Seminary Alumnus Archpriest Thomas Succarotte (M.Div. '78) fell asleep in the Lord on August 8, 2015. The entire seminary community expresses its condolences to his wife, Matushka Tanya, his son Mark, and his extended family.
Father Thomas served as rector of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin Church in Madison, Illinois from 1979 until his retirement in 2010. In addition to his pastoral duties, he served as Dean of the St. Louis Orthodox Deanery. He also acted as the police chaplain for the cities of Madison, Granite City, and Pontoon Beach, and for the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, State Police, FBI, and ATF.
Visitation hours will be held from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. today at the Nativity of the Holy Virgin Mary Church, and the Funeral Service for a Priest will be celebrated at 6 p.m. On Wednesday, August 12, Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at the church, with His Grace Bishop Paul of Chicago presiding. Interment will follow at the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Cemetery, Edwardsville, Illinois. Further details may be found at oca.org.
St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary is now accepting applications for students who want to enroll in its Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) Program and comprise the “2019 Cohort,” which will commence training in Summer 2016. Potential students may explore this innovative residential program that uses distance-learning and onsite intensives by perusing the D.Min. Program page, or by contacting Director of Admissions, Fr David Mezynski or Program Director Priest Sergius Halvorsen, Ph.D. for more information.
Applicants for the new cohort may also apply for aid, through the Danilchick Family Endowment for Pastoral Studies. The fund, set up by the Reverend Protodeacon Peter M. Danilchick and his wife, Tanya, will help support qualified D.Min. students with their tuition, through need-based scholarships.
During the week of July 12, 2015, eleven students in the current “2017 Cohort”—who represent six Orthodox jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada—were on campus for their residential summer term. They completed 46 hours of intensive work in two courses: “Counseling in the Parish,” taught by Archpriest Nicholas Solak, D.Min., and “Liturgical Life and Pastoral Ministry” taught by Grant S. White, Ph.D.
Father Solak noted that the students’ presentation and sharing of case studies from parish settings provided “peer feedback and support of great value,” while Dr. White observed that the students’ wide-ranging experience in liturgy and life was “a great blessing” that brought “extensive knowledge and pastoral experience to their doctoral studies in ministry.”
“These are people with a heart for ministry,” continued Dr. White, “deeply committed to addressing the challenges the Church faces in the twenty-first century. I look forward to seeing the ways in which my students will lead, challenge, and inspire the Church in the years to come.”
Priest Alcuin Kellerhouse, a student under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, reflected, “We each bring different experiences, but come together as a group of Christian scholars to reflect theologically on that experience, and to explore together how we can contribute to the life of Orthodoxy in North America. I always come away from the intensive refreshed and excited about the ministry we share."
NOTE: The Danilchick Family Endowment for Pastoral Studies offers need-based financial aid for qualified Doctor of Ministry Students. Recipients of funding from the Danilchick Family Endowment for Pastoral Studies agree to give special diocesan and/or parish workshops and/or seminars in their particular areas of pastoral study. At least one such workshop or seminar shall be given by each scholarship recipient in each year they receive aid from this endowment.
Fill out the St. Vladimir's Seminary Financial Aid Application and send it to the Director of Admissions
Complete the FAFSA online at fafsa.ed.gov. When filling out the FAFSA enter G02833 for St. Vladimir's Seminary
On Monday, July 27, 2015, the Board of Trustees and Faculty Council of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary bestowed a Doctor of Divinity degree honoris causa upon The Most Blessed John X (Yazigi), Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East [read the Citation here].
In his remarks following the ceremony, His Beatitude underscored the bonds of unity—past, present, and future—between the Church of Antioch and the seminary, He also captivated the hearts of the more than 200 people who had gathered to honor him, as he passionately called for peace for all peoples in his homeland of Syria and its neighboring countries in the Middle East.
“I am very thankful for two important facts,” His Beatitude began, “first, for the numerous Antiochian priests and bishops who received their theological formation at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, and second, for the longstanding relationship that exists between the [Antiochian] Archdiocese and the seminary, a relationship fostered by the late Metropolitan Philip of thrice-blessed memory, which continues to be strengthened today by my brother [in Christ], Metropolitan Joseph.
Patriarch John then engaged the audience in a question and answer period, offering a rare look into the centuries old multi-religious and ethnic communities of the Middle East. He especially corrected misperceptions promulgated by Western media regarding the fierce conflict in that region and the solutions for peace desired by its indigenous peoples.
“First and foremost,” he began, “We need your prayers, [but] there is a need to make a clarification about the situation that we encounter in the Middle East: words like ‘terrorism’ and ‘extremism’ are all foreign to our land. We don’t know anything about these words in our region.
“We are the fabric of that land—Christians and Muslims—and we live together, and we are peaceful in all aspects,” he explained, citing many examples of cooperation, including an evenly split Christian-Muslim population at the University of Balamand and Muslims seeking refuge in Christian homes as they flee from warring combatants.
“Unfortunately the media today can express a picture that is totally foreign from what is really happening in our area. We in that region—Christians and Muslims—seek peace, love safety, and there is nothing that separates us from one another,” he commented.
“However,” he continued, “the superpowers, when they deal with our countries, regard us as ‘little’ compared to their own interests, and their interests should not be at the expense of the little powers and little countries…I want to be daring and say, ‘Let the superpowers leave us in peace, and we can take care of our own needs!’
“Those who want to help the Christians need to find a way to provide peace in the Middle East. Give us peace, not protection,” he urged.
“Second, we face many challenges, and we encourage our people to remain steadfast where they are in their own countries and homes,” he said. “But it is not enough to tell them: ‘Stay where you are, don’t leave your home.' We have to be with them, help them, feed them, and send their children to school.” His Beatitude related that more than 6,200 schools in Syria have been destroyed thus far and that humanitarian aid is desperately needed.
Lastly, Patriarch John thanked the seminary and those gathered for their warm greeting and the honor bestowed upon him. He further encouraged all to relate his thoughts and words to U.S. official and leaders, in order to secure the peace in the Middle East.
In response to Patriarch John’s remarks, His Beatitude The Most Blessed Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and President of the seminary, said, “We Americans often think of religion as something that causes all the conflicts of history.
"We need to show by our own lives, that this is not true," he continued. "All conflicts are caused by the passions of human beings, so we as Christians need to live a life of peace, prayer, and repentance.
"Then, we can then speak to civil authorities, not being swayed by political opinion or by the media, but by seeking the truth, and by living our lives according to the truth, which is the love of Jesus Christ,” His Beatitude concluded.
Special guests in attendance at the Academic Convocation included:
Archpriest Thomas Zain, Vicar General; Archpriest George Kevorkian, Hierarchical Assistant; and Archpriest Joseph Antypas of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
“East Meets East” is the theme for St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary’s annual Orthodox Education Day on October 3, 2015. The seminary’s annual open house and fall festival will celebrate the relationship between the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox churches, and explore the history of their dialogue.
Renowned author and scholar The Very Reverend Dr. John Anthony McGuckin will give the keynote address, “Our Common Father: Saint Cyril." Father John is The Ane Marie and Bent Emil Nielsen Professor in Late Antique and Byzantine Christian History at Union Theological Seminary, and Professor of Byzantine Christian Studies at Columbia University.
The day will be filled with Oriental and Eastern Orthodox church services; workshops on related topics such as Coptic iconography; a liturgical music concert; and a marketplace filled with international cuisine and Orthodox books and gifts. Three Hierarchs Chapel and the seminary bookstore will be open to the public throughout the day.
Twenty-three deacons and students in the Diaconal Vocations Program (DVP) of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) gathered on the seminary campus for a practicum consisting of worship, theological reflection, and focused liturgical training, from July 12–15, 2015. In its ninth consecutive year, the Diaconal Liturgical Practicum continues to provide important opportunities for deacons and candidates to connect with each other and seminary faculty, as they seek to expand their ministry at the altar.
The Practicum began on Sunday evening with supper, introductions, and an icebreaker that helped participants appreciate some of the challenges of learning to serve the divine services correctly. Archpriest John Behr, seminary Dean, formally opened the program with the singing of a Molieben in Three Hierarchs Chapel. The Practicum’s beginning coincided with a week of instruction for students enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program at the Seminary, and both groups were enriched by being able to pray together and to receive a blessing with holy water as their instruction commenced. Father John then led the Practicum in an engrossing study on early martyrdom, Scripture, and the Eucharist with respect to life in Christ and the Paschal Passion. One participant noted, “I would have made the trip to the Seminary for this talk alone!”
The next day was inaugurated by a Divine Liturgy celebrated by Fr. John and Practicum participants. Archdeacon Kirill Sokolov, director of the DVP, gathered with participants at 7:00 a.m. to prepare for the service. “It is not always possible in our parish life for the deacons and servers to be the first to arrive at the church,” explained Archdeacon Kirill. “In these intensive days of training, however, we are able to practice and model the full order of liturgical services and all of the preparation required for their peaceful and orderly celebration. From filling oil lamps to chanting the prayers of the Church, the participants learn best by actively doing these things—with repetition.”
Following the first liturgy, students practiced proclaiming the Word of God by reading in church, and they learned about proper use of their voices, in the first of multiple sessions with Archpriest Sergius Halvorsen, assistant professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric at the Seminary. Vocal practice featured chanting a section from the Epistles of the Holy Apostle Paul and receiving feedback from Fr. Sergius and peers on clarity and sound.
Workshops led by Archdeacon Kirill were aimed to provide participants with the frameworks, patterns, and skills needed to serve effectively in the Orthodox Church as an attentive server or deacon. His sessions focused on the typical celebration of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Instruction and practice geared toward performing the more complicated hierarchical services was done in smaller groups, with additional guidance from Archdeacon Joseph Matusiak, secretary to His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the OCA.
Archpriest John Jillions, chancellor of the OCA, served Vespers on Monday, and then met with participants to discuss issues facing ordained clergy and the Church, as well as the Church’s work in this world. As Chancellor, Fr. John is a member of the Board of Theological Education of the OCA, which supervises the work of the DVP. The long day of work and study ended at 10:00 p.m., with a planning session for the following morning’s Divine Liturgy.
On the second day of the Practicum, Tuesday, July 14, Divine Liturgy was celebrated by seminarian Priest Aleksey Paranyuk, Archdeacon Kirill, and Practicum participants. In addition to liturgical workshops led by the archdeacons, Archpriest Alexander Rentel, assistant professor of Canon Law and Byzantine Studies and The John and Paraskeva Skvir Lecturer in Practical Theology at St. Vladimir's, taught about aspects of liturgical theology fundamental to the ministry of the deacon and to the understanding of every Christian.
The Practicum was honored by the presence of His Grace Daniel, bishop of Santa Rosa and auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of the West (OCA), who came to the Seminary for the Practicum at the invitation of Metropolitan Tikhon. Bishop Daniel presided at the divine services, was with the participants in conversation, and met with them as a group to discuss expectations that the Church has for all men who are called to serve in the ordained diaconal ministry.
Tuesday also marked the eve of the feast of the Holy and Great Prince Vladimir, Equal of the Apostles, and patron of the Seminary. The seminary community joyously joined in the celebration of Great Vespers, which was heightened by the prayerful presence of Metropolitan Tikhon, who also serves as President of the Seminary and Chair of the Board of Theological Education. His Beatitude spoke persuasively about the sinful darkness in the world, within which St. Vladimir had to work as he converted to Christ, and he further spoke of the encouraging example the saint sets for today's Christians. The celebration continued with a cookout in honor of the Feast, hosted by the Alumni Association of the Seminary. Following the festive evening, Practicum participants continued their work late into the night, practicing reading and vocal training with Fr. Sergius.
On Wednesday, July 15, the Practicum experience was crowned by the celebration of the Divine Liturgy for the feast of St. Vladimir. Bishop Daniel served the full hierarchical order with the assistance of ten priests and six deacons, with other Practicum participants serving as subdeacons or as choir members.
Participants attended the Practicum from nearly every diocese of the OCA and from other church jurisdictions. The “good-byes” at departure movingly showed that participants not only learned more about the liturgy and their vocations in church service, but also benefited spiritually from their new connections to teachers and brothers. As one participant explained, “It is a true joy to have received the opportunity to meet you all and to call you friends.”
The Holy Synod of Bishops requires participation in at least two Practicums for candidates to complete the Diaconal Vocations Program of the Orthodox Church in America. Already ordained deacons benefit from attendance at the Practicum as part of the Continuing Education discipline of the OCA.
The Reverend Adrian Budica has been appointed to the faculty of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, as Supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and Director of Field Education. The appointment of Fr. Adrian, a seminary alumnus (M.Th., ’10), is effective July 1, 2015.
“We welcome Father Adrian, with his extensive pastoral experience and extraordinary educational credentials,” said The Very Reverend Dr. John Behr, seminary dean. “His chaplaincy roles at four major urban hospitals, his priestly service at a large cathedral, and his missionary mind, charitable heart, and sharp intellect will be gifts to our seminarians as they train in pastoral care.”
Since completing his initial ACPE supervisory training in record time, successfully meeting with two regional committees and two national committees for certification, Fr. Adrian has been serving on the Administrative Board of the ACPE Eastern Region. For his work with ACPE, he was recognized as an “Emerging Leader 2015” at the recent ACPE National Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.
In a soon to be aired PBS documentary produced by Journey Films, Fr. Adrian will be featured in the 2–hour long production “Chaplains,” which records his experience as a training supervisor at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, along with other men and woman who serve as chaplains in various settings.
Currently, Fr. Adrian is employed as the CPE Supervisor and Coordinator of Clinical Pastoral Education at Bridgeport Hospital in Connecticut, a position he will retain while a faculty member at the seminary. Additionally, since 2011, he has served as priest at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, in Brooklyn, New York, where the Very Reverend Thomas Zain is rector.
Upon his appointment as a new faculty member, Fr. Adrian said, “I am truly blessed with the opportunity to give back to my seminary and to the Orthodox Church through teaching at St. Vladimir’s, using an educational model that has been transformational for me personally and pastorally.
“I am indebted to my seminary professors—especially Dr. Albert Rossi—and to my CPE supervisors for their guidance,” he continued, “and I am looking forward to being both part of the faculty and of the students’ spiritual journeys in personal and pastoral formation, competence, and reflection.”
Added Fr. John Behr, “Father Adrian’s new position represents the fruit of our ‘Good Pastor’ program begun as part of our seminary’s ‘Strategic Plan 2010,’ and it also signifies the next stage in the program’s evolution, which will ensure that our seminarians fulfill hundreds of pastoral care hours in a supervised setting under a certified—and Orthodox Christian—instructor.”
Currently, all Master of Divinity students at St. Vladimir’s Seminary are required to fulfill one unit of CPE, which represents 400 hours of hospital visitation and related self-reflection under the watchful eye of a certified CPE supervisor onsite at local hospitals. With the addition of Fr. Adrian to the faculty, the seminary is taking the first steps in offering students CPE with supervision on the seminary campus in a wider variety of institutional settings.
The Very Reverend Dr. Chad Hatfield, seminary chancellor/CEO, noting the importance of expanding the CPE program at St. Vladimir’s, said, "Some critics of CPE say that it is dominated by Mainline Protestants. As a minority, we Orthodox Christians must witness to and also navigate this world of pastoral care, to make us better prepared for ministry."
St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary is offering the public an opportunity for input into future course offerings, including degree programs and continuing education classes with online components. Through a brief survey, the seminary hopes to collect data about public preferences regarding course offerings in the liturgical arts, mission work, ethics, and general theology. The courses will be geared toward both pastors and lay people seeking certificates and degrees on graduate and post-graduate levels.
“We here at St. Vladimir’s are considering a number of new programs in order to better serve the Church and to fulfill the goals set forth in our Mission Statement,” said the Very Reverend Dr. J. Sergius Halvorsen. “The information people provide in this brief 1–5 minute survey will help us in our process of planning and development.
“We thank ahead of time those who will support St. Vladimir’s Seminary by taking the survey, in our effort to hear the needs of the wider Church.”
The Most Blessed John X (Yazigi), Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, will be visiting St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary on Monday, July 27, 2015, to receive an honorary doctoral degree conferred by the seminary Board of Trustees and Faculty Council. The degree will be awarded at a public academic convocation at 6:00 p.m. in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium of the John G. Rangos Family Building, during which His Beatitude will also give a presentation about the current circumstances of Christians in the Middle East. A public reception will follow.
“As Executive Chair of the Board of Trustees of St. Vladimir’s Seminary,” said Alex Machaskee, “I am extremely pleased that we are conferring an honorary doctorate on His Beatitude John X, patriarch of Antioch and All the East.”
Seminary Dean, the Very Reverend Dr. John Behr, added, “It is our joy to welcome Patriarch John to our campus, and it is our honor that he is willing to accept a Doctor of Divinity honoris causa from our school.” Father John also mentioned that His Beatitude is known to him through a personal connection: he is a fellow monk at the Monastery of St. Paul on Mount Athos (Agiou Pavlou), the same monastic community at which Fr. John’s brother, Fr. Evdokimos, resides.
At the ceremony Dr. Obren B. (Brian) Gerich, a parishioner of St. Steven’s and a Trustee Emeritus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, who underwrote funding for the book, paid tribute to Fr. Nick and his ministry, saying, “I wanted to honor Fr. Nick’s dedication to our cathedral and his unrelenting willingness to spend his free time serving and contributing to the Serbian Church and the Holy Orthodox Church.”
“According to the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church,” Dr. Gerich continued, “our gifts are meant to be used for the benefit of others, which, according to the Church’s teaching, turns them into virtues, which is the ‘entrance fee’ into heaven—and this is what our Fr. Nick has spent his life doing for us.” (Read Dr. Gerich’s full remarks here.)
Archpriest Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, presented Fr. Nick with beautifully framed artwork depicting the cover of the children’s book. He remarked, "This book by Jim Forest has been illustrated by iconographer Vladislav Andreyev, who also illustrated our press’s Saint George and the Dragon book, which won the ‘Moonbeam Spirit Award for Preservation’ for children's literature."
Eight new spring and summer titles from SVS Press are being launched at major ecclesial, artistic, and academic venues. Some have already have made literary and scholarly news.
In May a major international doctoral and post-doctoral religion conference in Prague, “Ecumenical Reception and Critique of 20th-century Orthodox Theology in Exile and Diaspora,” featured the title The Ways of Orthodox Theology in the West. The book emerged from a larger overall project, “Symbolic Mediation of Wholeness in Western Orthodoxy,” which was financed by the Czech Republic and included prominent Protestant and Orthodox scholars—among them, St. Vladimir’s Seminary Dean, Archpriest John Behr, who wrote the Foreword to the book.
(+2013), at the 18th All-American Council of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), July 20–24, 2015. The release of the volume, published posthumously, was timed to coincide with the opening of the council and to complement its overall theme, “How to Expand the Mission.” SVS Press will feature the new title in a special section of its display, along with Archbishop Dmitri’s other six publications through SVS Press.
“Besides attracting thousands of Orthodox Christian readers annually, our titles fall into some of the most unusual but grateful hands,” said the Reverend Deacon Gregory Hatrak, director of marketing and operations at SVS Press and Bookstore. “For example, last year, the Salvation Army in Australia called to place a large order for our Popular Patristics title On the Human Condition, by St. Basil the Great, for a course they were offering!
“And, while most recently we have produced important scholarly volumes,” he went on, “we also published our other ‘staples,’ for example, the exquisitely illustrated and lively children’s book St. Nicholas and the Nine Gold Coins, and the spiritual biography To Open One's Heart: A Spiritual Path.
“Our newest eight titles represent the breadth and depth SVS Press typifies,” Dn. Gregory emphasized, “and the fine quality our readership expects.”
