This week marks the one-year anniversary of the repose of Archpriest Steven Belonick, former dean of students and chaplain at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. Father Steven fell asleep in the Lord on August 7, 2019, after a long battle with acute myeloid leukemia.
A number of memorial services will be held this Friday, August 7 for Fr. Steven, some of which will be livestreamed:
St. Vladimir’s Spiritual Formation Director Fr. Nicholas Roth will serve a Panikhida at the Seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel at 8 a.m. Friday (the service is not open to the public).
The community of the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration, Ellwood City, PA, will livestream a Panikhida at noon. Click HERE to join.
Also at noon Friday, a gravesite memorial service will be held at St. Tikhon's Monastery, in accordance with their COVID-19 protocol; it will be served by Hieromonk Herman (Majkrzak), a friend of Fr. Steven's from their days together at St. Vladimir’s.
Fr. James Dutko, a close friend of Fr. Steven and Mat. Deborah Belonick, will livestream a Parastas from St. Michael's Carpatho-Russian Church, Binghamton, NY, at 9 a.m. Click HERE to watch on Facebook or HERE to watch on the parish website.
Fr. Steven Voytovich, Fr. Steven's confessor who cared for him in his last days, will livestream a Panikhida at 5 p.m. as part of those being remembered at Holy Transfiguration Church, New Haven, CT. Click HERE to join.
St. Vladimir’s Associate Professor Fr. John Jillions, pastor at Holy Ghost Church, who also cared for Fr. Steven during his last days, will serve a memorial service after Divine Liturgy (beginning at 9 a.m.) at Holy Ghost Park, 70 Nells Rock Road, Shelton, CT, on Sunday, August 9.
Protodeacon Peter Danilchick remembers exactly when he became convinced that the Orthodox Christian Leadership Initiative (OCLI) was meeting a real need among lay Orthodox professionals. “At one of our first conferences held at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, I had nurses, doctors, engineers, hedge fund managers all asking the same thing: ‘I am a corporate manager and everyone is trying to climb the corporate ladder. How can I be a good corporate manager and still be a person of faith?’”
The mission of OCLI is “to nurture and empower Orthodox Christian servant leadership. It is a national initiative to increase generosity, servant leadership, and social outreach by clergy and laity of all jurisdictions working together nationally, regionally, and locally.”
Towards that end, OCLI has teamed up with St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) to launch a national survey to gauge interest in a hybrid Master of Arts degree with a focus on leadership training. The degree would allow individuals to obtain a theological education and round out their organizational skills by taking courses in effective leadership—without having to relocate to St. Vladimir’s campus to complete the degree. The survey is meant to identify who might be interested in such a program and what they would want and need from it. The online survey takes approximately five minutes or less to complete.
The kind of leadership training that OCLI aims to offer combines the best of current leadership thought with the tenants of Christian theology.
“An example of this is the notion of servant leadership, which has a popular corporate following,” explained Hollie Benton, executive director of OCLI. “However, our starting point is not just a framework of efficiently run organizations nor an individual’s desire to do the right thing which eventually builds leadership influence. For Christians, servant leadership starts with God’s commandment to love God and neighbor. In a Christian context it is not just your will but your duty to obey the commandment of God that we find in scripture.”
“The mission of St. Vladimir’s fits well with that of OCLI,” said Fr. Chad Hatfield, president of SVOTS. “Both organizations are invested in raising up leaders for the Church, so I am pleased we are able to contribute the Initiative’s efforts.”
Both organizations are also teaming up for the 4th Annual National Advanced Leadership Conference Sept. 18-19, 2020. Find more information and register for the online conference at orthodoxservantleaders.com/national-conference.html.
More information about SVOTS degree programs, including its Master of Arts degree, can be found at SVOTS.edu.
Hone your ability to lead members of the Body of Christ in a struggling world. This fall, St. Vladimir’s Seminary is once again partnering with the Orthodox Christian Leadership Initiative (OCLI) to co-host the 4th Annual National Advanced Leadership Conference.
The event is designed for lay and ordained and emerging leaders who serve their local parish, diocese, or related non-profits. It will be held Friday, September 18 through Saturday, September 19, 2020.
The theme of this year’s Leadership Conference is “United as the Body of Christ to Serve Those Divided by Pandemics, Politics, and Persecutions.” The conference will feature notable Orthodox executives, educators, philanthropists, and clergy, including members of St. Vladimir’s faculty, and hierarchs Metropolitans Tikhon (Orthodox Church in America), Joseph (Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America), and Nicolae (Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas); and Archbishop Elpidophoros (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America). This year, OCLI will also showcase the newly-developed Intensive Program in Servant Leadership.
The Orthodox Christian Leadership Initiative exists to nurture and empower Orthodox Christian servant leadership. It is a national initiative to increase generosity, servant leadership, and social outreach by clergy and laity of all jurisdictions working together nationally, regionally, and locally.
Due to pandemic-related restrictions, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) has cancelled its commencement ceremony for the Class of 2020, which had been scheduled for September 12.
The Seminary is exploring the possibility of a combined graduation ceremony for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 on May 15, 2021, if it is safe to do so. Details will be forthcoming.
With regard to classes, the Seminary plans to begin the 2020-2021 academic year as normal with on-campus classes—but the school has alternate plans if a full reopening is delayed due to further COVID-19 restrictions in New York State. Orientation for the new academic year is scheduled for Friday, August 21 through Sunday, August 23.
A new edition of His Life Is Mine by Elder Sophrony has been published by St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press to mark his recent glorification as a saint by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The new edition features an attractive mosaic cover design and new typesetting.
Having believed that true and eternal life is found in Christ, the Russian Athonite monk Sophrony set about to make that life his own. Best known as the disciple and biographer of St. Silouan the Athonite and compiler of St. Silouan's works, and as the founder of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist in Essex, England, St. Sophrony’s life reflected the turbulent times of the early twentieth century. Born in Czarist Russia, Sophrony achieved success as a painter exhibiting in the great Paris salons after the Russian Revolution via a brief period of study at the Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris. He then departs for Mount Athos, where he spends twenty-two years, first as a monk in the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon and for the final seven years as a hermit in the "desert."
In His Life is Mine, St. Sophrony writes that “to assimilate the inexhaustible depths of life in Christ requires our whole strength, the unremitting effort of a lifetime.” With a writing style that is simple and straightforward, he delves into such topics as “The Tragedy of Man”, the “Enigma of I Am”, and “Concerning Repentance and Spiritual Warfare.” He ends his work with several chapters devoted to the Jesus Prayer, the prayer that brings us into an encounter with the personal God I Am and demands a change in us.
Buy His Life is Mine at SVSPress.com or by calling 1-800-204-BOOK (2665)
With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of Irina Itina, former adjunct Seminary librarian, longtime Three Hierarchs Chapel member, and alumna. She fell asleep in the Lord peacefully Sunday morning, July 12, 2020, in Rockland County, NY.
Irina was born in 1927 in Ljubljana (in the former Yugoslavia) and was raised in Belgrade in a Russian émigré family. She studied in a Serbo-Russian gymnasium in Belgrade, where her teacher was Fr. Georges Florovsky, and later at the University of Munich and Columbia University. She also took classes at St. Vladimir's Seminary in the 1980s and was a spiritual daughter of Fr. Thomas Hopko for over thirty years until his repose.
Irina eventually moved to Yonkers, NY, where she lived with her widowed mother, and worked at the New York Public Library (Russian and German departments). After her retirement, she began volunteering at St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Father Georges Florovsky Library and served there from the 1980s until the early 2000s.
For the past four years, Irina lived within the loving family of two other spiritual children of Fr. Thomas.
The funeral and burial services for Irina will be held Wednesday, July 15, at 10 a.m at Novo-Diveevo Convent and Cemetery, 100 Smith Rd, Nanuet, NY 10954. Attendees may be asked to stay outside the church building if the maximum limit of people inside, 56, has already been reached. Speakers, however, will be placed outside for those not allowed to enter. There is no limit on the number of people going to the graveside, but individuals must observe safety guidelines and social distancing.
The serious student of the Bible who is also an Orthodox Christian always had a particular quandary. They could try the commentary of the Church Fathers, which were soundly Orthodox, but might struggle with an awkward translation. They could turn to the over-abundance of Protestant and Catholic Biblical scholarship but those might not reflect the mind of the Orthodox Church.
Into this dilemma comes the highly anticipated SVS Press release, Taught by God: Making Sense of the Difficult Sayings of Jesusby Fr. Daniel Fanous, an Orthodox Biblical scholar and priest. Fanous tackles fifteen of the most difficult sayings of Jesus by expertly weaving together the work of modern scholarship, his own examination of biblical and historical texts, and important cultural and linguistic analyses.
Fanous first always defines both the Galilean and first century Palestinian context of who Christ is as well as the flavor of the Aramaic language that he spoke. He is not afraid to consult the best of Catholic and Protestant Biblical scholarship, and he mines the Old Testament and other Jewish texts for further context and understanding. His conclusions, however, are solidly in line with the mind of the early Church Fathers and with Orthodox theology.
For centuries the difficult sayings of Jesus have confused even accomplished theologians. The question has always been: what did Christ really mean? Taught by God is a triumph for students of the Bible who want to make sure that they are getting a solidly Orthodox interpretation.
Taught by God may be purchased at SVSPress.com or by calling 1-800-204-BOOK (2665).
About the Author
Rev. Dr. Daniel Fanous is dean and lecturer in Theology & Biblical Studies at St. Cyril’s Coptic Orthodox Theological College in Sydney, Australia. He is the author of The Person of the Christ (Regina Orthodox Press) and A Silent Patriarch (SVS Press).
Saint Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press & Bookstore will be closed from Thursday, June 25 until Monday, July 6, 2020 for inventory and auditing work and observance of the July 4 national holiday.
Customers may still place orders online, at SVSPress.com, during this extended closure, but all orders will be held for processing and shipping until the Press & Bookstore reopen July 6. Summer business hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday.
The SVS Press & Bookstore staff thank you for your patronage and understanding.
St. Vladimir’s will bid a fond farewell this summer to renowned theologian, St. Vladimir’s Seminary dean from 2007 to 2017, and prolific author and speaker Very Rev. Dr. John Behr. Father John and his family will move to Scotland where he has accepted the position of Regius Professor of Humanity at the University of Aberdeen. As part of his duties he will be directing doctoral students in the study of theology.
While working on his doctorate at Oxford University, Fr. John was invited to be a visiting lecturer at St. Vladimir’s in 1993, where he has been a permanent faculty member since 1995, tenured in 2000, and ordained in 2001. Before becoming dean in 2007, he served as the editor of St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly; he also edited the Popular Patristics Series for SVS Press.
While dean at St. Vladimir’s, Fr. John oversaw a complete overhaul of the curriculum. The Seminary used to have an undergraduate structure with classes that were one hour in length. Students went through several topics in the course of one day. Father John reorganized the curriculum to a true graduate structure by having students spend three hours on one topic.
Working with Fr. Alexander Rentel, Fr. John also enhanced and improved liturgical instruction. He also made supervised field work in the Clinical Pastoral Education program a requirement.
When asked what he seeks to impart to his students, Fr. John answers simply, “A love of Christ and an encounter with Christ through the study of theology.” He also wants them to have “a willingness to engage with ways of thinking that might be different. We talk so much about the fathers but we tend to choose the quotes we like,” he said. “But I want to impart to them an encounter with the fathers on the fathers’ terms by actually reading their texts and trying to understand what they are saying.”
Alumna Arpi Nakashian (Class of 2015, Master of Arts) said that “Fr. John opened my eyes to read the scriptures in Christ’s light. He opened the book for many seminarians to understand truly ‘Which God are we talking about?’ Today as an alumna, I truly feel honored and blessed to still be called Fr. John’s student as I pursue my doctorate in theology.”
"When it comes to academics, I must say that he taught me how to think and approach patristic texts,” said Fr. Stefan Djoric (Class of 2018 and 2019; Master of Arts and Master of Theology). “In that sense, just to be around him was a privilege! To pick up his theological mind as much as possible and to form myself theologically under his guidance was indeed a priceless experience!"
"Through his early publications with SVS Press and his later publications with Oxford University Press, Archpriest John Behr has developed a theological platform that raised his profile and now takes on a new chapter at the University of Aberdeen,” said St. Vladimir’s President Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield. “There, he will be overseeing doctoral work that is much needed in the English-speaking Orthodox world. Like Archpriest Georges Florovsky (1893-1979), he now transitions to the university setting where his presence will be more accessible in the international arena.”
The Seminary honored Fr. John at his final Faculty Council meeting at the conclusion of the 2019-2020 academic year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a more public farewell reception as initially planned was not possible.
The entire community of St. Vladimir’s Seminary—seminarians, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends—wishes Fr. John and his family many years!
Over 200 church musicians from Europe, Australia, and North America gathered in online presentations and discussions to explore the theme of “Music as Liturgy.” The three-day 2020 Pan-Orthodox Music Symposium, held June 11-13, was co-hosted by the International Society for Orthodox Church Music (ISOCM) and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS).
As choirs and churches around the globe face the uncertainty of how to remain physically safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, participants at the Symposium looked at the question of how clergy, faithful, and in particular singers and chanters “do the liturgy.”
“I have never taken part in a music event outside of my parish before now, so the Introduction to Liturgical Conducting Masterclass has given me confidence to conduct when our two choir directors are not available,” said David Galloway of St John of the Ladder Orthodox Church, Greenville, SC, “I have made connections with many Orthodox conductors and music educators to help me learn even more.”
The work of church musicians has become particularly difficult in 2020 with the pandemic restricting both the method and number of church musicians who can sing responses during liturgical services. One of the most attended sessions during this year’s Symposium explored ways to move forward in a post-pandemic world.
“With many of our churches and schools having been partially or completely closed, the pandemic is challenging us to find ways to pray and make music while also taking care of one another,” said Robin Freeman, director of music at SVOTS and member of the Symposium organizing committee. “This online Symposium highlighted for many of us the growing possibilities of technology for teaching, learning, and making music together.”
While participants were unable to gather in person to celebrate the All-Night Vigil and Divine Liturgy, this year’s event featured masterclasses on eight different topics to develop skillsets in advance of a return to the kliros and choir lofts in their home parishes.
Coursework, led by Dr. Peter Jermihov, Chicago, IL; Dr. Tamara Petijevic, Novi Sad, Serbia, John Boyer, Portland, OR; and Nazo Zakkak, San Diego, CA, and others explored conducting at varying levels of experience, vocal technique, Byzantine chant, composition, and engaging young people with church music.
“The conference addressed both the spiritual and technical issues that we face as church musicians,” said Ruth Rutledge, head chanter at St. Barnabas Orthodox Church, Costa Mesa, CA, adding, “The spirit of charity and genuine care was very evident among all the speakers who were of the highest caliber and professional excellence. It was a beautiful, profound, and practical three days of education and time to contemplate the larger perspective of our work in the church.”
Dr. Susan Ashbrook Harvey of Brown University offered a keynote presentation titled “Ancient Models from Ancient Syriac Christianity” wherein she explored how musical traditions were shaped by liturgical experience and are carried forward into today’s worship among Syriac Christians.
Other presentations included “The Rites of Hagia Sophia” by Dr. Alexander Lingas of City, University of London; a piano performance by Dr. Paul Barnes, “A Bright Sadness,” featuring original piano selections written by Victoria Bond, David von Kampen, Philip Glass, and Father Ivan Moody, inspired by Orthodox chant; and a second keynote presentation by Protopresbyter Ivan Moody exploring the theme in reverse, “Liturgy as Music.”
This year’s Symposium was dedicated to the life and work of the Archpriest Sergei Glagolev, the noted priest and musician who led efforts beginning in the 1950s to exclusively use English throughout the church year. A commemorative video was shown, and Father Sergei joined attendees during the special session at this year’s event.
“It would be difficult to imagine a more successful Symposium, and the extraordinary fact of its occurring in the present challenging circumstances seems only to have made participants the more inspired,” said Father Ivan, chairman of the ISOCM. He added, “it is to be hoped that this pan-jurisdictional event will inspire further work that brings people together in this way—one of the central aims of ISOCM—working for the glory of God.”
With a record number of participants attending this year’s Symposium, representing nearly every Orthodox jurisdiction in North America across thirty-nine states, and attending from twelve countries, organizers expect future events will be considered in the coming months.
Encouraged by the positive engagement by participants, organizers suggested an openness to new, positive possibilities, allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us, guiding our efforts to be more attuned to each other—musically and personally—with hope in God blessing our effort in building up the universal Church through sacred liturgical music.
Presentations and Addresses from the Symposium will be included in a future edition of the ISOCM’s online Journal.
About the International Society for Orthodox Church Music
Founded in 2005, the ISOCM seeks to provide an open platform for musicians, musicologists, singers, and composers that encourages dialogue, the exchange of information and ideas, and inspires cooperation. The Society sees the promotion of communication between East and West as one of its priorities, and hosts biannual conferences at the University of Eastern Finland on its Joensuu campus. The Society also hosts regional symposia and gatherings elsewhere throughout the world to help create opportunities for collaboration and the sharing of knowledge in the field of Orthodox liturgical music.
For more information about the ISOCM, visit www.isocm.com.
