In July of 2012, The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS), received a letter from T. Alan Russell, Chairman of the Board for the Liberty Fund of Indianapolis, IN, informing him that Liberty's Board of Trustees had selected St. Vladimir's for a Book Placement. This award allowed SVOTS to select any of the books from the Liberty Fund's catalog, facilitating a sizable donation to the Father Georges Florovsky Library at the Seminary.

"I met Alan Russell at the Hogar Rafael Ayau Orphanage in Guatemala during the Seminary's June missions trip," explained Fr. Chad. "We had several discussions about the developing missiological emphasis here at SVOTS, and he resonated with my statement that 'Christian mission today should be entrepreneurial in nature'. From that conversation forward, he became an advocate to expand our library collection with Liberty Fund publications."

According to the Liberty Fund website, the Fund was "established to encourage the study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals...(and) to foster thought and encourage discourse on enduring issues pertaining to liberty." Librarian Eleana Silk explained that the twenty–six boxes of books given to the Florovsky Library from the Book Placement cover both ancient political philosophy and American historical topics, such as the Constitution of the United States, and the collected works of several American presidents. "These works give us an expanded offering of philosophers and economics that are most welcome," noted Chancellor Hatfield. 

In his letter of acknowledgement to the Liberty Fund, Fr. Chad wrote:

Dear Alan and Friends at the Liberty Fund,

Greetings from St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary! The Liberty Fund Collection has safely arrived at our library and I want to thank you all for your efforts and confidence in bringing this splendid collection into the sphere of our Orthodox seminarians. They will be much used and are much appreciated!

Wishing you and your families a most blessed American Thanksgiving.

Sincerely

Archpriest Chad Hatfield,
Chancellor/CEO 

The Father Georges Florovsky Library, now holding over 180,000 volumes and in receipt of over 330 periodicals each year, is considered one of the richest resources available in the North American continent for research in Eastern Christianity. "Not only do we accept donations of books in good physical condition with appropriate subject matter," said Ms. Silk, "but we also act as a clearing house for Orthodox books nationwide. Titles we can't use, we send to other places, either to seminaries like St. Tikhon's, St. Herman, and St. Nersess, or to other organizations in need of good books."

On Saturday, November 10, a group of students, staff and spouses from St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) responded to a call from the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) for volunteers, in order to bring relief to those affected by Hurricane Sandy on Staten Island, one of the areas hardest hit by the storm. In a sign of the physical labor which awaited them, volunteers were asked to bring rubber boots, gloves, shovels, and masks to the job site, along with the virtues of patience and compassion.

Early in the morning, a group from St. Vladimir's set out in order to meet at 9 a.m. at the sponsoring parish, Holy Trinity/St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Staten Island. All the gathered volunteers then spread out for the busy day, where they engaged in a variety of clean up tasks which included sorting donations in the parish hall, creating care packages of food and/or clothing, delivering food and clothes to homes, collection centers and recovery centers, and cleaning up outside and inside homes.

The St. Vladimir's delegation was despatched to a local neighborhood, where they donned their protective masks and went to work, spending the subsequent hours ripping out drywall and insulation, breaking down walls, and hauling away trash.

For those who couldn't come, SVOTS students set up a collection center in the Lakeside Apartments to gather needed items for distribution. During the preceding week, people in the community stopped by to donate diapers, wipes, baby toys, dry goods and canned foods in a green container designated for the purpose. Others also organized a babysitting to enable parents to freely participate in the work day. 

Read about the IOCC's ongoing Sandy relief effort.

On a sunny autumn Saturday, students and staff at St. Vladimir's Seminary participated in a campus clean–up event, sponsored by the student–run Ecology Group. Open to anyone on campus who wanted to pitch in, the environmental effort was focused on the shores and water of Crestwood Lake, where debris had accumulated prior to Hurricane Sandy. While the lake affords the seminary's community with scenic views, and is home to local geese, ducks, and other water fowl, the area around the water's edge is heavily populated, and trash had blown across the lake, landing on the seminary's shoreline. The entire area was in desperate need of rehabilitation.

Third–year student and Ecology Group President Jesse Brandow organized the day, which commenced in chapel at 9:00 in the morning with the "Molieben Before Beginning Any Good Work," served by The Very Rev. Dr. Alexander Rentel, chief Chapel Ecclesiarch. Over a dozen students then grabbed buckets, boots, and other assorted tools, and went to work. They were joined by some of the community's children who assisted their parents in the effort, as well as The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO, and erstwhile environmentalist and farmer. 

"We worked until around 12:30 p.m.," noted Brandow. "The ground was covered in trash, and the water was full of it too. There was so much debris that we weren't able to clean the whole shoreline, but we made a lot of great progress and thoroughly cleaned the most visible area. We found mainly lots of bottles, plastic bags, balls, and some odd things like an animal skull, and a whole bunch of whole coconuts!"

The group finished off the event by enjoying homemade apple cobbler and apple cider, provided by a member of the Ecology Group.

Afterwards, Brandow reflected that "it was great to begin the morning in the chapel because it helped me to see our efforts in the right light. Even something as small and uninspiring as cleaning up a mess is part of God's continual renewal of creation. We could all smell the stench of rotting trash, an odor that could  make a skunk blush. But as we worked through the trash together, I could also sense the fragrance of friendship and joy among us, the fragrance that burns in this world whenever we come together in Christ's name."

St. Vladimir's Alumnus The Very Rev. Aaron Archer ('97) fell asleep in the Lord on Thursday morning, November 15, 2012. Funeral services and the Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at Holy Transfiguration Church, Pearl River, NY, on Sunday evening and Monday morning, November 18 and 19. Visitation will begin at 4:00 p.m., Sunday, November 18; the Burial Service for a Priest will begin at 6:00 p.m. His Grace The Rt. Rev. Michael, bishop of New York and New York and New Jersey, will preside at the Divine Liturgy, Monday, November 19, at 9:30 a.m.

Born in Decatur, AL on December 23, 1943, Father Aaron was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood by His Eminence The Most Rev. Dmitri (Royster) in May 1995 and June 1996 respectively. Father Aaron graduated with his Master of Divinity from St. Vladimir's in 1997 and went on to serve in many parishes of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, including St. John the Baptist Church, Spring Valley, NY, and St. Ireney Chapel at Saints Cosmas and Damian Adult Home, Staten Island, NY. In July 2001, he was attached to Three Hierarchs Chapel at St. Vladimir's Seminary while pursuing theological studies. 

The 40th March for Life, an annual event in the nation's capital marking the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, is scheduled for January 25, 2013. Accordingly, the St. Ambrose Society, St. Vladimir's Seminary's Pro Life group, has reserved a 47–passenger bus with restroom facilities, which will leave from the SVOTS campus at about 5 a.m. on January 25, to travel to Washington D.C. for the March; the bus will return at about midnight. The rally in Washington D.C. will begin at noon at the National Mall, with the March immediately following the rally.

About 30 people have already signed up for a seat on the bus, but slots are still available to students, faculty, or those from the community. Seating is limited, and is available on a first–come, first–served basis; those interested may contact Dn. Andre Paez at apaez@svots.edu. Noted Seminarian Dn. Andre: "Help us spread the word to members of our local communities, so that we can have a full delegation on the bus!"

Reserve a seat on the bus. Bus fare is free, but contributions may be made to "St. Vladimir's Seminary" by check, with a memo line "St. Ambrose March for Life 2013," and sent to: Mat. Robin Freeman, St. Vladimir's Seminary, 575 Scarsdale Rd., Yonkers, NY 10707.

• Learn more about the March for Life.
• Read Seminarian Dn. David Wooten's report about SVOTS's presence at the 2012 March.
• Download a flier about this event, and other Upcoming Events at SVOTS

His Eminence The Most Rev. Tikhon, archbishop of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, was elected Primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) during the 17th All-American Council of the OCA at Holy Trinity Church, Parma, OH, on Tuesday, November 13, 2012. According to the statutes of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS), and under the laws of the State of New York, by virtue of his election Metropolitan Tikhon also becomes the president of the Seminary and chair of the Board of Trustees.

As reported by Oca.org; "Six hundred and sixty–three hierarchs, clergy and lay delegates, and observers representing OCA parishes across the U.S., Canada, and Alaska participated in the Council. Five hundred and ninety were eligible to vote. No single candidate received the required two-thirds margin on the first ballot. On the second ballot [which by OCA statute allows for two votes per delegate for candidates] His Eminence Tikhon, archbishop of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, and His Grace Michael, bishop of New York and New York and New Jersey, received 317 and 355 votes, respectively. The members of the Holy Synod retired into the altar where they elected Archbishop Tikhon."

Ancient Faith Radio posted timely podcasts of the events of the Council, beginning with Vespers on November 12, and including all the key addresses and proceedings of the gathering the next day.

His Beatitude The Most Blessed Tikhon will preside over the next meeting of the Board of Trustees at St. Vladimir's Seminary. "With deep and sincere prayers for many years," noted The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO, "I look forward to working closely with Metropolitan Tikhon as he assumes his role as the president of St. Vladimir's Seminary's Board."

Added The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, dean of the Seminary, "We are delighted with the election of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, and we look forward to serving him in any way we can."

Read the new Metropolitan's biography

View the photo gallery, "Frankenstorm Sandy"

The seminary community began a slow recovery from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, as lights and heat were finally restored, and as work, class, and chapel schedules normalized. There was a "reverse exodus" of students and families, as they returned to their dwellings. Staff resumed work on Monday, November 6. Three Hierarchs Chapel Ecclesiarch The Rev. Dr. Alexander Rentel announced that the full cycle of services would commence on Saturday, November 10, with Great Vespers at 6:30 p.m. Regularly scheduled classes resumed on Monday, November 12. The reanimation of campus life followed two weeks of dark, cold nights, and scrambling for resources, as the seminary community pulled together to cope with what has been termed as "Frankenstorm Sandy."

On Monday evening, October 29, Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the east coast. Sustained winds of 70-90 miles per hour, rain, and a devastating storm surge left millions of Americans without power, including the community of faculty, staff, and students at St. Vladimir's Seminary.

Although the campus suffered only minor damage—two downed trees on the property—some residents went without electricity and heat until Monday evening, November 5, when Con Edison of New York restored power in the final section of campus remaining in the dark, the north end. During the weeks without power, The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO, encouraged community members to travel off campus to stay with friends or family members, since dropping temperatures and perishing food sources made life difficult, particularly for families with small children. Classes were initially cancelled for the week of October 29-November 2, and then were cancelled again for the following week of November 5-9, as the extent of the disruption due to Sandy's effects became more apparent.

In this second week post-Sandy, on Wednesday, November 7, Nor'easter Athena arrived on the battered east coast. The Seminary community again was battered with more high winds, coastal flooding, and snow, while still recovering from Hurricane Sandy.

Throughout the challenging two weeks of difficult weather, the St. Vladimir's community found ways to cope and help one another. On Thursday, November 1, several barbecue chefs fired up the grill behind the Germack building so that people could cook and share their defrosted meat. After the meal, the front campus lawn because the site of a spirited soccer game, with players steering clear of a huge downed tree with exposed roots lying across the field.

In the meantime, the neighboring parish of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in New Rochelle, with the blessing and encouragement of the priest, The Very Rev. Nicholas Anctil, made their extensive facilities available to St. Vladimir's families. People could use the parish's hot–water showers, go online via the parish's Internet service, and access the warmth and light available at Holy Trinity during the evening hours. Mother Raphaela of Holy Myrrhbearer's Monastery in Otego, New York, also offered shelter and hospitality to families in need of a place to weather the storm's aftermath.

Alumni offered support and encouragement as well. Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, director of Admissions and Alumni Relations, wrote to alumni: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the alumni who have written to offer their support and prayers for our students, faculty, and staff. I would like to make special mention of St. Joseph Church (OCA) in Wheaton, Illinois, who took a collection this past Sunday for our seminarians and raised over one thousand dollars which will be used to provide a festive community dinner this week. Thanks also to The Very Rev. Alexis Vinogradov, rector of St. Gregory the Theologian Orthodox Church in Wappingers Falls, NY, who provided the seminary a generator so that food and other goods in the Germack kitchen would not spoil."

His Eminence The Most Rev. Nathaniel, archbishop of Detroit and the Romanian Episcopate and locum tenens of the Metropolitan See of the Orthodox Church in America, wrote words of encouragement: "In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, I am writing to thank and encourage you and your families for your service and sacrifices for Christ and the Church. I understand that most of you are without power and heat, that phone and Internet connections are only intermittent, and that this may continue for days to come. Many of you have children to care for in these trying circumstances....This is a trial, but also a rare opportunity for you to help, comfort and encourage each other. No doubt it will give you many occasions to bear one another's burdens and be forbearing and good humored." 

Read the full text of the letter from Archbishop Nathaniel.

The Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) and the Orthodox Church in America's (OCA) Department of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministry, are co–sponsoring a free and public forum on Tuesday, November 27, 2012, titled "Campus Ministry Night." The evening will feature presentations by OCF Executive Director Jennifer Nahas; The Rev. John Diamantis, regional OCF chaplain for New York and New Jersey; and the Chair of the Department of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministry, Andrew Boyd. Presenters will focus on practical skills and useable resources needed for campus and young adult ministry. The forum will be held in the Bashir Auditorium on the campus of St. Vladimir's Seminary.

Schedule 

• 7:00–7:30:  Jennifer Nahas speaks generally about OCF on the national level and its history and programs
• 7:30–8:00:  Fr. John Diamantis shares his extensive on–campus experience, and "do's and dont's" of starting an OCF
• 8:00–8:30:  Andrew Boyd speak on OCA specific resources, and offers strategies for parish-based campus outreach
• 8:30  Questions and discussion, with Compline in the seminary chapel following

For more information, contact Andrew Boyd: aboyd@oca.org.

Download, save, and print a PDF or JPG of this event and other "Upcoming Events" at SVOTS: here

View travel directions to St. Vladimir's Seminary

Visit the Arvo Pärt Project website

Beginning January 15, 2013, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary will offer an extension course for the public: “The Music and Faith of Arvo Pärt,” taught by Peter C. Bouteneff, associate professor of Systematic Theology. Arvo Pärt, whose works rank him as the 3rd-most performed living composer globally, is an Orthodox Christian of Estonian nationality, and the course will combine the study of music with the spirituality and teachings of the Orthodox Christian faith.

“Arvo Pärt draws on his Orthodox Christian roots to compose music that seizes people of all faiths and of none,” observed Dr. Bouteneff. “Through an in-depth study of his music and the sources that directly influence it, this course seeks to deepen appreciation of Pärt’s oeuvre as well as give insight into seminal questions about Orthodox tradition and contemporary culture.”

The course is part of the seminary’s Arvo Pärt Project, an extensive collaboration between the school and the composer that focuses on discerning the Orthodox Christian underpinnings of his work. In his classroom, Dr. Bouteneff will be drawing on two decades of personal study of Pärt’s compositions and his recent intimate conversations with the composer himself.

“This ten-week journey will uncover the composer’s personal history, his musical influences, and his compositions,” continued Dr. Bouteneff. “His works will be studied in terms of his signature technique of tintinnabuli, a system that Pärt himself describes in terms of “suffering and consolation, sins and their forgiveness, the human voice and the divine.” 

Arvo Pärt’s body of work has resulted in hundreds of CDs, set the mood for major motion pictures, and filled concert halls across the globe. Even non-believing listeners revere his unique compositions, sensing their innate transcendence. Though spiritually rooted in the Orthodox Christian tradition, Pärt’s creations have a universal reach, as music critic Arthur Lubow noted: “His compositions resonate profoundly for the unconverted as well as the faithful” (The New York Times).

The one-credit course, formally titled Liturgical Music 360, will meet on Tuesday evenings (7:30 p.m.–8:45 p.m.), beginning January 15, 2013, and it will run for ten sessions. Students have the option of taking the course for credit ($438) or audit ($219).

All non-degree students (i.e., individuals not currently enrolled at St. Vladimir’s) interested in taking the course are asked to contact Pdn. Joseph Matusiak, director of Admissions and Alumni Relations, via email: jmatusiak@svots.edu; or telephone: 914-961-8313 x328.

The general public will have the option of registering for the course until a January 22, 2013 deadline. Currently enrolled students at SVOTS must follow normal seminary procedures and deadlines when registering.

Listen to Dr. Bouteneff's recent podcast about the Arvo Pärt Project and its relationship to the Music Program at SVOTS on Ancient Faith Radio.

Download a PDF of this course and other public offerings at SVOTS: here

Download a JPG of this course and other public offerings at SVOTS: here

Nashotah House Theological Seminary recently hosted His Eminence, The Most Rev. Hilarion (Alfeyev), metropolitan of Volokolamsk and chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, and The Very Rev. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, for a weekend that witnessed to the relationship between the Episcopal and Orthodox communions—past and present, and nationally and internationally. The schedule of activities highlighted especially the common commitment of participants to traditionalism and conservatism within their respective faith traditions.

On Thursday, October 25, Metropolitan Hilarion met with Nashotah House’s Dean and President, The Right Rev. Edward K. Salmon, Jr. Interestingly, Bishop Edward is one of the three bishops of the Episcopal Church in the USA to whom the former Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad (now His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia), once sent a letter of support; the letter emphasized the willingness of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church to contact and cooperate with members of the Episcopal Church in the USA who were remaining faithful to the Church's traditional moral teaching.

His Eminence and Fr. Chad also met with representatives of a dialogue with the Anglican Church in North America. The church body's website reported that "Metropolitan Hilarion presented a substantial paper summarizing the history of Orthodox/Anglican dialogue. At the end, he stated three areas for ecumenical discussion, the theological, the ecclesiological, and moral theology. Most significantly his Eminence expressed his desire to route ecumenical dialogue with North American Anglicanism through the Anglican Church in North America."

In the evening of October 25, Nashotah House and St. Vladimir's Seminary Press (SVS Press) co-sponsored a book signing by Metropolitan Hilarion, featuring his newly released Orthodox Christianity, Volume II: Doctrine and Teaching of the Orthodox Church. In his first volume, Orthodox Christianity, Volume I: The History and Canonical Structure of the Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion explored the Church's milestones through time. In his newly released volume, he examines the sources of Orthodox doctrine in Scripture and tradition, and then discusses the Church's teaching on several topics: God’s essence and energies; the world and man; Jesus Christ, the incarnate God; the Church as the body of Christ; the Theotokos (Virgin Mary); and eschatology (the last things).

That same evening, Nashotah alumnus Fr. Chad Hatfield preached in the Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin on the Feast of St. James of Jerusalem. It was “homecoming week” for Father Chad, who spoke in the same chapel he had frequented as a seminarian, years earlier. Fr. Chad has received three degrees from Nashotah House—Master of Divinity (1978), Master of Sacred Theology (1988), and Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa (2008).

Academic Convocation, at which he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree. In his address Metropolitan Hilarion emphasized the mission of theological schools.

"Theological schools have a special duty to preserve and further the church tradition and to educate the younger generation in a spirit of faithfulness to the teaching of Christ and the apostles,” he said. “In the era when moral principles of society have been shaken under the influence of secular and liberal ideology, Christian conservatism and traditionalism are especially needed. “Under the circumstances, the responsibilities of theological seminaries increase greatly,” he continued. “I have accepted the invitation to deliver a lecture at Nashotah House with great pleasure, bearing in mind that the seminary has always played a remarkable part in educating young people in the best traditions of Anglo-Catholicism, and that it has a special status in the structure of the Episcopal Church and shows particular interest in Orthodoxy.”

In keeping with the Convocation's theme, "J.S. Bach as Religious Phenomenon," Metropolitan Hilarion also spoke about the great composer's legacy, and his faithfulness to Christian themes in his music. Bach believed "his music to be a single voice within the great choir of the universal Church, the one which transcends doctrinal boundaries," noted His Eminence.

Afterwards, Father Chad reflected, "This was the first honorary degree awarded to a Russian Orthodox bishop by Nashotah House since St. Tikhon was honored thusly, in 1905.”

Continuing in the spirit of mutual respect and ongoing dialogue, Metropolitan Hilarion suggested a joint pilgrimage to Russia with seminarians from both Nashotah House and St. Vladimir's Seminary. St. Vladimir’s Seminary and Nashotah House signed a Concordat in 2009, pledging to a "mutual fellowship of prayer and learning in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit." Inspiration for that Concordat arose out of a conference hosted at St. Vladimir’s in 2008, titled “The Primacy of Mother Churches: Rome, Constantinople, and Canterbury.”

• Read about the dialogue with the Anglican Church in North America
• Read the Russian Orthodox Church's news release about Metropolitan Hilarion's visit to Nashotah
• View a photo gallery of the weekend