Protodeacon Gregory Hatrak fell asleep in the Lord the evening of July 1, 2017, at the age of 46. Protodeacon Gregory most recently served as Director of Marketing and Operations for St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press (SVS Press) and Bookstore.

“We are most grieved by Pdn. Gregory’s sudden falling asleep in the Lord,” said Archpriest Chad Hatfield, president of St. Vladimir’s. “This is both a profound personal and professional loss to our school, and we are keeping our beloved Protodeacon, his wife, Matushka Robyn, and his parents and family members in our prayers.”

Born December 22, 1970, in Minersville, PA, Pdn. Gregory is the son of Archpriest Michael and Matushka Valeria Hatrak. His love for assisting in the liturgical services began at age three, when Pdn. Gregory started serving in the altar with his father in the church of Ss. Peter and Paul, a parish of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), at which Fr. Michael served as rector.

Throughout his youth, Pdn. Gregory was a member of the Boy Scouts. During his years at Minersville High School, he played the saxophone in the marching band, and, beginning at age 16, he also worked as a volunteer firefighter for the Minersville Rescue Hook and Ladder Company. Upon high school graduation in 1988, he attended St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan, PA, and eventually obtained a Bachelor of Theology degree through a joint program between the seminary and Marywood University in Scranton, PA.

After his graduation from the seminary, Pdn. Gregory worked on the grounds of St. Tikhon’s Monastery and eventually became the Manager of St. Tikhon’s Seminary-Monastery Bookstore. During his nearly 15 years of employment at the seminary-monastery, Dn. Gregory also resumed his work as a dedicated volunteer firefighter, this time for the Lake Ariel Fire Company.

Pdn. Gregory married his wife Robyn (née Alexander) on October 19, 2008. He was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by then Bishop Tikhon (now His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the OCA) on Sunday, September 26, 2010, at his home parish of Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Minersville, during the parish’s 100th anniversary celebration. On May 20, 2017, he was elevated to the rank of Protodeacon, in recognition of his many years of assisting both Metropolitan Herman and Metropolitan Tikhon; and for his dedication in training servers and deacons, as well as for his expert service in the altar area, where he often guided higher ranking clergy through the necessary liturgical motions. 

Pdn. Gregory started working at St. Vladimir's Seminary Bookstore as Manager in 2010, and because of his ability and expertise, he quickly rose to the position of Managing Director, both of the Bookstore and of SVS Press. Under his tenure, SVS Press and Bookstore expanded the number of books published annually, and in FY2016, sales surpassed the $1M mark. The Bookstore and Press also expanded their reputation and sales in national and global markets, including Great Britain, as Pdn. Gregory kept up a rigorous travel schedule to ensure visibility of SVS Press products.

Pdn. Gregory leaves behind his wife, Matushka Robyn, his parents, Archpriest Michael and Matushka Valeria Hatrak, his brother Matthew and Lori (sister in law) Hatrak, and sister, Natalie Hatrak. Matushka Robyn is employed at St. Vladimir’s Seminary as its Special Events, Hospitality, and Alumni Relations Officer.

Our hearts go out to all of them, as we mourn our dear colleague in Christ. Memory Eternal!

Read the eulogy offered by Hieromonk Herman on the occasion of the funeral of Pdn. Gregory, at St. Tikhon's Monastery, the evening of July 5.

Schedule of Services

On Wednesday morning, July 5, at 10:00 a.m., a panikhida for Pdn. Gregory will be served in the Seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel. Prior to the panikhida, at 9 a.m., a viewing will be held. Immediately following the panikhida, a repast will be held in the Seminary’s Germack Building. A collection will be held to offset costs of the repast. All seminary clergy and guest clergy are invited to concelebrate this panikhida.

From St. Vladimir's Seminary Pdn. Gregory's body will be taken to St. Tikhon's Monastery Church, in South Canaan, PA, for viewing and funeral services. Viewing in the monastery church will begin whenever Pdn. Gregory's body arrives in the afternoon. 

The regular monastic offices of Ninth Hour, Vespers, Matins, and First Hour will begin at 4:30 p.m. and conclude about 6:15 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.

A funeral service will take place at St. Tikhon's Monastery Church on Wednesday, July 5, at 7:30 p.m., and there will be a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, with His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon presiding, on Thursday, July 6 at 9:30 a.m., followed by the Last Kiss and Burial in the cemetery. There will be a mercy meal following at St. Michael's Center, 403 Delaware Street, Jermyn, PA 18433, at approximately 12:30 p.m.

There has been a crowdfunding page set up for the benefit of Matushka Robyn Hatrak, for those who wish to help with funeral costs and her welfare. Please donate here.

Our nation is engulfed by an addiction crisis. A new study released in 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that marijuana-related emergency visits by kids in Colorado have more than quadrupled since the state legalized marijuana for recreational use in 2014. A recent report from the U.S. Surgeon General stated that 27 million people in America last year self-reported the misuse of illegal drugs or opioid-based prescription drugs, while another 66 million (a quarter of the U.S. adult and adolescent population!) reported binge-drinking in the past month. The Surgeon General’s report estimates the yearly annual economic impact from the misuse of prescription drugs, illicit drugs, or alcohol is $442 billion—a figure beyond staggering.

Father Alcuin (Dean) Kellerhouse, who is a student in the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program here at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, has come up with a plan to battle this overwhelming national scourge. For his final D.Min. project—one of his degree requirements—he’s designed workshops to train other ministers how to better understand and address Substance Use Disorders (SUDs). What’s more, he’s offering the training pro bono, both face-to-face and online, to ensure the widest possible opportunities for learning.

Father Alcuin, who holds an M.Div. degree, as well as MLADC  (Master Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor) and LCS (Licensed Clinical Supervisor) certifications, has been an addictions professional since 1994.  He is presently the Clinical Supervisor at the South Hills Recovery Project in Bridgeville PA. Active in the Anglican ministry for over 30 years, he was ordained an Orthodox priest in 2015, and he now serves in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), under the omophorion of Metropolitan Hilarion.

“This course, officially titled, ‘Substance Use Disorders: Continuing Education Workshops for Clergy,’ is designed to enhance both the skill and confidence level of clergy in addressing Substance Use Disorders,” explained Fr. Alcuin.

“After completing this training,” Fr. Alcuin, said, “clergy and ministers will have a set of skills that will allow them to deal with our nation’s crisis as it occurs, on personal, family, and parish levels. We know that in times of crisis, the faithful will turn first to their clergy. My goal for this training is to equip our clergy and lay ministers to be effective when those crises involve SUDs.”

He outlined the educational outcome goals of the program, which encompass those skills, as follows:

1. Have increased comprehension of the biblical and patristic witness concerning the misuse of Substances.
2. Understand the thinking behind the approach of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DMS-5) to diagnosis SUDs.
3. Recognize how SUDs may present in pastoral counseling, spiritual relationships, and sacramental ministry.
4. Be able to effectively do a “5th Step” with a person in a 12 Step Recovery program. (Step 5 is: “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”)
5. Exercise referral skills successfully, while continuing to offer effective pastoral support to those who suffer with SUDs.
6. Address SUDs presenting in a ministry setting, with confidence, skill, and grace.

“I’m pleased to be in the D.Min. program, which, in the St. Vladimir’s tradition, draws on the best of Orthodox scholarship to provide practical pastoral training,” Fr. Alcuin continued. “The program requires the sharing of our knowledge with the broader Church, and I have already conducted a test workshop for a small group close to my home, and today received calls from 2 OCA Dioceses which are requesting the training.”

“I also witness to hope, the hope that, as St. Paul says, ‘Does not disappoint us,’ (Romans 5.5), because of the love of God that is poured out in our hearts,” he concluded. “I’m here to share that hope and that love through these workshops, and to impart the basic knowledge and skills needed to battle this truly demonic force over human beings. I am profoundly grateful to the Danilchick Family Endowment for its support of this crucial work.”

Note: Workshops and equivalent online training will be offered pro bono. Fr. Alcuin would simply require reimbursement for travel and lodging. Online training will be based on a publication of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMSHA) as its text. To arrange for a full, half-day or online workshop please contact Fr. Alcuin directly via email: Dkellerhouse@svots.edu or phone: 603.937.0665.

The Danilchick Family Endowment for Pastoral Studies offers need-based financial aid for Doctor of Ministry Students. Recipients of funding from the Danilchick Family Endowment for Pastoral Studies agree to give special diocesan and/or parish workshops and/or seminars in their particular areas of pastoral study. At least one such workshop or seminar shall be given by each scholarship recipient in each year they receive aid from this endowment.

If you would like to learn more about the DMin Program at St. Vladimir's Seminary, please visit the DMin Program page, or contact the Program Director, Fr. Sergius Halvorsen at shalvorsen@svots.edu.

Our alumna, Dr. Stefanie Yova Yazge, (M.A., Class of 1986), fell asleep in the Lord at her home in Greensburg, PA, on the morning of the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul, Thursday, June 29. Wife of our alumnus Priest Anthony Yazge, who is Chair of Department of Camping for the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese and the Director of the Antiochian Village Camp, she is the mother of three children, Matthew, Mark, and Alexis.

Dr. Yazge contributed her time and talent to our seminary by serving as Secretary on the St. Vladimir’s Alumni Association Board from 2011–2016. She was a champion for women seminarians, publically advocating for both their theological education and their adequate campus housing. “She was a driving force, and the Alumni Board’s lead for the Women’s Dorm renovation project on campus,” said Alumnus Gregory Abdalah, who served as Chair of the Alumni Association Board during Dr. Yazge’s tenure on the board. Additionally, Dr. Yazge served on the Initiative Committee for Educational Outreach, a part of the Seminary’s 2010 Strategic Plan.

Dr. Yazge earned her Ph.D. from Union Institute and University, Cincinnati, OH, and a B.S. in Communications (Television/Communications) from Miami University, Oxford, OH. She most recently taught theology part-time at Seton Hill University, near Pittsburgh, and at St. Vincent College, after serving ten years on the faculty of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, IN, as an Assistant Professor in the Theology Department. Additionally, she was a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists and the American Academy of Religion.

A published author, she wrote a number of articles, including a chapter on “St. Paula and the order of Widows” in SCV Vol. 2 of Encountering Women of Faith (2010), and gave a presentation on that same topic at the Virginia Festival of the Book, at the University of Virginia. She was a popular retreat leader as well, and among the venues at which she spoke was the “Mother Alexandra Memorial Lecture at Holy Transfiguration Monastery,” Ellwood City, PA (2012), presenting the topic: "Building Relationships or Building Walls?—Making our Communities a Haven of Salvation." 

Dr. Yazge also participated in international theological meetings, for example, the conference at the Theological Academy of Volos, Greece, sponsored by the World Council of Churches, at which 44 Orthodox women from 16 countries gathered (2008). Nationally, she served as Committee Coordinator for the annual Pan-Orthodox Clergy Wives Weekend held at the Antiochian Village, and locally, she was the choir director at St. Michael's parish in Greensburg.

A native of Akron, Ohio, she was the daughter of the late Protodeacon Paul and Silvia Yova. Her sister, Valerie, is now the Parish Administrator and Director of Music at St. Athanasius Orthodox Church in Goleta, California, and her brother, Gregory, is the founder of Project Mexico and St. Innocent Orphanage.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Khouriya Stefanie’s husband, Fr. Anthony, and her children, Matthew, Mark, and Alexis, and her siblings, Valerie and Gregory. Memory Eternal.

 Seminary President Archpriest Chad Hatfield met with the Faculties of Orthodox Theology in the cities of Sibiu and Bucharest, Romania, in an effort to encourage future student and faculty exchanges and co-publications between St. Vladimir’s Seminary and those two major theological centers. Father Chad, who traveled throughout Romania June 9–21 with the blessing of His Beatitude Daniel, patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, formed both personal and institutional ties with educational leaders in that country. Father Chad was accompanied in his travels by Alexandru Popovici, a native Romanian, who completed his Master of Arts degree in 2016 at St. Vladimir’s, and who now is employed as Director of Web Services at the Seminary.

On June 16, His Eminence Laurentiu [Streza], archbishop of Sibiu and metropolitan of Transylvania, gave Fr. Chad and Mr. Popovici a tour of the Metropolitan Cathedral and faculty compound at the Andrei Saguna Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Sibiu, and also held a meeting with them in his private residence.

“Archbishop Laurentiu,” said Fr. Chad, “is devoted to the works of Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, our seminary’s former longtime and globally influential Dean. “His Eminence, in fact, used to teach liturgics, and he is anxious to renew the bond between St. Vladimir’s liturgical legacy and the professors of theology in Sibiu,” explained Fr. Chad, “especially placing emphasis on the relationship between liturgical life and pastoral care.”

As well, Fr. Chad met with the Dean and Vice-Dean of Faculty of Theology in Sibiu: Priest and Professor Nicolae Chifăr and Priest and Professor Aurel Pavel, respectively. He also met with the ecclesial Dean of the Fagaras region of Romania, Priest Marius Corlean.

In speaking of that meeting, Fr. Chad reported, “Fr. Nicolae’s fields of expertise include Theology, Church History, History of Byzantium, and Ecumenical Relations, while Fr. Aurel is renowned for his work in the fields of Missiology, Ecumenical Relations, and the study of the Old Testament.

“As well, both the Dean and Vice-Dean showed tremendous interest in our Theological Quarterly—(We exchanged copies of our academic quarterlies!)—all of which demonstrates the possibility of future faculty reciprocity,” Fr. Chad continued.“Our conversations were deeply and mutually enriching, and we’ve already begun to envision a future symposium on Missiology, as well as co-publications through our St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press.”

The Andrei Saguna Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Sibiu is the oldest institution of its kind in Romania, and its founding marked the beginning of higher education in Sibiu. Founded in 1786 as a Theological School and restructured in 1811 under the leadership of Gheorghe Lazar, it has continually operated up to the present time. Between 1948 and 1990, it functioned under the name of “The Theological Institute of Higher Education,” being one of the two Orthodox theological schools of higher education in Romania that trained Orthodox priests. Since 1991 it has been part of the “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu. Faculty members are known for their preservation of Transylvanian Orthodox traditions, while having the ability to adapt to the demands and needs of contemporary society. Furthermore, the Faculty of Theology is actively engaged in ecumenical work, both at a national and European level.

On June 19, Fr. Chad visited the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of Patriarch Justinian at the University of Bucharest, to review a formal agreement first signed between the Seminary and the Romanian faculty in 2013. In revisiting that original agreement, the two parties appraised existing protocols regarding student and faculty exchanges, and refined them to make their cooperative efforts more mutually efficient and productive.

Priest and Professor Ştefan Buchiu, faculty dean, noted that in recent years two graduates of the Faculty of Theology in Bucharest had pursued further studies at St. Vladimir’s, “with brilliant results.” (The two students referred to are Mr. Popovici and Bogdan Neacsiu, Class of 2015.) He also noted that in 2018, the collaborative efforts outlined in the 2013 agreement will have reached a five-year anniversary mark, and that with the blessing of Patriarch Daniel, the original agreement would be renewed during a formal ceremony in that anniversary year.

The legal status and structure of the Faculty of Theology in Bucharest mirrors the political history of the country of Romania. Following the Union of the Romanian Principalities under Alexandru Ioan Cuza, the grand opening of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Bucharest took place November 12, 1881. In 1948, the Faculty was reorganized into the Theological Institute, and removed from the university, but in Academic Year 1991–1992, the Institute was returned to its initial status as a specialized Faculty of the University of Bucharest.

In Academic Year of 2005–2006, the educational structure of the Faculty of Theology was realigned in accordance with the provisions of the Bologna Charter, to which Romania adhered as part of its integration into the European Union. Consequently, under the general umbrella of Orthodox Theology were placed four specializations: Pastoral Theology, Didactic Theology, Social Theology, and Sacred Art; and Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral degrees were offered.

The Faculty of Orthodox Theology operates under the University of Bucharest and functions under the supervision of the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Ministry of Education. His Beatitude Daniel, as Archbishop of Bucharest, is the spiritual head of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology; the leadership of the Faculty, as well as the teaching staff, act with the Patriarch’s blessing. The Patriarch also places special emphasis on required participation in liturgical worship, for all students.

On Friday, February 2, 2018 friends in the Lone Star state will host a banquet to support St. Vladimir’s Seminary. The dinner will be held at Bent Tree Country Club in Dallas, an exclusive venue with superb dining.

Alumni Archimandrite Gerasim, dean of the St. Seraphim Cathedral in Dallas, Orthodox Church in America, and Lijin Hannah Raju, general secretary of the Mar Gregorios Orthodox Christian Student Movement of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, both are speaking at the banquet. Seminary President Archpriest Chad Hatfield will be offering remarks as well.

Tickets for the banquet meal, which begins at 7 p.m., are priced at $35, with an additional donation requested.

Please support your next priest or lay leader.

For more information, contact 914.961.8313, x330 or events@svots.edu.

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Come, see St. Vladimir’s Seminary

We warmly welcome you to our campus Open House October 5–8, 2017, for an immersion into seminary life:

• Attend classroom sessions and chapel services.
• Meet the President and select faculty, share community meals, and spend time with seminarians and their families.
• Explore our Master of Divinity, Master of Arts, Master of Theology, and Doctor of Ministry degree programs.
• Meet our diverse student body: last year we had 76 students from 13 countries, 12 Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions, 5 Oriental Orthodox jurisdictions, and 2 non-Orthodox faith communities (and, 9% of the student body were women).
• Experience the hustle and bustle of one of our busiest weekends of the year: Orthodox Education Day, October 7.

Come and see what’s it like to study and live at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. Share a slice of our life.

REGISTRATION               

Register here by September 20th
email: rhatrak@svots.edu, phone: 914.961.8313 x330

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DAILY SCHEDULE

Arrive Wednesday afternoon, October 4th and leave Sunday afternoon, October 8th 
A full schedule will be posted soon.

RESOURCES

• “Are you called to study at St. Vladimir’s Seminary?” 1st-year seminarian Dn. Larry Soper talks about the decision-making process that led him to St. Vladimir’s and tells about his first semester at St. Vladimir’s.
• “What’s it like to study at SVOTS?” Subdeacon Shawn Thomas engages in a discussion about the priesthood, with his professor, Archpriest Alexander Rentel, in his Canon Law class. 
• “Experiences in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)” 2nd-year seminarian Stefan Mastilovic talks about the growth in clinical expertise and self-awareness afforded him through CPE.
• “Seminarians Speak”: Read about our students’ rich experiences during their training: women and men, clergy and lay, scholars, pastors, iconographers, musicians, missionaries, diplomats, and educators included!

ADMISSIONS INFORMATION

• Welcome!
• Degrees offered
• Tuition & other expenses
• Application forms
• Financial aid
• Housing
• Health insurance
• International students

SHARE THE NEWS!

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View a full schedule for Orthodox Education Day 2017
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The Seminary’s annual open house and fall festival—Orthodox Education Day—will address one of the most painful realities of the 21st century: “Modern Martyrs: Christians of the Middle East and North Africa.” The Reverend Dr. George L. Parsenios, associate professor of New Testament, Princeton Theological Seminary, and sessional professor of New Testament, St. Vladimir's Seminary, will present the Keynote: "Dying, and Behold, We Live: Martyrdom in the New Testament." Father George will focus on sections of Scripture in 2 Corinthians and in the Gospel of John, chapter 9 (the healing of the Blind Man), where suffering is connected to assimilation to Christ and being "in Christ."

Although Christians have lived in the Middle East—the birthplace of Christianity—for nearly two thousand years, as a result of war, and years of persecution and discrimination, especially in the past 15 years, they now constitute no more than 3–4% of the region’s population, down from 20% a century ago. And all of us are aware of the recent horrific murders of Coptic Christians in Egypt, and the daily bigotry and discrimination they suffer.

On Saturday, October 7, 2017, we invite the public both to learn about the history of Christianity in the Middle East and North Africa, and to reflect upon what it means to witness to Christ in the face of persecution. In Greek, the word witness is mártyras, and we will be praying for faithful Christians for whom this word holds immediate import and exacts real consequence as they profess their faith.

The day will begin with Divine Liturgy at 10 a.m., and other chapel services will include an Akathist service to the New Martyrs and Great Vespers. Three Hierarchs Chapel and the SVS Bookstore will be open to the public throughout the day, and children’s activities and lectures centered on the day’s theme will be offered. And, we will be providing special hospitality to our guests with tables of ethnic food and poured-over coffee.

Please join us as we remember and stand in solidarity with our Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East and North Africa.

Admission to the grounds and events is free.

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Celebrate the Feast of the Great and Holy Prince Vladimir, Our Patron

We invite all our alumni and friends to join us in celebrating the feast of our patron, the Holy and Great Prince Vladimir, on Saturday, July 15th from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., a day beginning with the Divine Liturgy, coffee hour, a brief talk by Fr. Alexander Rentel, followed by a scrumptious BBQ and ending with an Akathist to St. Vladimir in Three Hierarchs Chapel in the presence of his relics. All of our alumni are invited to serve or sing.

Come celebrate with us.

RSVP by July 7: Please note if you would like to serve or sing

*Rain location: John G. Rangos Family Building
**Event sponsorships are always welcome

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Seminary President Archpriest Chad Hatfield is traveling throughout Romania June 9–21, meeting with key figures instrumental in renewing collaborative efforts between educational institutions of the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Seminary. Cooperative ventures began in 2013, when the Seminary and the Faculty of Orthodox Theology at the University of Bucharest signed a formal agreement allowing for student and faculty exchanges, dialogue, and co-publications.

Of particular importance was the reception of Fr. Chad by His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, at the patriarchal residence on June 12, a meeting that centered on the topic of mission and evangelism.

“The Romanian Church,” reported Fr. Chad, “has a strong interest in missionary outreach, and is particularly interested in the dynamism of American evangelism and how it might be ‘translated’ into catechetical work in Romania.”

Father Chad, who teaches both Pastoral Theology and Missiology courses at St. Vladimir’s, further noted, “I have greatly admired the theological, pastoral, and missionary spirit of Patriarch Daniel, and so I sought His Beatitude’s blessing and counsel as we reconnect in our mutual efforts in these areas, both on the American continent and in Romania.”

Patriarch Daniel also thanked Fr. Chad for supporting young Romanian Orthodox theologians studying at St. Vladimir’s, and as an expression of gratitude, he presented Fr. Chad with the “St. John Chrysostom Cross and Award for Theological Education,” the highest honor in that field bestowed by the Patriarch.

During his time abroad, Fr. Chad has scheduled several other activities. He already has offered the homily for All Saints Sunday in the Church of St. Paraskeva in Bucharest, pastored by Fr. Michael Tita, who also is personal counselor to Patriarch Daniel regarding foreign affairs and inter-church relations. And, he has visited the construction site for the new cathedral scheduled to be built and named after the Apostle Andrew, which will be the seat of the Patriarch’s throne.

Additionally, he will visit several renowned monasteries, as well as an orphanage that has been supported by members of the Seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel for the past nine years. He will also formally renew the 2013 agreement between St. Vladimir’s Seminary and the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Bucharest, headed by Dean Archpriest Stefan Buchiu; and he will visit with the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Sibiu.

​“As I travel around this country, I am amazed,” said Fr. Chad, “at the quality and volume of the media coverage in Romania, as regards church news."

“It is remarkable that Orthodox Christians receive such heightened professional publicity—compared to their U.S. counterparts!—and I am gratified that this, too, is a means to spread the gospel,” he concluded. “I hope to learn from our Romanian friends how to better use the media in our own evangelical efforts.”

Father Chad is being accompanied during his travels by Alexandru Popovici, a native Romanian, who completed his Master of Arts degree in 2016 at St. Vladimir’s, and who now is employed as Director of Web Services at the Seminary.

Five of our seminarians—among them a recent graduate—ministered in Guatemala the last two weeks in May, as part of an OCMC mission teaching team. Deacon Christopher Moore, Anthony Davis, Simon Menya, Hans Vomend, and Christopher Stoops (M.Div. Class of 2017) offered religious education, catechism, and encouragement to church leaders, seminarians, and young adults, as they wound their way through the provinces of Huehuetenango and Escuintla, culminating at Lake Amatitlán.

After landing in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico, they were met by seminary alumnus Jesse Brandow—an already established missionary working in the Mayan Orthodox Christian communities under the Ecumenical Patriarch. Together they traveled down into Guatemala and first stopped in Aguacate, at the Cathedral of the Annunciation, where a customary explosion of confetti greeted them! Deacon Christopher had the privilege of serving with the parish rector, Fr. Evangelios, during a Divine Liturgy, as the others seminarians helped to sing the service.

The team's next stop was a two-day catechetical retreat for all lay leaders from across the Guatemalan parishes. Around 80 people came, and the seminarians taught all the lessons during the two-day retreat, using Mr. Brandow as their translator. Anticipating the coming of the Feast of Pentecost, their teaching centered around the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the Ecumenical Councils of the Orthodox Church. Additionally Seminarian Hans Vomend recounted the story of St. Moses the Black, which captured people's imagination and inspired them. The seminarians also presented parish leaders with beautiful icons of the Feast of Pentecost, for them to take back to their parishes. (And, Dn. Christopher, during retreat breaks, enhanced the friendly atmosphere by playing his saxophone, to the delight of the participants!) They also met Fr. Daniel, another one of the priests under the Ecumenical Patriarch, and visited his parish in Pebilpam.

After teaching the catechetical retreat, the team then visited an Orthodox parish community in the mountainous area of Tajumulco, Guatemala, sharing in fellowship with the lay parish leaders and the rector, Fr. Alexios Sosa. Following this visit, the seminarians wound their way down narrow mountain roads to reach the low-lying coastal province of Escuintla. They met Fr. Blas and Fr. Mihail, the vicar of the Greek Orthodox parishes in Guatemala, and spoke with the students at the Centro Pedagógico, an Orthodox-run school that was founded by Fr. Andrés Girón of blessed memory who brought thousands of Mayan Christians into the Orthodox Church.

Finally, the team culminated their travels with a visit to the location where Orthodoxy first blossomed in Guatemala: the Monastery of the Holy Trinity on Lake Amatitlán. They spent time with Igumeni Madre Inés, abbess of the monastery and spiritual mother of the Hogar Rafael Ayau orphanage. Mother Inés prepared and presented a formal class to increase the team’s knowledge about the history of her country, and she also introduced them to her monastery’s work with orphans as well as the online university IEIRA that she founded.

“This team’s journey through Guatemala,” said Mr. Jesse Brandow, “was a fantastic success. We are so thankful to the seminarians, to St. Vladimir's Seminary, and to OCMC, for making this team possible.“It was such a joy to see the seminarians both learn from and teach the faithful in Guatemala,” he went on, “I simply loved having this team!”