With hope in the resurrection especially present in our hearts during this paschal season, we share the news of the repose of Alumnus Mitered Archpriest John Nehrebecki. Fr. John fell asleep in the Lord on Great and Holy Saturday morning, April 7, 2018.

Father John was pastor emeritus of Christ the Saviour Church, Paramus, NJ, which he and his beloved wife, Matushka Eugenia, founded and faithfully served until his retirement in 2003. He held a long association with St. Vladimir’s Seminary, where he was a former trustee and past-president of its Alumni Association. He attended St. Vladimir’s Seminary as a student from 1968-1970, and both his son and son-in-law were seminarians at St. Vladimir’s in the 1970s.

“He was a very generous supporter of the seminary, responding to its appeals and offering his time and talents where and when they were needed,” said Dr. David Drillock, seminary professor emeritus. “Known as a great preacher who would make any occasion an opportunity for preaching the Gospel of Christ and His Holy Orthodox Church, he also was a man of good works, helping not only those whom he personally knew, but also strangers in need from all walks of life.”

Dr. Drillock added that deans, professors, staff and students were always welcome to Fr. John’s parish of Christ the Saviour where, following a liturgical service, Fr. John and Matushka Eugenia would invite them to their home for continued fellowship.

“He was my former pastor, father, brother, and personal friend for over sixty-five years, and words alone cannot express the sadness that I feel in his passing. I will miss him very much.”

Fr. John was born as the eleventh child of Michael and Veronica Korsh Nehrebecki in Donora, PA on May 4, 1928, and was raised at Donora’s Saint Nicholas Church. After he completed studies at Donora High School, he enrolled in Saint Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, South Canaan, PA, from which he graduated in 1950. He earned his undergraduate degree from Davis and Elkins College, Elkins, WV and a Masters in Russian Studies from City University of New York before completing course work at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary and Fordham University, Bronx, NY, where he studied Russian Literature and History.

On May 22, 1952, he married the former Eugenia Yankovsky, daughter of the late Archpriest Elias and Matushka Euphrosina Trembach Yankowsky. He was ordained to the priesthood on July 4, 1952 at Saint Mary Church, Lynn, MA, after which he was assigned Rector of Saint Mary Church, Osceola Mills, PA. The following year he was assigned to Three Saints Church, Garfield, NJ, which he served until Christ the Saviour Church was planted. Through the years he had established nine additional parishes in New Jersey and New York state and the Orthodox Chapel at the US Military Academy, West Point, NY. For forty years he also served as Dean of the New Jersey Deanery. In 1970, he was among the members of the delegation who traveled to Moscow to receive the Tomos of Autocephaly granted to the Orthodox Church in America by the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Nehrebeckis raised six children and have numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. 

Services and visitation will be held at Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church, 365 Paramus Road, Paramus, New Jersey. On Monday, April 9, 2018 at 7 p.m. Vespers and Paschal Panikhida will be served. On Tuesday, April 10, 2018, visitation will be from 12 to 7 p.m. with a Paschal Funeral service beginning at 7 p.m. On Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at 9 a.m. Divine Liturgy will be celebrated. The interment will follow at p.m. at St. Tikhon's Monastery and Cemetery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Fr. John's memory to Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church, 365 Paramus Road, Paramus, New Jersey 07652.

May Father John’s memory be eternal!

Sections of this article are reprinted from OCA.org and Legacy.com

Members of the St. Herman Society for Orthodox Ecology, one of several student interest groups at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, are ramping up efforts this spring.

The group has plans to begin composting on campus and establish a community garden.

“We are very thankful we have such a beautiful campus to work with,” said St. Herman Society Student Leader Dr. Tracy Gustilo, who is pursuing a Master of Theology (Th.M.) degree at St. Vladimir’s.

Dr. Gustilo and other members of the St. Herman Society recently took a field trip to Sarah Lawrence College to see how students there do composting, and have now purchased three compost barrels to gather compost from the refectory and the lakeside and north sides of the seminary campus.

The St. Herman Society also has a location picked out for the community garden: the green space in front of the seminary to the northeast of the Germack Building. Students plan to build raised beds since the ground at the location is rocky.

“Not only are we concerned with how we are interacting with creation, there are important community building, outreach, and possibly economic aspects to our efforts to get back a little closer to the processes of growing and recycling food,” explained Dr. Gustilo. “To have one’s whole life revolve around the seasons, the weather, planting and harvesting, waiting patiently... there are spiritual lessons to be learned at the most basic level. It is no wonder Jesus in his parables uses images of sowing and pruning, gathering and multiplying to teach his disciples.”

Society members are brainstorming other future projects as well, and the group also organized its Annual Pre-Paschal Campus Clean-up on Lazarus Saturday with participation from some of the many children who are part of the seminary community.

To learn more about the St. Herman Society for Orthodox Ecology contact Tracy Gustilo at at tgustilo@svots.edu or visit the Student Council page. The group meets approximately every month.

Holy Week begins on Holy Monday, April 2, 2018, and concludes with the celebration of Pascha on April 8, 2018.

“Yesterday I was crucified with Christ,
Today I am glorified with him;
Yesterday I died with him,
Today I am made alive with him;
Yesterday I was buried with him,
Today I rise with him.
Let us make an offering to the one who died and rose again for us....
Let us offer our own selves, the possession most precious to God and closest to him.
Let us give back to the Image that which is according to the image—recognizing our value, honoring the Archetype, knowing the power of the mystery and for whom Christ died.”

—St Gregory the Theologian, Oration 1.4

For the schedule of daily Holy Week services, visit the Three Hierarchs Chapel Calender. 

Note: St. Vladimir's Seminary offices will be closed on Holy Thursday, April 5; Holy Friday, April 6; and Bright Monday, April 9. Additionally, there will be no evening hours at the library during Holy Week and Bright Week (April 9-13).

At its commencement Saturday, May 19, 2018, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary will confer honorary doctorates to three people for their contributions to the Orthodox Church: composer Mitered Archpriest Sergei Glagolev, Seminary Trustee Emeritus Protodeacon Peter Danilchick, and University of Kentucky Professor David Bradshaw, Ph.D.

“Their contributions align so fittingly with important facets of St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s mission, namely, leadership and stewardship, academia, and the sacred arts,” said Archpriest Chad Hatfield, president of the seminary. “As such, we could not be more pleased to honor these three distinguished individuals.”

Archpriest Sergei Glagolev, whose work was recently performed and honored at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, is noted for his pioneering work in introducing English-language musical compositions into Orthodox Christian church services.

“Fr. Sergei’s impact as a composer, teacher, and conductor of sacred music cannot be overstated,” said Robin Freeman, Director of Music at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. “Grounded in the ancient musical traditions of the Orthodox Church, Fr. Sergei was a trailblazer in setting and composing new liturgical music for the English-speaking faithful of the western world, and his work is still widely sung today. He was also an influential teacher of sacred music, both at St. Vladimir’s Seminary and, more broadly, through his music, which sparked a wave of new American Orthodox compositions.”

Fr. Sergei, a retired priest of the Orthodox Church in America, was born in 1928 in Gary, Indiana. His father emigrated from Russia to France after the Bolshevik revolution, and later moved to the United States. Fr. Sergei began serving as a church choir director while only a teenager, and later went on to study at Oberlin, Julliard, New York University, and Saint Vladimir’s Seminary. He received a theological degree from the seminary in 1949 and a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from New York University. In the years that followed, Fr. Sergei coupled his musical ministry with his work as the pastor of Ss. Peter and Paul Church, Lorain, OH, and St. Innocent Church, Encino-Tarzana, CA; then as Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral, San Francisco; and finally as pastor of Holy Trinity Church, Long Island, NY. He also gave presentations at numerous workshops and conferences throughout North America for decades, and taught at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary; Saint Tikhon’s Seminary, South Canaan, PA; and Saint Herman’s Seminary, Kodiak, AK.

Protodeacon Peter Danilchick, another of the honorary doctorate recipients, is being recognized for his leadership and service to the Orthodox Church on a national and international scale, including his work as a trustee on the board of St. Vladimir’s Seminary.

Recently, Protodeacon Peter played a pivotal role in the revitalization of the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program as the first hybrid online/residential program at St. Vladimir's Seminary.

“Thanks to his penetrating questions about institutional preparedness, and his advice on how to solve problems, the D.Min. program was successfully launched, and because it was established on a firm foundation, the program continues to thrive,” explained Priest Sergius Halvorsen, director of the Doctor of Ministry program.

Protodeacon Peter and his wife, Tanya, also established the Danilchick Family Endowment for Pastoral studies, which enables the seminary to offer scholarships to D.Min. students.

“Protodeacon Peter exemplifies what it means to cultivate and share the talents God has given us,” added Seminary Trustee Tatiana L. Hoff.

Protodeacon Peter Danilchick is a retired ExxonMobil executive, where he spent over three decades in international operations, planning, and management. He is also an ordained deacon in the Orthodox Church, serving parishes and missions for over forty years, domestically and overseas. While he worked in six different countries for ExxonMobil, he supported the Orthodox Church in these locations, either supporting existing parishes or establishing new missions. He also served on two national church governing boards in the United States and Southeast Asia, and served as the board chairman of a major European international school. Protodeacon Peter is the author of Thy Will Be Done: Strategic Leadership, Planning, and Management for Christians (SVS Press).

A third honorary doctorate will be granted to David Bradshaw, Ph.D., who will also serve as commencement speaker for the seminary’s Commencement of the Class of 2018. Bradshaw is a professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Kentucky and a member of St. Athanasius Orthodox Church in Nicholasville, KY. He earned his doctorate at the University of Texas, Austin, and he currently specializes in ancient and medieval philosophy, philosophy of religion, and the interactions of theology and philosophy.

"Professor Bradshaw has standing as a senior academic among the many Orthodox Christian professors teaching in various universities and colleges, in philosophy departments, and in the field of bioethics,” said Archpriest Chad Hatfield. “As an author, he has gained a global standing and respect that always reflects back on his deep commitment to the Orthodox Christian faith. He has had a deep influence on many of our own current seminarians and alumni."

Professor Bradshaw is a contributor to Turning East: Contemporary Philosophers and the Ancient Christian Faith (ed. Rico Vitz; SVS Press, 2012). He is also the author of Aristotle East and West: Metaphysics and the Division of Christendom, which focuses on a comparative history of philosophical thought in the two halves of Christendom, East and West, and which won the Morris D. Forkosch prize, sponsored by the Journal of the History of Ideas. Additionally, he is the editor of Philosophical Theology and the Christian Tradition: Russian and Western Perspectives and Ethics and the Challenge of Secularism: Russian and Western Perspectives.

The Commencement of the Class of 2018 at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary will begin May 19 at 2:00 p.m. with a “Prayer of Thanksgiving” in Three Hierarchs Chapel, followed at 2:30 p.m. by Commencement Exercises in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium of the John G. Rangos Family Building.

Pope Benedict XVI and Metropolitan Kallistos Ware are among those praising a monumental new work authored by Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev and published by SVS Press.

Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching, Vol. 1 was released in March. It is the first of Metropolitan Hilarion’s six-volume study on the life and message of Jesus.

observes, throughout history there has never been a person about whom so much has been written; and yet the Metropolitan has himself found many new ways to restate, in fresh and vivid terms, the ancient truths about the Savior,” said theologian and author Metropolitan Kallistos Ware.

Priest Ignatius Green, editor and rights manager with SVS Press, said the series addresses a critical need for more Orthodox Christian voices in biblical scholarship.

“The average person hears all sorts of things about 'the newest results in biblical scholarship,' but they don't know how to weigh it, or how to understand it without further context,” said Fr. Ignatius. “And they probably aren't going to slog through a slew of scholarly works. This series distills and synthesizes things; it is not shy to critique what doesn't line up with the tradition, but it also affirms what is consonant with the tradition.”

Jesus Christ: His Life and Teaching has also garnered praise from biblical scholars and theologians outside the Orthodox Church, including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

“This is a work of great importance,” wrote Pope Benedict. “…. I sincerely hope that Orthodox Christians, as well as Christians of the Western world, will be touched by this testimony and thus meet Christ in the midst of a world that is increasingly divorced from God.”

“Whereas scholarship often concentrates on problem issues,” explained New Testament scholar Craig S. Keener, Ph.D., “this book instead gives a well-rounded portrait of Jesus’ character and ministry in the Gospels. I found it edifying and informative.”

SVS Press plans to release the remaining five volumes of Metropolitan Hilarion’s series as they are translated into English. The production and publication of the first volume, titled, The Beginning of the Gospel, was sponsored in part by an anonymous donor.

The book’s author, Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, is the chairman of the Department of External Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. He has authored numerous works on theology and church history, and is an internationally recognized composer of liturgical music. Several of his works are available through SVS Press, including his landmark Orthodox Christianity series and Christ the Conqueror of Hell.

Three Hierarchs Chapel was brimming with singers of all ages Saturday. On March 17, members of the youth choir from Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, East Meadow, NY stood together with seminarians from St. Vladimir’s Seminary to sing All-Night Vigil.

The youth choir, under the direction of Danielle Miller and Dr. Nicholas Reeves, sang as a third choir Saturday, joining the seminary’s mixed and men’s choirs led by Robin Freeman, the seminary’s music director.

“In the Orthodox Church, children are not “junior Christians”—they are fully baptized and chrismated members of the body of Christ who must be given opportunities to grow in their faith, discover their vocations, and serve Christ,” said Freeman. “If we value the beautiful liturgical music tradition we have inherited, it is imperative that we invest in the liturgical musical education of our youth. This Vigil offered our seminary a unique opportunity to join with the young people of Holy Trinity, led by Dr. Reeves and Ms. Miller, in this vital process of music education and liturgical singing.”

The Holy Trinity youth choir directors, Danielle Miller and Dr. Nicholas Reeves, both have connections to the seminary. Miller sings with St. Vladimir’s Seminary Chorale, and Dr. Reeves previously taught music courses at St. Vladimir’s.

When the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church met in Kolymvari, Crete, June 19–26, 2016, it culminated a nearly 60-year period of preparation and capped months of anticipatory work in ecclesial circles. Religion media channels had touted it as the first major council of the Orthodox Church since the 7th Ecumenical Council in AD 787, with representative bishops from universally recognized autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches  around the globe expected to gather, in order to make major decisions in church life.

However, when the council finally convened, four of those churches did not show for various reasons, despite the fact that nearly all of them had initially  agreed to come: the Patriarchate of Antioch, the Patriarchate of Moscow, the Patriarchate of Bulgaria, and the Patriarchate of Georgia. To explain their absence, these churches cited either disagreements with pre-conciliar documents or failure to resolve breaches of ecclesiastical borders—or both. For example, the Patriarchate of Georgia objected to the content of the synodal document titled, "The Relation of the Orthodox Church with the Rest of the Christian World," while the Patriarchate of Antioch refused to participate, among other reasons, unless and until the intractable dispute between itself and the Patriarch of Jerusalem’s claim to the ecclesial jurisdiction of Qatar could be resolved.

Consequently, the “Great and Holy Council” (now referred to by some as simply “The Council of Crete”) and the documents it promulgated have now become a historical object of critical dissection for proponents and detractors alike. They have also become fascinating specimens for study by canonists, like our faculty member, Archpriest Alexander Rentel, Ph.D., who has built his Spring Semester course, titled, “Contemporary Issues in Canon Law,” around the council’s history, preparatory process, and resultant effects.

Amazingly, however, what did not happen in Crete is happening in Crestwood, NY: representatives of churches that both did and did not participate in the gathering in Crete are participating in Fr. Alexander’s class. Among his guest presenters (sometimes virtually present via Skype or through audio recordings) are: Metropolitan Gabriel of Nea Ionia and Philadelphia of the Church of Greece and Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of the Patriarchate of Moscow; and Priest Anthony Roeber, Ph.D., professor of Church History at St. Vladimir’s, who offered the viewpoint of the Patriarchate of Antioch. Another major guest is Protopresbyter Nicolas Kazarian, who assisted the drafters of the Message and Encyclical promulgated by the council in Crete, and who is an expert in Orthodox Christianity and geopolitics and the parish priest at St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church in New York City. Father Nicolas is scheduled to teach three of the classes, and to instruct students in how to draft conciliar documents.

Father Alexander noted the unique opportunity the course is affording his students, saying “We’re the only place that will talk to representatives of attending and non-attending churches; we’re understanding their viewpoints from a parochial experience while discussing them on an international level.

“My students and I are analyzing what happened in Crete from a broad vista, capturing a wide range of perspectives on the council, while studying theological and historical antecedents that engendered the council” he explained.

Father Alexander himself attended the council as a member of the Press Office of the Ecumenical Patriarch. Still, he remarks, by setting up this post-conciliar experiment in his classroom, he’s learning more and more about the rippling consequences wrought by the council in 2016.

“Take the presentation by Metropolitan Gabriel in my class as an example of immersion into global ecclesial thought and discussion,” he said. “He spoke about how important the recent council’s document on autonomy has been to the Church of Greece, particularly in the administration of parishes in its northern territories.

“Metropolitan Gabriel wanted our seminarians to understand recent history, to understand the issue of autonomy, and most of all, to understand the profound implications of the conciliar process and of the importance of properly applying canonical norms,” said Fr. Alexander. “In a stunning statement, Metropolitan Gabriel had stated, ‘If we are not working through synods, we are just liars.’

“‘The world today needs an Orthodox witness,’ emphasized Metropolitan Gabriel,” remarked Fr. Alexander, "and that, he reminded us, is an important ‘fruit of conciliar work.’”

Father Alexander explained further implications of his Canon law course, clarifying how conciliar gatherings and synodal decisions affect “every man and woman” in church life.

“The possibility for Orthodox harmony worldwide is presently constrained by geo-political forces and challenged by theological and canonical influences,” Fr. Alexander said. “That’s why I’ve turned my Canon Law course this semester into a ‘laboratory,’ where seminarians can meet global church leaders, hear out their specific parochial interests, understand the complex issues involved in church unity, study first-hand the authentic documents coming out of a major conciliar gathering—and even learn the process for drafting conciliar documents.

“I’m ecstatic, both as a teacher and as a canonist, that such illustrious churchmen have agreed to join us in open, respectful, and balanced conversation,” he said, “and I’m humbled that what did not happen in Crete, in some small measure, is happening in Crestwood!”

Funding for one guest lecturer in this course, Protopresbyter Nicolas Kazarian, was provided by the Ganister Orthodox Foundation Fund. Read a paper by Fr. Nicolas, titled, “The Crisis of Orthodox Multilateralsim: A Challenge for Pan-Orthodox Conciliarity "in the forum blog," Public Orthodoxy,” here.

Over twenty-five chaplains of different faiths convened on the campus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary March 5 and 6 to assess and certify clinical chaplains serving in hospitals, long-term care, and hospice. The seminary hosted certification meetings for the Board of Chaplaincy Certification Inc. (BCCI), the national certifying body affiliated with the Association of Professional Chaplains. 

Sarah Byrne-Martelli, a Board Certified Chaplain endorsed by the Antiochian Archdiocese and a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) student at St. Vladimir’s, co-chaired the event.  Priest Adrian Budica, a Board Certified Chaplain, ACPE Certified Educator, and Director of Field Education at the Seminary, served as a committee member. 

“This was a wonderful opportunity for our entire seminary community to learn more about chaplaincy—including the board certification process—and for APC members of various faith traditions to learn about Orthodoxy in general, and about our seminary in particular,” said Fr. Budica.

The BCCI certification program is designed to elevate professional chaplaincy standards and to designate professional chaplains who demonstrate the competencies essential to the practice of spiritual care. For more information, visit professionalchaplains.org.

Since 2012, all Master of Divinity (M.Div.) students at St Vladimir’s have been required to complete one unit of ACPE-accredited Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). Under Fr. Budica’s directorship, the program was expanded to offer introductory CPE sessions to all students as part of first-year prison ministry. St. Vladimir’s Seminary is also in the process of becoming a CPE center for students interested in part-time or full-time ministry and board certification as chaplains.

Further reading:
How Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Transforms Seminarians
(By Fr. Adrian Budica, The Word, January 2018)

The seminary community experienced a taste of Africa this month—literally! Three seminarians at St. Vladimir’s Seminary—two from Nigeria and one from Uganda—cooked up an African meal March 7 to help raise funds for an upcoming mission trip to Uganda.

Nine students from St Vladimir's will be participating in a mission trip to that country May 21 to June 3, 2018. The trip is sponsored by the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC).

Third-year seminarian Deacon Simon Menya, who helped cook up the African meal, will be joining the team traveling to his home country.

“We brought Africa closer to everyone here, and it was a special food during Lent for many who got to eat it,” he said. “I got a lot of good comments saying, ‘Dn. Simon, those beans were really good, and you should be cooking them every day during Lent here at the seminary!’”

While the special Lenten meal was an occasion to celebrate the St. Vladimir’s African seminarians, it also brought to mind the need for continued Orthodox Christian outreach to Uganda and many other countries.

“This will be life-changing in many ways for both the seminarians and the people of Uganda,” added Dn. Simon. “[Uganda is] a place that suffered from twenty-four years of civil war, and people have all sorts of wounds inside them. These wounds needs spiritual words and words of comfort, love, and care to heal, and already priests and parishioners [in Uganda] are so happy and waiting to learn more about God from their brothers and sisters from another part of the world.”

“We hope to be bearers of Christ's love in all our interactions, and hope to learn more about missions and evangelism on this trip,” explained Priest Christopher Moore, another third-year seminarian, who is helping to organize the trip as leader of the student-run St. Innocent Mission Society.

Fr. Christopher, Dn. Simon, and the other members of the mission team plan to offer teaching sessions in six different locations, both in the capital city of Kampala and in northern Uganda, on topics including prayer, the sacraments, evangelism, and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Donations received from the African Meal Fundraiser will help offset costs for the mission trip, and will also be used for gifts the team hopes to offer to parish communities in Uganda.

St. Vladimir’s Seminary welcomed several guests to campus Thursday, March 8, including a hierarch from Lebanon and nine prospective students. The visiting hierarch and the prospective students each came for a glimpse into seminary life at St. Vladimir’s.

HIERARCHS’ VISIT

His Eminence Metropolitan Antonios (Al-Soury) of Zahle, Baalbek and Dependencies in Lebanon (Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East) visited the seminary Thursday morning along with His Grace Bishop John of Worcester and New England of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA). The hierarchs were joined by Rev. Dn. Nektarios Ibrahim, who was travelling with His Eminence Metropolitan Antonios.

A large group assembled to welcome the distinguished guests upon their arrival to campus, including Seminary President Archpriest Chad Hatfield, Archpriest Alexander Rentel, ecclesiarch and assistant professor of Canon Law and Byzantine Studies, and numerous seminarians under the jurisdiction of the Antiochian Archdiocese.

His Eminence Metropolitan Antonios and His Grace Bishop John offered prayers at Three Hierarchs Chapel, and later toured the campus grounds and bookstore. During the visit, seminary faculty shared with His Eminence how the school accommodates its seminarians from the Antiochian Orthodox tradition.

"Fr. Chad, Dr. [John] Barnet, and I informed the metropolitan about the classes that are taught at St. Vladimir’s Seminary for the Antiochian seminarians, and also the services in the Chapel that are served according to the rubrics and practices of the Archdiocese,” said Fr. Rentel. “We told him that we are the only seminary in North America which can do such things."

Well over a dozen seminarians from the Antiochian Archdiocese are currently enrolled at St. Vladimir’s Seminary.

OPEN HOUSE

Nine prospective students braved the snow and difficult travel conditions to attend an open house at St. Vladimir’s Seminary on Thursday.

“Difficult” may be an understatement for one of those prospective seminarians, Michael Fiocca, and his wife, Lucy, who traveled with him from Philadelphia to attend the open house.

"We were diverted twice,” Michael explained. “We dodged a falling tree, had a huge boulder, I think, fall on top of my car, and then a large ice cube fell on my windshield—[but] nothing was broken. It was down to single-lane traffic; it was really bumpy, but I was determined to get here!"

Joining Michael and Lucy at the open house were prospective students from locations across the country, including Dallas, Florida, Chicago, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.

The group enjoyed a full day’s worth of activities. The day began with Matins at Three Hierarchs Chapel, followed by breakfast and a welcome from Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, the Seminary President. The prospective students then attended classes, toured the campus, learned about degree programs and financial aid, and talked with current seminarians about community life. The open house concluded with Vespers and dinner with seminarians.

Among those varying activities and discussions, Michael said he particularly appreciated Fr. Chad’s talk about community and academic life on campus and the seminary’s vision for the formation of its students.

“The practical side of priesthood—personal relationships, the counseling, those sorts of things—hearing [Fr. Chad] talk about that, and [that] that’s going to be developed more, that's really what's interesting me,” said Michael.

“This community is definitely something I want to be a part of with my husband," Lucy added.

St. Vladimir’s Seminary is currently accepting applications for the 2018-2019 academic year. More information for prospective students can be found below.

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