Two prominent hierarchs have given their episcopal endorsement to a newly released volume of homilies by The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir's. Both Archbishop Demetrios (Trakatellis), primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, and also Bishop Maxim (Vasiljevic) bishop of the Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America, offered praises, printed on the back cover of The Cross Stands, While the World Turns: Homilies for the Cycles of the Year, released this month.

The collected homilies were delivered during the last decade in Three Hierarchs Chapel at the seminary. They follow three main annual liturgical cycles: Paschal, Nativity–Theophany, and feasts of the Theotokos.

"While succinct, these homilies are nonetheless rich in substance and impart invaluable insight," wrote His Eminence Demetrios. "The author's deep theological knowledge and liturgical expertise are discernible throughout."

His Grace Maxim offered, "The readers of Homilies for the Cycles of the Year are led beyond the word toward the original source of the word, which is a Person. This collection of homilies shows that in Eucharistic synaxis we will see and meet God through our communion with others."

The Rev. Dn. Gregory Hatrak, marketing and operations manager for SVS Press and Bookstore, said, "We are grateful to His Eminence and His Grace for recognizing the quality and importance of this new volume, and we hope these sermons will inspire laity and provide a continuing source of education for Orthodox Christian clergy here in North America.

"I am also grateful to Fr. John Behr for continually offering new books to SVS Press—works of spirituality, history, doctrine, and especially for his initial editorial work on our Popular Patristics Series."

Other recently released books by the press include: Give Me a Word: The Alphabetical Sayings of the Desert Fathers (PPS52), translated by John Wortley; My Life's Journey: The Memoirs of Metropolitan Evlogy, with an introduction by Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko; and The Watchful Mind: Teachings on the Prayer of the Heart, by an anonymous priest-monk on Mount Athos. All are available through SVS Press and Bookstore. 

• Read about the summer travels of the Press.
• Get a sneak peak at Fr. John's new book: read the Preface.

For Academic year 2014–2015, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Yonkers, NY,will offer an exceptional opportunity to students enrolled in its Continuing Education course on Byzantine Chant. Besides benefiting from the expert instruction of renowned master chanter Eleftherios Eleftheriadis, students will be afforded unprecedented access to rehearsals and concert events during the 2014–2015 Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA) season that feature Mr. Eleftheriadis.

The seminary is offering the Byzantine music fall and spring semester courses to seminarians and the general public on Tuesday evenings, in collaboration with The Axion Estin Foundation of New Rochelle, NY. Sessions of the fall semester will start on Tuesday September 23, 2014. Beginners Class will meet from 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Advanced Class will meet from 8:10 p.m. to 9:25 p.m. 

Students enrolled in the fall semester course may attend the “Byzantine Pop-Ups” concerts at the MMA’s Medieval Sculpture Hall, Fridays, December 5, 12, and 19, at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. daily (free with museum admission); and students enrolled in the spring semester may attend the “Looking East from Byzantium” concert at the MMA’s Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, Saturday, March 14, 7 p.m. (for tickets and more information visit the Met Museum's Website).

“More than a third of our alumni are in jurisdictions that use Byzantine music,” noted The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. “In order to serve the Church and prepare our students for service in these ecclesial settings, we are not only continuing but also amplifying our Byzantine music course offerings for the 2014–2015 Academic Year. At the same time, we are offering superb continuing education for our alumni and friends.”

Dr. Angelo Lampousis, director of The Axion Estin Foundation, added, “This is an unprecedented year in terms of exposure for Byzantine chant in North America. The St. Vladimir’s educational offerings greatly enhance the available opportunities for New York State audiences to gain a deeper understanding of these century-old musical traditions.”

Eleftherios Eleftheriadis, the highly regarded Protopsaltis of St. Nicholas Shrine Church in Flushing, NY, who previously served on the faculty of the Music School of Thessaloniki, Greece, will introduce students to original texts in Byzantine music notation. Students completing either of the non-credit semester courses will receive a certificate of completion.

For queries, or to register, contact Dr. Nicholas Reeves, 914–961–8313 x353, or email byzantine@svots.edu.

Acknowledgment: We gratefully acknowledge distinguished members of the Hellenic community of Westchester Costas T. Los, Nicholas A. Lyras, Nikolaos J. Skubas, and John Daskos, for making four semesters of instruction possible.

Third-year seminarian and organist Ian Abodeely coordinated all of the music for the conference, incorporating the music of Bach, Dupre, Williams, Charpentier, Purcell, Byrd, and others. The services were sung using traditional Gregorian modes. (Read Ian's reflections in "Seminarians Speak.")

The Antiochian Western Rite Vicariate oversees parishes and missions within the Archdiocese that worship according to traditional Western Christian liturgical forms, derived either from the Latin-speaking churches of the first millenium, or from later usages that are in conformity with the Orthodox Christian faith. More than 20 Western Rite Antiochian churches and missions located throughout the United States are in full communion with their brethren of the Byzantine Rite. The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) also oversees a number of Western Rite parishes in the U.S.

Presentations focused on the theme of discipline in the spiritual life, with a guiding verse from I Corinthians: "Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible." Mass was celebrated daily, together with Vespers and Lauds (morning prayer).

At the conclusion of the conference, Fr. Chad remarked that “over the years Western Rite seminarians have attended St. Vladimir’s, and we hope to serve more of these students in the next few years. We appreciate their contributions and are working to make our link with the Western Rite tradition stronger through participation in events such as this recent one in Michigan.

“Various Eastern and Oriental Orthodox liturgical traditions are always represented in our student body,” he added. “This is one aspect of life at St. Vladimir’s that we value the most.”

• Read Seminarian Ian Abodeely’s reflections on the evangelistic significance of the Western Rite tradition.
• Listen to an interview about the Western Rite conference on AFR.
• Read reflections about the Western Rite by Bishop Basil (‘73) of the Antiochian Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America.

The Rev. Dn. Gregory Hatrak, marketing and operations manager for SVS Press and Bookstore, set up shop at major Orthodox Christian gatherings this summer and hosted book signings with some of the Press’s most popular authors. “As I traveled to church events and parishes in various jurisdictions, it was good to see how SVS Press supports the ministry of Orthodox churches throughout America and is used for the education of both children and adults,” he noted.

Travel highlights included:

Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia booksigning

His Eminence participated in book signings at two locations where he served as a speaker: Washington, D.C., for the 18th annual Orientale Lumen Conference, June 23–26, with the theme “Ecumenical Dimensions of Marriage”; and Villanova University, PA,  where he lectured on “Let Us Embrace One Another:


Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of the Meeting between Pope Paul VI & Patriarch Athenagoras in Jerusalem,” on June 29. The lecture is available on Ancient Faith Radio.

In a parish setting at  St. Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church (Orthodox Church in America) in Gradyville, PA, with host pastor The Very Rev. John Perich, he signed his works The Inner Kingdom and The Orthodox Way, after serving Vespers and Hierarchical Liturgy celebrating the feast of Ss. Peter and Paul, June 28–29.

Illustrator Niko Chocheli booksigning

Dioceses of  Charleston, Oakland, and Mid-Atlantic, and New York and Washington, D.C., of the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, July 2–6.

Five years ago, the Antiochian Heritage Museum at the Village hosted an exhibit titled “Spirit and Whimsy,”  which featured several of Chocheli’s original paintings, and artwork from his children’s book, The Book of Jonah, is still on display at the Museum.

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA) Clergy-Laity Congress

At the 42nd Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress, Philadelphia, PA, July 6–9, Dn. Gregory had the great pleasure of meeting GOA primate His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios and presenting him with a copy of SVS Press’s most recent release The Watchful Mind: Teachings on the Prayer of the Heart, by The
 Rev. George Dokos, Greek translator, along with other press publications. Dn. Gregory also met Fr. Dokos face-to-face for the first time at the conference.

“We have many bookstore accounts with Greek Archdiocese parishes,” noted Dn. Gregory, “and so it was good to be able to meet many of our phone customers face-to-face.

“In fact, the whole summer gave me the opportunity to really personalize what I normally experience online or via telephone, and it was great to meet our authors, customers, and supporters."

The Very Rev. John Meyendorff (February 17, 1926 – July 22, 1992) served as the Dean of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary from March 1984 until June 30, 1992. He died that following July 22 in Montreal, Canada, due to pancreatic cancer.

A leading theologian of the Orthodox Church in the 20th century, Fr. John completed his secondary education in France and his theological education at the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris in 1949. In 1948, he also received a Licentiate at the Sorbonne, and later earned a Diplôme d'études supérieures (1949), and  a Diplôme de l'école pratique des Hautes Etudes (1954). He earned the degree of Doctor of Theology in 1958 with a groundbreaking doctoral thesis on the teachings of St.Gregory Palamas.

In France, Fr. John was an Assistant Professor of Church History at the St. Sergius Institute and a Fellow at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. After his ordination to the priesthood in the Orthodox Church in 1959, he and his family moved to the United States. There he joined the faculty of St. Vladimir's Seminary as Professor of Church History and Patristics. Additionally, he held successive joint appointments as a lecturer in Byzantine theology at Harvard University, Dumbarton Oaks (to which he returned for a semester as Acting Director of Studies in 1977), and as Professor of Byzantine History at Fordham University (from 1967). He also was Adjunct Professor at Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary, both in New York City, and lectured widely on university campuses and at church events.

Father John was a major voice in the Orthodox community and worked for the reunion of the three splinter groups into which the Russian Orthodox Church broke after the Russian Revolution. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Orthodox Church in America in 1970, and urged the various Orthodox Churches in the United States, which were ethnically based, to grow closer together in their shared faith. He frequently represented the Orthodox tradition in ecumenical gatherings, such as the Uppsala Assembly held in 1968 by the World Council of Churches, during his tenure as Chairman of its Commission on Faith and Order (1967-1975).

Father John's publications include the critical text and translation of Byzantine theologian Gregory Palamas (1959), as well as a number of books in the fields of theology and history, such as A Study of Gregory Palamas (French ed., 1959; Engl. 1964); The Orthodox Church (1963); Orthodoxy and Catholicity (1966); Christ in Eastern Christian Thought (1969); Byzantine Theology (1973); Marriage, an Orthodox Perspective (1975);  Living Tradition (1978); Byzantium and the Rise of Russia (1980); The Byzantine Legacy in the Orthodox Church (1981); Catholicity and the Church (1983); and Imperial Unity and Christian Divisions: The Church 450-680 AD (1989). His books have been published in a number of languages, including French, German, Italian, Russian, Greek, Finnish, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Serbian, and Polish. 

The seminary community honors his memory every September at the annual Father John Meyendorff Memorial Lecture and especially remember him today, the day of his passing from death to life eternal.

Memory Eternal!

 View a moving tribute to Fr. John on YouTube.

The Father Alexander Schmemann Professor of Liturgical Theology at St. Vladimir's Seminary, Dr. Paul Meyendorff, recently traveled to Antiochian Village in Bolivar, PA, to address the 18th Biennial Clergy Symposium of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.

His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph, the Archdiocese's newly elected leader, presided over the gathering, his first as head of the Antiochian Archdiocese. Before beginning his lecture, Dr. Meyendorff congratulated the metropolitan-elect. Metropolitan Joseph was the featured speaker at St. Vladimir's Seminary's community Lenten Retreat in 2008.

Nearly 170 SVOTS alumni have served the Church as priests and hierarchs in the Antiochian Archdiocese. "I loved reconnecting with our many St. Vladimir's alumni attending the Symposium," noted Prof. Meyendorff, "and answering their questions about the Seminary's developments. I especially enjoyed seeing so many of my former students."

Held every other summer, the clergy assemblies are sponsored by the Antiochian House of Studies and feature preeminent scholars, monastics, and clergy speakers from the U.S. and around the world. This year's Symposium focused on the theme of healing; as such, Dr. Meyendorff's talk, "Liturgy and Healing," explored how healing permeates the liturgical life of the Church, beginning with the mysteries of Baptism and the Eucharist.

His Eminence Archbishop Joseph has been elected Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, by the Holy Synod of Antioch, meeting in Balamand, Lebanon on Thursday, July 3, 2014.  Since its inception in 1938, St. Vladimir's Seminary has trained nearly 175 clergy from the Antiochian Archdiocese (formerly Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese), with these graduates making up about 16% of its alumni base.

The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, seminary dean, upon hearing the announcement, said, “We are all very delighted to hear this news: ‘AXIOS’!

“His Metropolitan-elect Joseph has visited our campus many times, and we have visited with him on the West Coast often and worked with him on various occasions for the upbuilding of the Church,” Fr. John continued. “Most recently I had the pleasure of speaking at his Parish Life Conference last summer, and we all look forward to serving him in the preparation of his students.”

Seminary Chancellor / CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, who once served as a priest in the Antiochian Archdiocese, noted the importance of the election, saying, “I first met Saidna Joseph at the Archdiocesan Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, many years ago. He came to SVOTS to lead our Community Lenten Retreat in 2008, developing one of his favorite themes: ‘priestly formation.’   

“Our seminary has, for over sixty years, formed priests for the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese, and we can now look forward to continued service to the Archdiocese under the leadership of Metropolitan Joseph. ‘AXIOS!’,” he exclaimed.

Metropolitan Joseph was born in Damascus, Syria, in 1950. He was consecrated to the Holy Episcopacy on June 30, 1991, at the St. Mary Cathedral in Damascus, after many years of serving as a deacon and a priest. His Eminence was consecrated with the title “Bishop of Katana in Syria” and served as Patriarchal Assistant and Secretary of the Holy Synod of Antioch. In 1995 he was sent by Patriarch Ignatius to America.

In the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, Bishop Joseph was assigned to the West Coast Chancery by Metropolitan Philip (+2014). After self-rule status was awarded to the Archdiocese, Bishop Joseph was enthroned at St. Nicholas Cathedral by Metropolitan Philip as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West on September 12, 2004. On December 11, 2011, at the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in the Patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand in Lebanon, Patriarch Ignatius elevated Bishop Joseph to the rank of Archbishop, in honor of his many years of service as a bishop both in the Antiochian Archdiocese and in the Patriarchate of Antioch.

Read Metropolitan Joseph's full biography here.

Imagine walking in the footsteps of Jesus and his followers. Now imagine uncovering firsthand the very buildings they would have seen and discovering objects they would have used in their daily lives, including domestic wares and implements for fishing.

“Such were the experiences of St. Vladimir’s seminarian Elizabeth Siniscalchi and alumnus Priest Aaron Warwick [M.Div., ’09], both of whom participated in the 2014 season of the Bethsaida Excavations Project,” said Nicolae Roddy, Ph.D., associate professor of Old Testament at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, and co-director of the Bethsaida Project since 1996. 

Seminarian Siniscalchi, from West Palm Beach, FL, and Fr. Aaron, pastor at St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church, Wichita, KS, along with Dr. Roddy, also a St. Vladimir’s Seminary alumnus [M.A., ’89], labored in sweltering 100-degree heat over a period of two-weeks in June and July. They participated in the archeological dig to help bring the world of Jesus to greater light.

While Dr. Roddy and Fr. Aaron worked in the "fishing" area, dubbed "Area C," Seminarian Siniscalchi worked in another section on Iron Age in "Area A,Seminarian Elizabeth Siniscalchi works in an Iron Age section in Bethsaida South and West," under the direct supervision of Dr. Sarah Kate Raphael during the first week and under Dr. Carl Savage of Drew University during the second week. 

Mentioned more than any other city in the New Testament with the exception of Jerusalem and Capernaum, Bethsaida, which means “House of the Fishermen,” is known from the Gospels as the hometown of the apostles Andrew, Peter, and Philip. St. John Chrysostom knew of a tradition that adds James and John, the sons of Zebedee, to that list of fishermen as well.Dr. Nicolae Roddy (left) in Bethsaida with Fr. Aaron Warwick and Elizabeth Siniscalchi

The Gospels relate that Jesus performed miracles in the environs of Bethsaida, most notably healing a blind man and feeding a multitude of people. Because its citizens failed to discern the meaning of Jesus’ mighty works, the city was cursed, along with nearby Capernaum and Chorazin. Lost to history for roughly seventeen centuries, Bethsaida was rediscovered in 1987; it was found nestled at the foot of the Golan Heights near the northern shore of the large freshwater lake the Bible calls the Sea of Galilee, exactly where the first-century historian Josephus places it.

“A large courtyard-style house full of fishing implements was uncovered during the early years of the dig,” related Dr. Roddy. “This season a wide pavement leading from the Fishermen’s House down toward the mouth of the Jordan River and dating to the time of Jesus was exposed, and I’ve dubbed it the ‘Avenue of the Apostles.’ A large Iron Age city lies beneath, which is being excavated elsewhere on the 20-acre mound.”

“I truly want to praise Elizabeth and Fr. Aaron for their contributions to this dig, not only for their hard work but also for the personal examples that they have set before other volunteers,” Dr. Roddy concluded. “I welcome the participation of other SVOTS students and alumni in seasons to come.”

At Creighton University, Dr. Roddy teaches courses in Hebrew Bible / Old Testament. He is past President of the joint Rocky Mountain / Great Plains Region of the American Academy of Religion (AAR), the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), and American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR). He is also Senior Editor for the Journal for the Orthodox Center for the Advancement of Biblical Studies. In addition, Dr. Roddy is a Faculty Associate for the Goren-Goldstein Center for Judaic Studies at the Faculty of Letters, University of Bucharest, Romania. He has lectured at several universities in Romania and has made additional scholarly presentations in Israel, Rome, Berlin, Vienna, and Amsterdam.

For more information about the Bethsaida Excavation Project, you may contact Dr. Roddy personally: nroddy@creighton.edu.

Meet the D.Min. Faculty and read about the D.Min. program at St. Vladimir's

Read about the the 8th Diaconal Liturgical Practicum.

Traveling from around the United States and Canada, eight members of the 2017 Cohort for the Doctor of Ministry Program from three Orthodox jurisdictions gathered on the Yonkers campus of St. Vladimir's Seminary for a June orientation that launched their D.Min. studies. The packed schedule included in-depth discussions with faculty and fellow students that focused on the framework for the D.Min. program, the nature of Orthodox Christian ministry, and the immense challenges facing priests and lay leaders today. Cohort members shared the campus with the deacons-in-training who were attending their liturgical practicum. 

The orientation sessions were led by The Very Rev. Dr. Joseph Purpura, Dr. Gayle Woloschak, The Very Rev. Dr. John Jillions, The Rev. Dr. Nicholas Solak, SVOTS Dean The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, and The Rev. Dr. Sergius Halvorsen. Reflecting on the orientation, D.Min. Program Director Fr. Sergius remarked, "Of course, some of our discussion was focused on the nuts and bolts of the program. However, the most valuable outcome was for the students and faculty to begin to form a community of teachers and learners. A doctoral program like this is an amazing opportunity to focus on truly pressing questions, and the more that we support one another academically and spiritually, the better chance that our work will be of benefit to those we are called to serve.

"After all the work that was required to bring this program to this point," concluded Fr. Sergius, "it was such an inspiration to meet the first cohort. They are a wonderful group and I am so privileged to work with them." 

For four days at the start of summer, deacons and potential deacons converged once again on the campus of St. Vladimir's Seminary for intense liturgical training, during the 8th Annual Diaconal Liturgical Practicum. Held in conjunction with the Orthodox Church in America's (OCA) Diaconal Vocations Program (DVP), the Practicum is highly recommended by the OCA's Holy Synod of Bishops.

Workshops led by DVP Director Archdeacon Kirill Sokolov, along with seminary professors, provided participants with both practical instruction in serving and also knowledge of the Church's history, liturgy, and priestly orders. At the Practicum's conclusion, participants reflected on the significance of the program.

Luke (Pierce) Scantlin of All Saints of North America Mission, Alexandria, Virginia:

"The Practicum was a great experience. I liked how we not only learned about the practical aspects of serving the Divine Liturgy and the reasons behind it, but also the lectures on liturgical theology, and the voice training. The reinforcement of having daily services to practice all that we were learning or trying to work on, whether in the altar, chanting the hours, or singing in the choir, helped immensely in putting our training into action.

Although the Practicum was for three intense but short days, I still feel like I made some good relationships with other men that I will keep in touch with, even though they are on the other side of the country.

Two thoughts from the instructors that have stayed with me. The John and Paraskeva Skvir Lecturer in Practical Theology, The Very Rev. Dr. Alexander Rentel, said that 'when we are doing liturgy it is the highest calling for a human being.' Seminary Dean The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr noted that 'as deacons (church members), we need to show people that their suffering is Christ's suffering.'"

Reader Ovidiu Vatamanu of St. Mary Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, Cleveland, Ohio:

"First, I really appreciate the intense schedule of the Diaconal Program, 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.! The schedule is similar to a deacon's work, with a lot of sacrifices, spreading Christian love in the Church, at one's day job, at home, and in the community.

Second I would like to acknowledge Archdeacon Kirill's commitment and vision for this program, and his efforts to make it successful.

St. Vladimir's Seminary has very great professors who motivated us, analyzing different cases for us in the Practicum, spreading the word of God. These professors include the Dean, Fr. John; Fr. Alexander Rentel, Fr. Sergius, Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, and the OCA's Chancellor, Fr. John Jillions.

Lastly, I want to emphasize the 'Christian family' feeling of working together as Jesus Christ's servants. It was very impressive how people with such different backgrounds came together from all over the U.S. in order to learn how to be servers of God."

Read about the 2013 Practicum