St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press has published the first scholarly biography of the desert hermit who became a most unlikely patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Pope Kyrillos VI (1902–1971).
The biography, titled, A Silent Patriarch, by Fr. Daniel Fanous, has been well received among the Coptic community and others, already selling in large quantities during a brief pre-order period leading up to the book’s release.
“Kyrillos VI…is a figure of great spiritual stature who was immersed in the depths of monastic life and in a life of unceasing prayer,” said the current Coptic patriarch, Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria. “I commend Rev. Dr. Daniel Fanous for this important study, which I consider a scholarly and outstanding addition to the history of our Coptic Orthodox Church."
Until now, the details of Pope Kyrillos VI’s life have remained largely hidden, despite his enduring popularity among Coptic Christians. As patriarch, Kyrillos inherited a bleeding church, one confronted by political Islamism, an indifferent Muslim president, and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood. Silent in the face of persecution, mockery, and criticism, Kyrillos stood at the head of a nearly impossible spiritual revolution. But by the time he reposed, everything had changed.
In this lucid biography, Fr. Daniel Fanous traces Kyrillos’ life from childhood, drawing upon hundreds of letters and sources never before seen, detailing Kyrillos’ unusual method of ecclesial reform, which speaks enduringly to the uncertainties of the present age. This is the story of Kyrillos VI, a most unlikely patriarch, a silent urban recluse.
A Silent Patriarch may be purchased at SVSPress.com or by calling 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 and Taught by God: Making Sense of the Difficult Sayings of Jesus (coming soon to SVS Press).
The board of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA)'s Thriving in Ministry program (TIM) held an all-day meeting at St. Vladimir's Seminary on Tuesday, November 19.
Through TIM, the OCA seeks to establish pan-Orthodox learning groups for priests and their wives throughout the United States and Canada.
Tuesday’s work included reviewing current and emerging groups, planning for the 2020 workshop for group facilitators in Jacksonville, FL, and creating a set of guidelines for hybrid groups that need to meet both in person and online.
TIM’s board members include St. Vladimir’s Alumni Priests Nikodhim Preston (M.Div., '07) and TIM program administrator Theophan Whitfield (M.Div., ’10; D.Min. Cohort of 2017); faculty member and Alumnus Archpriest Nicholas Solak (M.Div., ’02; D.Min., ’08); longtime St. Vladimir’s Seminary Director of Counseling and Psychological Services Dr. Albert Rossi; Presbytera Kerry Pappas; and Archpriest Stephen Vernak. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon and OCA Chancellor and Seminary Professor Archpriest Alexander Rentel, both ex officio, extended their prayers and support for Tuesday’s gathering.
About the Thriving in Ministry Program
Meeting quarterly for the day and guided by trained facilitators, TIM groups allow participants to gather, share wisdom, and build relationships based on trust, joy, and accountability. Pastoral ministry is hard, but it is also full of priceless insights into the ceaseless work of Christ in our midst. Too often isolation and stress prevent priests from celebrating and protecting their sacred call to serving the Lord, and too often these same challenges keep clergy wives from doing the same. The TIM program offers the chance to learn and to rest, to build skills and explore challenges, and to be gathered by Christ and to be sent out by Him once again for harvest (Mark 3:14).
Sponsored by the OCA’s Department of Pastoral Life and funded by the Lilly Endowment through a generous five-year grant of $470,000, the TIM program is surpassing its goals in 2019. Already, there are eight active clergy groups with members in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Canada and an established group of clergy wives in eastern Pennsylvania. A new clergy group is being formed in Boston, and two new peer groups for wives are forming in Chicago and Connecticut. Early work has also started in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and the Carolinas. And in 2020, the TIM program is ready to move out even more broadly into Orthodox North America.
A special edition of the Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture will commemorate fifty years of autocephaly for the Orthodox Church in America (OCA).
His Eminence, Archbishop Michael of New York and the Diocese of New York and New Jersey will headline events on January 30, the Feast of the Three Hierarchs. As part of the special celebration, three more distinguished speakers will be featured in workshops throughout the day along with a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, Mid-Year Commencement, the launch of a special 50th anniversary commemorative book (published by SVS Press and edited by Academic Dean Dr. Alexandru Tudorie), and a reception.
Schedule of Events
9 a.m. – Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at Three Hierarchs Chapel
1 p.m. – Rev. Anthony Roeber, “Autocephaly: The OCA, the Greek Archdiocese, and Antioch”
7 p.m. – Most Rev. Michael (Dahulich), Fr. Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture,
– “The Gift of Autocephaly”
– Mid-Year Commencement
– Launch of 50th Anniversary Commemorative Book (SVS Press)
– Reception to follow
All the day’s events, except for the Divine Liturgy, will take place at the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium of the John G. Rangos Family Building.
The special day-long celebration is free to attend, and attendance also counts toward the OCA’s Continuing Clergy Development (CCD) requirements.
The Rev. Dr. Anthony Roeber is professor of church history at St. Vladimir’s Seminary and professor emeritus of early modern history and religious studies at Penn State University, University Park where he served as department head for ten years. Father Anthony attended The Pontifical College Josephinum from 1963 to 1969 and earned his B.A. and M.A. at the University of Denver, a second A.M. and his Ph.D. at Brown University, and his M.A. in Applied Orthodox Theology from the Balamand University, Lebanon. In addition to St. Vladimir’s Seminary and Penn State University, Fr. Anthony has taught at the University of Denver, Princeton, Lawrence University, the University of Illinois-Chicago, and the Chicago-Kent Law College. He has authored some fifty articles, six books, and three edited volumes, including Mixed Marriage: an Orthodox History through St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press.
The Very Rev. John Parker is dean and chief operating officer of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and chair of the Department of Evangelization of the Orthodox Church in America. Father John also serves as a board member of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center and was pastor of Holy Ascension Church, Mount Pleasant, SC from 2003 until his appointment at St. Tikhon’s Seminary in 2018. He holds a B.A. in Spanish language and literature from the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA; an M.Div. from Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry (TESM), Ambridge, PA; and a Th.M. and D.Min. from St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY. Father John has written more than 170 essays on Orthodoxy for Charleston’s Post and Courier, the Carolina Compass, and the Moultrie News. For the past decade, he has offered bi-annual lectures on Orthodox Christianity at the College of Charleston.
The Right Rev. Daniel (Brum) is bishop of Santa Rosa (OCA). He holds a B.A. in humanities, with specialization in history, philosophy, and English literature, from Saint Patrick’s College Seminary, Mountain View, CA; an M.Div. from Saint Patrick’s Seminary, Menlo Park, CA; and a degree in canon law (JCL) from the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. Bishop Daniel was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood in 1981 and was received into the Orthodox Church in America in 1997. After his reception into the Orthodox Church, he served at Saint Nicholas Church, Saratoga, CA, Saint Paul the Apostle Church, Las Vegas, NV, St. Gregory Palamas Mission, Flemington, NJ, and Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Phoenix, AZ; as secretary to His Beatitude, Metropolitan Theodosius and, later, to His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman; and on several Church committees and commissions, including the Canons and Statute Commission, the Statute Revision Task Force, the Legal Advisory Board, and the Canonization Commission, and in numerous other capacities. In 2014, the Holy Synod elected him to serve as auxiliary to His Eminence, Archbishop Benjamin of San Francisco and the West as bishop of Santa Rosa, CA. He was consecrated to the episcopacy on January 24, 2015.
The Most Rev. Michael (Dahulich) is archbishop of New York and the Diocese of New York and New Jersey (OCA), secretary of the Holy Synod of Bishops, and rector and professor of New Testament and pastoral theology at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Archbishop Michael holds a B.Th. from Christ the Savior Seminary, Johnstown, PA; a B.A. from St. Vincent College, Latrobe, PA; and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA. He served for many years as pastor of both Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Homer City, PA, and Holy Ghost Church in Phoenixville, PA. He was consecrated to the episcopacy in 2010 and was elevated to the rank of archbishop in 2015. Archbishop Michael has also served the Church in numerous other capacities, including as dean of the Mid-Atlantic Deanery parishes of the Carpatho-Russian Diocese; a member of the Study and Planning Commission and the Ecumenical Commission of SCOBA; a member of the Board of Theological Education of the Orthodox Church in America; OCA representative to the National Advisory Board of the American Bible Society; a member (and former national secretary) of the Orthodox Theological Society of America; and a member of the Advisory Board of the Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine, Psychology and Religion (OCAMPR). Additionally, Archbishop Michael has published a number of articles in theological journals, magazines and newspapers, has presented several papers, delivered numerous talks, lectures, and keynote addresses, and led many seminars and retreats in schools and parishes throughout the United States and abroad.
Hear St. Vladimir’s Seminary Chorale perform western and Orthodox carols at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church’s annual Christmas concert.
On Saturday, December 7 at 7 p.m., St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) and Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in East Meadow, NY are partnering to present an evening of carols, hymns, and scripture readings in preparation for the celebration of the Holy Nativity of our Lord. Under the direction of Robin Freeman and former SVOTS faculty member Dr. Nicholas Reeves, Holy Trinity’s choir director, the combined choirs will sing familiar carols and Orthodox liturgical hymns interspersed with readings from the Old and New Testaments.
The evening also includes Vespers before the concert at 6 p.m., a Christmas boutique, and an Advent reception following the concert.
Admission to the event is free of charge. The concert will be live-streamed on Ancient Faith Radio.
On Wednesday, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) gathered at St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVOTS) for an eventful and momentous day, celebrating Divine Liturgy for the Feast of Saint John Chrysostom at Three Hierarchs Chapel; announcing the fiftieth anniversary celebrations of the autocephaly of the OCA and the canonization of St. Herman of Alaska; and commemorating the seventh anniversary of the election of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon.
The Divine Liturgy marked a historic occasion in the life of the Seminary.
“This is the first time the Seminary chapel was blessed by the presence of the entire Holy Synod at the same Liturgy, and for that we are most thankful,” said Archpriest Chad Hatfield, president of SVOTS.
At the Liturgy’s conclusion, His Eminence, Archbishop Michael of New York and New Jersey, secretary of the Holy Synod, read the proclamation of the Holy Synod announcing anniversary celebrations for the Canonization of Saint Herman of Alaska and the reception of the Tomos of Autocephaly—two foundational events in the history of the OCA.
“The autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in America provides a moment for all Orthodox Christians to celebrate,” His Eminence read. “The venerable Russian Orthodox Church gave the Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in America with the hope that this Tomos and the autocephaly it gave ‘might serve the good’ of Orthodox Christians in North America.”
“The Orthodox Church in America remains committed to this good, the canonical normalization of our common ecclesial situation in North America, as a mandate. And it is to this good, the promise of the unity of all Orthodox Christians, we hope, but also, in these fractured times, we put forward as a reason for all the Orthodox Churches in North America to celebrate.”
Archbishop Michael announced the two anniversaries will be marked by three Divine Liturgies concelebrated by the Holy Synod and guest hierarchs and clergy: at the Memorial Day Pilgrimage at St. Tikhon’s Monastery, May 25, 2020; during the annual pilgrimage to Spruce Island, AK, August 9, 2020; and at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the Fall Regular Meeting of the Holy Synod on November 14, 2020.
Following the proclamation, the hierarchs, visiting clergy, seminarians, and members of the Seminary faculty, staff, and community sang “Many Years” in honor of the seventh anniversary of Metropolitan Tikhon’s election as the fifth primate of the Orthodox Church in America.
The Seminary’s Revitalizing Parish Music program, which offers custom-tailored educational sessions for parishes in their home settings, recently visited communities in New York and Michigan.
“I work with choirs that want to take their singing to the next level,” said Robin Freeman, Director of Music at the Seminary and founder and director of the program. “Parish musicians are volunteering to spend a day reflecting, learning, growing, and sharing. Their love for their community, for one another and their zeal to learn is evident.”
Freeman was invited to present weekend workshops at St. Gregory the Theologian Orthodox Church in Wappingers Falls, NY, and St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Grand Rapids, MI.
“The pastors of these parishes are responsive and are investing in their communities. They recognize the vital role music and musicians play in the liturgical life of their parishes,” Freeman added.
The flexibility of the program allows Freeman to collaborate with the pastor and musical leadership in the parish to address specific growth areas. In this way, each workshop is unique and built to meet the unique needs of the individuals in the community.
“When I teach, it’s not just about improving musical technique—things like breathing, vowel formation, intonation, and conducting skills—it’s also about connecting more deeply with the music and words that we sing.”
“But it’s not just work and no fun—it’s equally important to me that singers enjoy learning new things about music, themselves, and each other—which means a workshop also includes team-building exercises, good food, and laughter! Whether I’m working with singers or conductors, I always approach these workshops as a collaborative challenge—it’s not my way or the highway—I’m there to encourage and guide.”
Accompanying Freeman to Grand Rapids were two third-year seminarians, Zachariah Mandell and Phillip Ritchey.
“Teaching these workshops as a team enables us to break out into small groups and better meet the needs of sections and individual singers,” said Freeman. “For these students, such teaching experiences also help supplement their on-campus training, exposing them to trends in liturgical music in different areas of the country.”
For Freeman, the value of a workshop should last beyond the event itself.
“It’s important to me that musicians keep improving even after the workshop is over, so I try to provide the tools and lay a foundation for long-term growth. Priests and choir directors often tell me that their choirs continue to improve well after the workshop has ended.”
Revitalizing Parish Music visits can include half-day, full-day, and weekend workshops for parish musicians. Read a full description of the program, including sample sessions and workshops, and pricing options, here. To inquire about booking, please email Robin Freeman, director of music: robin@svots.edu.
St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) is partnering with a recent graduate this Giving Tuesday to benefit Orthodox Christian faithful in Uganda. The Seminary will tithe 10% of the funds raised on Giving Tuesday, December 3, to its select non-profit partner for 2019: The Northern Uganda Self-Sufficiency Project.
This year’s partner, The Northern Uganda Self-Sufficiency Project, was initiated under His Eminence, Metropolitan Jonah of Kampala and All Uganda, and continues to grow under the leadership of His Grace, Bishop Silvester Kisitu of the Diocese of Gulu and Eastern Uganda. Priest Simon Menya, a native of Uganda who graduated from St. Vladimir’s Seminary in 2018, has been assisting His Grace and is working to help bring the Project’s goals to fruition.
Its plan was formed out of a desire to see a thriving Orthodox Christian community in Northern Uganda no longer dependent on financial assistance from the Orthodox Church of Greece (which slowed dramatically due to the financial crisis in Greece) and elsewhere. In that region of Uganda, which suffered from civil war for over twenty years until 2008, extreme poverty is widespread, and Orthodox priests must work multiple jobs to provide what little they can for their families and parishes. The Project aims to establish an Orthodox Church community in Northern Uganda that will become financially self-sufficient through a variety of initiatives and eventually support other Ugandan communities trying to do the same. Initiatives include acquiring land to support a church, school, agricultural program, and small businesses (40 hectares of land were recently acquired); establishing a health center; and implementing Orthodox youth and adult education programs.
The members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) will gather at the Chancery for their Fall Regular Session from Tuesday, November 12 through Friday, November 15, 2019. In addition to the address of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon and the other normal agenda items of the Holy Synod, a special feature will be a Synodal Divine Liturgy at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary.
On Wednesday, November 13, at 9 a.m., on the Feast of Saint John Chrysostom, the members of the Holy Synod will join His Beatitude in celebrating the Divine Liturgy to commemorate the seventh anniversary of his election as the fifth primate of the Orthodox Church in America. This will be one of the few occasions on which the Holy Synod will concelebrate the Divine Liturgy during the course of their meeting.
"Our concelebration will be a wonderful opportunity for all the bishops to celebrate the Holy Mysteries together, something typically we are only able to accomplish at All American Councils," said Metropolitan Tikhon.
One of the major agenda items of the Fall Session will be the plans for the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of both the Granting of Autocephaly and the Glorification of Saint Herman of Alaska in 2020. It is anticipated a schedule of anniversary events will be announced at the conclusion of the meeting.
Moujaes is the founder of Faithtree, a pan-Orthodox group of clergy and lay people from diverse backgrounds and professions who have developed Orthodox materials to aid in ministry.
On Monday, she gave her presentation, “Building Life-Changing Relationships: A woman’s guide to amazing relationships with herself, others, and God" to members of SJS.
She said a lot of good things,” said second-year Seminarian Asha Mathai. “It was a great talk!”
In her discussion, Moujaes emphasized five points in building relationships effectively:
Know your audience;
Identify common values and goals;
Have clear rules of engagement;
Utilize the church's toolbox;
Practice.
When conflicts occur, she advised each person to be the first to apologize, reminding the group of Christ’s words on the cross, “Father, forgive them,” and that Christ did not say “Blessed are the peacekeepers,” but, rather, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
The Wives’ Program on campus was formalized in 2007 to help strengthen the formation of clergy families. In 2010, the fellowship took the name of the St. Juliana Society. Women’s fellowship events and programs on campus also include women seminarians. Read more about women’s fellowship on campus and past events here.
On Friday, November 1, the Syriac Orthodox seminarians studying at St. Vladimir's Seminary were invited to a special meeting with His Holiness, Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, the patriarch of Antioch and all the East of the Syriac Orthodox Church (SOC). His Holiness hosted the seminarians at the Mor Aphrem Center in Paramus, New Jersey, where the seminarians joined the patriarch for Evening Prayer and discussion.
All seven of the Syriac Orthodox seminarians currently studying at St. Vladimir’s made the trip to Paramus: Subdeacons Jake Jacob, Daniel Hanna, and Basil Paul; Readers Basil Mathai and Subin Shaji; and Asha Mathai Ammai (One of the Malayalam titles for a priest's wife) and Rahul Thomas. The meeting was also attended by His Eminence, Mor Dionysius John Kawak, patriarchal vicar for the Eastern United States.
His Holiness welcomed the seminarians and blessed them, wishing them great progress in their studies. During the discussion, the seminarians asked His Holiness questions related to the theology and tradition of the Syriac Church.
