"Parishes, dioceses, autocephalous churches, church organizations, and even individual clergy and hierarchs have stepped up to help us keep our seminarians debt free," said The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, as he explained the "explosion" in tuition aid during the past two years, available through the seminary's "Tuition Matching Grant Program."

"In 2012, our seminary inaugurated its 'Fully-Paid Tuition Plan,' " he recalled, "and at that time, St. Vladimir's made a commitment to pay 50% of tuition for students who meet the need-based criteria set by the seminary, plus up to 25% more of a qualifying student's tuition if that student could find matching funds from a church-related entity to cover another 25%, possibly making their education 100% tuition free.

"I'm thrilled to report that from 2012 to 2013, the 25% matching support from outside sources nearly doubled, from $56,779 in FY2013 to $104,576 in FY2014," Father Chad stated. "And this academic year, if spring semester support continues like fall semester support, which already stands at $55,539, these sources will contribute over $110,000 in cash to our seminarians—$5,000 more in matching funds than the last academic year!

"All of this support has made it possible for many of our students—women and men—to attend seminary 100% tuition free, or nearly tuition free," he concluded. "Church bodies are supplying 25% of a student's tuition, and we must remember that our regular donors faithfully continue to help the seminary supply the other 75%, which represents the real cost of tuition the seminary needs to cover. These funds are critical to meet the real costs to educate our students."

Overall, the "Tuition Matching Grant Program" has helped 24 men and 3 women in FY2013, 31 men and 6 women in FY2014, and 26 men and 3 women in FY2015, reported the Associate Chancellor for Finance at St. Vladimir's, Melanie Ringa. "I admire the commitment from so many church bodies and church people to aid our seminarians," she said, "and, I admire the seminary's commitment, as well, and our donors on the other side of this equation."

"In FY2012, prior to the start of the 'Fully Paid Tuition Plan' supported by the 'Tuition Matching Grant Program,' our school offered $180,245 in scholarship awards; the next year, after the start of the new plan and program, that figure went up to $296,769, and it just keeps rising," she continued.

"Moreover, outside sources, which include a variety of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christian jurisdictions and churches, as well as the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), have taken a deep interest in providing for our students," she noted. "In FY2014, student financial aid from all sources, including the seminary, totaled $505,921, and that's significant."

Students agree. Olga Kirilchenko, a second-year seminarian in the Master of Arts program who receives her matching funds from Holy Noble-Born Prince Alexander Nevsky Church (near MGIMO University) in Moscow, reminisced, "When I first heard about St. Vladimir's grants, I literally couldn't believe my ears. I even had to ask the Director of Admissions, Pdn. Joseph Matusiak (with whom I was on the phone), to repeat what he had just said, and he probably attributed it to my being a non-native English-speaker!

"In reality, I was simply dumbfounded," admitted Olga. "First he told me that I was entitled to a 50% tuition discount simply for not being a millionaire...and while I was still trying to wrap my brain around that, he said that if my parish or diocese would pay 25% for me, then St. Vlad's would cover another 25% of my tuition.

"Of course, I wanted to study in St. Vlad's," she continued. "Yet quitting my job, flying transatlantic, and spending all my savings (that I initially considered to be insufficient) seemed to be a huge, bold, and somewhat crazy step.

"For weeks I had been browsing the svots.edu website, gathering courage and clarifying questions to make that one very important phone call," she said. "And the unexpected grant opportunity was one of the factors that helped turn my indecisive dream into reality.

"I am exceedingly grateful to the seminary for making my hazy dream to study here accomplishable," she concluded, "and to my parish and my father-confessor in Moscow, who supported me all the way—via a recommendation letter, words of encouragement, and being so open to the matching grant opportunity."

Closer to home, Tristan Gall, senior student in the Master of Divinity program, expressed his gratitude to Ss. Peter and Paul Church, Edinboro, PA, and to the Archdiocese of Pittsburgh and Western PA (OCA), saying, "If it weren't for the Tuition Matching Program, the support from my diocese, and my home parish, it would be nearly impossible for me to attend seminary.

"I remember when I first heard about the plan," he recalled. "I had been wondering how I would make ends meet. I was at the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Elwood City, Pennsylvania, contemplating seminary, and Mother Magdalena came into the refectory and threw down a printout of the initiative taken by St. Vladimir's. She said, 'Here's your answer.'

"I was struck with joy and almost immediately visited the seminary with my dad," he said.

"I'm overwhelmingly thankful to be here, and my heart overflows with gratitude to everyone who helps our cause at St. Vladimir's," Tristan continued. "The encouragement and support from benefactors uplifts all of us spiritually. It's comforting just knowing that there are people out there who care for Christ's ministry."

To find out more about the seminary's Tuition Matching Grant Program, or about studying at St. Vladimir's Seminary, please contact Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak via email, or call 914.961.8313, ext. 328.

His Eminence Joseph, archbishop of New York and metropolitan of All North America of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, was enthroned on the feast of St. Nicholas at the Archdiocese's mother cathedral, by The Most Blessed John X (Yazigi), Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East. Metropolitan Joseph was recently elected as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of St. Vladimir's, and our Dean, The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, and our Chancellor/CEO, The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, were among the dignitaries attending the services and festivities.

Cathedral Dean The Very Rev. Thomas Zain, who lectures in Liturgics at the seminary, coordinated many of the weekend's events, which included Vespers on December 5 and two Patriarchal Liturgies on December 6 and 7. As well, numerous seminarians, both past and present, participated liturgically and as members of the media team.

On December 4, Fr. Chad Hatfield and Fr. John were received by Patriarch John at the archdiocesan headquarters in Englewood, NJ, to present him with a check for $8,000, the tithe on the $80,000 raised during the seminary's successful #GivingTuesday campaign. The gift is intended to aid suffering Orthodox Christians in Syria.

Since its founding in 1938, St. Vladimir's has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with the Antiochian Archdiocese. About 16% of all SVOTS alumni have gone on to serve in the Archdiocese and most of the current Antiochian bishops are seminary alumns.

View photo galleries by third-year seminarians Rami Dahdal and Luke Bullock

elected four new members, among them His Eminence Joseph, who was recently enthroned as Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA). His Eminence will serve as Vice Chairman of the Board, and in recognition of his new position, he was recently presented with an icon of the Great and Holy Prince Vladimir by the seminary's Dean, The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, and Chancellor/CEO, The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield.

Other new Trustees include Dn. Michael Hyatt, Theodore Jadick, and James T. Perry. Deacon Michael, former Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, is now a best-selling author and leadership consultant, and Chairman of the Board of Ancient Faith Ministries. He is a parishioner at St. Ignatius Church, Franklin, TN (AOCANA). Mr. Jadick is Vice Chairman at Heidrick & Struggles, New York City, and Board Director of Calvary Hospital Fund, Bronx, NY. He is a parishioner at Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church, Yonkers, NY (Orthodox Church in America). Mr. Perry is an attorney in private practice, and also a parishioner at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, Yonkers. The term for each new Trustee will be three years, with the possibility of serving four consecutive terms, according to the new By-laws adopted by the Board at their November meeting.

Additionally at its meeting, the Board honored retiring Trustees Ivan Rudolph-Shabinsky, Eric Namee, and Leon J. Lysaght, Jr., by presenting them each with a gramota and icon of the Great and Holy Prince Vladimir. Mr. Rudolph-Shabinsky, who served on the Board from 2000 to 2014, is a Portfolio Manager at AllianceBernstein, New York City. Mr. Namee is an attorney at Hinkle Law Firm, LLC, Wichita, KS, and he had served on the Board since 1994. Professor Lysaght is Associate Professor of Law at University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, Detroit, MI, and his Board membership was from 1997 to 2014.

Father John Behr acknowledged the enormous sacrifice and deep commitment of the retiring Trustees, saying, "Those departing from the Board have, over their many decades of service, given so much to the Seminary, guiding us and helping us grow in many ways, especially with the development of our statutes and administrative structures. We are where we are today only through their self-sacrificial leadership."

In commenting on the Board's history, Fr. Chad Hatfield said, "St. Vladimir's took an early lead in board development and continuing education when in the '80s the Lilly Endowment, Inc., awarded our school a generous grant of $30,000 to begin an ambitious program of board self-study and renewal, with our Trustees attending six seminars on diverse aspects of trusteeship.

"In the '90s, Lilly continued its support, underwriting continuing education programs for board members and extending the benefit of trustee development and institutional advancement to nine other North American Orthodox Christian seminaries, using St. Vladimir's as a model and designating it as a 'Lilly Trustee Partnership Institution.'

"We are ever grateful to our committed and highly qualified board members, who make certain our school's stability and define and ensure its mission."

View a complete listing of the Board of Trustees of St. Vladimir's Seminary.

22 November–12 December 2014 • Off-Campus • San Francisco, London, Moscow

St. Vladimir's Dean The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr has been on the road, offering retreats and lectures to the faithful both in the United States and overseas. During the second week of December, he'll conclude his busy fall schedule with a trip to Moscow, Russia, where a select group of eminent scholars have been invited to present papers in The Second International Theological Patristic Conference, themed "St. Simeon the New Theologian and his Spiritual Heritage."

The Conference is being sponsored by the Ss. Cyril and Methodius Theological Institute of Post-Graduate Studies and the National Research Nuclear University MEPhi (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute). A cooperative agreement between St. Vladimir's and Ss. Cyril and Methodius was signed in 2013, allowing for the exchange of teachers, students, and resources between the two institutions.

Over the weekend of November 22 and 23, Fr. John presented a retreat to the faithful of San Francisco's Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, the Orthodox Church in America's Diocese of the West episcopal see, presided over by The Most Rev. Benjamin, archbishop of San Francisco and the West. The Dean's topic, "Becoming Human," was the theme of his 2013 SVS Press book of the same title.

Father John scarcely had time to unpack his suitcase in New York before heading in the opposite direction, to London, England, where he delivered the Annual Constantinople Lecture on Thanksgiving Day, November 27. Sponsored by The Anglican and Eastern Churches Association and The Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius, his talk centered on one of his recently explored themes, the paradox of life through death so central to the Christian message. "Christ has set us free from the fear of death," noted Fr. John. "He has turned death inside out....This reversal is located in the heart of the Gospel."

The lecture was "a wonderful opportunity to meet old friends and meet new ones," Fr. John reflected afterwards.

The next day, Fr. John journeyed to The Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Crawley Down, West Sussex, to lead a retreat for the Anglican religious group, the "Community of the Servants of the Will of God." Formed in the 1950s, the community consists of men and women who follow the Rule of St. Benedict while endeavoring to unite the traditions of East and West through their liturgies and prayer practices.

"I've benefitted from their fellowship at other conferences," explained Fr. John. "It was a joy to finally be able to visit with them in their community, to be present at their worship, and to share my work on the formation of Christian theology and spirituality."

SVOTS Communications/Yonkers, NY • Deborah (Malacky) Belonick, Photos by Dn. G. Hatrak

In an expression of love and solidarity with the suffering Orthodox Christians in the Middle East, St. Vladimir's Seminary has presented a gift of $8,000 to The Most Blessed John X (Yazigi), Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East. His Beatitude, whose patriarchal throne is in Damascus, Syria, will personally oversee distribution of the monies to alleviate the dire conditions of Orthodox Christians in that country.

The gift represents a tithe (i.e., one-tenth) of the total $80,000 donated to the seminary during its highly successful #GivingTuesday campaign conducted on December 2. Seminary Chancellor/CEO Archpriest Chad Hatfield and Dean Archpriest John Behr were received by Patriarch John at the headquarters of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA) in Englewood, NJ, on Thursday, December 4, at which time they presented him with the $8,000 check. They also gave him a palitza, beautifully embroidered with an icon of the Three Hierarchs, Ss. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom, patrons of the seminary chapel.       

Patriarch John is in the U.S. in anticipation of the enthronement of His Eminence The Most Reverend Joseph (Al-Zehlaoui) as Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of all North America for the Antiochian Archdiocese, which will take place on December 6, at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn, NY. In addition to presenting gifts to His Beatitude, the Chancellor and Dean presented an icon of the Great and Holy Prince Vladimir to Metropolitan Joseph in honor of his upcoming enthronement and in recognition of his being the newly elected Vice President of the Board of Trustees of St. Vladimir's Seminary.

"After weeks of anticipation and publicity, the seminary received an overwhelmingly generous response when it launched its very first #GivingTuesday campaign," reported Fr. Chad.

"We are humbled by this gift, which will allow our students to continue to learn about and preach the true faith," he said, "and we are grateful that we can offer a tithe—as we promised our donors—to the Orthodox believers in Syria, who daily bravely witness to that faith."

See a gallery of photos by Haitham Fakhouri of the Dean and Chancellor's meeting with Patriarch John and Metropolitan Joseph.

On Tuesday, December 9, 2014, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, will deliver the annual Kuehner Seminar Lecture at St. Paul's Reformed Episcopal Church, 800 Church Road, Oreland, PA, 19075.

The Seminar will begin with Morning Prayer at 10:00 o'clock. Father Chad will speak on: "The One-Hundred Year Cycles in Anglican/Orthodox Relations: From Hooker to the Present Day." He will give two presentations, one before and one after lunch.

The cost for the seminar including lunch is $25 per person. To register, or for more information, e-mail the Reformed Episcopal Seminary: seminaryoffice@reseminary.edu or registrar@RESeminary.edu, or call: 610–292–9852. Please register by Thursday, December 4.

26 November 2014 • SVOTS Communications / Yonkers, NY • Deborah (Malacky) Belonick

Priest Matti Veli Juhani Wallgren, graduate of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (M.Div. 2003) and currently rector of Vaasa Orthodox Church, Diocese of Oulu, Finland, has been elected as the new Metropolitan of the Diocese of Oulu. He will succeed His Eminence Archbishop Panteleimon (Sarho), now retired, as metropolitan.

Father Matti was ordained to the priesthood September 1, 2003, in Jyvaskyla, Finland.  He served as second priest for two and a half years in central Finland and eight and a half years as a Dean of the Cathedral in Vaasa, western Finland.

Archpriests John Behr and Chad Hatfield, dean and chancellor/CEO of the seminary respectively, both expressed their sincere congratulations to Fr. Matti upon his election. "Our close relationship with the Church in Finland is longstanding and we look forward to even closer ties with the Finnish Church through Metropolitan Matti," said Fr. Chad.

Father  Matti will be consecrated as bishop and assume the duties of the Metropolitan of Oulu on January 11, 2015, at Oulu's Holy Trinity Cathedral.

The Orthodox Church in Finland is an autonomous Church belonging to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and is made up of three dioceses: Karelia, Helsinki, and Oulu. Oulu, the smallest diocese among the three, was established in 1980. It includes five parishes made up of nearly 10,000 members.

Within the entire Orthodox Church of Finland, there are 24 parishes with 140 priests and more than 58,000 members. A convent and a monastery also operate within the church.

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Listen to Chancellor/CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield talk about the upcoming Schmemann Lecture on Ancient Faith Radio.

His Grace Nicholas (Ozone), auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn for the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA), will be the guest speaker for the 32nd Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture, to be held in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium of the John G. Rangos Family Building on January 30, 2015 at 7 p.m.

Bishop Nicholas will be speaking on "The Life and Ministry of St. Raphael of Brooklyn." In 2015 the Antiochian Archdiocese will mark the 100th anniversary of the beloved saint's repose with a year-long series of events commemorating the milestone.

Bishop Nicholas holds several engineering degrees, and a Master of Divinity degree awarded with Highest Distinction from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts. He speaks Arabic and English fluently and has a working knowledge of French, Hebrew, Ancient Greek, New Testament Greek, and Modern Greek. Since December 2011, His Grace has resided at the Antiochian Archdiocese headquarters in Englewood, NJ, where he administers the Diocese of New York and Washington D.C. and also serves as the assistant to His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph, archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America.

The Antiochian Archdiocese and St. Vladimir's have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship for six decades, and today this has continued under the direction of Bishop Nicholas, the liaison between the Archdiocese and the Seminary. Beginning with the enrollment of three Syrian Orthodox students in 1951, numerous Antiochian clergy, academics, and laity have been a part of St. Vladimir's history: faculty and staff, authors, board members, and choirs. 

READ MORE

• Celebrating Byzantine services at St. Vladimir's with Bishop Nicholas
• His Grace's biography
• Fall 2014 Ordinations of Antiochian seminarians
• Seminary welcomes Bishop Nicholas for his first visit

On November 8, at a special academic convocation, the seminary Board of Trustees and faculty awarded His Eminence The Most Reverend Hilarion (Alfeyev), metropolitan of Volokolamsk and chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree. Metropolitan Hilarion was on campus to present a public lecture: "Primacy and Conciliarity from an Orthodox Perspective"—a topic of critical importance to the Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches, of which he is a key participant. His Eminence is also an appointed member of the seminary Board and author of the SVS Press Orthodox Christianity Series.

Upon receiving he honorary degree, Metropolitan Hilarion expressed his gratitude for his longstanding relationship with St. Vladimir's Seminary, noting the seminary's crucial role in building trust between Orthodox churches throughout the world. In his lecture, he defined church structure and organization as understood by Christians of East and West.

"There are two traditions," Metropolitan Hilarion noted; "The West is centralized, and primacy is understood as descending directly from the first Pope. No such primacy has ever existed in the Orthodox East, which is decentralized and based on the notion of communion between local autocephalous churches.

"When the Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church scheduled for 2016, convenes," he added, "the Ecumenical Patriarch will occupy a central seat, but only in the midst of his fellow primates, who will be arranged around him according to the diptychs of the Church.

"By contrast, in Roman Catholic councils the Pope is seated on an elevated throne and separated from his fellow hierarchs," he explained.

"For the Orthodox, synodality is higher than primacy," concluded His Eminence.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), attended the lecture, as well as the primate and bishops of the Anglican Church in North America, and visiting clergy from the Pentecostal Convergence Movement. (See the article about the meeting between the Anglican delegation and Metropolitan Hilarion).

Earlier in the day, Metropolitan Hilarion met with SVOTS administrators and Metropolitan Tikhon, and joined the community for Vespers. He also traveled with a delegation to celebrate a panikhida at the grave of renowned Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, in Valhalla, NY. His Eminence is a gifted composer; in 2011, more than 1,000 New Yorkers attended the English premiere of his composition, St. Matthew Passion, sponsored by St. Vladimir's Seminary and presented at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Manhattan.

LINKS

• Coming Soon: the lecture, on Ancient Faith Radio's "Voices from St. Vladimir's Seminary"
• Photo gallery (Leanne Parrott Photography)
• Honorary Doctorate citation
• Text of Metropolitan Hilarion's lecture

From Oca.org: Funeral services for Dr. Constance Tarasar will be celebrated at St. Mary Cathedral, 1629 Fifth Street NE, Minneapolis, MN at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 12, 2014. Visitation will be held at the Kozlak-Radulovich NE Chapel, 1918 University Avenue NE, Minneapolis, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 11, with the celebration of a Parastas at 6:00 p.m. Visitation will continue at 9:00 a.m. on the morning of the Funeral, after which interment will take place at Saint Mary Cemetery.

Dr. Constance Tarasar, a pioneer in the field of Orthodox Christian education and the first woman to enroll in one of St. Vladimir's degree programs, fell asleep in the Lord on Friday, November 7, 2014.

A native of Minneapolis, MN, Dr. Tarasar graduated from seminary in 1965 after finishing coursework for a Bachelor of Divinity degree and submitting a thesis on the role of women in the Church. Her years at St. Vladimir's proved eventful, even determinative, for her life; there, she met Fr. Alexander Schmemann, who became her theological inspiration and lifelong mentor.

Later, she returned to the Seminary to serve as Lecturer in Christian Education.

"She was a real leader and model for our women students," notes Dean The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr. "As a towering figure for many years in the field of Orthodox education, she served as Executive Director of the Orthodox Christian Education Commission (OCEC) and Chair of the Orthodox Church in America's Department of Religious Education. Throughout her outstanding career, she mentored generations of seminarians while producing an immense amount of curriculum. Many of the student and teacher manuals used in church school programs today, originated with her."

In addition to her work in Christian Education, Dr. Tarasar contributed significantly to broader dialogue. In 1976 she was selected to represent the United States at an international "Orthodox Women's Consultation" at Agapia Monastery in Neamt, Romania. The consultation sought to dialogue and explore the role of women in the Orthodox Church in modern society. As a representative to the World Council of Churches, she served as a regular participant and leader in ecumenical discussions on women's roles and issues.

Prior to her retirement and return to Minneapolis, Dr. Taraser helped develop an Orthodox Christian curriculum used in Romania, Russia, and other central and eastern European countries. In these same years, she also helped to bring Orthodox education online, making curricular materials available on the internet.

“Above all, Dr. Tarasar loved the Church and devoted her entire life to the ministry of Christian Education,” says Fr. John Behr. “The Seminary is indeed grateful for her many contributions. May her memory be eternal!”

View Dr. Tarasar's biography and bibilography