On the Saturday afternoon before the start of Great Lent, the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium was filled to capacity for a book launch hosted by St. Vladimir's Seminary Press (SVS Press). The event celebrated the release of the first title in the groundbreaking "Coptic Studies Series," The Life of Repentance and Purity.

Authored by His Holiness Coptic Pope Shenouda III, the book was first translated from Arabic in 1989 by the Series' Editor, His Grace Bishop Dr. Anba Suriel (Guirgis), SVOTS alumnus and Bishop of the Coptic Diocese of Melbourne and Affiliated Regions, Australia. This new translation by Bishop Suriel includes editions and patristic references, and is the first joint publication between SVS Press and St. Athanasius Press. St. Athanasius is the fledgling publishing house of St. Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Theological College in Donvale, Australia, where His Grace serves as Dean.

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III was the 117th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark; he shepherded the Coptic Orthodox Church for over forty years before reposing in 2012. In the book, His Holiness draws on Scripture, the Church Fathers, his own experience of desert monasticism, and his tenure as the leader of millions of Coptic Christians.

At the launch event, Bishop Suriel, the Very Reverend Dr. John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir’s, and the Very Reverend Athanasius K. Farag of St. Antonious & St. Mina Church in East Rutherford, New Jersey, offered presentations to a full house. With Bishop Suriel on hand to autograph books for guests, The Life of Repentance and Purity sold briskly. "Copies of this book have sold at an unprecedented rate," said Deacon Gregory Hatrak, director of Marketing and Operations for SVS Press and Bookstore, "and we will be going to a second printing by the summer. The demand has reinforced our belief that a great need exists for English Coptic literature.

"God willing, we will soon have a presence for SVS Press in Donvale, Australia on the campus of St. Athanasius, as part of our continuing relationship with the College," continued Dn. Gregory. "They will be our distributor in Australia and New Zealand, widening the circle of influence for SVS Press even further."

"The ties between St. Vladimir's Seminary and St. Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Theological College are growing ever stronger," noted Fr. John Behr. "Both Bishop Suriel and I, as the Deans of two theological institutions, enjoy a close friendship; we understand the importance of rapprochement between the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox traditions in the 21st century." While on campus, Bishop Suriel also met with His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of the Orthodox Church in America, and served as the featured speaker for the campus Lenten retreat held annually during the first two days of Great Lent.

The "Coptic Studies Series" was conceived with a two-fold purpose: to increase the accessibility of the many treasures of Coptic Orthodox Christianity to a wider English-speaking audience; and to cross-pollinate the spiritual minds of Coptic Orthodox Christians and their Eastern Orthodox brethren with the knowledge of a common faith. 

Listen to Bishop Suriel's Lenten talks, and the presentations at the book launch, on Ancient Faith Radio's podcast, Voices From St. Vladimir's Seminary.
Read Bishop Suriel's book launch speech 

Watch the video about this new, hybrid program

Are you thinking that a Doctor of Ministry degree might be in your future? You may be asking yourself how you can continue your graduate theological education and eventually be ready to begin the D.Min. program.

St. Vladimir’s Seminary announces a new Master of Divinity (M.Div.) Equivalency program designed to help Master of Arts (M.A.) graduates earn the necessary 72 graduate credits for an M.Div. Degree equivalency, in order to be eligible for admission to the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program. 

The program is designed to be completed in three years, covering broad-based work in theology, biblical studies, and the arts ministry, including the supervised practice of ministry. Coursework will be completed through hybrid courses combining online learning and onsite intensives. Students will have both the flexibility and guidance to meet their learning needs and accommodate their ministry situation, while remaining focused on the goal of admission to the D.Min. program.

“This is a program specifically designed for pastors and professionals in ministry who want to do advanced graduate study, but cannot commit to a full-time residency at our campus,” said The Rev. Dr. J. Sergius Halvorsen, director of the D. Min. and M.Div. Equivalency programs at St. Vladimir’s.

“Similar to our D.Min. program, all of the courses in the M.Div. Equivalency program are designed as hybrid courses,” Father Sergius explained. “Students are able to fulfill the majority of the program requirements at home. But, with each course, they also have the experience of learning together on our campus for a weeklong intensive, where they are able to deepen the friendships that have developed while learning together online.”

If you would like to discuss whether the St. Vladimir’s Seminary M.Div. Equivalency program is right for your ministry goals, please contact Fr. Sergius Halvorsen, director of the D. Min. and M.Div. Equivalency programs, at (914) 961-8313 x367 or shalvorsen@svots.edu.

What are you waiting for? Apply today!

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During the weekend of February 26–28, 2016, members of the Orthodox Inter-Seminary Movement (OISM) met at St. Vladimir’s Seminary for their bi-annual gathering, which was centered around the theme from the fall OISM meeting, “Expanding the Mission of the Orthodox Church.” The weekend offered a meaningful time of fellowship with students from other seminaries, and a timely reminder of the importance of building relationships across jurisdictional lines.

The weekend’s events began on Friday morning with a guided tour of the Byzantine collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, led by The Rev. Deacon Evan Freeman (M.Div. ‘09, Th.M. ‘12), lecturer in Liturgical Art at St. Vladimir’s. “The Metropolitan has one of the finest collections of Byzantine art in America, and it’s right on the doorstep of St. Vladimir’s,” remarked Deacon Evan. “Our tour allowed us to examine sixth-century silver chalices from Syria, a twelfth-century Gospel book that was probably originally made for Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, Late Byzantine and Russian icons, and many other beautiful works of art.”

On Friday evening, basketball teams from St. Vladimir's and St. Tikhon's seminaries traveled to Hooperstown in Mount Vernon, NY, and competed in their annual face off. The game is a well–loved tradition between the two schools. The winner of this year’s match was St. Vladimir’s, with a final score of 56-29.

Saturday began with a molieben served by St. Vladimir’s student priest, The Rev. Ignatius Green, followed by a campus tour. In a presentation co-sponsored by the SVOTS St. Innocent Mission Society, The Very Rev. Vladimir Aleandro (M.Div. ‘95), SVOTS lecturer in Liturgics, and Matushka Suzanne Aleandro vividly shared their experience as missionaries to Kenya with Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC). The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, SVOTS chancellor/CEO and sessional professor of Missiology, delivered two engaging lectures focusing on the increasing need for mission work and evangelism in North America.

The seminarians were able to celebrate their unity in Christ by participating in the Divine Liturgy on Sunday morning, where His Eminence Irenée, Archbishop of Ottawa and the Archdiocese of Canada, ordained SVOTS seminarian Deacon Ryan (Tikhon) Bishop to the Holy Priesthood. Following the Divine Liturgy, the seminarians mingled at coffee hour before the visiting students departed for home.

OISM was organized in the 1960s to foster closer relationships between students of canonical Orthodox seminaries in the United States and Canada. Seminarians from St. Tikhon’s Seminary, South Canaan, PA; Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, MA; and Holy Trinity Seminary, Jordanville, NY, participated in the weekend’s events.

Read about the 2015 OISM gathering at St. Tikhon’s Seminary.
Want to join us as a seminarian next year? Read more about how to attend St. Vladimir’s!

Photos by Mary Honoré

Read about the 2015 Practicum

Intense liturgical training is the focus of this 4–day program to be held from Sunday, June 26–Wednesday, June 29, 2016 on the campus of St. Vladimir's Seminary. Participants are asked to arrive after 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 26; the last day of the practicum, June 29 includes morning Divine Liturgy, a closing discussion, and brunch. Participants may leave campus at noon for 3:00 p.m. and later flights from area airports. 

• REGISTER ONLINE TODAY!! 
• Travel and airport service information available HERE.
• Download the schedule.

(For those buying airline tickets to any event, flight insurance is recommended.)

• Course Description
• Registration and Fees
• On–Campus Accommodations

Course Description

Practical liturgical training for deacons and lay diaconal candidates will be supported by celebration of the Divine Liturgy and other services. Intensive workshops aim to provide participants with the skills needed to serve effectively in the Orthodox Church as an attentive server, deacon, or priest. Attention will be given to the liturgical patterns of movement that inform the entire rite of the Church. Participants will also receive guidance on concelebrations and hierarchical celebrations so that they can effectively prepare for such occasions. In addition to practicums, focused presentations by faculty will augment the deacon's understanding of his place in the liturgical life of the Church and the deacon's broader vocation as a symbol to the faithful of the diakonia of Christ our Lord. Instruction in public speaking and vocal technique will also be offered.

This practicum is held in conjunction with the Orthodox Church in America's Diaconal Vocations Program (DVP) and is highly recommended for participants in the Church's program by the Holy Synod. Liturgical workshops led by Archdeacon Kirill Sokolov, director of the Diaconal Vocations Program for the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), will aim to provide participants with the skills needed to serve effectively in the Orthodox Church as an attentive server, deacon, or priest. Particular focus will be given to the typical celebration of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom by one priest and one deacon.

The Very Rev. Dr. Sergius Halvorsen will lead sessions on public speaking, teaching, and preaching, as well as church reading and vocal technique. Fr. Sergius holds an M.Div. from St. Vladimir's Seminary and a Ph.D. in Liturgical Studies from Drew University. He is the Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric at St. Vladimir's Seminary. 

Registration and Fees: Register Online

• Practicum and meals only (lodging off-campus) ($350.00)
• Practicum, lodging, & meals—double occupancy ($450.00)
• Practicum, lodging, & meals—single occupancy ($500.00)
• Practicum, lodging, & meals—participant & spouse ($700.00) 
  
• Additional night stay—$35.00 ea.

On–Campus Accommodations

On-campus housing is in non-smoking, non-air conditioned, dormitory rooms with shared bathrooms. Because there are a limited number of single rooms, they will be given to the first registrants. Staying on-campus includes meals at the refectory, which are catered, without individual meal options. The seminary staff will provide sheets and towels. Please bring your own personal items (such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and small fans.) Wireless access to the Internet is available across campus.

View our Event Cancellation Refund Policy

(Updated February 4, 2016)

Today, our seminary remembers the 50th anniversary of the repose of His Eminence Metropolitan Antony (Bashir), who fell asleep in the Lord on this day in 1966. Metropolitan Antony shepherded the Antiochian Orthodox Church in North America for three decades. He was a gifted administrator, a caring pastor, and a visionary leader. He was an advocate for the use of English in church services and a strong proponent of Orthodox unity in America.

To celebrate the anniversary of his repose, St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press (SVS Press) is offering a 50% discount on Antony Bashir—Metropolitan and Missionary through the end of February, 2016. The biography, written by noted pastor and lecturer the Very Reverend Economos Constantine Nasr (SVOTS ‘73), is a fascinating look behind the scenes at an important period of history in the establishment of the Orthodox faith in America. An excerpt can be found here.

In addition, SVS Press is offering a 10% discount on any title in the Orthodox Profile Series with the purchase of Antony Bashir—Metropolitan and Missionary.

May Metropolitan Antony’s memory be eternal! 

Matthew Namee tells the story of Metropolitan Antony Bashir on Ancient Faith Radio
Lest We Forget: The Legacy of Metropolitan Antony Bashir by Fr. Antony Gabriel (SVOTS ‘64)
Remembering Metropolitan Antony Bashir on the 50th Anniversary of His Repose by Peter Samore

The Board and Faculty of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary conferred a Doctor of Humane Letters degree, honoris causa, to John G. Rangos, Sr., seminary benefactor, in a special ceremony on February 7, 2016, in Boca Raton, Florida.

A successful businessman and internationally recognized philanthropist, Dr. Rangos is the founder of The John G. Rangos Sr. Family Charitable Foundation, which supports numerous health care and educational efforts. The Foundation made a lasting impact on the Seminary by generously supporting the construction of a new administrative building. Named for Dr. Rangos, The John G. Rangos Family Foundation Building was completed and occupied in 2001, and represents a decade of planning, fundraising, and construction.

Family and close friends looked on as Dr. Rangos was hooded by the Very Reverend Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO of St. Vladimir’s.

"Every day on our campus, the John G. Rangos Family Foundation Building is a hub of activities essential to our seminary life,” remarked Father Chad.

“We both thank him and honor him with this doctorate of great distinction."

The building is home to administrative offices, the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium, and the Father Georges Florovsky Library. The Library currently holds over 180,000 volumes. It is considered one of the richest resources available on the North American continent for research on Eastern Christianity.

Mr. Alex Machaskee, executive chair of the Seminary’s Board of Trustees, represented the Board at the conferral ceremony. “Dr. Rangos has been a dear friend of St. Vladimir’s for many years,” said Mr. Machaskee. “We are sincerely grateful not only for his involvement with our seminary, but with many other Orthodox Christian institutions and humanitarian causes, including International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), which he founded. Dr. Rangos epitomizes a person who has been blessed and in turn shares his treasures for the benefit of many through multiple humanitarian contributions.”

A full biography of Dr. John G. Rangos, Sr., may be accessed here.

Please join us on Saturday, March 12, at 1:00 P.M. in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium as we celebrate the launch of the first title in our new Coptic Studies Series, The Life of Repentance and Purity, by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III.

His Grace Bishop Dr. Anba Suriel (Guirgis), Coptic Studies Series Editor; the Very Reverend Dr. John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir’s; and the Very Reverend Athanasius K. Farag will give presentations and guide discussion. Copies of The Life of Repentance and Purity will be available for purchase, and light refreshments will be served.

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III was the 117th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St Mark. He shepherded the Coptic Orthodox Church for over 40 years before he departed this life in 2012. In The Life of Repentance and Purity, His Holiness draws on Scripture, the Church Fathers, his own experience of desert monasticism, and his experience as a shepherd to millions of Christians to provide a practical understanding of how to live a life of continually turning to God.

Pope Shenouda's book was first translated from Arabic in 1989 by Bishop Suriel and was published in 1991 by the Coptic Orthodox Publication and Translation Committee in Sydney. The new translation, also by Bishop Suriel, includes editions and patristic references and is a joint publication between St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press (SVS Press) and St. Athanasius Press, the fledgling publishing house of St. Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Theological College in Donvale, Australia, where His Grace acts as Dean.

The Coptic Studies Series at SVS Press was conceived with a two-fold purpose: to increase the accessibility of the many treasures of Coptic Orthodox Christianity to a wider English-speaking audience; and to cross-pollinate the spiritual minds of Coptic Orthodox Christians and their Eastern Orthodox brethren with the knowledge of a common faith in the incarnate Word of God—who is the true source of all wisdom and knowledge.

Seminary alumnus the Very Reverend John Udics (M.Div. ‘72) fell asleep in the Lord on February 3, 2016.

Father John was the rector of Ss. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Herkimer, New York. He also served as the rector of Assumption of the Holy Virgin Orthodox Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for over 32 years.

A panikhida will be served for Fr. John on Tuesday, February 9, 2016, at 8:00 p.m. at Assumption of the Holy Virgin. The church will be open at 7:00 p.m., and Philadelphia area clergy are invited to serve with His Eminence Archbishop Michael.

A panikhida will also be served on Wednesday evening (time to be announced), February 10, 2016, at Ss. Peter and Paul Church. Father John will be buried at St. Tikhon’s Monastery on Thursday, February 11. Additional information and funeral arrangements will be posted as they become available.

May Father John’s memory be eternal!

Boris George Nicoloff, an alumnus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary (M.Div. ’69), entered into eternal rest on January 31, 2016. The entire seminary community expresses our condolences to his family.

A gifted musician, Boris founded the Harvard-Radcliffe Byzantine Russian Liturgical Choir in 1965. During his studies at St. Vladimir’s, he directed the Summer Octet, and also worked with Fathers Alexander Schmemann and John Meyendorff to organize retreats for college students. Following his graduation from seminary, Boris moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he worked as the choir director at Holy Trinity Cathedral and sang as a member of the Chicago Lyric Opera Company. After a number of years, Boris relocated to Detroit, Michigan, in order to care for his aging parents. He became a member of St. Paul Orthodox Cathedral in Dearborn Heights, where he not only sang in the choir but also hand-painted the icons on the iconostasis.

“Boris was a proud graduate, a skilled musician and singer, a choir director, and an iconographer,” remarked his sister, Mary Ann Lopoukhine.

He is survived by his brother Nicolas and wife Elinore [Eftimoff], their son George and daughter Christine [Frank] Gajor, and children Christian and Alexandra; his brother Deacon Clement and wife Audrey [Brewer] and their daughters Nicole and Mara [John] Benz; and his sister, Mary Ann [Nikita] Lopoukhine, and their daughters Sofia and Alexandra and son Raphael [Melissa].

Visitation will begin at Saint Paul Cathedral, 700 North Beech Daly, Dearborn Heights, MI, at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, February 5.  The Panikhida will be celebrated at 7:00 p.m. Visitation will resume on Saturday, February 6, at 10:00 a.m., followed by the Funeral Service at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in Boris’s memory be made to the “Father Nicoloff Scholarship Fund” at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, 575 Scarsdale Road, Yonkers, NY 10707.

May his memory be eternal!

33rd Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture

The Reverend Dr. John Chryssavgis, archdeacon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, presented the 33rd Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture titled, “Toward the Great and Holy Council: Retrieving a Culture of Conciliarity and Consensus” to an engaged, capacity crowd. The lecture was preceded by an academic convocation at which the Seminary's Board of Trustees and faculty bestowed a Doctor of Divinity degree, honoris causa, on Fr. John, and a Doctor of Canon Law degree, honoris causa, on former Seminary Trustee and distinguished Orthodox layman Charles Richard Ajalat.

“Charles’s work for the Orthodox Church and beyond over the last decades has been extensive, hugely significant, and influential,” remarked the Very Reverend Dr. John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir’s, before bestowing the honorary degrees on the two recipients.

Father John called the evening’s guest lecturer “a truly great friend of St. Vladimir’s Seminary and the Orthodox Church in America,” stating that “we owe him a great deal for all that he has done for us.”

Days before the lecture, Fr. John Chryssavgis was present at the Synaxis of Primates of the Orthodox Autocephalous Churches in Chambésy, Geneva, where it was decided that the Council would proceed at the Orthodox Academy of Crete from June 16 to 27, 2016. “This is, in fact, the first presentation about the Council anywhere in the world after the Chambesy meeting,” noted Fr. John. 

Speaking candidly with both humor and passion, Fr. John placed the Great and Holy Council in a historical context. “The forthcoming council is unprecedented,” he said. “It will mark the first ever gathering from fourteen autocephalous churches, including the ancient patriarchates, except Rome.”

Father John then went on to outline the Council’s agenda items, which he grouped into three separate categories: internal relations among the Orthodox churches; issues of a pastoral and practical nature; and relations with other Christian churches and the world.

In reflecting on the possible outcomes of the upcoming Council, Fr, John stated that “the most consequential and enduring pronouncement will be its determination on the diaspora.”

He also reflected on the relationship between conciliarity, consensus, and communion. “Conciliarity implies retrieving a process that involves relearning fresh ways of being and working together. Consensus was never a model of conciliar expression.”

“Our Church can play a major role in the world,” said Fr. John, in closing. “But for this to happen, all of the churches must be placed at the service of God, the gospel, and the body of Christ.” At the conclusion of his lecture, Fr. John received an immediate and robust standing ovation. He then offered further reflection on particular aspects of the upcoming Council, as he publicly responded to questions from seminary faculty, students, and friends.

Several noted guests attended the lecture, including His Beatitude The Most Blessed Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and president of the Seminary, members of the Board of Trustees, and members of the Ajalat family, including Dr. Ajalat’s son, Richard, a 2013 Master of Divinity graduate of St. Vladimir’s.

Archdeacon John Chryssavgis currently serves as a special theological advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarch on a range of matters, from environmental concerns to broader inter-Orthodox and inter-Christian relations. He studied theology and philosophy at Athens and Oxford, and taught patristics and church history in Sydney and Boston. Since 2006, Fr. John has served as a visiting professor or occasional lecturer at numerous and prestigious institutions around the world such as Princeton, Yale, Harvard, University of Chicago, and Utrecht University. Father John has published thirty-five books and numerous articles on the church fathers and Orthodox spirituality, including the two-volume Primacy in the Church, published by St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press in January 2016.

The Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture was inaugurated in 1984, one year after the repose of the Seminary’s beloved former dean. Well known scholars and ecclesiastical leaders have spoken on topics ranging from patristics and sacred art of the Orthodox Church, to personal remembrances of Father Alexander. A complete list of the lecturers may be found here.

The lecture may be heard in its entirety on the Seminary’s podcast on Ancient Faith Radio, Voices from St. Vladimir’s Seminary.