The Very Rev. Eric G. Tosi is the Secretary of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). Before going to seminary he served as an officer in the U.S. Army. He has been a parish priest in Billings, Montana and Las Vegas, Nevada, and is the former Chair of the Department of Evangelization of the OCA. He is completing his doctoral thesis for a Doctor of Ministry on Evangelism in the Orthodox Church, at Trinity College, University of Toronto, and currently manages the OCA's Parish Mentorship Program at St. Vladimir's Seminary. We asked him to update us about this program, and the role it plays in a seminarian's preparation for ministry.

Fr. Eric, from your perspective as an experienced parish priest, an educator, and a church administrator, what are the chief goals of an Orthodox theological education?

Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko wrote in his article "Theological Education and Modernity" that the task of Orthodox theological education is twofold: "to affirm and explain the Orthodox Christian faith, and to assist believers in applying and practicing the faith in their daily lives." The formal education at St. Vladimir's seeks to impart the first task through its rigorous theological education program.

The second task is always a bit of challenge. So many of our students come with such a variety of experiences from such diverse backgrounds, that the task of applying the faith takes on unique challenges. It is through, in part, the Parish Mentorship Program that such challenges are approached.

How has the Parish Mentorship Program developed in the last few years?

This program has always sought, with hierarchical input, to place seniors into local parishes with experienced clergy. Clergy then serve as mentors in the practical pastoral aspects of parish life and ministry. In some instances, the relationships have been very strong, establishing lifelong bonds between the graduating seminarian and the mentor.

A new cooperative effort was established last year between the Chancery and St. Vladimir's Seminary. This level of cooperation has helped graduating students develop a relationship with the Chancery as well as with their mentor priests, and we hope this will also endure throughout their time of ministry.

Have there been any other changes?

We added a monthly reflective class, in which assignments honed the students' skills in understanding parish dynamics, theological reflections on ministry, and understanding practical applications of ministry. We've encouraged seminarians to reflect on the work of a priest, and to discuss the ministry issues that arise. Classes often became a sounding board for their experiences of the preceding month. The readings augment and integrate their experience.

We've also been emphasizing the pastoral and reflective approach. The students are required to complete 100 hours of contact time over two semesters, including participation in the liturgical life of the parish, preparing and preaching three sermons each semester, teaching youth, teen and adult classes, attending a parish council meeting and the annual meeting, and doing two pastoral visitations each semester at nursing homes, hospitals, or homes. All of these were done under the supervision and guidance of the mentor priest.

Which parishes have participated this year?

The OCA Parish Mentorship Program is grateful to the people and pastors of Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Jersey City, NJ, Christ the Savior Church in Paramus, NJ, Christ the Savior Church in Southbury, CT, Holy Transfiguration Church in New Haven, CT, and Holy Trinity Church in Yonkers, NY for their participation in this year's Mentorship program. The students have received invaluable life lessons that will always be a part of their ministry.

~Dn. Alessandro Margheritino

"I feel incredibly blessed to have been mentored by Fr. Joseph Lickwar, a priest with an amazing amount of experience, and patience to match. I also greatly enjoyed our Friday meetings and comparing experiences with the other seminarians. It allowed all of us to get a look inside other parishes—in some cases, vastly different than our own assignments—and gave us the benefit of seeing different parts of the veritable cornucopia of parishes that is the OCA."

~Fr. Nicholas Roth

"Fr. Vladimir's mentoring was vital to my future as a hospital chaplain as he was able to share his pastoral care experience and his knowledge of resources in the greater community."

~Beryl Knudsen

"I think Beryl's experience this year is best summed up in a letter I received on April 18, 2014. I do not know the man; he stopped when Beryl and I were in the office. He wrote: 'Last Autumn upon returning from Southbury, I stopped by the church for the purpose of offering a simple prayer in memory of my late wife Judith. You and your assistant (Beryl) received me with much kindness, sympathy and caring, during a time that I felt very heartbroken. I wish to thank you both.'"

~Fr. Vladimir Aleandro

"I enjoyed the monthly discussions led by Fr. Eric, where we had the opportunity to discuss real and concrete pastoral issues."

~Dn. Kyle Parrott 

"I believe that our parish has benefited more than the student (seminarian Joshua Schooping), especially when the student has a family and they have participated along with the intern in the worship, educational opportunities, and parish activities." 

~Fr. David Vernak 

St. Vladimir's Seminary is now accepting applications from priests, chaplains, and other professionals in ministry who want to earn an accredited Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree, through a new hybrid program that combines online coursework with on-campus intensive training. In the coming months the seminary administration will begin reviewing applications to admit 15 students into the first cohort of the new program, set to commence fall semester 2014. There also will be an on-campus orientation this summer.

The Association of Theological Schools (ATS) approved the hybrid D.Min. program in fall 2012, and more recently, on March 21, 2014, the State of New York's Office of College and University Evaluation also granted its approval. Additionally, The Danilchick Family Endowment for Pastoral Studies, a fund set up by The Rev. Protodeacon Peter M. Danilchick and his wife, Tanya, will help support qualified D.Min. students with their tuition, through need-based scholarships.

The Very Rev. Dr. J. Sergius Halvorsen, assistant professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric at St. Vladimir's and the program's director, observed, "Receiving authorization for the D.Min. from New York State is a great accomplishment for everyone at St. Vladimir's Seminary, and I'm extremely happy to complete this stage of initial planning and authorization. Now our world class D.Min. faculty can begin the essential work of strengthening the ministry of priests, chaplains, and others involved in institutional and professional ministry."

The D.Min. Program will integrate doctoral level academic work with applied pastoral practice, and members of the St. Vladimir's faculty, along with Orthodox Christian scholars from other institutions, will teach the eight core courses:
The Very Rev. J. Sergius Halvorsen, Ph.D., Advanced Preaching and Communications
Gayle E. Woloschak, Ph.D., Bioethics for Ministry
The Very Rev. Nicholas Solak, D.Min., Counseling in the Parish
The Very Rev. John A. Jillions, D.Min., Ph.D., Ministry in a Secular Age
Daniel B. Hinshaw, M.D., Ministry to the Sick and Dying
The Rev. Gregory Edwards, Ph.D., Missiology
The Rev. Eugen J. Pentiuc, Ph.D., Scripture: Exegesis for Preaching
The Very Rev. Joseph F. Purpura, D.Min., Youth Ministry

A project that combines research at the doctoral level with the intentional application of pastoral theory in pastoral ministry will comprise the final phase of the program.

"Pastors today face immense challenges," emphasized Fr. Sergius. "The depth and intensity of suffering and spiritual darkness in the lives of the people Facing such serious challenges, there has never been a greater need for excellence in pastoral ministry."

Program applicants must have at least three years experience in ministry subsequent to their first theological degree; be currently serving in a position of ministry; and be capable of doing doctoral level academic work.

Anyone interested in learning more about the program may contact Fr. Sergius at shalvorsen@svots.edu or (914) 961-8313, x367. Read more about the D.Min. Program, including technology requirements. 

St Vladimir’s Seminary Press is pleased to announce an agreement with Seraphim Six Productions to begin offering downloadable off-prints of its music publications, previously available only in hard-copy bound books. Immediately available is PASCHA: The Resurrection of Christ. The press is looking forward to making additional volumes available soon, including the Ledkovsky GREAT VESPERS and The Feast of the NATIVITY of Christ. Customers will be able to purchase and download individual titles within each volume licensed to their parish, without the necessity of purchasing an entire book.

Fr. Benedict Churchill, Editor in Chief of SVS Press, said, “We at St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press are delighted that, thanks to today’s technology and the cooperation of Seraphim Six Productions, we are able once again to offer some of our historical and seminal music publications, and to make it possible for all to acquire, at a reasonable price, legal, clean, high-resolution prints instead of unauthorized photocopies of photocopies of photocopies. We believe that our model of making available individual compositions will be welcome, since it is no longer necessary to buy the whole book in order to have the particular pieces you or your choir may want. We hope that this partnership will be of value to Orthodox church musicians in their ministry and their mission.“

Seraphim Six began offering downloadable Orthodox liturgical sheet music on their website in November 2011. Last fall the website was revamped to enable additional publishers to begin offering their titles. PSALM Music Press was the first publisher to begin licensing downloads of their titles through the Seraphim Six website in November 2013. “This web-based sales model affords Orthodox church musicians the opportunity of purchasing excellent editions of sheet music and having it immediately available for download and use,” said Alice Hughes, partner in Seraphim Six. “We are working to make quality liturgical music more readily available for parishes and missions across the country. This agreement with SVS Press expands our current offerings, making these out-of-print titles once again available to a new generation of liturgical musicians.”

Please visit the press's website www.svspress.com  for additional ordering information. 

Seminary administrators, alumni hierarchs and clergy, and seminarians gathered at the St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Brooklyn, NY, last week to participate in funeral services for St. Vladimir's Seminary's Board of Trustees Vice President and Vice Chairman, His Eminence The Most Reverend Philip (Saliba), archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America of the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. A 1965 graduate of the seminary, Metropolitan Philip reposed in the Lord on Wednesday, March 19, 2014 after a brief illness, at age 82.

On Wednesday, March 26, our seminary Dean, The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, and Chancellor/CEO, The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, presided at a panikhida (memorial service), with the seminary's male Octet singing responses. Both Frs. John and Chad spoke of their memories of Sayidna Philip and expressed their sorrow at his repose.

On Friday, March 28, His Beatitude The Most Blessed Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and President and Chairman of St. Vladimir's Board of Trustees, presided at another panikhida, attended by area OCA clergy, many of whom joined with seminarians and other alumni to sing responses. In his remarks at the conclusion of the service, His Beatitude said: "The Church here in North America has lost an outstanding pastor and inspired visionary who made evangelization and Christian witness the cornerstone of his episcopal ministry."

Services for Metropolitan Philip continued through the weekend, concluding with a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Sunday. Former Board of Trustees Executive Chair Anne Glynn Mackoul (for whom Metropolitan Philip served as a friend and mentor), joined Fr. Chad and SVS Press Marketing and Operations Manager The Rev. Dn. Gregory Hatrak, in representing the Seminary. In the afternoon, his body was taken to the St. Ignatius Church at Antiochian Village in Ligonier, PA, where vigil with Gospel readings and periodic Trisagion Prayers was kept until interment at the Village on Monday, March 31.

His Eminence was a beloved leader among the 8 bishops, 167 alumni clergy, and more than 300 alumni total who serve in the Antiochian Archdiocese in North America and throughout the world. Memory Eternal! 

LINKS

• View the photo gallery by seminarian Luke Bullock
• Visit the Antiochian Archdiocese Website for more photos and information
• Read about the Orthodox Church in America's participation
• Obituary for Metropolitan Philip 

Register now for this four–day program of intense liturgical training to be held from Sunday, June 22–Wednesday, June 25, 2014 on the campus of St. Vladimir's Seminary. Held in conjunction with the Orthodox Church in America's Diaconal Vocations Program (DVP), this workshop is for deacons and lay diaconal candidates and will be supported by celebration of the Divine Liturgy and other services.

Intensive workshops in the Practicum aim to provide participants with the skills needed to serve effectively in the Orthodox Church as an attentive server, deacon, or priest. Attention will be given to the liturgical patterns of movement that inform the entire rite of the Church. Participants will also receive guidance on concelebrations and hierarchical celebrations so that they can effectively prepare for such occasions. In addition to practicums, focused presentations by faculty will augment the deacon's understanding of his place in the liturgical life of the Church and the deacon's broader vocation as a symbol to the faithful of the diakonia of Christ our Lord. Instruction in public speaking and vocal technique will also be offered. 

READ DETAILS AND REGISTER

For more information, email diaconal2014@svots.edu.

On Thursday, June 12, 7 p.m, celebrated scholar and Eastern Catholic Churchman Archimandrite Robert Taft, SJ will be hosted by the 2014 Congress of the Society of Oriental Liturgy (SOL) during their annual meeting, and will present the keynote address. Father Taft's lecture, titled "Goodbye to All That: Swansong of an Old Academician," will be free and open to the public and will be held in the Seminary's The Metropolitan Philip Auditorium of The John G. Rangos Family Building.

The lecture will review Fr. Taft's life, in liturgy and in academics. Father Taft, who is Professor Emeritus of Byzantine Liturgical History at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, founded SOL in 2005, and is its Honorary President. Dedicated to the scholarly study of Eastern Christian liturgy and related fields, SOL is respectful of all churches and religious traditions and has no confessional affiliation. Members of SOL are university professors and scholars from all around the world (mainly North America, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and India).

"Over the past 50 years, Fr. Taft has been the leading scholar of the Eastern liturgical traditions," noted The Very Rev. Dr. Alexander Rentel, assistant professor of Canon Law and Byzantine Studies at St. Vladimir's. "His lecture no doubt will be an incredible opportunity to hear his reflections on his remarkable career."

READ MORE about the Arvo Pärt Project at St. Vladimir's Seminary 

Order tickets for "Spirit in Sound and Space—A Conversation Inspired by Arvo Pärt" 

On Wednesday, June 11, 2014, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Arvo Pärt Project at St. Vladimir's Seminary are collaborating on a panel discussion to be held in The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium at the Museum. The talk is the last in a series of events that have featured the Estonian Orthodox Christian composer, Arvo Pärt.  Scheduled for 6 p.m., the discussion is part of the Metropolitan Museum's new Conversation Series, "Spark." This event, "Spirit in Sound and Space—A Conversation Inspired by Arvo Pärt," will feature Dr. Robert Zatorre, a neuroscientist with the Montreal Neurological Institute, Architect Steven Holl, and SVOTS Associate Professor of Systematic Theology Dr. Peter Bouteneff. Professor Bouteneff is also a senior project advisor for the Arvo Pärt Project.  

A concert devoted to Maestro Pärt's music was presented in New York City at Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 31. Traveling from Estonia for these events were the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, with their conductor Tõnu Kaljuste.

MEDIA LINKS 

• The Wall Street Journal
• The New York Times 
• The Examiner
• The Washington Post

Visit the new Website

The Father Georges Florovsky Library at St. Vladimir's Seminary has a new dedicated Website (library.svots.edu), thanks to the efforts of Librarian/Archivist Matthew Garklavs.

"A dedicated library Website has been on our 'wish list' for many years now, but we never had the available time and talent to accomplish the task. The Seminary is very grateful to Matthew for all his efforts in developing the site," notes longtime Librarian Eleana Silk.

While serving the needs of the students and faculty of the Seminary, the Website will also act as a gateway for the academic community at large. Scholars from around the world have come to use the Library here, because they can find materials not available anywhere else. The new Website affords them more access to these resources and makes it easier to utilize the collection.

One feature Matthew highlights is the student theses page. The Library possesses over 860 student theses on a wide range of theological topics, and it is a fascinating exercise to read through the list to discover the topics which notable bishops and clergy have studied during their years at St. Vladimir's. Three significant archival collections are also newly available: The Father Alexander Schmemann Papers, The Father Georges Florovsky Papers, and the Skvir-Buketoff Music Collection.

Other features include:

• A synopsis of the Library's history
• More information about acquisitions from former faculty, alumni, clergy, and laypeople. "The current collection development plan is to accept any donated texts within the scope of our collection. Then what we already possess and don't need, we pass on to other Orthodox institutions," explains Matthew Garklavs.
• An Interlibrary Loan Form for submitting loan or copy requests—available for current patrons
• A digital archive of academic resources and links to other Orthodox Websites
• A guide to using the ATLA Religion Database and an inventory of journals from our collection that are available in digital format
• Finding aids for the first three archival collections

Matthew emphasizes that the Website is still evolving, and he encourages patrons to offer input and suggest academic resources for the digital archive. "Going forward there will be even more to develop," he explains, "such as weekly blog posts about rare books, activities taking place in the library, and announcement of new collections as we bring them online."

"Creating the library Website has been one of the most challenging projects I have undertaken at St. Vladimir's, but making it fully realized has been very rewarding," he explains.

Do you want to contribute to the Florovsky Library's collection of outstanding Orthodox books? Purchase a volume for the Library through its Amazon Wish List today! 

The Very Rev. Dr. Alexander Atty, a distinguished alumnus of the Class of 1979 at St. Vladimir's Seminary, reposed in the Lord early Sunday morning, March 23, 2014. Father Alexander was most recently the Dean and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan, PA, which posted a eulogy on its Website remembering him "as a dedicated churchman, a husband, a father, a friend, and a leader."

"Father Alexander was known for his primary concern of meeting the pastoral needs of his seminarians, above all else," noted The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO of St. Vladimir's Seminary. "We were honored to have him present at a retreat here on our campus in 2009, during which he focused on priestly and parish ministry, using the theme, 'Good and Faithful Servant.'"

Father Alexander held a B.S. in engineering from Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science. After earning his M.Div. at St. Vladimir's Seminary, he was ordained a priest on December 9, 1979, at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, Brooklyn, NY, and was elevated to the rank of archpriest in 1988. He served as the rector of St. Michael Orthodox Church in Louisville, KY for several years, under the Self-Ruled Antiochian Christian Archdiocese of North America. He went on to earn a Doctor of Ministry degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 2008, prior to assuming his role at St. Tikhon's Seminary, where he served from 2010 until his retirement due to health issues in 2013.

LINKS

View the announcement and funeral arrangements on St. Tikhon Seminary's Website

St. Vladimir's Director of Field Education Dr. Al Rossi interviews Fr. Alexander

The Good and Faithful Priest talks by Fr. Alexander

• Part I  
• Part II 
• Part III
• The Good and Faithful Parishioner
• The Good and Faithful Parish 

Memory Eternal! The entire community of faculty, staff and students at St. Vladimir's Theological Orthodox Seminary (SVOTS) mourns the loss of our Board of Trustees Vice President and Vice Chairman, His Eminence The Most Reverend Philip (Saliba), Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America of the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. The Metropolitan, a member of the class of 1965, reposed in the Lord on Wednesday, March 19, 2014, at the age of 82 after a brief illness. Campus clergy immediately scheduled a memorial service for Sayidna Philip in Three Hierarchs Chapel for March 20.

Reflected SVOTS Chancellor/CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, "Sayidna Philip's long episcopacy leaves behind many achievements, but speaking as a convert priest who entered Orthodoxy through the Antiochian Archdiocese, I believe his simple phrase 'welcome home' to converts, is the greatest of his legacies."

St. Vladimir's Dean The Rev. Dr. John Behr remembered the Metropolitan's leadership in Orthodox education. "It is with great sadness that I heard of His Eminence Metropolitan Philip's falling asleep in the Lord. He was an inspirational leader who had a great love for St. Vladimir's Seminary ever since his student days here, and who, besides serving on our Board, inspired us and gave us wise guidance in our recent curriculum reforms. He insisted that all our students were thoroughly prepared in pastoral and practical affairs, as as in academic matters. He was also always very kind and engaging with me personally; I will never forget the warmth with which he spoke of his education in England and the passion for literature and learning generated there."

St. Vladimir's has enjoyed a warm, reciprocal relationship with the Antiochian Archdiocese under Metropolitan Philip's leadership, which began with his consecration to the episcopate in 1966. Currently, six members of the Archdiocese serve on the Seminary's Board of Trustees; 167 Antiochian alumni clergy, and over 300 alumni total, minister throughout the world; fifteen Antiochian seminarians attend St. Vladimir's; and all eight Antiochian bishops in North America either have graduated from St. Vladimir's or have taught and mentored seminarians.

The Metropolitan visited the Seminary's Yonkers campus many times over the course of his tenure as Board Vice President, most recently when in 2008 he delivered one of the keynote addresses at the conference Rome, Constantinople, and Canterbury: Mother Churches?, which was titled "Canon 28 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council." In May 1981, the Board of Trustees awarded him a Doctorate of Divinity honoris causa at Commencement, and in 2002 he returned to St. Vladimir's to dedicate The Metropolitan Philip Auditorium, located on the third floor of the John G. Rangos Family Foundation Building.

"I remember Metropolitan Philip fondly when he served in Cleveland, my home city," said Alex Machaskee, Executive Chair of the Seminary's Board of Trustees. "I have always considered him a friend and a pillar in the Orthodox Christian world. His support of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary has been very much appreciated."

Updated information regarding his memorial services may be found on the Antiochian Archdiocese Website.

LINKS
Metropolitan Philip's campus visit, 2006 
Discussing theological education with SVOTS leadership
Alumni gathering at the 2013 Houston Antiochian Convention