Stressing a team approach that integrates the medical, psychological, and spiritual needs of a suffering patient, Drs. Daniel and Jane Hinshaw, both medical doctors and both Orthodox Christians, presented a seminar titled "Spiritual Issues in Suffering and Palliative Care" on our campus October 21st. The Hinshaws' seminar comprised part of the special "Pastoral Workshop," which is offered once per semester on our campus to students enrolled in the Master of Divinity program, and which is overseen by Dr. Albert C. Rossi, adjunct professor of Pastoral Theology at the seminary. Because of the Hinshaws' medical expertise and the broad interest in their topic, their seminar was offered free to the public, and more than 50 students and guests, mostly neighboring hospital chaplains, attended.

During the seminar the Hinshaws explored the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions of pain and offered ways to relieve the symptoms that cause human suffering, sharing many case studies as examples. The Hinshaws particularly emphasized how clergy and hospital chaplains can participate in palliative care (pain relief), and how they can effectively dialogue with care providers.

Dr. Daniel B. Hinshaw is Professor of Surgery at the University of Michigan Health System, in the Section of General Surgery based full time at the Ann Arbor Veterans Administration Medical Center. Dr. Hinshaw completed a fellowship in Palliative Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic in June of 2001, during a sabbatical. His clinical research interests are focused on care at the end-of-life and the use of complementary medicine in the relief of pain.

Dr. Jane (Carnahan) Hinshaw is a Clinical Instructor of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Health System, and Staff Psychiatrist at the Mental Health Clinic at Ann Arbor Veterans Administration Medical Center. Her area of special interest involves psychiatric issues in palliative care.

Drs. Daniel and Jane Hinshaw have committed their lives to studying and offering palliative and hospice care not only in the United States, but also in Romania, Serbia, Uganda, and in Ethiopia. (Listen to their recent experience during a medical mission to Ethiopia here, on Orthodox Christian Network radio.)

Read the Hinshaws article, "A Christian Ending to Our Lives," in St. Vladimir's Seminary Quarterly, Volume 1, 2000. Order your Quarterly here.

Our seminary will have a substantial presence at the 16th All-American Council (AAC) of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), which will be held October 31 through November 4, 2011, in the Seattle/Bellevue metro area of Washington state. Notably, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, our Chancellor (CEO), will put forth a resolution in support of theological education at the AAC, which has been approved by our Board of Trustees. (Read the resolution here.)

Two of our faculty members, Archpriest Alexander Rentel, assistant professor of Canon Law, and Dr. David Wagschal, assistant professor of Church History and Canon Law, are serving on the Resolutions Committee for the council. Fr. Alexander also is the Vice Chairperson for the OCA Commission on Canons and Statutes.

Additionally, besides the participation of our delegation of eight, with accompanying students, staff, and faculty who serve in various capacities in the OCA and at the seminary, our school will offer some extra opportunities for participants at the council. We have scheduled a gathering for St. Vladimir's Seminary alumni on Tuesday evening, November 1. Our SVS Press & Bookstore, to be located in POD B in the vendor hall, will be offering daily discounts to all buyers, as well as special discounts to alumni; also, some of our SVS Press authors will be available for book signings, at venues to be announced. We ask participants to review the council schedule once they arrive at the AAC, in order to find our special activities.

Faculty, Staff, and Students planning to travel to the AAC from St. Vladimir's are:
 

• Clergy Chapel Delegates: Archpriest John Behr, Dean; Archpriest Alexander Rentel, Chapel Ecclesiarch
• Lay Chapel Delegates: Dr. Albert Rossi, Adjunct Professor of Pastoral Theology; Hierodeacon Herman (Majkrzak), Lecturer in Liturgical Music
• Clergy Seminary Delegates: Archpriest Chad Hatfield, Chancellor (CEO); Priest David Mezynski, Associate Dean for Student Affairs
• Lay Seminary Delegates: Theodore Bazil, Associate Chancellor for Advancement; Dr. David Wagshal, Assistant Professor of Church History and Canon Law
• SVS Press and Bookstore: Priest Benedict Churchill, Director of SVS Press; Deacon Gregory Hatrak, Marketing Manager, SVS Press & Bookstore
• Seminarians Sponsored by the Seminary: Deacon David Bozeman; Deacon Timothy Yates
• Director of Alumni Relations and Recruitment: Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak 
• Metropolitan Council Members: Eleana Silk, Librarian; Dr. Paul Meyendorff, The Fr. Alexander Schmemann Professor of Liturgical Theology
• OCA Treasurer: Melanie Ringa, Associate Chancellor for Finance
• Board of Trustees Attending: Pdn. Peter Danilchick, Anne van den Berg; and former Trustees Dn. John Zarras and Alexander Popoff, Jr.
• Other Seminarians Attending: Igumen Gerasim (Eliel); Kevin Basil Fritts; and Fr. Kilian (Sprecher), as rector of St. Gregory Palamas Church, Glen Gardner, New Jersey

The spiritual journeys taken by members of our campus community wind along varied roads, one of which is the monastic path. Recently, Hierodeacon Philip (Majkrzak), our Chapel Music Director, deepened his vocation as a monk, by being initiated into the rank of stavrophore, or "Cross-Bearer," which comes with the bestowal of his new name, "Herman." Father Herman came to our community as a student in the Th.M. degree program in 2009, at which time he assisted in our music program; he was appointed Chapel Director in 2010 and continues his studies.
Father Herman's new rank, also known as the "Lesser Schema," marks the point at which a monk makes formal vows of stability of place, chastity, obedience, and poverty; it is reached when the abbot of the monastery to which the monk belongs feels that the monk has reached an appropriate level of discipline, dedication, and humility. At the time of his initiation, the monk receives (in addition to his previous garments of cassock and headdress, or klobuk) a black embroidered cloth (paraman) symbolizing the yoke of Christ, which he wears under the cassock over his back and heart; a mandya, a cape-like garment symbolizing remembrance of death; a wooden hand cross, symbolizing the sacrifice involved in following Christ; and a beeswax candle, symbolizing spiritual alertness and vigilance.
Father Herman was tonsured by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, primate of the Orthodox Church in America, and abbot of the Holy Trinity Brotherhood, to which Fr. Herman belongs. Within our student body, we now have four monastics: Abbot Gerasim, Hieromonk Kilian, Hierodeacon Herman, and Monk James.

Read more about Fr. Herman's background here.

Come and bargain hunt at our Huge, Giant, Multi-Family Tag Sale on Saturday, October 15, from 9 a.m. to noon. We will be selling everything from household items to sports items to furniture and clothing. Proceeds from the sale, which will be held in the Kunett Auditorium (basement) under Three Hierarchs Chapel, will benefit children's activities on campus, including our children's choir.

Please stop by and search for your "treasure" amid the multitude of goods that we will be selling. Or, simply come to browse and buy a cup of coffee to benefit our campus kids.

Listen to our Children's Choir here. Buy something at our sale to help support their work and other children's activities on campus!

Do you want to donate items? Contact Katie Bozeman.

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O Lady, Most Pure, grant peace and health to Thy servants,

all the Orthodox Christians, enighten their minds and direct their spiritual vision toward salvation.

—Molieben to the "Holy Myrrh-streaming Hawaiian-Iveron Icon" 

istian jurisdictions throughout the United States. It was brought to our seminary by its original owner and guardian, Reader Nektarios, of Our Lady of Iveron Church in Honolulu, Hawaii, a parish in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR).

This morning, our chapel clergy, led by Chapel Rector and Dean Archpriest John Behr, celebrated a Molieben written to honor the icon. Pilgrims—among them many children—eager to witness the grace streaming from the image of the Virgin Mary and Child, venerated the icon throughout the morning.

The icon, a small paper replica of the Montreal Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, was given to Reader Nektarios by his parish priest in the summer of 2007; it began streaming fragrant myrrh in October 2007. After Reader Nektarios notified his parish priest of the myrrh-streaming, the icon was brought to Our Lady of Iveron Church and was completely wiped dry. A service of intercession was held before the icon, and, by the end of the service, the icon was again streaming myrrh, and the church was filled with the fragrance of roses. In June 2008, the "Holy Myrrh-streaming Hawaiian-Iveron Icon" was officially recognized by His Eminence Kyrill, archbishop of San Francisco and Western America (ROCOR), as miraculous and genuine. Archbishop Kyrill for a time placed the icon in the Cathedral Church of San Francisco, but he later had the icon returned to its home in Hawaii. The icon and its bearer have been given the blessing to travel to various churches and monasteries of Orthodox Church.

"The icon has blessed thousands—tens of thousands—of people in all Orthodox jurisdictions," said Reader Nektarios, as he re-told the story of the icon in our campus chapel, following the Molieben. "It has visited more than 250 churches in the U.S. and Canada."

The full description of the icon and its history may be found on the Official website of the Eastern American and New York Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR): here.

A schedule for the East Coast travel of the icon may be found here.

"The Alumni Association of St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary is announcing the opening of elections to the Alumni Board," says our Director of Alumni Relations and Recruitment, Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak. "All SVOTS Alumni are encouraged to participate in the election of three new board members."

"The Alumni Board," expalins PDn. Joseph, "is made up of nine members, and reserves seats for the Serbian Orthodox Church, Antiochian Orthodox Church, Oriental Churches, Orthodox Church in America, and the Greek Orthodox Church, and for representation by women, with the remaining seats being 'at-large' members. This is an attempt to keep each group that comprises our alumni represented. 

"The Alumni Board has been without a representative from the Serbian Orthodox Church for two years," he continues. "This year we received only one nomination from the Serbian Orthodox Church, who is Fr. Christopher Rocknage. Therefore, because the 'Serbian' seat is open and there is no opposition, Fr. Christopher Rocknage is not part of this year's ballot but is therefore elected to the Alumni Board."

PDn. Joseph lists the other candidates for office as:
 

• Dena Fokas Moses (GOA)—SVOTS 2005; worked for Parliament of World Religions; The Algeron Sydney Sullivan Foundation; The Fund for Theological Education. Married with one child. Currently lives in Memphis, Tennessee.
• Patricia Schellbach (OCA)—SVOTS 1996; works for Cleveland City Schools as a School Psychologist, received Doctorate in Education in May 2011. Currently lives in Cleveland, Ohio with husband, Fr. Paul Schellbach. 
• Fr. Nathan Preston (OCA)—SVOTS 2007; Rector of St Nicholas Albanian Orthodox Church, Queens, New York. Currently lives in Queens, New York. 
• Kh. Stefanie Yazge (AOC)—SVOTS 1986; worked for Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Terre Haute, Indiana as Assistant Professor in Theology Department; Currently teaches part-time at Seton Hill University. Is a published author for the series "Encountering Women of Faith." Married to Fr. Anthony Yazge (SVOTS 1988). 
• Fr. John Stefero (OCA)—SVOTS 1969; worked as a US Air Force Chaplain. Currently retired living in Georgia with wife Denise.
• Fr. Angelo Artemas (GOA)—SVOTS 1989; Rector St. Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church, Glenview, Illinois. Currently lives in Glenview, Illinois.

To vote please click here.  Elections will close on Friday, October 21, at 5:00 p.m. EST.

View a list of our current Alumni Association Board members, including President Fr. David Barr, here.

We welcome prospective student to our campus from Wednesday, November 9th to Friday, November 11th. Our Fall 2011 Open House will provide those contemplating ministry or a deeper study of the Orthodox faith with first-hand experience of seminary life. Participants will attend classes, worship in the chapel, tour the campus and its resources, and meet faculty members and seminarians. Detailed information on the Seminary's various degree programs, financial aid, and admissions process also will be provided. Additionally, prospective students will have the pleasure of sharing our Annual Pre-Thanksgiving Day meal.

There is no cost to participants, other than their transportation costs. Prospective students may explore their transportation options on our Website. Participants needing help in navigating their way from the New York Metropolitan Airports or Railway/Bus Stations, however, may contact Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, Director of Alumni and Recruitment, at the Seminary's Recruitment Office: 914-961-8313, EXT 342 or email jmatusiak@svots.edu. Please also contact Pdn. Joseph to obtain more information, a schedule of activities, or an Open House registration form.

Saint Vladimir Seminary, a graduate school of theology, offers Master of Divinity, Master of Arts (Theological Studies), and Master of Theology degrees.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, and trustee of the Seminary, has been appointed to the prestigious position of Chairman of the Synodal Biblical and Theological Commission of the Russian Orthodox Church. This decision was made by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church during the first day of its winter session, October 5, 2011.

The Synodal Theological Commission was established by a decision of the Holy Synod on December 28, 1993; it was renamed the Synodal Biblical and Theological Commission in 2009. The Commission is a permanent working advisory and analytical body of the Holy Synod, responsible for the following tasks:

• to carry out instructions of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Holy Synod, and other church institutions in considering particular theological and doctrinal issues;
• to make theological analyses of topical problems in the life of the Russian Orthodox Church; and
• to coordinate the academic theological work carried out by Synodal departments, dioceses, and other church structures.

Metropolitan Hilarion has worked as member of the Commission since 1996. He holds academic degrees in theology and philosophy from several universities in Russia and other countries, including a Ph.D. from the University of Oxford and a Th.D. from St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris. He has authored more than 700 publications, including monographs on patristics, dogmatic theology, and church history, and has translated patristic works from Greek and Syrian. In 2005, Metropolitan Hilarion was awarded the St. Macarius Prize for his work The Holy Mystery of the Church. An Introduction to the History and Problems of Onomatodoxic Polemics. With St. Vladimir's Seminary Press he has published Christ the Conqueror of Hell: The Descent into Hades from an Orthodox Perspective, and Orthodox Christianity: The History and Canonical Structure of the Orthodox Church.

Our seminary community congratulates His Eminence on his new appointment and wishes him God's strength and wisdom.

Read the fuller story on the Website of the Moscow Patriarchate here.

The Father Georges Florovsky Library of St. Vladimir’s Seminary has been recently immensely enriched by a donation of books from alumnus Fr. John Leonard (M.Div. ‘72, M.Th. ‘73). The library, now holding over 145,000 volumes and receiving over 350 periodicals each year, is considered one the richest resources available in the North American continent for research in Eastern Christianity.

Eleana Silk, librarian at St. Vladimir’s, noted the exceptional value of the collection, saying, "We have been anticipating receiving this donation for many years now. One of the greatest values of the collection is that Fr. John collected materials from a different geographic perspective during his many years in the Holy Land. His donation will bring many books from Europe and the Middle East that are not normally found in a North American library."

Theodore C. Bazil, associate chancellor for Advancement, in his letter of acknowledgement to Fr. Leonard, wrote:

I want to express profound thanks to you for your recent and most wonderful gift of approximately 3,000 volumes of your personal library to St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. I know your nurtured collection represents over 50 years of carefully collected books that span a broad range of subjects. Your books are purposely eclectic and attest to your lifelong interest and reading in Eastern and Western theology, Christian art, literature, and biblical studies, as well as many other subjects. Over 900 titles alone comprise the Christian art and architecture section.

Your early life in the United States Foreign Service and later service as chaplain to the community of nuns in Nazareth for twenty-three years allowed you to add a rich component of books to our library on Islamic, Jewish, and biblical archeological studies. The collection attests to your mastery of languages. How many libraries can boast that they actually have a book in the Samaritan language?

Your donation is an extremely important resource that will benefit this generation and future generations of students, readers, and researchers. It brings great intellectual value to our library and buttresses the remarks of Dr. James Billington, Librarian of Congress, when speaking about our seminary library:  “[I] consider its contents to be perhaps the finest collection of eastern Christian literature in the western hemisphere (second only to the Library of Congress, of course). It is a resource which should be made available not only to Orthodox scholars but also to the general academic community.”

We are deeply grateful for this precious gift.

Browse our library collection here.

The famed vocal chamber ensemble Cappella Romana will sing the responses during Great Vespers and Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Archangels in our Three Hierarchs Chapel. We warmly welcome our friends and neighbors to celebrate with us and to hear the solemn beauty of this choral group, which travels throughout the world. Great Vespers will be celebrated at 5 p.m. on Monday, November 7; Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, November 8.

Founded in 1991, Cappella Romana’s name refers to the medieval Greek concept of the Roman oikoumene (inhabited world), which embraced Rome and Western Europe, as well as the Byzantine Empire of Constantinople ("New Rome") and its Slavic commonwealth. The chamber ensemble dedicated to combining passion with scholarship in its exploration of the musical traditions of the Christian East and West, with emphasis on early and contemporary music. The choir will be in residence on the seminary campus from November 5th–10th.

View a video of Cappella Romana on tour here.

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