Krista Tippett, host of “On Being”—a Peabody Award-winning radio show that explores some of humanity’s oldest philosophical questions—recently presented a public lecture on our campus, titled, “Mystery and the Art of Living.” The lecture, funded by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, was arranged by Professor Peter C. Bouteneff, director of the Sacred Arts Initiative at St. Vladimir’s, in an effort to explore ways to engage the wider culture in conversations about faith and spirituality.

In her presentation, Ms. Tippett focused on a phrase coined by physicist Albert Einstein: “spiritual genius.” She paraphrased a startling quote from that great scientist, saying, “Spiritual genius is more necessary to the dignity, security, and joy of humanity than the purveyors of objective knowledge.”

Ms. Tippett then went on to define the recurring qualities of “spiritual genius,” as detected among the “wisest people” she’s ever interviewed—and this graduate of Yale Divinity School and former political journalist for The New York Times and Newsweek has interviewed many. A bevy of larger-than-life theologians, poets, scientists, writers, academics, politicians, and artists have opened the depths of their souls to her: from astrophysicist Mario Livio to Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel; and from Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors to founder of the media network TheBlaze, Glenn Beck. Among their seemingly polarized beliefs and dogmas, Ms. Tippett has managed to hear echoes of common human experience, while honoring the complexities and perplexities that mark their unique spiritual paths.

During her campus lecture, which was based on her newly published volume, Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living, Ms. Tippett outlined three broad areas that denote “spiritual genius”—embodiment of spirituality, acceptance and integration of failure, and the practice of virtues. She then deftly expanded upon each point, while emphasizing what she terms the “reality-based nature of spirituality.”

“‘Spiritual genius,’” she began, “is not merely spiritual; it is embodied, experiential, sensate, rooted and flesh and blood and time and space…body, mind, and spirit are more entangled than we guessed…more interactive in every direction. For most of history, religion was a full-body experience, which the Orthodox never forgot; rituals tether emotion in flesh and blood and bone, and they help to release it, and they embody memory in communal time.”

Further, she noted, “Failure and imperfection are the very element of human vitality and wisdom…saints wrestled with darkness in themselves and in the world all of their days. How we carry what has gone wrong for us, integrating it as part of our wholeness, and not merely overcoming it, is essential to being at home in ourselves and to be meaningfully present and compassionate to others, and to the world, in its flaws and failings. What has gone wrong for us, in fact, becomes part of our gift to the world.”

Lastly, she likened virtues to ‘spiritual technologies,’ particularly naming the qualities of listening, beauty, joy and humor, gratitude, and goodness as capable of uplifting not only a person’s soul but also the collective spirit of the surrounding community, if they are practiced as a spiritual discipline. She observed the depressing effects of 24/7 media news cycles on human beings, and offered a remedy to the dour outlook created by them, saying, “Virtues are at the heart of ‘spiritual genius.’ Our world is abundant with often quiet, hidden lives of beauty and courage and goodness; there are millions of people at any given moment, young and old, giving themselves over to service, risking hope, and all the while ennobling us all. And, you know some of these people, and you are some of these people.

“We live in an intensely wondrous, stressful, mysterious age,” she concluded. “These qualities of wise living that I’ve discovered in others are accessible to each and every one of us. They can be pursued with the certainly imperfect, often perplexing, raw materials of each of our lives. And if we pursue these things, in ourselves and in our families and communities, we will begin to move through the world differently; we might know what the Apostle Paul calls the peace of God (Philippians 4.7), and share that in the world that we can see and touch.”

At the end of her lecture, Dr. Bouteneff thanked Ms. Tippett, saying, “As a seminary our work is in about talking about God, about joy and goodness, and the virtues, and you have shown us that we can talk about that in ways that are far more accessible and far more universally understandable. We have so much to learn from what you do.”

Our Seminary’s 2017 Commencement ceremonies, held May 20, included several distinguishing moments, in addition to the granting of degrees to 16 graduates in three academic programs. Among the exceptional highlights were remarks to graduates by His Beatitude the Most Blessed Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and chair of the Seminary’s Board of Trustees; the Commencement Address by His Grace the Right Reverend John (Abdalah) of the Diocese of Worcester and New England, of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA); and the recognition and commendation by the Seminary’s Board of Trustees of Archpriest John Behr for his 10 years of service to the school as Dean, as well as the announcement of Fr. John’s appointment to the newly established “Father Georges Florovsky Distinguished Professorship of Patristics.” (View a video of the entire Commencement on our Facebook page, here.) Moreover, the Class of 2017 was the 75th class to commence from St. Vladimir's, the first graduates in 1943 being part of a cooperative program between Columbia University and the Seminary when it was located in New York City.

A Molieben (Service of Thanksgiving) in Three Hierarchs Chapel, with Metropolitan Tikhon presiding, and a procession of hierarchs, faculty, and students from the chapel to the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium immediately preceded the Commencement, which was formally opened by His Beatitude. Seminary President Archpriest Chad Hatfield then offered a summary of highlights from Academic Year 2016–2017 to the large audience and introduced the Commencement Speaker, Bishop John, who is an alumnus of St. Vladimir’s.

In an address titled, “What I wish I had known 39 years ago,” Bishop John offered practical advice from his own experience as a lay leader, seminarian, parish priest, and hierarch. “As difficult as my mission was to be, ministering to people of many generations, from varied ethnic and socio-economic strata, from hippies to Babas,” His Grace quipped to the graduating class, “your challenge is greater. In addition to dinosaurs of my generation, you will live among post-modernists who imagine themselves to be the center of the universe, and who believe themselves to be self-contained, needing no ‘other’ for fulfillment. You will minister to people for whom truth is, at best, relative. For many, including baptized Orthodox Christians in our pews, people believe themselves to be self-sufficient, needing no other; and amazingly enough, no ‘other’ includes God.

 

“I must confess that I came to seminary,” His Grace recalled, “confident that I knew quite a bit about my faith and parish life. After all, I had served in the altar from a very young age, had been an officer of our teen group, and had served as a member of the choir and parish council. Every semester I realized that I knew less and less, and today, I am the least confident in my grasp of theology. I am committed, however, to an understanding that this is indeed the process of education, particularly when encountering the ultimately unknowable. In any case, we serve as best we can, striving to be faithful to God and to the complex people we serve.

“Are you ready to commence your lives as churchmen and women?,” Bishop John asked. “Let me share what I wish I knew when I started my church life some forty years ago.” (Read His Grace’s full address here.)

Bishop John’s address was followed by the conferral of degrees, announced by Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Professor John Barnet, with the endorsement of the hierarchs from each graduate’s respective ecclesial jurisdiction: Metropolitan Tikhon (OCA); Bishop John (AOCANA); His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church; and seminary Trustee His Grace Metropolitan Zachariah Mar Nicholovos (Poothiyottu), metropolitan of the Northeast American Diocese, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC). Valedictorian Mark Chenowith offered experiential wisdom to seminarians still completing their studies, while Salutatorian Dimitrios Nikiforos offered sage advice to the graduating class, which included 9 Master of Divinity, 3 Master of Arts, and 4 Master of Theology candidates. (View the Commencement Program here and the Valedictory Address here.)

Between the Salutatory and Valedictory Addresses, Dn. Joseph Wesseler, president of the Student Council, presented the “St. Macrina Award,” an annual honor bestowed by the student body upon the faculty member deemed most valuable to their formation and study. The award this year went to Fr. Chad Hatfield, whose courses at the Seminary have focused on Pastoral Theology and Missiology. (View a video of the Salutatory and Valedictory Addresses and bestowal of the St. Macrina Award here on our Facebook page, and read the text by Dn. Joseph presenting the award here.)

The presence of Metropolitan Tikhon bookended the day’s ceremonies, beginning with his presiding at the Divine Liturgy, during which he elevated Deacon Gregory Hatrak, director of Marketing and Operations at SVS Press & Bookstore at the Seminary, to the rank of Protodeacon. His Beatitude lauded the newly elevated Protodeacon, saying, “It is particularly fitting that this takes place today, on the day of commencement for the Class of 2017, as your service as a deacon is an example of what humble and obedient service to our Lord Jesus Christ looks like, which is the sole purpose for the existence of this seminary.” (Read Metropolitan Tikhon’s full remarks to Pdn. Gregory here, and his homily at the Divine Liturgy here.)

In his closing remarks, His Beatitude first offered wisdom to the graduating class, using pragmatic words taken from a document dated 1888, handed down to his family from his own maternal ancestors. He urged graduates to appropriate and apply the historic advice to their own vocations and situations, putting their newly acquired learning “to work, not for personal gain, but in the fulfilling of the Apostolic Work by which we make ourselves worthy of the name ‘Christian.’” (Read Metropolitan Tikhon’s closing remarks to the graduates here.)

His Beatitude then thanked Fr. John Behr on behalf of the Board for his “spiritual and academic leadership,” and further noted the Seminary’s extensive growth under Fr. John’s deanship, including reaccreditation with the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), re-establishment of the Doctor of Ministry Program, and implementation of a new Master of Divinity curriculum. Metropolitan Tikhon also recognized Fr. John’s “lasting contribution” to the life of St. Vladimir’s Seminary as “the uniting of the pastoral and the academic into a prophetically bold formation of clergy and lay leaders prepared to ‘speak the truth in love’ (Eph 4:15).”

After honoring Fr. John, His Beatitude presented him with a pectoral cross once worn by Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko, former dean of St. Vladimir’s, which had, in turn, been handed down to Fr. Thomas from Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, who had originally received it from Archimandrite Cyprian Kern. (Read His Beatitude’s full remarks regarding the professorship here.)

His Beatitude further announced that the Board of Trustees has formed a Search Committee to fill the position of Dean at St. Vladimir’s, and that details would be forthcoming.

***

View a performance by the St. Vladimir’s Women’s Chorale during Commencement ceremonies, here on our Facebook page.

The music of Estonian composer and Orthodox Christian Arvo Pärt—considered “spiritually powerful” by a large and widely diverse audience—provided the basis for an exploration of the relationship between sound and the sacred at an international conference in the heart of NYC’s arts scene, May 1–4, 2017. Musicologists, art historians, performance artists, experts in architectural acoustics, and renowned scholars and theologians gathered for the event, titled, “Arvo Pärt: Sounding the Sacred,”at McNally Amphitheater on Fordham University's Lincoln Center Campus.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and Chair of the Board of Trustees at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, opened the conference with a theological reflection titled, “The Sound of Silence: The Appeal of Arvo Pärt to the Human Heart.” Taking note of the music’s near-universal appeal, Metropolitan Tikhon preferred to characterize Pärt’s music as “supremely personal.” In an address that featured references both to popular culture and ancient desert ascetical writers, the Metropolitan said that Pärt’s diverse listeners “feel as though he were a friend, or as if they were within the music itself, as though they were part of this composition.” He suggested, “Perhaps this is because the meaningful silence that dwells in and through the notes introduces us into deep prayer and humility.” (Video recordings of the l pre- and post-conference lectures, by organizers and presenters, will all be made available here.)

Professor Peter C. Bouteneff, director of both the Sacred Arts Initiative and Arvo Pärt Project at St. Vladimir’s Seminary—which hosted the event in collaboration with the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University—remarked upon ways in which the conference “broke new ground” in examining Pärt’s music.

”People have been analyzing Pärt for decades by looking into it, exploring its inner workings,” Bouteneff began. “Our interest here was with the phenomenon of the music itself, how it impresses itself onto its listeners. We were interested in how the music’s sacred content is embodied in sound, which led us all to explore, from different angles, what we mean by ‘sacred,’ and how Pärt’s music manages to give it such a tangible and resonant expression.”

Additionally, Dr. Bouteneff marveled at the uncanny but frequent phenomenon spawned by a performance of Pärt’s music: its ability to unite diverse persons through their common humanity.

”As is always the case when you bring ‘Pärt people’ together, one is struck by the breadth and scope of their interests and their different entry-points into his music,” he observed. “Far from everyone is interested in the ‘spiritual’ as such, or at least in talking a lot about it. But everyone feels strongly about the music and is touched by it to their core. That engagement deeply enriches their reflections on the composer and his oeuvre—as scholars, performers, and deep listeners.”

As part of the four-day event, a public musical performance of Pärt’s music, with the ”Goeyvaerts String Trio+,” organist and Pärt scholar Andrew Shenton, and percussionist Yousif Sheronick, was also held at Holy Trinity Church, 213 West 82nd Street. (Read a review by Jake Romm, “For Arvo Pärt Music and Silence Are Divine” in the online publication The Forward.) This chamber performance of some of Pärt’s more austere works—some of which are only rarely performed—was carefully attuned to the conference’s focus on the sonic effect of Pärt’s work.

In a personal message to Bouteneff, Arvo and Nora Pärt congratulated the organizers and welcomed the potential of the conference’s papers to chart new directions in the understanding of the composer’s work. Michael Pärt, Chair of the Board of the Arvo Pärt Centre in Estonia, and Karin Kopra, Editor/Archive Specialist at the Centre, were in attendance at all sessions of the Conference, and compiled reports to share with the Centre.

Support for each event was generously provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.
Read the program for the event here.

With the blessing of His Grace Irinej, bishop of the Eastern Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church and St. Vladimir’s Seminary alumnus (M.Div. ’82), the parish community of St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, North Canton, OH, hosted an alumni gathering and gala banquet in support of the Seminary on Sunday, April 30. The events coincided with the “Slava,” or patron saint’s day, of the parish.

Besides His Grace, five other seminary alumni are native sons of the St. George parish: its current rector, Fr. Aleksa Pavichevich (who is also enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program at St. Vladimir's); Fr. Pete Pritza (+); Fr. Dan Rogich, rector of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Canton, OH; Fr. John Zdinak, dean of St. Theodosius Cathedral, Cleveland, OH; and Dn. Larry Soper, 1st-year seminarian. In recognition of the deep bond existing between the parish and the Seminary, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, president of St. Vladimir’s, presented the community with an icon of the Great and Holy Prince Vladimir, during the celebration.

At the gala’s banquet, His Grace presented the main keynote, sharing a story of a blessing he had received from St. Nikolai Velimirovic while still in his mother’s womb, and transitioning to the impact St. Nikolai had on the life and development of St. Vladimir’s Seminary. Father Chad spoke of the Seminary’s historical witness and impact on the development of Orthodoxy in North America, and emphasized also the rigorous academic standards and full and robust liturgical life offered to seminarians during their training. Church Board President Nick Pribich spoke about the impact his recent trip to St. Vladimir’s made on him, and the other parishioners who had accompanied him.

Alex Machaskee, executive chair of the Board of Trustees at St. Vladimir’s, thanked all those present for their support of the seminary, and he thanked His Grace in particular for his support in the continued growth of the seminary community. He highlighted the historic connection between the Belgrade Theological Faculty and St. Vladimir’s, noting that with the leadership and support of His Grace Bishop Irinej this connection would develop into a profound, working relationship.

To read more about the gala and to see a full photo gallery, visit the website of the Eastern Diocese of America, Serbian Orthodox Church.

Does your parish want to host an event in support of St. Vladimir’s Seminary? Call Matushka Robyn Hatrak at 914.961.8313 x330 or email: events@svots.edu.

The Sophia Institute International Center for Eastern Christian Thought and Culture,3041 Broadway,10027, New York,,NY,US
URL: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gold-and-clay-healing-and-transformation-in-jungian-psychology-and-orthodox-christianity-tickets-33580982623

A preliminary meeting of Orthodox Christian theologians, clergy, chaplains, and counselors, and Jungian psychoanalysts, will be held under the auspices of the Analytical Psychology and Orthodox Christianity Consultation (APOCC) at The Sophia Institute International Center for Eastern Orthodox Thought and Culture. At the meeting, titled, “Gold and Clay: Healing and Transformation in Jungian Psychology and Orthodox Christianity,” the select group will share perspectives on healing and human flourishing in light of modern societal trends, including those within mental health care and pastoral care.

The first part of the day is a private consultation between the core participants, followed by two panel discussions open to the public from 2:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

The Reverend Adrian Budica, supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and Director of Field Education at St. Vladimir's Seminary, helped to organize the conference, and he will co-chair the event. He will, as well, facilitate one of the afternoon panels. "My involvement with the conference" said Fr. Adrian, "started with discovering a common interest in Analytical Psychology via a meeting with my co-chair, Pia Chaudhari, and Fr. John Behr (the seminary faculty member who advised her Ph.D. thesis). For me, the Jungian theory informs my pastoral supervision theory in CPE."

Other participants from our St. Vladimir’s Seminary community will include:

• The Reverend Sean A. Levine: Seminary Alumnus (M.Div. 2010); Priest, Orthodox Church in America; Chaplain (Major) US Army
• The Reverend Dr. David Mezynski: Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Director of Admissions at SVOTS
• Laura Josephson, CCH: Member of Three Hierarchs Chapel Community; Iconographer and Homeopath

Register to attend the Public Panel through Eventbrite.

Visit the Conference website.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and chair of the Board of Trustees of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, has announced two significant actions taken by the Board concerning the governance of the Seminary, at a special meeting Wednesday, May 3, 2017. His Beatitude made the announcement in a letter sent to seminary President Archpriest Chad Hatfield on May 4.

In his letter His Beatitude informed Fr. Chad that the Board had voted unanimously to confirm him as President of the Seminary for a new two-year term, beginning July 1, 2017, and concluding June 30, 2019. The Board had offered Fr. Chad—who had previously been appointed by the Board to act as President in May 2016—a contract for the position in early April 2017, and had affirmed his acceptance letter, dated April 18, 2017, at the special Board meeting this week. 

His Beatitude further announced that the Board had accepted the resignation of Archpriest John Behr as Dean—a role he has filled for the past ten years—as of May 15, 2017. He remains Professor of Patristics.

Metropolitan Tikhon explained that the new governance structure and statutes adopted by the Seminary’s Board within the past year had set in motion the newly affirmed administrative changes. In his letter His Beatitude tasked Fr. Chad with “overseeing the immediate steps of the transition.”

His Beatitude also graciously thanked both Fr. Chad and Fr. John for their sincere dedication and continuing service to the Seminary and its mission, especially recognizing “the hard work and sacrifices Fr. John and his family have made during this decade that you [Fr. Chad] and he shared the leadership of the Seminary.”

A celebratory book launch of Habib Girgis: Coptic Orthodox Educator and a Light in the Darkness(SVS Press, 2017), with guest author His Grace Dr. Anba Suriel, bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of Melbourne and Affiliated Regions in Australia, was held on Saturday, April 22. His Grace offered a presentation on the life and work of Habib Girgis, a Coptic Egyptian who dedicated himself to advancing religious and theological education, and who eventually was canonized by the Coptic Orthodox Church.

The volume is the second publication in SVS Press’s Coptic Studies Series, and His Grace’s presentation—which was titled “The Role of St. Archdeacon Habib Girgis in the Renaissance of the Alexandrian Coptic Church,” included a photo exhibition of images taken from the book. View the entire presentation here on YouTube.

The book describes Girgis’ six-decade-long career as an educator, reformer, dean of a theological college, and pioneer of the Sunday School Movement in Egypt over the first half of the twentieth century, and it includes his own publications as well as a cache of newly discovered, previously unpublished texts from the Coptic Orthodox Archives in Cairo. The volume sets in context Girgis’ work in the midst of the identity crisis and deep social vulnerability that Coptic Christians had been experiencing in their homeland since the mid-nineteenth century. It traces his agenda for educational reform for all age groups in the Coptic Church, as well as his work among the villagers of Upper Egypt. And, it meticulously details his struggle to implement his vision of a Coptic identity, forged through education in the face of a hostile milieu.

Bishop Suriel holds a Ph.D. from Fordham University. He is the Dean of St. Athanasius College in Melbourne, Australia, as well as Senior Lecturer in Religious Education, Pastoral Ministry, and Coptic History at that school. His grace also is the translator of The Life of Repentance and Purity, by Pope Shenouda III, the first volume of the Coptic Studies Series, which was a joint project with the St. Athanasius College Press.

The Reverend Dn. Gregory Hatrak, director of Marketing and Operations for SVS Press and Bookstore, welcomed Bishop Suriel to the Seminary, and in his introduction of him, he noted that The Life of Repentance and Purity was the “fastest-selling first print run,” ever at SVS Press. “In the first four months,” said Dn. Gregory, “we sold out 6,000 copies of that book, and now, we are well into the second print run.”

Deacon Gregory also expressed his appreciation for Bishop Suriel’s current efforts to illumine further the life of Habib Girgis, especially through the unique photograph exhibition he has compiled. “Many of the photos we will see today,” Dn. Gregory remarked, “have never yet been seen in the U.S., and some of them have never been seen outside of Egypt.”

As Holy Week began, many clergy from our seminary community participated an ancient ritual: the preparation of Holy Chrism. They gathered at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery, in South Canaan, PA, with other priests and deacons, and bishops, to confect the specially blended oil used in the Rite of Chrismation in Orthodox Churches.

The Rite of Consecration of Holy Chrism began on Holy Monday morning, as His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and Chairman of the Board of Trustees at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, sanctified water to bless the ingredients that would be used in making the chrism. Then, some attending clergy poured the blessed exotic spices and oil into an enormous stainless-steel container and continuously stirred the ingredients as they boiled, while other clergy stood nearby, reading the Gospels.

The fragrant blend of olive oil, white wine, styrax, benzoin, rose oil, basil, balsam, Venetian turpentine, and galangal; aromatic incenses extracted in oil; oils of bergamot, clove, marjoram, thyme and sandalwood; and extracts of ginger root, calamus root, nutmeg, and orris root will continue to simmer until Holy Thursday. During that entire period, in 2-hour shifts day and night, a multitude of clergy from the monastery and surrounding area will take turns continuously stirring the mixture and reading the Gospels.

When the Holy Chrism is ready, it will be poured into bottles and distributed to the 700 parishes of the OCA—from Canada to the United States to Mexico. Parish priests will use the chrism during the Rite of Chrismation to anoint a person at the pronouncement of the words, “the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit”—a practice that some historians trace to the almost immediate post-apostolic period.

The fifth-century Patriarch, Cyril of Jerusalem details how this special oil was "symbolically applied to the forehead, and the other organs of sense" during Chrismation, and specifies that the "ears, nostrils, and breast were each to be anointed.” St. Cyril insisted that being "anointed with the holy anointing oil of God" was the sign of a Christian, a physical representation of having the gift of the Holy Spirit. He notes: "Having been counted worthy of this Holy Chrism, you are called Christians, verifying the name also by your new birth. For before you were deemed worthy of this grace, you had properly no right to this title, but were advancing on your way towards being Christians."(On the Mysteries 3.5)

Preparing chrism is also a unique privilege of autocephalous (self-ruled) Orthodox Churches, which connects them historically to their Mother Churches, since every batch of new chrism contains drops from an earlier batch of chrism. (The OCA’s Archives boasts a lead container that held chrism brought from Russia in 1900, and the Russian Church originally received its chrism from its Mother Church, Constantinople.) Every drop of chrism powerfully testifies to church unity, and to the freely given gift by God of the Holy Spirit.

Seminary clergy participating in the Rite of Consecration of Holy Chrism this year included President Archpriest Chad Hatfield, Dean Archpriest John Behr, Archpriest Alexander Rentel, Priest David Mezynski, Deacon Evan Freeman, and Deacon Gregory Hatrak, and Seminarians Priest Seth Earl, Deacon Daniel Greeson, and Deacon Christopher Moore. During the visit to St. Tikhon’s Monastery Fr. Alexander Rentel also visited the gravesite of Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, seminary Dean 1962–1983, and his recently departed wife, Matushka Juliana, January 2017, and served a Memorial Service in their remembrance.

On Wednesday, March 29, 2017, a delegation of the Serbian Orthodox Church, led by His Grace the Right Reverend Irinej (Dobrijevic), bishop of the Diocese of Eastern America, met with Archpriest Dr. Chad Hatfield, president of St. Vladimir’s Seminary. They discussed potential areas of academic cooperation between St. Vladimir’s and the “Faculty of Ortodox Theology” at the University of Belgrade, including faculty and student exchanges and a collaborative international conference. Bishop Irinej is an alumnus (M.Div. ’82) of St. Vladimir’s Seminary and member-designate to its Board of Trustees.

Representing the school of advanced theological studies in Belgrade was Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Dr. Vladimir Vukadinovic, full professor of Liturgics and Ecclesiastical Art History. Father Vladimir had been in the U.S. serving as guest lecturer for the Diocese of Eastern American during its Fraternal Seminar and Clergy Confessions gathering, held in Cleveland, Ohio, March 23–25.

Also among the delegation were: Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Dr. Zivojin Jakovljevic, episcopal deputy of the Diocese of Eastern America, dean of St. Sava Cathedral in New York City, and assistant professor in Church Slavonic at St. Sava School of Theology in Libertyville, IL, and lecturer in Linguistics at Cleveland State University; Protopresbyter Vladislav Radujkovic, parish priest at St. Sava Cathedral; and Deacon Dr. Jovan Anicic, director of Religious Education of the Diocese of Eastern America and assistant professor of Dogmatics and Church Chant at St. Sava School of Theology.

During their time on campus, the delegation also toured the “Father Georges Florovsky Library,” the largest repository of Eastern Christian literature in the U.S. besides the Library of Congress, Three Hierarchs Chapel, and SVS Bookstore. Additionally, His Grace and Fr. Vladimir met with Deacon Gregory Hatrak, Director of Marketing and Operations manager of SVS Press and Bookstore, to discuss another cooperative venture: the translation and publication of theological works.  

Another highlight of the visit was a meeting between Fr. Vladimir and the seminarians of Serbian background at St. Vladimir’s: Dn. Larry Soper and Stefan Djoric of the Eastern American Diocese, Joseph Wesseler of the Western American Diocese, and Stefan Mastilovic of the Australian and New Zealand Metropolitanate. The students and Fr. Vladimir took a unique opportunity to discuss contemporary issues concerning Orthodox Christian theological education.

His Grace Dr. Anba Suriel
St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary,Metropolitan Philip Auditorium, John G. Rangos Family Building,10707,575 Scarsdale Road Yonkers,NY,US

Please join us for a celebratory book launch of Habib Girgis: Coptic Orthodox Educator and a Light in the Darkness (SVS Press, 2017), with guest author His Grace Dr. Anba Suriel, bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of Melbourne and Affiliated Regions in Australia. On Saturday, April 22, at 1:00 p.m., His Grace will be offering a presentation on the life and work of Habib Girgis, a Coptic Egyptian who dedicated himself to advancing religious and theological education. The volume is the second publication in SVS Press’s Coptic Studies Series, and His Grace’s presentation will include a photo exhibition of images taken from the book.

The book describes Girgis’ six-decade-long career as an educator, reformer, dean of a theological college, and pioneer of the Sunday School Movement in Egypt over the first half of the twentieth century, and it includes his own publications as well as a cache of newly discovered, previously unpublished texts from the Coptic Orthodox Archives in Cairo. The volume sets in context Girgis’ work in the midst of the identity crisis and deep social vulnerability that Coptic Christians had been experiencing in their homeland since the mid-nineteenth century. It traces his agenda for educational reform for all age groups in the Coptic Church, as well as his work among the villagers of Upper Egypt. And, it meticulously details his struggle to implement his vision of a Coptic identity, forged through education and in the face of a hostile milieu.

Heather J. Sharkey, associate professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, University of Pennsylvania, wrote in her review of the book: “This meticulously researched and beautifully written study examines the inspiring life of Habib Girgis…. Historians of modern Egypt generally, and of Coptic Orthodox and other Egyptian Christian communities more specifically, will appreciate this study for its sensitive yet rigorous treatment of a great twentieth-century educator who, in the words of Bishop Suriel, helped Egyptians ‘to give meaning to their own struggles… [and] to look within to understand their lives and to think of what lay beyond.’”

Bishop Suriel holds a Ph.D. from Fordham University. He is the Dean of St. Athanasius College in Melbourne, Australia, as well as Senior Lecturer in Religious Education, Pastoral Ministry, and Coptic History at that school. His Grace also is the translator of The Life of Repentance and Purity, by Pope Shenouda III, the first volume of the Coptic Studies Series, which was a joint project with the St Athanasius College Press.