Memory eternal!”

“He was a man of faith dedicated to the work of the Church,” added Ted Bazil, St. Vladimir’s senior advisor for operations and planned giving. “Tony used his many talents to provide the Seminary with positive advice and direction even up until his repose. His example is a model for all board service. I will remember him for his generosity, quick wit, and wonderful smile."

Anthony Kasmer (center) with his wife, Ann, and Ted Bazil

In addition to his service on St. Vladimir’s Board of Trustees, Kasmer worked for many years as Chairman of LTL Color Compounders, Inc. in the greater Philadelphia area. He was a longtime member of St. Vladimir Orthodox Church, Trenton, NJ and most recently a member of St. Mark’s Orthodox Church, Wrightstown, PA.

A viewing will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, October 16 at Joseph A. Fluehr III Funeral Home, Richboro, PA, with a Parastas Service at 7 p.m. Another viewing will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, October 17, at St. Vladimir Orthodox Church, Trenton, NJ. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. at St. Vladimir with burial to follow in the parish cemetery.

May the memory of Anthony Kasmer be eternal!

In Memoriam

With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor), primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) from 1977 until his retirement in 2002. His Beatitude fell asleep in the Lord October 19, 2020 in Canonsburg, PA following an extended illness.

Saint Vladimir’s Seminary planned a Panikhida for His Beatitude on campus Monday evening. Metropolitan Theodosius graduated from St. Vladimir’s with a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree in 1960 and later served as the Seminary’s board chair.

The schedule of services for His Beatitude is as follows:

Wednesday, October 21 - St. John the Baptist Church, Canonsburg, PA
1 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.: Arrival of body and visitation
7 p.m.: Panikhida

Thursday, October 22 - St. John the Baptist, Canonsburg, PA
1pm-5:45pm: Visitation
6pm: Office of the Burial for a Hierarch

Friday, October 23 - Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration, Ellwood City, PA
10am: Hierarchical Divine Liturgy followed immediately by Interment
Please note that due to COVID restrictions, only invited clergy may serve at the services. For all services, clergy and faithful must maintain all safety protocols and precautionary measures.

Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor) served for many years as board chair of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, his alma mater. Here, His Beatitude and Fr. John Meyendorff accept a donation on behalf of the Seminary.

Metropolitan Theodosius was born in Canonsburg, PA in 1933 to immigrant parents from Galicia, in what is today the southeastern corner of Poland. After completing undergraduate studies at Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, PA, he enrolled in Saint Vladimir’s Seminary. After his graduation from St. Vladimir’s in 1960, he spent the next year pursuing additional studies at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland, touring the Holy Land, and visiting Orthodox Christian centers throughout Europe and the Middle East.

Upon returning to the U.S. in 1961, he took monastic vows and was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood. From 1961 through 1966 he served as rector of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Church, Madison, IL and as an assistant military chaplain.

In 1967, he was elected and consecrated to the episcopacy as auxiliary to the metropolitan and bishop of Washington DC and as administrator of the Diocese of Alaska effective June 1, 1967. On November 17, 1967 the Great Council of Bishops elected him as the diocesan bishop of Sitka and Alaska. He was consecrated a bishop on May 6, 1967. During his tenure in Alaska he oversaw the rebuilding of historic Archangel Michael Cathedral, Sitka, AK, which had been destroyed by fire. He also initiated regional conferences throughout the diocese and encouraged the establishment of a variety of educational programs and conferences.

In May 1970, as bishop of Alaska, he headed the OCA’s delegation which traveled to Moscow to receive the Tomos, or proclamation, of autocephaly from the Russian Orthodox Church. The Tomos guaranteed the right of self-governance for the Orthodox Church in America. Shortly thereafter, he hosted ceremonies in Alaska marking the canonization of one of the original Orthodox missionaries to Alaska, the Elder Herman. The event was significant in that it marked the first time a North American had been entered into the Orthodox calendar of saints.

In 1972, he was reassigned by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America to the Diocese of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. During his five year tenure in his “home” region, he instituted a highly-successful program to train permanent deacons, fostered educational programs for all ages, and worked diligently to strengthen the life of the diocese on all levels.

On October 25, 1977, he was elected metropolitan of All America and Canada during the 5th All-American Council in Montreal, Quebec. As primate of the Orthodox Church in America, Metropolitan Theodosius assumed leadership of one of the world’s fifteen self-governing, or autocephalous, Orthodox churches.

In 1981, the Holy Synod of Bishops established a new diocese of Washington, DC as the seat of the primate of the Orthodox Church in America. As archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan Theodosius presided over this diocese, in addition to his duties as primate.

Throughout his tenure, Metropolitan Theodosius met with numerous world religious leaders, including the primates of the various autocephalous churches. In 1990 he was the first Orthodox primate to be officially invited by the newly-enthroned Patriarch Aleksy II of Moscow, and in 1992 he was also invited to participate in the 600th Anniversary of the repose of St. Sergius of Radonezh. In 1991 and 1993 he hosted the North American visits of Patriarch Aleksy. He hosted the primate of the Orthodox Church of Georgia, Patriarch-Catholicos Ilia in 1998 and His Beatitude, SAWA Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland in 2000.

As a guest of many national and foreign religious leaders, Metropolitan Theodosius traveled to Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, and elsewhere. He took part in official dialogues with His All-Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, at the Patriarchal headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey.

Metropolitan Theodosius played an active role in inter-Orthodox gatherings, consultations, and bodies, including the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas [SCOBA], of which the OCA is a member. He was a strong supporter of various inter-Orthodox ministries, including International Orthodox Christian Charities and the Orthodox Christian Missions Center. He was also a vocal advocate for Orthodox unity in North America. Together with the members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, he participated in the December 1994 SCOBA-sponsored gathering of North American hierarchs in Ligonier, PA.

Metropolitan Theodosius was a frequent guest at the White House in Washington, DC, having been called upon by Presidents Bush and Clinton for advice on religious and political affairs in various parts of the world, especially after the fall of communism in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During the most recent crisis in Kosovo, he boldly defended the rights of all peoples in the region while calling upon President Clinton to end the NATO air campaign.

On September 28, 1994, Metropolitan Theodosius was the guest of Dr. James Billington at the Library of Congress for the opening of an historic display highlighting the contribution of the Orthodox Church and native Alaskan cultures to North America. During the ceremony Metropolitan Theodosius was greeted by US President Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

During Metropolitan Theodosius’ tenure, the OCA’s current ministry units were established and charged with making an impact on Church life on the “grass roots” level.

On May 1, 2001, Metropolitan Theodosius, requested that he be granted a four-month medical leave of absence from his archpastoral and primatial duties by the Holy Synod of Bishops, a request they granted.

However, he continued to suffer the residual effects of strokes he had suffered in late 2000 and early 2001. Despite a four-month medical leave of absence from May 1 until September 1, 2001, which he took at the recommendation of his physicians, he found the ever-increasing burdens of his office too demanding. On April 2, 2002, Metropolitan Theodosius shared with members of the Holy Synod of Bishops his desire to retire from the office of Metropolitan of All America and Canada. The members of the Holy Synod of Bishops granted Metropolitan Theodosius’ request effective July 21, 2002.

On July 21, 2002 His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius opened the 13th All-American Council and presented his report on the last trienium. At the conclusion, he retired as metropolitan of All America and Canada.

Following his retirement, His Beatitude maintained a residence for some time near St.Tikhon's Monastery. He later moved back to his home town in Canonsburg, PA where he resided for most of his retirement.

May the memory of Metropolitan Theodosius be eternal!

--

(Details for this article have been adapted and reprinted from OCA.org)

Yonkers, NY

St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) has announced Seminarian Alexander Earl as the winner of the 2020 St Matthias Merit Scholarship Essay Contest.

The contest was opened to current SVOTS students at the beginning of the fall semester. For his winning entry, titled, “Thou Hast Prepared a Table Before Me…,” Earl will have $3,000 in award money added to his scholarship fund.

The topic of this year’s contest asked seminarians to reference Matthew 7.13-14 and the life of St John Chrysostom to help young Christians approach “speaking the truth in love” when those around us may not be open to—or may even be hostile toward—what the Church teaches. Earl writes:

Etiquette used to advise not talking about politics or religion at the dinner table…. In truth, it is politics and religion that are worth talking about. In classical philosophy, the former was all about how to structure the polis (the city) so as to promote the common good, which was seen as a god-like activity, for it is God who oversees and orders the universe. The latter was an even greater activity; religion was about how we ought to live in this life such that we not only live like God, but dwell with him! There could hardly be topics more important for us to think about and discuss.

Read the winning entry in its entirety here.

Alexander Earl is a 28-year-old Master of Divinity (M.Div.) student in his first year at St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS). A graduate of Yale Divinity School, he had been on his way to becoming an Anglican priest when he discovered Orthodoxy reading St Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press books for his patristics classes. He and his wife, Danielle, who is now the librarian at SVOTS, were teaching at a private high school in the Los Angeles area when they attended their first Divine Liturgy in 2017. Feeling like they had come home spiritually, they were received into the Orthodox Church the following year.

The St Matthias Merit Scholarship Essay Contest is offered annually, thanks to the generous contributions of a family of anonymous donors. These donors also selected the topic of the 2020 essay contest and developed thorough and thoughtful criteria to determine the winner.

The contest is one of many offerings by the Seminary to help its seminarians graduate tuition-debt free as they go forth to serve the Church. SVOTS also administers need-based tuition grants, need-based scholarships, merit scholarships, continuing education grants, and matching grant opportunities for seminarians. These are made possible thanks to many benefactors who have graciously given funds to St Vladimir’s Seminary.

Yonkers, NY

On Wednesday, seminarians at St. Vladimir’s tapped into the writing expertise of Professor Peter C. Bouteneff  as the “The Lyceum” hosted a writing workshop.

Danielle Earl, librarian at the Seminary’s Father Georges Florovsky Library, started “The Lyceum” as a sort of “marketplace of ideas” at the Library, where students can discuss academic research with other seminarians and faculty members.

Wednesday’s writing workshop catered to first-year seminarians to help improve their grasp of graduate-level research and writing.

Dr. Bouteneff began his introduction to the group by describing how writers should approach their work “pastorally.”

“A good pastor and a good Christian is one who knows his or her audience and has 'heard' the audience, and therefore is speaking to questions the audience actually has, rather than simply spouting forth information only the writer is interested in,” he explained.

Another writing workshop catered to second- and third-year seminarians are planned for the spring semester.

The writing workshop and the activities of “The Lyceum” are part of continued efforts to build up the Library as an even greater academic resource for seminarians as well as outside scholars.

Yonkers, NY

Alumni of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) have a new way to stay connected with the Seminary and their fellow alumni around the world, and they now have access to a host of resources exclusively for graduates.

The Seminary’s new Alumni Portal is live at https://svots.mycampus-app.com. SVOTS alumni are encouraged to sign up for free access. Along with access to resources, an alumni directory, and alumni news, the Portal also allows alumni to update their contact information with the Seminary and submit news about themselves or fellow SVOTS graduates.

Request access

The announcement was made during the Online Alumni Gathering October 18, 2020 as the Seminary seeks to ramp up alumni outreach and services. Nearly a hundred SVOTS alumni registered for the event, which also offered alumni updates about the Seminary and a sneak peek at upcoming developments not yet announced to the public.

Yonkers, NY

On the weekend of October 31 and November 1, St. Vladimir’s Seminary was blessed by a visit from The Right Reverend Alexis (Trader), bishop of Bethesda and auxiliary to the metropolitan for Stavropegial Institutions (Orthodox Church in America). The visit culminated Sunday with the celebration of Divine Liturgy, the ordination to the priesthood of Seminarian Dn. Peter Runyon, and an honorary award for Rev. Nicholas Roth, the Seminary’s spiritual formation director and ecclesiarch.

"It has been many years since we had an ordination during a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy served outside,” said Seminary President Very Rev. Fr. Chad Hatfield. “It really was our joy to receive His Grace, Bishop Alexis for the joyous occasion of an ordination to the priesthood. We look forward to many returns to our Seminary, and we wish him many years!”

• View photo gallery

His Grace, Bishop Alexis was consecrated to the episcopacy earlier this year, and has since been instrumental in providing directives on behalf of Metropolitan Tikhon to help guide the Seminary through the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit marked His Grace’s first official visit to campus as auxiliary for Stavropegial Institutions.

The newly ordained Rev. Peter Runyon, a seminarian of the OCA’s Diocese of the West, is in his third year studying in the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program. Father Peter’s wife, Matushka Sophia, works in sales for SVS Press & Bookstore.

Father Nicholas Roth, who graduated from the Seminary’s M.Div. program in 2014, was granted the dignity of wearing the nabedrennik and kamilavka.

May God grant many years to Bishop Alexis and the Runyon and Roth families!

In Memoriam

With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of longtime St. Vladimir’s Seminary trustee His Eminence, Maximos, former Greek Orthodox metropolitan of Pittsburgh. His Eminence was 85 years old.

Metropolitan Maximos served on the Seminary’s Board of Trustees from 1989-2002. He also taught courses in patristics for a time at St. Vladimir’s following the repose of Fr. John Meyendorff in 1992.

His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) offered condolences on hearing of His Eminence’s repose, and said the late metropolitan was a “pivotal figure” in Orthodoxy in America.

“As a scholar, professor, and pastor, he was beloved by many both within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and without. He had a special connection with the Orthodox Church in America, where he was particularly well regarded during the time he spent on the Board of Trustees of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, as well as the shorter period he spent teaching there,” wrote His Beatitude.

Born to Father and Presvytera Evangelos Aghiorgoussis in Chios on March 5 1935, the future Metropolitan Maximos attended the Patriarchal Theological School of Halki, where he received his degree in Orthodox theology in 1957. He was ordained a deacon at Halki on April 28, 1957, and ordained to the priesthood on his native island on July 26, 1959. He pursued graduate studies at the University of Louvain, Belgium, where he received a doctorate in theology and baccalaureate in philosophy in 1964. From 1966 to 1979 (his election as a bishop) he taught at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, MA as professor of systematic theology. During his tenure at the school, he also served as vice president of Hellenic College and academic dean of Holy Cross. On April 11, 1978, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate elected him bishop of Diokleia. Archbishop Iakovos consecrated him to the episcopacy on Pentecost Sunday, June 18, 1978, at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York City. He was as elected in March 1979 and enthroned as the first bishop of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis (then Diocese) of Pittsburgh on April 27, 1979. In 1997, he was elected metropolitan of the Throne of Constantinople to preside in Pittsburgh, and later in 2003 became metropolitan of Pittsburgh.

The late metropolitan retired due to failing health in August 2011, but continued to be a beloved and much respected figure in the Metropolis, which he served for over thirty years.

The funeral for Metropolitan Maximos will be held at the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Pittsburgh on Saturday, November 7, followed by the interment at St. Gregory Palamas Monastery in Perrysville, OH. 

May the memory of Metropolitan Maximos be eternal!

--

(Many details for this article have been adapted and reprinted from goarch.org)

Yonkers, NY

Saint Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press has published a new edition of St. John Chrysostom’s On Wealth and Poverty. This second edition of the work from the Popular Patristics Series features newly edited text, an updated cover, and a new foreword written by popular author and radio host Hank Hanegraaff, also known as the “Bible Answer Man.”

The sermons of St. John Chrysostom are some of the richest classical commentaries on the Christian life. Knowing well the realities of life in the world, the temptation of rich and poor alike, this great orator—"the golden-mouthed"—addresses the questions of wealth and poverty in the lives of the people of his day. And yet, as the modern reader is confronted with his words, it becomes apparent that he, too, is being addressed; Chrysostom's words are words proclaiming the truth of the Gospel to all people of all times. The message of the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) is brought home to every person in these six sermons of Chrysostom with clarity, insight into the human dilemma, compassion, and judgment.

• Buy On Wealth and Poverty at SVSPress.com or by calling 1-800-204-BOOK (2665)

Related texts in the Popular Patristics Series include St Basil the Great's On Social Justice (PPS 38) and several other works by St John Chrysostom: On the Priesthood (PPS 1), On Marriage and Family Life (PPS 7), The Cult of the Saints (PPS 31), and Letters to Olympia (PPS 56).

Yonkers, NY

Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) has begun rolling out a new logo to accompany new branding for the Seminary.

“We are excited,” said SVOTS President Fr. Chad Hatfield. “There have been so many positive developments at St. Vladimir’s in recent years, and this new logo and branding reflect the encouraging direction our Seminary is moving in.”

The new logo features an artistic recreation of the cross and cupola of the Seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel and a new wordmark.  The cross and the image of the Chapel point not only to the Seminary’s Orthodox Christian confession and devotion to Christ, but also the centrality of chapel and prayer life in SVOTS’ training and formation of seminarians. The buildings/houses surrounding Three Hierarchs Chapel in the logo reflect the Seminary’s emphasis on residential life. Together, the Chapel and buildings also symbolize the Church at large, placed in the world within our neighborhoods and communities; the houses look toward the Church for guidance and leadership. The blue sky represents the protecting veil of the Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.

The logo is the centerpiece of SVOTS’ new branding—the first complete branding process the Seminary has undertaken in its history.

“It’s important St. Vladimir’s has a well-designed and intentional brand that guides how we communicate and present ourselves,” said SVOTS Chief Marketing Officer Sarah Werner. “Even the best professors and academic programs or the most interesting events can be missed if the look and voice surrounding everything isn’t making an impact on people.

“Little by little over the next few months, you’ll start to see and feel the Seminary’s new branding on everything we do. And there’s still more to be revealed.”

Along with the new logo, the Seminary’s branding introduces the use of new colors, primarily violet and “panagia” blue, and includes an updated “Values, Purpose, & Mission” statement.

The familiar St. Vladimir’s Seminary academic seal, which has featured prominently in Seminary communications since 1960 and was updated in 2013, will continue to be used together with the new logo.