For four summers (2010, 2013, 2015, 2016), Fr. Eugen has been working assiduously on his contribution—the Book of Hosea—to the first digital Study Bible, launched in 2008 and titled “La Bible en ses traditions” (B.E.S.T.) / “The Bible in Its Traditions.” By the end of 2016, Fr. Eugen’s work will be embedded into a pre-designed template on the official B.E.S.T website (www.bibest.org).
The Very Reverend Chad Hatfield, CEO of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, remarked, "This significant project reflects the high energy and biblical scholarship that Fr. Eugene’s students admire and his peers respect.”
B.E.S.T. continues a long tradition of EBAF, which created the first Study Bible, La Bible de Jerusalem (1956), also known as The New Jerusalem Bible. The new digital Study Bible offers the modern reader a fresh scriptural translation based on the Greek (Septuagint), Hebrew (Masoretic), Syriac (Peshitta), and Latin (Vulgate) texts, accompanied by a wide array of study notes, which are divided into three sections: text, context, and reception. The translation covers various interpretive aspects: from textual, lexical, and literary notes to Jewish and Christian patristic and liturgical commentaries and theological treatises, and further includes modern and secular forms of scriptural usage (e.g., literature, visual arts, music, dance, cinema, and so forth).
The Very Reverend Dr. John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, commented on the B.E.S.T. project saying, “Father Eugen’s wonderful work shows that he is at the cutting edge of scriptural scholarship worldwide, bringing the best of the Orthodox tradition into dialogue with contemporary scholarship. This project is a blessing for all those who want to engage deeply with the Word of God’.”
Father Olivier-Thomas Venard, OP, B.E.S.T. project executive director, also acknowledged Fr. Eugen’s vital contribution, saying, “We owe Fr. Eugen a great debt of gratitude for his excellent work on Hosea.
“Father Eugen’s contribution will be published by Peeters,” he continued, “and we hope and will do all that is possible for it to be ready for presentation at the 2017 annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) in Boston.”
Further commenting on Fr. Pentiuc’s work, Dr. James C. Skedros, dean and Cantonis Professor of Byzantine Studies and Professor of Early Christianity at Holy Cross, noted, “We are very proud of Fr. Eugen’s association with B.E.S.T. As an internationally known Orthodox Biblical scholar, Fr. Eugen’s work on Hosea will not only make an important contribution to biblical scholarship and reception history, but will also bring honor and recognition to Holy Cross and to Orthodox biblical scholarship.”
The Very Reverend Dr. John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS), returned home from a 3-week teaching assignment in Australia with gifts of an Akubra hat, boomerang, and hand-painted icon of St. Athanasius. In turn, he left behind enormously significant “gifts” for local Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christian communities in the Land Down Under.
From June 24–July 10, 2016, Fr. John taught an intensive course in Patristics titled “The School of Alexandria” at St. Athanasius Coptic Theological College (SAC). As well, he served and delivered public lectures in ten parishes affiliated with Greek, Russian, Antiochian, Serbian, and Coptic Orthodox communities; headlined a “Youth in Christ” meeting; led a spiritual retreat for clergy titled, “Life in Christ”; and gave a nationally syndicated interview on ABC Radio’s “The Spirit of Things” program.
Additionally, he delivered a paper at the annual ANZATS (Australian and New Zealand Association of Theological Schools), reporting for the first time in public on the findings from his new edition and translation of and extensive introduction to Origen’s On First Principles (to be published by OUP in December 2017). At the same conference he also participated in book launch of the title, The Life of Repentance and Purity, by Pope Shenouda III, a collaborative publication between St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press (SVS Press) and SAC Press which has become the fastest selling title in SVS Press’s history.
Also included in his schedule were personal meetings with His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos (Harkianakis), primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia and dean and founder of St. Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College, Sydney; and His Eminence, Archbishop Paul (Saliba), metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines. All told, Fr. John spoke to nearly 1,300 people in the metro areas of Sydney and Melbourne.
Father John’s whirlwind teaching engagements were coordinated by two St. Vladimir’s alumni: His Grace Bishop Dr. Suriel, chancellor and dean of SAC and bishop of the Diocese of Melbourne and Affiliated Regions (Coptic Church); and Christine Jabbour Ayoub (M.A. ’03). Both offered high praise and appreciation for Fr. John’s visit.
In the July 10 and July 17, 2016 editions of Epsajee (The Word), a diocesan publication of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Bishop Suriel stated, "Our visiting lecturer, Father John Behr, has returned to New York, leaving behind a legacy of academic rigor in learning, a love of the church fathers, and a genuine commitment to cultivate service and community in our Christian journey.
“Words could not fully capture the impact that Fr. John’s visit and input has had upon students, staff, clergy and others at SAC,” he continued, “And everyone has been challenged by Fr. John’s dedication to lifelong learning, his love of God, and his generosity in sharing his profound knowledge of church history—especially the early church fathers—in a contemporary, eloquent, and engaging manner.”
Father John himself expressed gratitude for the opportunities given to him to renew and strengthen ties between St. Vladimir’s Seminary and a broad base of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christian communities—ties that in part began with a visit to Australia by Dean Emeritus Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko (+2015) in 1997. He especially remarked on burgeoning possibilities for future student exchange, and joint work between the publication houses of SVOTS and SAC.
“I am expecting more Australian students, at the request of Bishop Suriel, to come to our Seminary in New York to be carefully and highly educated in our Master of Arts and Master of Theology Programs,” said Fr. John, “and then to return to SAC as faculty prepared to influence hundreds and hundreds of future students by instruction in sound theology.
“They, along with many other foreign students we’re expecting—Antiochian, Serbian, Greek—will join our American family here at SVOTS,” he said, “continuing our long history of being the place where Orthodox Christians of all ethnic and jurisdictional backgrounds are praying and studying together in unity.
“Moreover,” he added, “SAC Press will also soon begin acting as a distribution center for SVS Press books in Australia, and this amazing arrangement will allow St. Vladimir’s to continue its mission of spreading the Word of God through the written word.”
The ongoing feedback regarding Fr. John’s recent visit to Australia indicates that his positive predictions will bear out. His teaching assistant at SAC for his summer/winter (Australia) course titled, “The School of Alexandria”—which examined the key figures of Origen, St. Athanasius, and St. Cyril and their influence on the development of theological thought—was Abraam Mikhail, an Australian seminarian who is currently studying at SVOTS and who does indeed plan to return to SAC as faculty after earning his degree.
Mr. Mikhail summed up his learning experience by saying, “Father John is very engaging, and his attention to detail makes us focus and think and re-think—or read and re-read—the text. His famous line is: ‘struggle with the text!’ and I would daresay it’s been not only a valuable but also an enjoyable experience.”
Dr. Lewis Patsavos St. Vladimir's Seminary ,575 Scarsdale Rd.,10707,Yonkers,NY,US
On Monday, January 30, 2017, Dr. Lewis Patsavos, retired professor of Canon Law and director of Field Education at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, will deliver the 34th Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Lecture, titled: “Reflections of a Canonist: Account of a Teaching Ministry Spanning Four Decades."
Dr. Patsavos earned his Doctorate in Theology from the University of Athens, Greece in 1974, and he subsequently taught at Holy Cross for 40 years. His dual responsibilities of teaching Orthodox Canon Law and directing the school’s Field Education Program enabled him to experience the pastoral nature of the canons contextually in ministerial settings.
Currently, he serves as the Consultant on Canonical Affairs to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and other Orthodox Jurisdictions in the United States. His commitment to ecumenical dialogue has allowed him to participate for over twenty-five years in the North American Orthodox–Roman Catholic Bilateral Consultation.
He has edited several volumes of the Greek Orthodox Theological Review, and he has published numerous articles and four books, his latest volume being A Noble Task: Entry into the Clergy in the First Five Centuries (Holy Cross Orthodox Press), which embodies the theory of the canons and patristic texts regarding priesthood and the praxis of ministry.
The Schmemann Lecture, which is open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium of the John G. Rangos Building. A reception will follow the presentation.
Seminary Trustee Elsie Skvir Nierle fell asleep in the Lord on Sunday, July 17, 2016, just two weeks after her 89th birthday. She had served on St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Board of Trustees from 1994–2005. Upon her retirement from board service, His Beatitude Metropolitan Herman (then president of the Board) and her fellow trustees honored her with the bestowal of the title, “Trustee Emerita.”
“Elsie was an exceptionally generous woman who understood that the every ‘house’ needs a firm foundation,” said Theodore Bazil, senior advisor for Advancement at the Seminary, “and she funded numerous programs and projects for the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and its seminaries.”
In 2002, Mrs. Skvir Nierle founded the “John and Paraskeva Skvir Chair in Practical Theology” at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, an Academic Chair established in honor of her parents. The Chair was held by the Very Reverend Paul Lazor until his retirement, and currently is held by the Very Reverend Dr. Alexander Rentel.
Additionally, in 1986 she established The Mary Skvir Memorial Scholarship Fund, named in honor of her departed sister; interest income from that scholarship fund is distributed equally between students at St. Vladimir’s Seminary and St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. In 1986, she also established "The Father John Skvir Memorial Pastoral Fellowship Endowment of The Orthodox Church in America.”
In her professional life, Mrs. Skvir Nierle was a practicing nurse, having graduated from the Diploma School of Nursing, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, in 1949. As well, she was a nursing instructor at the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, she served on The Ganister Orthodox Foundation Committee of the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania, a charitable organization that supported the special projects of many Orthodox Christian non-profits, including projects at St. Vladimir’s Seminary.
Mrs. Skvir Nierle was a long-time member of Holy Cross Orthodox Church, Williamsport, PA. Family and friends will be received from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday evening, July 20, at Holy Cross Orthodox Church, 1725 Holy Cross Lane, with a brief memorial service at 7 p.m. The funeral service will be held at the church Thursday morning, July 21, at 11 a.m., followed by a luncheon at the church social hall. Burial will be at St. Mary's Holy Assumption Orthodox Church Cemetery in Ganister, at 5 p.m. Thursday evening. Arrangements are being made by Crouse Funeral Home, and a full obituary is available on their website: www.crousefuneralhome.com.
“Our goal is to prepare newly ordained priests for the most challenging circumstances imaginable, and those certainly would include liturgically challenging situations,” remarked the Very Reverend Dr. John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. “That’s why we’re restructuring our music and liturgics courses for our Master of Divinity students—because we’re finding they sometimes end up in parishes with no deacon, no chanter, no choir director, and perhaps even, no choir!”
“To meet such new challenges, the Seminary has hired Robin Freeman as its new Director of Music, Harrison Russin as its new Lecturer in Liturgical Music, and the Very Reverend Dr. Eric Tosi as its new Assistant Professor of Liturgics,” announced Fr. John. “All three will begin teaching at the start of Fall Semester, August 29, 2016.”
A conductor and singer, Matushka Robin Freeman holds a Bachelors of Music in Voice Performance from Gordon College and a Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from Indiana University. She has worked with a wide range of choirs, including professional chamber choirs, church choirs, children’s choirs, community choirs, college choirs, and opera choruses. As a singer, she has travelled across North America and Europe, and in Asia, performing a wide variety of repertoire that includes opera, chamber music, and jazz.
In addition to her work with the choirs of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, she was engaged by The Princeton Festival, a multi-dimensional performing arts summer festival, for several seasons, as Chorus Master, Assistant Conductor, and Assistant to the Artistic and General Director. In 2015, she served as the Chorus Master for the Festival's production of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, to critical acclaim. She has also served as the Director of Music at Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church in Yonkers, NY.
“I consider it a joy and a privilege to be a member of the music faculty at St. Vladimir’s, which has a long and well-known history of musical excellence,” said Mat. Robin. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve the seminary community in this new role.
“I want our ordained graduates to have the confidence to sing the liturgical services alone if necessary,” she explained. “And, I want them to be competent enough to organize the music and to direct, for example, a small, struggling choir at a vespers service—feedback from our alumni indicates they often face such circumstances in both mission and established but aging parishes.”
While acting as Lecturer in Liturgical Music as a Dean’s Fellow, Mr. Russin also will be finishing up his Ph.D. in Musicology from Duke University. “Although my doctoral dissertation is typically academic—it’s entitled ‘The Polyphonic Credo, 1350–1500’!—my new assignment at the Seminary will be hands-on and will deal with the nitty-gritty basics of liturgical choral singing,” he said.
“I’ll be teaching one skills course per week and other musicology courses as my part-time ‘Dean’s Fellowship’ position allows,” he explained, “and I’ll be rehearsing the male choir weekly, as well as directing them both in our Chapel and on parish visitations. I’ll also direct other choral ensembles when necessary.”
Mr. Russin was St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Class Valedictorian in 2013. He earned his Bachelors of Arts in Music at Swarthmore College in 2009, and is the recipient of several scholarly awards, including the J. Fletcher Graduate Fellowship in Music from Duke University in 2015; and “The Promise of the Vatican Library,” a travel grant for Junior Scholars, from Notre Dame University and The Vatican Library in 2016.
"I am honored to return to St. Vladimir's to assist in musical ministry,” continued Mr. Russin. “The Seminary has, since its founding, been a leader in training church musicians and in publishing new and old music for the Church, and I look forward to helping to maintain the high standard that has already been achieved."
Also ensuring those high standards will be the Very Reverend Dr. Eric Tosi, another seminary alumnus (M.Div. ’96), and Corporate Secretary of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) since 2008. Father Eric will be training seminarians how to serve the liturgical services with dignity and grace, and will be imparting to them an understanding of the essential components of the services and the practical application of those components in various church settings.
Father Eric earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Trinity College at the University of Toronto, and his doctoral thesis, which centered on his passion for missionary work, was titled: “Koinonic Evangelism: A Case Study of the Theology and Practice of Evangelism in Three Parishes of the Orthodox Church in America.” Father Eric himself has had experience as a pastor in both mission and established parishes: St. Nicholas of South Canaan Orthodox Church in Billings, Montana, and St. Paul the Apostle Church, in Las Vegas, Nevada, respectively. Since 2013 he also has been the manager of the OCA’s Parish Mentorship Program at the Seminary, which places senior seminarians under the mentorship of seasoned priests in local parishes.
"I am so very pleased to be joining the faculty of St. Vladimir's Seminary on a more permanent basis,” Fr. Eric remarked. “The Seminary has been a part of my life since I was a young teen, and every time I am here, I feel I am ‘home.’
“To be appointed to this position and to continue to train future clergy, following the footsteps of the great teachers who have taught here…well, this is an honor,” he said. “I pray we faculty build upon their foundations and continue to provide the Church with quality leaders and clergy."
Note:St. Vladimir’s Seminary thanks Hierodeacon Herman Majkrzak for doing a yeoman’s job as its Director of Chapel Music and Lecturer in Liturgical Music from 2010 to 2016, and wishes him well as he leaves to fulfill his vocation at St. Tikhon’s Monastery. Before his departure, during the school’s 2016 Commencement Exercises, Fr. Herman was presented with the “St. Macrina Award for Excellence in Teaching,” an honor bestowed by the student body.
Over the past decade, the Diaconal Liturgical Practicum has grown from small project designed to quickly train a few sorely needed deacons for the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) to an established annual effort that instructs altar servers, subdeacons, and deacons from several Orthodox Christian church jurisdictions. Begun at the initiative of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the OCA and held yearly on the campus of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, the Practicum is part of the OCA’s Diaconal Vocations Program, directed by Archdeacon Kirill Sokolov.
This year’s Practicum, held June 26–June 29, 2016, began with an opening Molieben and a talk by the Very Reverend Chad Hatfield, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Seminary, on the topic “Eucharistic Living & The Diaconate.” Father Chad’s engaging presentation and open question-and-answer session set a serious and evangelistic tone for the work of the following days.
Each full day began with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and concluded with Vespers. Archdeacon Kirill led liturgical practice sessions. Archdeacon Joseph Matusiak and Deacon Gregory Hatrak of the Seminary added their expertise to the participants’ experience. The Very Reverend J. Sergius Halvorsen, assistant professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric at the Seminary, taught sessions on liturgical chanting and the way deacons use their voices in divine services.
His Grace, the Right Reverend Paul (Gassios), bishop of Chicago and the Midwest (OCA), prayed and visited with participants throughout the Practicum. His Grace led a moving session with the participants on the diaconate and the expectations of the hierarchy for clergy. His Grace also presided at the concluding Divine Liturgy—this year in celebration of Ss. Peter and Paul—in the Seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel.
At the end of the liturgy, which is the highlight of each year’s Practicum, Archdeacon Kirill reflected upon the Practicum’s history and future. “The hierarchs of our Church, when they lay hands on a man and ask him to serve in one of their parishes and in one of their communities, expect a certain level of resiliency, a certain level of precision, and a certain level of faithfulness to the received tradition of our Church,” he remarked. “We’ve been really pleased to receive feedback from the hierarchs that their servers, subdeacons, and, especially, deacons, are coming into parish ministry a little more prepared, knowledgeable, and aware of where they can find resources if they need to learn more, as a result of attending these Practica.”
Archdeacon Kirill noted that within one decade, the Practicum has given him “the honor to work and pray with nearly 200 men from across the U.S. and Canada, the majority of whom hailed from parishes within the OCA but who also came from parishes within the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, the Moscow Patriarchate, the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese, and Ukrainian Orthodox dioceses.”
Commenting further on the burgeoning of diaconal ministry in North America, he said, “As our parishes encounter deacons as a more regular feature of church life—as something that’s not unusual, but as something that is consistent within the worship experience of the local church—we find that parishes that have deacons ‘grow’ more deacons.
“Parishes with two or more deacons begin to use them in a myriad of ways that we couldn’t have anticipated ten years ago,” he explained. “It’s very exciting to develop opportunities for deacons to see themselves as an order, a brotherhood, and to adjust our Practicum to accommodate the experience of the Church.”
On July 6, 2016, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary sent $15,000 worth of theological books on a 7,000-mile journey to the Orthodox Patriarchal Ecclesiastical School of Makarios III in Nairobi, Kenya. The African seminary is the recipient of a tithe of St. Vladimir’s most recent #GivingTuesday Campaign, which took place on December 1, 2015. The Campaign raised a grand total of $148,764, and St. Vladimir’s pledged 10% of that sum to supply the African seminary’s library with much needed books.
“We are thrilled to share the blessing God has given us with our sister seminary in Nairobi,” said the Very Reverend Dr. Chad Hatfield, CEO at St. Vladimir’s. “Our #GivingTuesday donors gave generously to support our campaign, and we want to thank them and others for helping us to spread this blessing abroad.
“For example,” he continued, “we soon realized that including books from other Orthodox publishers—besides our own SVS Press—would greatly benefit the African seminarians, so our bookstore staff contacted St. Tikhon’s Monastery Press, Ancient Faith Publishing, Sebastian Press, Holy Cross Seminary Press, and the Orthodox Christian Education Commission (OCEC), who generously provided their books to us at wholesale cost.
“Also,” Fr. Chad went on, “we are enormously indebted to our fellow Orthodox Christian, Jacob Matthew, president of National Air Cargo (Middle East and Pacific Rim region), the company that took the responsibility of moving these books from the United States to Africa without any cost, as a kind gesture in support of this great initiative for the right cause.
“Every year on #GivingTuesday we are grateful for our donors’ charitable hearts,” he concluded, “and we are finding every year that their gifts keep multiplying as we share them with our Orthodox Christian brothers and sisters around the world.”
After 29 years as a faculty member at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Professor Paul Meyendorff will be retiring from his teaching position there as of June 30, 2016. Meyendorff, who since 1997 has been the Alexander Schmemann Professor of Liturgical Theology at the Seminary, has worn many other hats during his time at the school, including acting as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Associate Editor at St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, and Editor of St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly.
Meyendorff’s presence at the Seminary is legendary. He arrived at St. Vladimir’s in 1959, as a boy, with his parents, Marie and Father John Meyendorff (Professor of Patristics and Church History and Dean of the Seminary from 1984–1992), and grew up within its confines, initially in New York City and later near its Yonkers campus. Upon receiving his Master of Divinity degree from St. Vladimir’s in 1975, and his doctoral degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1987, he immediately began his teaching career at the Seminary, focusing on the theology of liturgy and the practical implications thereof in parish settings.
In 2014, by student vote, he was recognized for his excellence in teaching and was presented with the Student Council’s “St. Macrina Award.” In 2016, he was selected by his fellow faculty to be guest speaker at Commencement Exercises, and in his address, he summarized the goal of seminary training as teaching students to respond “…faithfully and creatively to the questions being posed to us today, using a language and categories that contemporary humanity can receive and grasp.” On Commencement Day, he also received the silver St. Innocent Award from His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), for his service to the Seminary and to the Church.
In speaking about his upcoming move with his wife, Peggy, to Burlington, VT, Meyendorff noted, “It’s really ‘semi-retirement,’ because I’ll retain my position as Editor of the Quarterly—a job I’ve enjoyed over a period of 15 years. So, technically, I’ll still be a faculty member, though not a classroom professor.
“Additionally, I’ll be continuing my ecumenical work, another aspect of my professional career that began in the early 1990s, starting at the Faith and Order Commission at the National Council of Churches of Christ,” he remarked. “In fact, I have meetings already scheduled for the fall of 2016.” Those meetings include a Pan-Orthodox consultation on an ecclesiology statement prepared by the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Cyprus, October 5–13, and a session of the St. Irenaeus Orthodox-Catholic Working Group in Taize, France, November 1–6.
Meyendorff’s ecumenical work dovetails with his responsibilities as an advisor to the Department of External Affairs of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), a position he has held since 2000. Representing the OCA, he was a delegate to the 8th General Assembly of the WCC in Harare, Zimbabwe, in 1998; was a consultant to the OCA delegation to the 9th General Assembly of the WCC, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2006; and was a delegate to the 10th General Assembly, in Busan, Korea, in 2013.
His other extraordinary contributions to ecumenical work include his participation in consultations on baptism sponsored by the WCC’s Faith and Order Commission, held in Prague, Czech Republic, June 2000; Faverges, France, October 2001; Vienna, Austria, April 2004; and Geneva, Switzerland, November 2006. Additionally, he co-drafted a WCC Faith and Order Commission Study Document titled “Christian Perspectives on Theological Anthropology” at Geneva, in 2005.
Fellow faculty member Peter C. Bouteneff, professor of Systematic Theology at St. Vladimir’s, recalled Meyendorff’s expertise in ecumenical settings, saying, “One of the contexts I most enjoy being with Paul is at international meetings, both inter-Orthodox and inter-Christian.
“These meetings involve real complexity, both political and theological, and Paul never fails to make a significant contribution, emanating from his academic learning, diplomatic skills, and his deep sense of what the Church is and what it is for,” noted Bouteneff. “As a result, he is widely—indeed, universally—respected for his opinions and insights. I’m happy to know that he will continue to contribute to these meetings, making the Seminary and the Church proud.”
Similarly, Brian Daley, S.J., recalled, “Professor Paul Meyendorff has been one of the anchors of our North American Orthodox-Catholic Consultation for 13 years, and we hope he will continue to be that for our Churches, as they work towards greater understanding and unity.
“His background as a liturgist and theologian, and as the personal heir to the rich Meyendorff family tradition of twentieth-century Orthodox theology, has made him an irreplaceable voice of learning, moderation, and balance in our conversations, as well as in the international dialogue of the German-based ‘St. Irenaeus Group,’ in which I have been privileged also to take part,” Father Daley continued. “Paul always speaks his mind seriously and honestly, is well-informed and reflective, and above all is gifted at hearing the positive, Christ-like tones in the voices of other people.
“All of this,” noted Father Daley, “makes him the ideal companion in our Churches' search for what will build communion. I pray that retirement from teaching, and the serenity of Vermont, will enable him to keep on playing this crucial role in ecumenical dialogue.”
Meyendorff’s work as a dedicated churchman will likewise continue. He labored on the Pre-Conciliar Commissions of the OCA’s 9th All-American Council (St. Louis, 1985); 10th All-American Council (Miami, 1992); 11th All-American Council (Chicago, 1995); 12th All-American Council (Pittsburgh, 1999); 13th All-American Council (Orlando, 2002); and 14th All-American Council (Toronto, 2005); as well as serving as a Consultant for the 15th All-American Council (Pittsburgh, 2008). And, he served on the OCA’s Metropolitan Council as an at-large delegate (having been elected to serve from 1992–1999 and again from 2008–2015).
But Meyendorff’s future value to Orthodox church life may well lie in his vast experience with Orthodox Christians from a multitude of jurisdictions—at home and abroad, and with seminarians in his classrooms as well as representatives of Orthodox Churches in ecumenical settings. He is sought out for his rare analytical perspective on Orthodox ecclesial affairs in North America that continue to have reverberating effects throughout the world—especially the OCA’s journey to autocephaly, or self-rule, granted to it by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1970. It was primarily for this work that the Saint-Serge Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2013.
In 2014 he was interviewed by Ancient Faith Radio on the topic, “Ecclesiology and Nationalism in the Postmodern Era,” which focused on the challenges of creating a united, territorial, non-nationalistic church in North America: one autocephalous, autonomous church that would reunite all Orthodox Christians in this country. “The important thing at this point,” he stated during that interview, “is to keep the conversation going, and to get out of the maze that we find ourselves in.
“The hope is that we can regain that vision and the urgency of the situation,” he noted. “All it would take is for all the bishops [in North America] to say, ‘Let’s get together; let’s form a local synod and present the Mother Churches with a fait accompli.’
“Historically, that’s how most instances of autocephaly took place,” he said. “Typically, they were a fact ‘on the ground’ and then were recognized—sometimes twenty, thirty years later. Actually, in the case of Russia, it was one hundred and fifty years after the de facto autocephaly of the Russian Orthodox Church that this was formally recognized by a council presided over by the Ecumenical Patriarch.”
When asked what he’d still like to accomplish for the Orthodox Church at-large if given an open door by the Spirit, he observed thoughtfully, “My work at the Seminary, for the OCA, and in ecumenical settings has blessed me with remarkable past, a remarkable overview of unprecedented and unexpected historical events in Orthodox ecclesial life.
“God willing, I would hope to be blessed with work in the future that would help the Orthodox Church to face the challenges of the twenty-first century, to transcend the limitations of ecclesial nationalism, and to speak to a world that needs to hear its message.”
The Seminary’s Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) Cohort, Class of 2017, met on campus from June 19–25, 2016, for intensive study in two courses: “Ministry to the Sick and Dying” and “Ministry in a Secular Age.” For the greater part of the academic year Cohort members meet and study online, but they gather on-site bi-annually to engage in robust discussion with faculty and classmates about the day-to-day challenges of their pastoral ministries.
Daniel B. Hinshaw, M.D., and his wife, Jane (Carnahan) Hinshaw, M.D., designed their course about illness and dying in a way that helps students gain a deeper understanding of the kinds of suffering sick and dying people experience—physical, psychological, social, and spiritual. They build on skills and experiences students already have had, in order to make them even more effective in their ministries.
“Often, the subject matter we discuss is directly relevant to challenging situations within their parish ministries, and the give-and-take among us—faculty and classmates—may help identify more beneficial ways to help their parishioners,” they explained.
“Moreover, we have been impressed with the trust and camaraderie built up within this Cohort of very bright and dedicated students,” they continued. “One student admitted he was ‘dreading’ having a course about sickness and death, but later said he has been pleasantly surprised to find the course both helpful and enjoyable.”
The Very Reverend John A. Jillions, D.Min., Ph.D., who teaches the course about ministering in a secular age, similarly noted, “I'm conscious that students in this Cohort are already theologically trained and experienced pastors and church workers, so my course is designed to be a laboratory for wrestling with the difficult, unresolved questions they have about the world in which they serve, as well as the cross-pressures we human beings experience as we seek to live out our faith in Christ.”
Father John recounted some of the wide-ranging topics he discusses with students: social justice, human rights, fundamentalism vs. relativism, inter-religious relationships, and gender and sexuality—issues which assail pastors daily. One of his main goals is to help students become adept at doctoral-level research in ministry, looking at an issue from all sides and deeply reflecting upon it.
“The D.Min. classroom functions as a protected space for full exploration of controversial topics,” he noted. “I'm struck simply by the range of questions the students are investigating, and their willingness to look at the difficult questions their own pastoral realities present.”
Students interested in the Doctor of Ministry Program may view full details of the program here, and contact Program Director the Reverend J. Sergius Halvorsen shalvorsen@svots.edu. The Danilchick Family Endowment for Pastoral Studies offers need-based financial aid for Doctor of Ministry Students.
From June 13–18, 2016, the Very Reverend Dr. John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, NY, accompanied by the Reverend Dr. Mardiros Chevian, dean of St. Nersess Armenian Seminary in Armonk, NY, was received by the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II, headquartered at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in the Republic of Armenia. One result of the visit was a collaborative agreement signed between St. Vladimir’s and Gevorkian Theological Seminary, which provides for an exchange of faculty and students, courses of study, and library books, and which arranges for St. Nersess Seminary to serve as an intermediary between the two schools.
“The purpose of my visit,” said Fr. John, “was for me to better understand the academic program offered at Gevorkian Seminary and to discuss further the possibilities of collaboration between Gevorkian Seminary and St. Nersess and St. Vladimir's seminaries.
“The Deans of all three of our schools first met in April when the Very Reverend Garegin Hambardzumyan of Gevorkian Seminary was visiting the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in America and stopped by on our campus,” explained Fr. John.
“In return, during my trip to Armenia,” he continued, “I met with the faculty of Gevorkian Seminary—particularly about the possibilities of online instruction for our respective students—and I addressed a select group of their students about the nature and task of theology; as well, I met with Bishop Gevork Saroyan, the episcopal overseer of all theological schools in Armenia.”
The highlight of Fr. John’s visit was his meeting with His Holiness Karekin II, during which the two spoke about matters of theological education and methods to improve communication and collaboration between their seminaries. Father John presented the Catholicos with an icon of St. Vladimir holding his seminary’s campus Chapel of the Three Hierarchs, and he received in return a translation of The Prayers of St. Gregory of Narek and a book about the Armenian Church from His Holiness.
“It was truly impressive to hear of the Catholicos’s work in building up the Church in Armenia over the last decades,” noted Fr. John, “especially the thoughtful and purposeful attention he has given to theological education—making it possible for his young theologians to study abroad before coming back to Armenia as faculty members.”
Additionally, Fr. John was able to visit the Matenadaran Library, where he was shown exhibits of ancient Armenian manuscripts, including many very beautiful illuminations. He was given a digital copy of the Armenian manuscript containing the works of St. Irenaeus—a church father who has served as a major source for his own academic work. He also met with Bishop Yesnik (Petrosian), the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Armenian Bible Society, and discussed issues regarding the translation of Scripture and the need to promote the reading of Scripture.
He also was able to visit famous pilgrimage sites, such as the Khor Virap Monastery near Mount Ararat, where St. Gregory, the Illuminator of Armenia, spent 14 years imprisoned in deep cave-well; and the Geghard Monastery in the mountains to the east of Erevan, which is a recognized spiritual and cultural center that houses a seminary, a library, and a manuscriptorium. The main church of Geghard Monastery was built in 1215, and in the following century two “cave churches” cut directly into the stone mountain were added; UNESCO lists the monastery as a world heritage site.
“The trip occurred because of the initiative of Fr. Mardiros,” said Fr. John. “He made all the preparations and arrangements, and was an extremely gracious host and guide. Since this was the first time in the history of St. Vladimir’s Seminary that one of its Deans was able to make an official visit to Armenia, I am so grateful to Fr. Mardiros for his making my visit not only possible but incredibly fascinating and fruitful.”
