His Grace The Right Rev. Savas [Zembillas], a seminary Board of Trustee member, has been newly elected as Metropolitan of the Metropolis of Pittsburgh of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA). Bishop Savas served as the Chancellor of the GOA from 1999 until 2009, and then was named Director of the Archdiocesan Office of Church, Society, and Culture; in that position, he edits the popular blog, "Living in the LOGOSphere." In his new position, he will succeed Metropolitan Maximos, who retired on September 1, 2011.
His Grace was educated at Colby College, Holy Cross School of Theology, and Oxford University. Besides being a seminary trustee, Bishop Savas has taught a course on our campus, "Looking for God in Popular Culture." Known for his astute and artful commentary, as well as for his ease among all strata of society, he has garnered more than 4,000 fans on his Facebook page.
With his new assignment, His Grace will remain as an episcopal member of our Board of Trustees. The seminary community wishes His Grace God's blessings as he looks forward to his new assignment!
Listen to His Grace Savas, speaking on a variety of contemporary topics, on Orthodox Christian Network (OCN), here.
On the Feast of the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Bodiless Powers, our campus community had the privilege of hearing one of the foremost chamber ensembles in the world, Cappella Romana, under the direction of Dr. Alexander Lingas, an alumnus of our seminary. The group, which is dedicated to exploration of the musical traditions of the Christian East and West, sang the services for the feast using music from the Byzantine tradition, and included seminarians from our Byzantine chapel choir in their ensemble.
Cappella Romana is visiting our campus for five days while in rehearsal for two East Coast concerts, one at Yale University and one at Brown University. During their rehearsals, our seminarians are welcome to join them in studying Medieval Byzantine Chant, gleaned from music used for the Vigil of St. Catherine at the Monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai, and from chants used for the Feast of Theophany, originating from the Holy Land and Constantinople.
"We will be studying the difference between the written notation on a page [of Byzantine music] and what one sings in terms of timing and vocal inflection—whether it appears on the paper or not!" said Dr. Lingas. "In other words, the relationship between the written score and realization and sound."
In 1990 Dr. Lingas studied Patristics and Liturgical Theology at St. Vladimir's under Protopresbyter John Meyendorff, former Dean, (+1992) and under Dr. Paul Meyendorff, current faculty member, respectively. "It it always a joy to come back to the seminary chapel where I spent so many hours as a student, alumnus, and friend of the seminary," Dr. Lingas said.
Listen to Cappella Romana and the students of St. Vladimir's Seminary sing the Troparion for the Synaxis of the Archangels here.
Visit our Facebook Page to hear more Cappella Romana in Three Hierarchs Chapel.
The delegation from St. Vladimir's Seminary to the recent 16th All-American Council (AAC) of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) displayed a strong and active presence at its proceedings and venues. Eighteen faculty and staff members, including our Dean and Chancellor, as well as two official seminarian representatives attended the national church gathering, which convenes every three years and which met this year for five days in Bellevue, Washington.
Archpriest Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO of the seminary, made two impressive marks on the council: first, he was elected as an at-large member of the Metropolitan Council; and second, the resolution he put forth encouraging parishes to support OCA seminaries financially passed with unanimous assent (read the resolution here). The Metropolitan Council is a permanent body of the central Church, which exists for the purpose of implementing the decisions of the AAC and continuing its work between national gatherings.
Also highly visible and hard at work was Melanie Ringa, chief financial officer at the seminary, who concurrently holds the position of Treasurer of the OCA. Ms. Ringa presented the official Treasurer's Report, which included a review of the Church's finances for the three years since the last AAC. Included in her presentation was a report from Rob Taylor, audit partner at Lambrides, Lamos & Taylor, LLP, who indicated that with the 2010 Audit Report the OCA had received its first "unqualified" audit opinion since 1998. Following Mr. Taylor's report, the OCA Finance Committee, chaired by Priest Gleb McFatter, presented the 2012 budget and alternatives at three assessment levels. The Treasurer's presentation concluded with a question and answer period during which many delegates asked questions covering all aspects of the Church's financial activities.
Additionally, one of our recent alumni, Priest John Vitko, coordinated the Strategic Planning workshops for nearly 400 of the delegates, and presented the draft Strategic Plan to the full council at a plenary session. Now, Fr. John will transition to an implementation phase, using volunteers from the AAC workshops as his core teams and recruiting other volunteers from the wider Church, as the 10 goals of the Strategic Plan are defined, refined, and developed.
St. Vladimir's alumni enjoyed socializing at an evening gathering organized by Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, director of Alumni Relations and Recruitment. As a special gift to alumni, Fr. Benedict Churchill, Director of St. Vladimir's Press, and Dn. Gregory Hatrak, Marketing Manager of St. Vladimir's Press and Bookstore, presented each alumnus/a with a volume of The Epistle of St. James, authored by the recently departed Archbishop Dmitri (Royster); the volume also was distributed to alumni of our sister school, St. Tikhon's Seminary.
Listen to all the plenary sessions of the 16th All-American Council on Ancient Faith Radio, here.
See more photos of the 16th All-American Council on the Website of the Orthodox Church in America, here.
Successful non-profit institutions depend upon a profit-making sector in their budgets: consider the Girl Scouts of the USA’s mouth-watering cookies, or The Salvation Army’s bell-ringing Santas, or Goodwill Industries International, Inc.’s local thrift stores. For St. Vladimir’s Seminary, that sector is St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, often known simply as “SVS Press.” Revenues from SVS Press, the seminary’s publishing arm, and SVS Bookstore, the seminary’s distribution arm, together provided net profits that comprised 12% of the seminary’s operating budget in fiscal year 2011.
Without contributions from SVS Press and SVS Bookstore, the Seminary would simply not be able to maintain a day-to-day positive cash flow. Therefore, during the past year, in order to maintain a competitive edge in the publishing industry and book market, SVS Press has moved into the Digital Age by publishing E-Books (electronic books). During this past year, generous donors funded these important digital initiatives:
An anonymous donor gave $12,000, which allowed SVS Press to place 23 titles on Amazon Kindle; now, readers may shop for and browse, and download and read, books like those in the press’s Popular Patristics Series, or Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann’s For the Life of the World.
A $7,500 donation by Mark and Hresula Hudoff funded a Short Run Digital Printing project that brought 14 SVS Press titles back into print, with 11 additional titles slated for reprinting in FY12.
Another anonymous donor gave $5,000 to re-format the press’s best-selling title Father Arseny 1893–1973: Priest, Prisoner, and Spiritual Father into a compact disk audio book.
St. Vladimir’s Seminary thanks these donors for helping its press remain viable and profitable within the rapidly changing publishing industry!
See a complete list of SVS Press digital titles and reprints on page 23 of our newly published FY11 Annual Report here.
View all of our SVS Press titles and Bookstore stock here; order titles online, or call 914-961-2203 or 1-800-204-BOOK (2665).
Priest John E. Parker III, an alumnus of St. Vladimir's, has been appointed Chair of Department of Evangelization of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), by His Beatitude Metropolitan Jonah, primate of the OCA. Father John holds a Master of Theology degree from the seminary, and currently is rector of Holy Ascension Orthodox Church in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
Prior to his reception into the Orthodox Church in 2002, Fr. John served as a youth pastor in the Episcopal Church, USA. His experience in missionary work spans everything from inner-city evangelization to foreign mission teams. Notably, he has helped grow what began as "Holy Ascension Orthodox Mission" into a vibrant and large church, housed in an exceptionally stunning Byzantine-style building.
Referring to the Department of Evangelization as the "Good News Department," Fr. John has set three main goals: 1) evangelization to non-Christians 2) missions, which includes planting new Orthodox churches and taking part in short-term missions trips and 3) revitalization of existing Orthodox parishes. His full interview with the the OCA Website editor may be read here.
Complementing his work in missions and evanglization are Fr. John's extensive writings. He has written dozens of columns relating Orthodox Christian teaching to local culture and life, which have appeared in local newspapers. He also has been a frequent speaker at various Orthodox gatherings, especially at Orthodox Christian Fellowship conferences, which strengthen college students in their faith.
Click here to listen Fr. John Parker's presentation titled "The Filioque," delivered at the Ss. Alban & Sergius Fellowship meeting held on our campus in September.
“The society was newly formed in 2010, with the intention of bringing in speakers to address the challenges of clergy life, especially from the wife’s perspective,” notes Matushka Thekla, who has experienced ministry both in the parish and mission field, and both inside and outside of an Orthodox Christian setting. “St. Juliana's Society is named after St. Juliana Lazarevo, a 16th-century woman known for her mercy and motherly kindness, and her continual ascetic efforts. We here at the seminary want to offer our future clergy wives, in an intentional way, the tools they will need to face the demanding situations they will encounter as they share in the ministry of their husbands.”
Speakers thus far have presented wide-ranging but practical topics, among them:
Hierodeacon Herman (Majkrzak), chapel music director at the seminary: “The Liturgical Texts and How to Set Up the Music for a Service” (in case a clergy wife suddenly becomes the ad hoc choir director);
Matushka Manna Whitfield and Khouria Erin Mary Kimmett, new and experienced clergy wives, respectively: “Caring for Your Personal and Parish Families”;
Tanya Penkrat, seminary alumnus and professional florist: “Flower Arranging and Decorating Icons for Church Feasts”;
Archpriest Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO of the seminary: “ A Lenten Meditation”;
Dr. Sarah Fogg, director of the Pastoral Care Department, St. John’s Riverside Hospital: “Active Listening and a Discussion on the Family Systems Theory”;
Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, Katrina Bitar, and Dr. Jason Hatfield: “Living in a Fishbowl: Real-life Perspectives from a Panel of PKs”; and
Dr. Albert C. Rossi, adjunct professor of Pastoral Theology at the seminary: “Becoming a Healing Presence.”
In November, Mother Cassiana from Holy Protection Monastery in Lake George, Colorado, will address the issue of "Children in Church: Teaching Children the Presence of God"; Archpriest Steven J. Belonick, campus chaplain at the seminary, will present “Praying in the Orthodox Tradition.”
“I’m privileged to be able to lead this group,” continues Matushka Thekla. “There have been other models of preparation for clergy wives on our campus in the past as well, and I keep trying to expand on those, opening up for our student wives opportunities for growth and laying the groundwork for their important future ministries. When graduation day rolls around for their husbands, I want to sense that they too have ‘graduated,’ and that they are ready to thrive in their new settings.”
Read more about the St. Juliana's Society in the "Our Community" section of our Website.
Our St. Vladimir's Men's Choir is on the road again this fall! They will begin parish visitations by singing at the Orthodox Christian Church of the Annunciation, in Brick, New Jersey, where Archpriest Gary Breton is rector. The choir will sing at the Divine Liturgy, which begins at 10 a.m., and then will offer a few musical selections at the coffee hour following the service.
Archpriest Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO at St. Vladimir's, will accompany the choir, and Dn. Gregory Hatrak, marketing manager for SVS Bookstore, will have books and other items for sale at the coffee hour.
The Men's Choir is comprised of the following:
Hierodeacon Herman, the Chapel Music Director at St. Vladimir's, is a graduate of Westminster Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey, and St. Tikhon's Seminary. He has taught music at St. Herman's Seminary in Alaska, St. Tikhon's, and St. Vladimir's.
Kevin (Basil) Fritts, a third-year M.Div. seminarian, hails from St. Athanasius parish in Lexington, the first OCA mission in Kentucky. He intends to continue attending graduate school until he cannot any longer and then to find employment using whatever is on his résumé at that point!
Harrison Russin is a second-year M.Div. seminarian from the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania. Before coming to St. Vladimir's, he majored in music at Swarthmore College and worked at Covenant House Atlantic City, a homeless shelter for youth ages 18–21.
James Wiegel, a first-year M.Div. seminarian, grew up in the Seattle area, where he taught high school for the last four years. He and his wife, Danielle, are expecting their first child this December.
Scott Miller is a first-year M.Div. seminarian and a 1996 graduate of Kansas State. Before attending SVOTS, Scott was a radio personality. He has been married 20 years as of this spring and is the father of two girls who are also musically inclined.
Joshua Schooping, a first-year M.Div. seminarian, is from Central Florida. His wife's name is Mariana, and they have two wonderful children, Isaiah and Emma.
Click here for driving directions to Annunciation Church.
From Sunday evening until Tuesday morning this week, we were privileged to have as a campus guest His Grace Alexios Mar Eusebius, metropolitan of the Diocese of South-West America of The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. His Grace spent many hours with our seminarians who are members of his church, and he celebrated daily services with them in their chapel, which is set up specially on our campus for students from Oriental Orthodox churches.
In addition to visiting St. Vladimir's Seminary, His Grace celebrated Divine Liturgy on Sunday at St. Gregorios Orthodox Church in Yonkers, and with his seminarians he made a visit to St. Nersess Armenian Seminary in the nearby city of New Rochelle.
Watch a video of His Grace Alexios Mar Eusebius celebrating at St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church in Dallas, Texas: here.
"For God and Country": Reflections on Orthodox Education Day, 2011
On my way to teaching class lately, I’ve been walking past a new landmark on our campus: the U.S. flag atop a gleaming flagpole. It was raised for the first time on Orthodox Education Day 2011. It was an especially meaningful day for me, as for many.
I have been coming to “Ed Day” most every year of my life, and yet my involvement in it somehow manages to increase annually. As part of my faculty responsibilities I now oversee the Events Committee that helps plan this day—the committee that was responsible for choosing this year’s theme and developing the program schedule. Between that and serving hamburgers all day in the food tent, I’d say my involvement spanned pretty widely.
This year’s theme, “For God and Country,” was an occasion to recognize those who serve and have served in the Armed Forces, especially our Orthodox military chaplains. I recall the meetings with staff and faculty colleagues where we arrived at this theme, and how quickly and universally the enthusiasm grew around the room. As reactions to the day have been coming in, from people who attended and from those who did not, I have been surprised by some ambivalent responses. Together with the messages of gratitude there were those of puzzlement and even dismay. Summarizing their content, I would like to share some personal thoughts in response.
“’For God and Country?’ Are you kidding me? Are you equating the importance of the two?”
For God and Country, “Pro Deo et Patria,” is the motto of the U.S. Army military chaplaincy. Choosing this as a theme for Ed Day was meant to signal our real honorees: Orthodox Christian military chaplains. But examining this motto and thinking about it—the idea of expressing allegiance to both “God” and “country” and putting the two within one phrase—might raise very important questions.
I can’t imagine that any one of us would equate God and country, placing them on par with each other within our hearts and our devotion. The gospel specifically tells us that our love for God is to take priority over every other love, even love for family, even love for one’s own life (Luke 14:26). And yet there is also a very appropriate kind of love that we have for family, for self, and yes, for our country. The goal, as always, is proper relationship, proper balance. Finding just the right place for patriotism has been a perennial issue for the Church, but there has always been a place for it. We indeed do well to love our country, and to express that love when we defend it and when we support it, as well as when we question or criticize its policies.
But the choice of the theme, again, rested in the motto of military chaplains, whom we were honored to honor on our seminary campus. Our new flagpole, in fact, was dedicated to the first Orthodox Christian Army Chaplain, Archpriest Vladimir Borichevsky of blessed memory.
“Why did the seminary choose such a militaristic theme? War is an abomination, and the military complex perpetuates it.”
Our desire in choosing this theme was to recognize the people who put their lives on the line in the service of their country, and specifically those who minister to them spiritually. Our Lord extols this kind of love, of one who would lay down his life for others (John 15:13). Whether or not we approve of the size of our military, and whether or not we approve of our foreign policy, the lives and the struggles of the people who serve in the military deserve value and respect. If we stop to consider what life in the Armed Forces can be like, in times of unimaginable moral and spiritual conflict, what could be more vital, and more difficult, than giving spiritual counsel and administering the sacraments to those involved in such a struggle? Once we begin to reflect on that, our awe can only deepen. This has certainly been my experience over the years in coming into contact with more and more servicemen and women, and chaplains and chaplains-in-training: deepened respect and love.
“Isn’t support for our military a support for war?”
Well, it can be, but it doesn’t have to be. If you look at what we actually did at Ed Day, the talks and workshops that we offered, you would see a bigger picture. Fr. Philip LeMasters gave the keynote address, "Orthodox Perspectives on Peace, War, and Violence"; Dr. Stephen Muse offered a workshop entitled, "Listen, Witness, and Weep: What Can the Church Offer Service Men and Women?”. These were anything but militarism: they were thoughtful reflections—theological and practical—on the complex and crucial issues surrounding violence, war, peace, and what human needs demand right now. We also heard stories from people in the field. I might suggest that until a person has sat and listened to these stories, it would be best to reserve judgment.
Still, questions about war and peace are now as central to our lives as Christians as they ever have been. For the past four years I’ve had the pleasure of participating in an Orthodox theological think tank that has been studying the Church’s stance on war. Our study of the scriptures, the church fathers, the liturgy, the saints’ lives, and of contemporary thinkers has yielded a rich tapestry of essays which, God-willing, will soon be published in book form. We found that, through its many voices, the Tradition regularly speaks of war as evil. Little surprise there, for what greater example of the fallen human condition and sin than physical slaughter and depersonalization of “the enemy”? Yet the Tradition also recognizes evils in the world that must be radically overcome: this is why scriptural language regarding inner spiritual struggle so often makes use of military metaphors (see, e.g., Eph 6:10–18). The Church recognizes—given the tragic fallen condition of our age—that war is a near inevitability. The Church recognizes too that alongside brutish impulses, war evinces deep valor and righteous self-sacrifice; God in His greatness can make good come from evil. Nevertheless, these realities do not lead our Tradition to celebrate war, or the factors that lead people to wage war, which cannot but represent a total and tragic failure of human love and creativity.
With all of this in mind, when we honor our military chaplains, we are honoring those who immerse themselves into the brokenness of the world, taking responsibility for its tragedy and seeking to heal it in the name of God. When they do so, they are following the One who immersed himself in our condition, taking on our vulnerability all the way to death, in order to bring us salvation.
“How can we draw bigger crowds to Ed Day and other campus events?”
Good question. Although many of our venues for the day were packed, we noticed a lesser presence than usual of OCA parishes and local clergy. In the weeks to come, we'll be conducting an informal survey of our local parishes in order to help us to plan events, and to bring more people onto our campus. If you are a parish rector or diocesan hierarch and would like your parish(es) to be included in this survey, please contact Matushka Robin Freeman, Annual Gifts Officer, via email (robin@svots.edu).
Listen to the wonderful "Ed Day" presentations by keynote Fr. Philip LeMasters here and workshop leader Dr. Steven Muse here.
See a gallery of photos of Orthodox Education Day 2011 by Kim Piotrowski here.
Read more faculty essays in the "Voices" section of our Website here.
The Very Rev. John Jillions, an alumnus of our seminary, has accepted the position of Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), according to Archpriest Eric G. Tosi, secretary of the OCA. Father John was confirmed in his new position by the Holy Synod of Bishops at their fall session, upon the recommendation of the Metropolitan Council. As Chancellor, in accordance with the seminary statutes, Fr. John will become an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees of St. Vladimir's Seminary.
Father John, who earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from St. Vladimir’s Seminary in 2005 and a Master of Divinity degree in 1980, also holds a Ph.D. in Theology (New Testament) from Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece. Just prior to his appointment as Chancellor, he was an associate professor in the Faculty of Theology at the Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies at St. Paul University, Ottawa, Canada. In addition to his scholarly and academic pursuits, he has had over 20 years of experience as a pastor in parish settings, and he has served as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.
You may read Fr. John’s fuller biography on the OCA Website here; the story includes a link to Fr. John's introductory letter to the Search Committee, which outlines his priorities as the new Chancellor.
