At the invitation of His Grace Bishop Basil of the Self–Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America's Diocese of Wichita and Mid–America, SVOTS Chancellor/CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield journeyed to Wichita, KS, to join the faithful and clergy at the St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral for a series of meetings and services. In addition to preaching at the cathedral on the Sunday after Theophany, Fr. Chad served the 40 Days Trisagion Service for His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch and All the East, along with Bishop Basil and other clergy from St. George.
Throughout the extended weekend, Fr. Chad conducted a series of meetings to lay the groundwork for an event and workshop in Wichita slated to follow the services for the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, August 15–18. Appropriately, the focus of the events will be the Seminary's Bishop Basil Program in Byzantine Liturgical Music, a St. Vladimir's initiative which aims to offer a concentrated course of study in Byzantine music for students. The workshop in August will be taught by SVOTS Lecturer in Choral Conducting Mtka. Robin Freeman and St. George's Music Director Chris Farha.
Bishop Basil's musical contributions within American Orthodoxy have been substantial. After his graduation from St. Vladimir's in 1973, His Grace served as director of the Department of Youth Affairs for the Antiochian Archdiocese, while simultaneously teaching contemporary Byzantine chant at St. Vladimir's. He also co–chaired the Joint Orthodox Church in America (OCA)–Antiochian Archdiocese Canonization Commission, which led to the glorification of Bishop Raphael (Hawaweeny) of Brooklyn in 2000. Bishop Basil oversaw the publication of the book containing St. Raphael's Vita, Akolouthia and Akathist, arranged the hymnography for St. Raphael to Byzantine melodies, and directed the Clergy Brotherhood Choir that recorded the hymns for St. Raphael's feast. Since his enthronement in 2004, His Grace has continued to develop musical resources for his clergy and parishes.
In May of 2010, recognizing his service to the Church, the St. Vladimir's Board of Trustees conferred a Doctor of Divinity honoris causa upon His Grace, and established the music program in his name, to ensure that the heritage of teaching Byzantine music continues to evolve and develop at St. Vladimir's.
"Wichita has long been a strong base of financial support for St. Vladimir's, including our close ties with the esteemed Farah Foundation, and the outstanding bookstore Eighth Day Books," noted Fr. Chad. "It's always a source of inspiration for me to return, not only to my home parish of St. George Cathedral, but to any of the Orthodox communities dotting the Kansas plains both small and large, because of their mutual support and dynamic vision for making a strong Orthodox Christian witness."
Publisher Releases Festschrift Volume in Honor of SVOTS Professor, Fr. Paul Tarazi, a series, "Bible in the Christian Orthodox Tradition," and includes a collection of articles discussing the latest scholarly findings in the field of the Old Testament studies. Scholars from around the world conducting research in the Old Testament text, theology, canon, interpretation, and criticism, have contributed their recent findings in the fields of their research and teaching to the festschrift.
A lecturer and professor at SVOTS since 1977, Dr. Tarazi is a prolific author and speaker. His books include biblical commentaries on 1 Thessalonians and Galatians, a three–volume introduction to the Old Testament, and a four–volume introduction to the New Testament, all published by SVS Press. He has also authored complete audio commentaries on both the Old and New Testaments through the Orthodox Center for the Advancement of Biblical Studies (OCABS), and serves as editor–in–chief of JOCABS, an online OCABS journal.
The festschrift's editor, Nicolae Roddy, is associate Professor of Theology at Creighton University. For the past sixteen years, Dr. Roddy has served as co–director and area supervisor for the Bethsaida Excavations Project, a significant archaeological site located at the foot of the Golan Heights near the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. 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.
For the voice of the Father bore witness to You And called You His beloved Son. And the Spirit, in the form of a dove, Confirmed the truthfulness of His word. O Christ, our God, You have revealed Yourself And have enlightened the world, glory to You!
Troparion - Tone 1
Theophany 2013 was celebrated at St. Vladimir's Seminary with a full schedule of services. On Friday, January 4, campus clergy celebrated the Great Hours of Theophany and on Saturday, January 5, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom was followed immediately by Vespers service and the Great Sanctification of Water. On the Saturday evening the community convened again for the festal Vigil consisting of Great Compline and Matins.
In the culmination on Sunday, the Great and Holy Day of the Feast, the festal Divine Liturgy in Three Hierarchs Chapel was followed immediately by the Great Sanctification of Water on front campus, which took place on the bridge over Troublesome Brook.
Several members of the staff and faculty also opened up their homes for blessings on Sunday afternoon after the services. Additionally, Associate Dean for Student Affairs Fr. David Mezynski will be scheduling times for blessing student apartments, and following the festal Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord on February 2, all single student dormitory rooms and the remainder of the seminary facilities will be blessed by chapel clergy.
In 1962, the first St. Vladimir's Seminary Octet visited some 100 parishes throughout the United States, beginning in Philadelphia and traveling as far west as Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The following summer a second Octet journeyed to the west coast, and a third Octet went out the next summer as well. Eventually, the traditional Octet tour took place every two years; in between, the eight–member all–male choir visited parishes within driving distance to present concerts and serve as goodwill ambassadors for the Seminary.
Recalls Dr. David Drillock, professor of Liturgical Music, Emeritus, the Octets also helped promote "liturgical music—in English, and done well, in a style conducive to worship. Each Octet also transported materials—books, records, icons—that were little known to thousands of Orthodox and non-Orthodox who attended the services and concerts given at local churches."
Recently, Svots.edu discussed this year's group with Octet Director Hierodeacon Herman (Majkrzak), lecturer in Liturgical Music and Chapel Choir Director at SVOTS. Two of this past year's Octet members, Seminarians Harrison Russin and Ian Abodeely, joined the conversation as well.
How is the Octet chosen?
HDH:
The eight–member all male Octet is a decades–old institution at SVOTS that for many years went on summer–long cross-country trips, visiting around a hundred parishes over three months, singing services and concerts, and engaging in recruitment activities. While St. Vladimir's also has a special mixed choir (the SVS Chorale, which presented the Orient concert last year), there is a special place in Orthodox seminaries for male choirs. Most of the students at SVOTS are men who come to prepare themselves for the priesthood. There is a special form of brotherly bonding that occurs in a male choir, and this is a very valuable quality for future priests to have experienced.
The members of the Octet are chosen by myself in consultation with Dr. Nicholas Reeves, based on the voice evaluations that occur at the beginning of each school year for incoming students. Most students who are invited to join in their first year remain in the Octet for their subsequent years of study.
HR:
I think it's interesting to note how the Octet has changed, especially in the past few years as the majority of students coming to seminary are married, but I think our musical caliber is as high as ever.
Is there a bond between your musicians, and what other musical talents do they have?
HDH:
I believe there is an important role for all male singing in our society. I am sure this is true for all-female choirs, but naturally I have no experience of that. It is important for men to be with each other as a team, and to make something beautiful together. I believe this is very psychologically healthy, though unfortunately somewhat devalued in our age of sexual egalitarianism. Making music together does indeed create a bond, and it is also especially gratifying to watch as the more experienced musicians assist those to whom the technical side of music-making may come less readily.
Our Octet in fact has several instrumentalists, including a pianist, a cellist, a couple guitarists, an accordianist, a drummer, a pianist, and no fewer than three organists!
IA:
There is definitely a bond between the musicians in the Octet. Being in the Octet itself is a bonding experience, not only as singers but also as brother seminarians. Some of us are fresh out of college, others are on our second careers; some some married, some single; and we're all from different places in the country, or even the world. What brings us together is the music of the Church. I'm an organist, as is Gregory Tucker and Fr. Herman, so there was a natural bond between us from the beginning. But the quickly formed bond between all of us that has continued to grow stronger over our first semester together. The level of musicianship of the singers led to us "clicking" almost immediately and has allowed us to make some really beautiful music together as an ensemble.
HR:
We're all different in many ways—geography, religious upbringing, education, musical exposure and tastes, senses of humor. But I look forward to Octet trips because it's a time to "be us," be something we are not alone—the sum is greater than the parts!
How do you decide which music to perform?
HDH:
Our repertoire has changed over the past few years, in large part based on the voices and musical capabilities of those singing in the Octet. In my first two years as its director, we focused more on two–part and some three–part arrangements of Byzantine, Znamenny, Georgian, and Kievan Chant. In the past year, while retaining some of this repertoire, we have also become more at home with full four–part male choir arrangements of Russian chant, requiring a larger voice range. This repertoire is in fact the traditional fare of the Octet going back decades.
While all the music the Octet sings is liturgical music, and while our primary role is as a liturgical choir during divine services, I have not found it difficult or problematic to perform this music in concert venues. We encourage people to withhold applause until the end of the entire concert, so as to emphasize the prayerfulness of the music. Also sometimes I will give brief introductions to the music being sung, or the subject matter of the text, especially in situations where the audience may be largely non-Orthodox. In this regard, I view it as something of a missionary activity.
The response of the listeners is all over the map. I am often surprised by which pieces can get the most favorable attention and which pieces no one comments about. Thankfully, I've never received negative comments.
IA:
In my short time in the Octet, I've found that those listening to us really respond to the "classics" of Russian Orthodox Church music, that is, Rachmaninov, Bortniansky, Chesnokov, et cetera. But they also have responded to new pieces, such as the recently composed setting of "Blessed is the Man," by our own Dr. Nicholas Reeves. For myself, singing Rachmaninov's famous setting of "Bogoroditse Dyevo" was one of the highlights of this semester.
Somehow, I find that even when we're singing outside of a liturgical context, the music is still prayerful. I believe that this is simply a case of bringing Christ "to the world," as well as stopping the tendency to "compartmentalize" our faith from our daily life. Simply put, singing liturgical music outside of a liturgical context can be a powerful witness to those around us and help them start asking questions about Orthodoxy, whether they are "cradle" or "convert."
To speak to this, during our trip to Villanova University the clergy and choirs processed relics and a miraculous icon through the campus to and from the icon exhibit, singing as we went. While I'm sure some of the college students who stopped to look were perhaps wondering, "who are these strange men in black robes wandering around and singing," there were also those that started following us, too. Maybe, in some small way, our singing can help lead people to learn more about Christ as found in Orthodoxy.
How many concerts do you perform, and where do you travel?
HDH:
We mostly sing services, not concerts. Because of the heavy demands placed upon our students' time, we limit ourselves to three Octet trips each semester --- generally Sunday morning services and perhaps a concert in the afternoon. Occasionally we will plan an overnight trip and sing Vespers on Saturday evening as well. In addition, the Octet sings occasionally in Three Hierarchs' Chapel here on campus, on special occasions such as Orthodox Education Day, and the visit of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon and His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan to the seminary.
IA:
These experiences have been encouraging, even leading our Chancellor, Fr. Chad Hatfield, to suggest we record a CD! Who knows if we actually will, but I look forward to working with my brother seminarians and with Fr. Herman to provide the best liturgical music possible wherever and whenever we are called to serve.
It is with hope in the resurrection that we mark the repose of Khouria Joanne Bitar, who fell asleep in the Lord on Sunday morning, December 30th, after a long battle with cancer. Khouria Joanne is survived by her husband, Archpriest Elias Bitar (SVOTS '75 & '01), who retired as Lecturer in Liturgical Music at St. Vladimir's Seminary in 2011, after decades of service; and children, Katrina (SVOTS '09), Sister Ignatia, Martha, and Antony.
Services with be held at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Little Falls, NJ, as follows: Wednesday, January 2nd, Viewing and Trisagion Service from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday January 3rd, Funeral Service at 9:00 a.m. Interment will be at St. Nina's Monastery, Union Bridge, Maryland.
On Saturday, December 29, 2012, The Very Rev. Paul Shafran (SVOTS ’1945) celebrated his 65th anniversary of ordination to the Holy Priesthood by presiding at the Divine Liturgy in Three Hierarchs Chapel at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary, his alma mater, surrounded by family, friends, and fellow clergy. Father Paul, who briefly served parishes in the Byesville, Ohio area during his days as a young pastor, most recently is Pastor Emeritus of St. Vladimir Church in Trenton, NJ. His actual date of ordination is December 28, 1947; he was elevated to the Holy Priesthood by the hand of Archbishop Nikon (de Greve of Brooklyn) at the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection, New York City.
The Right Reverend Michael (Dahulich), bishop of New York, and the New York and New Jersey Diocese, Orthodox Church in America, prayed on the solea during the service, thus giving Fr. Paul the honor of being the main celebrant at the altar for the occasion. Concelebrating were fellow clergy The Very Rev. Joseph Lickwar, chancellor of the New York and New Jersey Diocese; The Very Rev. Daniel Skvir, rector of Holy Transfiguration Chapel, Princeton, NJ; The Very Rev. Sergius Kuharsky, currently attached to Annunciation Church, Brick, NJ; and The Very Rev. Steven J. Belonick, rector of Holy Ghost Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church, Bridgeport, CT.
At the end of Divine Liturgy, His Grace Michael praised Fr. Paul’s ministry and likened his service to the Church to that of the Apostles John and Paul, who labored with “energy, commitment, and faith.” “In the seventh decade of his priesthood,” noted Bishop Michael, “Father Paul continues to go from place to place to serve tirelessly, fearlessly, and selflessly as a priest of God. In him, we get a glimpse of an imitation of the holy apostles.”
Bishop Michael mentioned the many faceted ministries that Fr. Paul exercised over the years, including his faithfulness as a concerned pastor; his ability to “think out of the box” and especially his forward thinking in building up an endowment for his former parish in New Jersey; his commitment to theological education, both as an instructor at St. Vladimir’s Seminary and as a long-time member of its Board of Trustees; his dedication to the care of the elderly as a Board of Trustees member at Ss. Cosmos and Damian Adult Home on Staten Island; and his more humble and less known ministry as a confidant to many clergy and hierarchs.
Acknowledging Fr. Paul’s long and broad church service, Bishop Michael presented him with a new vestment, a palitza, with an icon of the Incarnation depicted on one side and an icon of the Resurrection depicted on the other. “The icons are in recognition of the beginning and height of our salvation in Christ Jesus,” noted Bishop Michael.
His Grace also observed that people attending the celebratory Liturgy represented nearly every aspect of Fr. Paul’s ministry. In conclusion, Bishop Michael praised Fr. Paul’s wife, Matushka Mary (née Obletiloff) as an example of “full support” of her husband’s priestly ministry, and wished them both “many more years of health, in order to show forth the love of God in Christ Jesus.”
Recognizing Fr. Paul’s loyalty and dedication to St. Vladimir’s Seminary were The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, dean, and The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor, who presented him with a gramata that paid homage to his accomplishments and exemplary service on behalf of the Seminary. During the deanship of The Very Rev. Dr. Georges Florovsky [1949–1955], Fr. Paul had served as Instructor of Liturgics at St. Vladimir’s, beginning in 1951. Now a Trustee Emeritus of the Seminary, Fr. Paul also accomplished much in his capacity as a Board of Trustees member over the decades. He was instrumental, for example in acquiring two important collections for the seminary library: part of Fr. Florovsky’s private collection and the personal library of Archimandrite Anthony Repella. Fellow seminary Trustees Thomas Zedlovich, Anthony Kasmer, and Tatiana Hoff were on hand to honor Fr. Paul on the occasion.
As an alumnus, Fr. Paul encouraged and energized his fellow graduates. In 1959, he organized and co-chaired the first “Liturgical Conference”—the precursor of the Seminary’s long-running annual “Liturgical Institute of Music and Pastoral Practice"—in order to provide ongoing education for seminary graduates. Father Paul’s charming correspondence to his fellow alumni about a similar subsequent conference that he organized—with his brother-in-law and fellow alumnus, The Rev. Alexander Warnecke—is captured in the Seminary’s archives, in a letter dated 1962:
The beautiful but complex Liturgical Tradition of the Orthodox Catholic Church requires the priest to have a thorough knowledge of not only the external rubrics of the divine offices, but also a full understanding of their history and theology as well. The theme of this year’s Liturgical Conference will be the Lenten Triodion and Lenten Worship, with four lectures: “Origin of Lenten and Paschal cycles”; “General structure of Lent”; “The Presanctified Liturgy”; and “Holy Week”. The Very Rev. Father Alexander Schmemann will be the lecturer. At the conference, expenses will be kept at a minimum—somewhere in the vicinity of $9. This will include all meals (good and plenty) and lodging (ditto). To cut travelling expenses, we suggest that priests organize car pools in their cities or localities, and travel together. We are also reminding every priest to bring his rasa, cuffs, epitrahilion, service book, and pectoral cross. Let’s have a large turnout. If you come, you won’t forget it; but, if you stay home, you’ll regret it.—The Very Rev. Paul Shafran, to all St. Vladimir’s Alumni
After the presentations, Fr. Paul thanked both Bishop Michael and Frs. John and Chad for their “eloquent and kind words.” He also expressed his gratitude to God for being able to serve, for the very first time, at the seminary chapel’s altar, which was a gift from the Shafran family, in honor of their parents, Stephan and Rosalia Shafran. In so doing, he quoted the Psalm: “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy continues forever.”
Following the Divine Liturgy and presentations, the congregation and clergy enjoyed a brunch in the chapel undercroft, where Fr. Daniel Skvir acted as Master of Ceremonies. “Father Paul will serve as a model for generations of priests,” he said, noting Fr. Paul’s ready defense of the Orthodox Christian faith, pastoral care, knowledge of liturgics, and respect for concelebrants at the altar. “It is good for us to be here, in the words of the Apostles,” concluded Fr. Daniel, as he invited past parishioners and friends to fete Fr. Paul with further reminiscences and fond memories of his pastorate.
The ordination took place at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in New Britain, CT, the Parnell family's home parish and Fr. James' place of assignment for parish service during his final year of studies.
Clergy celebrating with Archbishop Nikon included the parish rector, The Very Rev. David Koles; The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir's; The Very Rev. Steven Voytovich, also attached to Holy Trinity; and Pdn. Paul Nimcheck of Saints Cyril and Methodius Church in Terryville, CT.
The newly ordained Fr. James was ordained to the Holy Diaconate on January 29, 2012 in Three Hierarchs Chapel. He is a Chaplain Candidate in the New York Army National Guard, and has served as SVOTS Student Council President.
Father James joined the U.S. Army in 2002 and served as an Arabic linguist. He deployed twice to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; first from 2005–2006 and again from 2007–2008 before being commissioned as a Chaplain Candidate in 2009. While in the military, Fr. James received an A.A. in Arabic from the Defense Language Institute – Foreign Language Center and a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from the American Military University. He is currently a First Lieutenant assigned to the 101st Expeditionary Signal Battalion in Yonkers, NY and hopes to continue serving his Church and his country as an Army Chaplain. He and his wife Holly, also an Army veteran and former Arabic linguist, have two children, Samuel and Ariane.
After wrapping up a busy semester of teaching and travel, The Alexander Schmemann Professor of Liturgical Theology Dr. Paul Meyendorff traveled to Helsinki, Finland, to represent St. Vladimir's Seminary and the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) at the fifth meeting of the organization, Quality in Orthodox Theological Education, or QuOTE. The workshop was attended by official representatives from the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Orthodox Churches of Russia, Greece, Romania, and Finland.
At the beginning of the conference, His Beatitude the Most Rev. Metropolitan Ambrose of Helsinki greeted the participants.Over the course of several days of meetings, Dr. Meyendorff presented SVOTS' innovative program, "The Good Pastor," incorporated in the SVS 2010 Strategic Plan.
"The Good Pastor" project grew out of an intensive four–year period of study and development aimed at enhancing the formation of seminarians for service to the Church. The project was a precursor to the "New Curriculum" implemented in 2006, which ultimately served to increase St. Vladimir's scope and effectiveness and further develop the resources needed for sustaining the seminary's work.
Future meetings of the group are planned to further discuss theological curricula, with the aim of articulating common standards for Orthodox theological institutions everywhere. "It's important that SVOTS be a voice in the discussion of the development of Orthodox graduate education around the world," noted Dr. Meyendorff.
St. Vladimir's Seminary Press got its start in the 1960s with the release of just a few faculty titles, and has grown enormously over the years to become the largest English–language publisher of Orthodox Christian books, with approximately five hundred titles. We are wrapping up a busy year in which we launched a new website, expanded our offerings of digital and printed titles, hosted book signings with our authors, and traveled extensively with our mobile bookstore.
Did you know:
Our authors and translators include not only St. Vladimir's Seminary faculty, but many noted Orthodox writers from around the world. In addition to the majority of books originally published in English, those translated from Greek, Latin, German, French, Russian, Armenian, Romanian and several other languages find a place in our catalog. And our books in turn have been translated into other languages, including Russian, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Greek, French, German, Romanian, Italian, Armenian. As a result of this linguistic activity, on a recent trip to exhibit at a book fair in Paris last February, Marketing Manager Dn. Gregory Hatrak and I found that many people know about St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, even if they do not know much else about Orthodox Christianity in the Americas.
Our typical reader is probably an educated person who is not a specialist in theology or philosophy or history, though many scholars also buy our books. Perhaps most of our readers are Orthodox Christians, but we reach a much wider audience. Many of our books deal with the early centuries of Christianity, and so talk about a common heritage among Christians. A good number of our titles are used as course books in both religious and secular universities and colleges. We have heard from many people over the years that books published by St Vladimir's Seminary Press paved the way for their entry into the Orthodox Church.
Our current rate of book production is approximately ten new books a year. Our policy has been not to let our books go out of print; consequently we do a large number of reprints each year. We take advantage of current technology for some of these titles to do short runs.
The Press has entered the digital books marketplace, and we now have forty-six titles available in at least two formats. Over the next few years we will digitize our backlist. Many of these titles were produced back in the days of hand-written manuscripts, typewriters, and hot lead type, and as a result the printed works need to be scanned and the resulting files reworked to produce a viable digital book.
The Press was represented at the International Congress of Patristics Studies in Oxford in 2011, and at the First International Orthodox Book Fair in Paris in 2012. In just the last few months, through the efforts of Dn. Gregory Hatrak, our marketing manager, SVS Press books and materials have been displayed at the following events:
May 23-26, 2012: North American Patristics Conference, Chicago, IL
May 27, 2012: Christ the Saviour Church, Chicago, IL
May-29-June 2, 2012: Religious Book Trade Exhibit, St. Charles, IL
June 21-24, 2012: Parish Life Conference, Diocese of Worcester (AOC)
July 4-8, 2012: Parish Life Conference, Diocese of New York and Charleston (AOC)
July 18-19, 2012: Clergy Symposium, Antiochian Village – Book release Antony Bashir
August 24-26, 2012: Anniversary of Holy Myrrhbearers Monastery Book sales with Mother Raphaela
September 8-10, 2012: St. Elijah Church, Oklahoma City, OK – Book Signing with Fr. Constantine Nasr
September 17, 2012: Christian Product Expo, Murfreesboro, TN – Meeting with SPCK
September 20-22, 2012: Orthodox Theological Society of America Meeting, SVS
October 14, 2012: St. Mary's Church (AOC), Brooklyn, NY Octet Trip
October 26, 2012: Nashotah House, Book Release with Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev
October 26, 2012: Villanova University, opening of the exhibit – "Icon: The Way to the Kingdom"
November 2-4, 2012: Byzantine Studies Conference, Hellenic College, Brookline, MA
November 9-10, 2012: Moonbeam Children's Book award and Traverse City Children's Book Festival, Traverse City, MI
November 12-13, 2012: All American Council, Parma, OH
November 15-20, 2012: American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature, Chicago
November 24, 2012: ONE Conference, Orthodox Youth Conference, St Peter's College, Jersey City, NJ
December 2, 2012: Parish visit of SVS Octet and Bookstore, Holy Resurrection Church, Wayne, NJ
December 6, 2012: Villanova University, Lecture and Book signing, Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware)
December 7, 2012: Sophia Conference, Union Theological Seminary, NYC
December 16, 2012: Parish Visit, Holy Trinity Church, Stroudsburg, PA
On Wednesday, December 12, several SVOTS students traveled to the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) to participate in the discussion "Dialoguing Beyond Our Dialogue." The group Interseminary Dialogue (ISD), an informal organization composed of eight different Jewish and Christian seminaries in the New York area, sponsored the event. It was one of eight such meetings held during the course of a given academic year, in which a host seminary sets an agenda and offers participants a tour of the campus worship space. SVOTS students have been participating in the dialogues since the 1950s.
Historically, the Interseminary Dialogue has provided a venue for discussion of both theological and pastoral issues we face in our respective communions, whether we be Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, or Jewish in faith. The schools besides St. Vladimir's that participate in the dialogue are: Hebrew Union College's Jewish Institute of Religion, the Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, the Yeshivat Maharat , the Academy for Jewish Religion, St. Joseph's Seminary, General Theological Seminary and Union Theological Seminary.
Of course, there are profound differences between us in how we approach matters of faith, but by speaking with each other and putting a face on "the other," we are able to see that we ask many of the same questions and deal with many of the same needs and concerns. Indeed, we have much we can learn from each other, and this event fosters respect and concern for people who are different from ourselves. Through dialogue, we also come to a greater understanding of our own particular religious traditions.
On this particular December evening, we discussed different types of interfaith engagement, primarily through the experience of a JTS student who spoke about his experience in taking a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). The speaker shared ways in which CPE helped him to understand and help people who come from religious faiths very different from his Jewish one. We then broke up into small groups and talked about the different types of dialogue we can have in the arenas of life, action, and theology.
