The SVOTS Men’s Choir is adding to their repertoire as they visit parishes of various Orthodox Christian jurisdictions and worship with parishioners of wide-ranging ethnic backgrounds. Hierodeacon Philip (Majkrzak), chapel choir director at the seminary, recently led the choir on a trip to Pennsylvania, and several clips of them in concert are now on YouTube for your viewing, listening, and comment!

"Each choir trip is different," said Father-deacon Philip, "because I don't always have the same singers, and I try to accommodate whatever voices I am blessed to work with. On our recent trip, we sang some new arrangements of familiar music, such as Kievan Chant, and we also employed previously unknown pieces from the Znamenny and Byzantine repertoires."

On Saturday, January 15th, the choir sang Great Vespers at Christ the Saviour Church in Harrisburg, a parish of the Orthodox Church in America. They were warmly welcomed by the Rector, Fr. Stephen Vernak, and the Rector emeritus, Fr. Daniel Ressetar. 

The choir spent Sunday, January 16th at St. John Chrysostom Church in York, where SVOTS Trustee Dr. Nicholas Pandelidis, and his wife, Lisa, acted as hosts. In addition to chanting a Byzantine setting for the Divine Liturgy at this Antiochian parish, where Fr. Peter Pier is the pastor, the choir presented a concert at the church's Open House, drawing in many non-Orthodox visitors.

The next Men’s Choir trip will be to the Greek Orthodox Church of Our Saviour in Rye, New York on March 23rd, for the Presanctified Liturgy at 6:30 p.m. If you are in the Westchester County area, please come to worship during this lenten service and great our seminarians.

Listen to a recap about the extraordinary upcoming weekend with our guest Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, recently recorded on Ancient Faith Radio! 

Archpriest Chad Hatfield, our chancellor, and Nicholas Reeves, choir director at Holy Trinity Church in East Meadow, NY and producer of the New York City premiere of the St. Matthew Passion, composed by Metropolitan Hilarion speak about:

• 28th Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture, Saturday, February 5th, 3:30 p.m., St. Vladimir's Seminary
• Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and Book Signing, Sunday, February 6th, 10 a.m., St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral, 97th Street, New York City
• St. Matthew Passion, Monday, February 7th, 7:30 p.m., The Church of St. Paul the Apostle, 405 West 59th Street, New York City

“If you’re looking for a parish that reflects a strong commitment to creative outreach and growth, I’ve found a ‘model parish’ in Colorado Springs,” claims Archpriest Chad Hatfield, our chancellor.

He is speaking of Ss. Constantine and Helen, Holy Theophany Orthodox Church, a vibrant community shepherded by Archpriest Anthony Karbo, under the auspices of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). Fr. Chad immersed himself in the community over the weekend of January 7th–9th, meeting with its large Youth Group, preaching on Sunday morning, visiting with several potential seminarians, and enthusiastically participating in the “Great Outdoor Water Blessing” at the Continental Divide in Monarch Pass.

Most notably, Fr. Chad and the parish’s pastor discussed effective ways to evangelize and to plant Orthodox Christian missions in North America. The Colorado Springs parish has an award-winning coffee shop and bookstore, “Hagia Sophia,” which has introduced dozens of inquirers to the Orthodox Church through specifically Orthodox Christian books and also “classic Christian” works—“An idea,” says Fr. Chad, “that deserves further exploration.”

“Fr. Anthony and I are both keen to see an expanded summer internship developed to expose seminarians to effective ways of evangelizing and planting Orthodox Christian missions,” notes Fr. Chad. “We are taking missiology seriously at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, and I am thankful for Fr. Anthony’s coaching and encouragement on this trip.”

In the spirit of a true missionary, Fr. Chad braved –10° temperatures at the Continental Divide, 13,000 feet above sea level, in order to participate in the blessing of water, associated with the recent Feast of Epiphany. In this instance, the blessing was highly unusual but fitting for the circumstances: ice crosses adorned the outdoor snow crystal altar and the “water” was in the form of snow.

Serving with Fr. Chad and Fr. Anthony at the blessing were Fr. Barnabas Powell (SVOTS Alum ’05) and Fr. John Bethancourt, the father of another SVOTS alumnus, Fr. Daniel Bethancourt.  Following a “time to thaw” over lunch in Salida, Colorado, Fr. Chad was able to make a short visit to Holy Protection Monastery in Lake George, greeting the sisterhood there and Mother Cassiana, the abbess.

Off-Campus Event • Deborah (Malacky) Belonick

In the tradition of the traveling "St. Vladimir's Seminary Octet," which began in 1962, our current "St. Vladimir's Seminary Men's Choir" will take to the road this weekend and visit two parishes in Pennsylvania. The group will be  conducted by Hierodeacon Philip Majkrzak, our Chapel Choir Director, and accompanied by our Chancellor, Archpriest Chad Hatifeld.

On Saturday, January 15 at 6 p.m., the choir will sing Vespers at Christ the Saviour Church (OCA) in Harrisburg. On Sunday, January 16 at 10 a.m., they will sing the Divine Liturgy at St. John Chrysostom Antiochian Orthodox Church in York; they also will present a free concert in the York church at 2 p.m., as part of the parish's Open House.

Books and materials from SVS Press will be available for sale at both venues.

by Deborah (Malacky) Belonick

As we approach the New Year, our seminary community remembers our alumni/ae and trustees who have departed this life in 2010. Memory Eternal!

Most recently, Protojerej-Stavrofor Milan Savich, 90, fell asleep in the Lord on November 27, 2010 in Chicago. He was preceded in death by his devoted wife of 51 years, Protinica Constance (nee Vuckovich) in 2004. He was the loving father of Mileva (also a SVOTS alum), Jovan, Marya, Natalie, and George.

Father Milan was born in Arilje, Serbia to Slavko and Mileva (Ocokoljic) Savich. His mother Mileva was the sister of His Grace Bishop Firmilian (Ocokoljic) of Blessed Memory. Fr. Milan obtained his early education in Arilje, Belgrade, and Kraljevo.

He received his initial theological education at the Serbian Orthodox Seminary in Bitolj, where he was sent by his diocesan bishop, Bishop Nikolaj (Velimirovic), who later was canonized a saint. The Bitolj Seminary was a magnificent center of Orthodox learning at that time. In addition to St. Nikolaj and many other scholars, among the teachers there were then Archimandrite and now St. John (Maksimovic); then Archimandrite and now St. Justin (Popovic); then Hieromonk Vasilije (Kostic), later Bishop Vasilije of Zica; then lay theologian Jovan Velimirovic, later Bishop Jovan of Sabac and Valjevo.

In 1948, Fr. Milan won a scholarship to study at Dorchester College, near Oxford, England. In 1950, he came to the United States, where he completed his education at St. Vladimir’s Seminary and Columbia University in New York.

Also departed to be with the Lord in 2010, were:

Resa Ellison, choir director at St. Mary Cathedral, Minneapolis, MN, +January 3, 2010. 

Archpriest Milorad Milosevich, retired rector of St. Luke Church, McLean, VA, +June 22, 2010.

His Eminence Christopher [Kovacevich], metropolitan of the Midwestern American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the United States and Canada, +August 18, 2010

His Grace Tikhon (Stepanov), bishop of Archangelsk and Kholmogory, Russia, +October 19, 2010. 

We also remember His Grace Boris (Geeza), bishop of Chicago and Midwest, on the tenth-year anniversary of his death, December 30, 2000.

On the Feast of St. Herman of Alaska, the seminary community joined in celebrating a memorial service for Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, the prominent 20th-century Orthodox churchman and theologian who served as Dean of St. Vladimir's from 1962 until his death on December 13, 1983. Our current Dean, Archpriest John Behr, served the panikhida for Fr. Alexander's repose, and presented the following homily that wonderfully encapsulated his earthly ministry:

Today we celebrated the memory of St. Herman of Alaska, the one who brought Orthodoxy to these lands. Now, this evening we will serve a panikhida for Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, who more than almost anyone else in the past century helped shaped Orthodoxy in America. Today, in a very particular way, as the weather turns colder and life around us begins to die, with these two figures—St. Herman and Fr. Alexander—we celebrate our own “Winter Pascha," knowing that through their work Orthodoxy will continue to flourish in these lands.

Father Alexander came to St. Vladimir's Seminary in 1951, and when the Seminary moved to Crestwood in 1962, he was appointed Dean, in which role he served for twenty-one years until his death in 1983. There is probably no figure as identified with our Seminary as Fr. Alexander. During his time as Dean he worked tirelessly, taking up three specific challenges:

• First, that of secularism and modernity; he insisted that Christianity never become a "mere religion," commoditized on the marketplace of American consumerism. Although we are now in a post-secular and a post-modern culture, his words are still as applicable as ever.
• Second, he emphasized that Orthodoxy must find its indigenous expression here in the new world, become an American Orthodoxy, with full canonical regularity. And again, his message here is as timely as ever.
• And third, of course, he revived the liturgical practice and experience of the Church, trying to communicate to others the joy and taste of the Kingdom that is given in the liturgical celebration of the Church. This message is not simply still relevant—it is eternally relevant.

A few weeks ago, as we celebrated the holiday of Thanksgiving, which was the day he served his last liturgy, we read the sermon that he gave that year, which begins with the words: “Everyone who is capable of thanksgiving is capable of salvation.”

Let us give thanks then, for Fr. Alexander and for all that he has given us—the work he did building up the seminary, and the words that he has left for posterity—knowing that all who are capable of thanksgiving are capable of salvation.

By Deborah (Malacky) Belonick

"Tis the Season"...to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick that linger outside New York's Penn Station. During Advent, members of our seminary community have been making several charitable trips to the Big Apple in response to the Gospel's commandments (Matt 25:35–37).

Our seminarians, their spouses, teenagers of faculty members, and alumni continue to pack up warm clothing and make hot soup for needy city residents, making evening runs to New York to aid street folk that need a helping hand and a cheerful word. SVOTS community members cooperate with Emmaus House, an active, ecumenical, Christ-centered non-profit organization that has served the poor in Harlem and on the streets of Manhattan for over forty years. Founded and led by Father David Kirk, an Orthodox Christian priest, the organization has taken a unique approach to assisting those in need. It offers food and clothing to the neighborhood poor, approaching each person as created in the image and likeness of God.

Tanya Hoff, wife of student Jeffrey Hoff, commented on her "soup run" experience thus far: "As we prepare for the coming of our Lord at the approaching feast of the Nativity, our group from SVOTS has had the blessing to share in the fellowship of those who dedicate their time to Emmaus House, and in the fellowship with the poor that Emmaus House serves.  With love, we prepared and served warm soup, and with love, our neighbors in Christ received it, as we shared time together outside of Penn Station." 

This coming year's presenter of the 28th annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture is His Eminence Hilarion, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Affairs. His Eminence has chosen "The Meaning of 'Icon' in the Orthodox Church" as his topic, and he will deliver the free and public lecture on Saturday afternoon at 3:30, February 5, 2011, in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium of the John G. Rangos Family Foundation Building on our campus. A public reception will follow and the All-Night Vigil will be celebrated at the usual time of 6:30 p.m., with Metropolitan Hilarion presiding.

Metropolitan Hilarion, an episcopal member of the seminary's Board of Trustees, is gifted as both a theological writer and a composer of sacred music. He will be offering our seminary and the public at-large his plentiful talents during his visit in late winter to the United States. Besides delivering the Schmemann Lecture, he will do a book signing at St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Patriarchal Cathedral, 15 East 97th St., New York, NY, on Sunday after Divine Liturgy, 10 a.m., February 6th. His Eminence will be signing two of the books he published with St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, Christ the Conqueror of Hell: The Descent into Hades from an Orthodox Perspective (2009) and Orthodox Christianity: Volume I: The History and Canonical Structure of the Orthodox Church. He also will attend the U.S. English-language premiere of his opus St. Matthew Passion on Monday, February 7th, 7:30 p.m. at The Church of St. Paul the Apostle, on Columbus Avenue between 59th and 60th Streets, New York City.

Born in 1966, Metropolitan Hilarion received his initial education in music, studying violin, piano and composition, at the Moscow Gnessins School and the Moscow State Conservatory. After military service from 1984–86, he entered, in January 1987, the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where he was tonsured a monk, ordained deacon, and ordained priest in the same year. In 1989 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary, and in 1991 from the Moscow Theological Academy. From 1991 to 1993 he taught Homiletics, Dogmatic Theology, New Testament Studies and Byzantine Greek at the Moscow Theological Schools. In 1995 he completed his doctoral thesis on "St. Symeon the New Theologian and Orthodox Tradition" at Oxford University, Great Britain, under the supervision of Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware).

After completing his formal studies, from 1995 to 2001 he served as Secretary for Inter-Christian Affairs of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. On December 27, 2001 he was elected bishop, and on January 14, 2002 consecrated by His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, and ten other bishops. He served as an Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Sourozh in Great Britain until his nomination, on July 17, 2002, as Head of the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church to the European Institutions. On May 7, 2003 he was appointed Bishop of Vienna and Austria, as well as temporary administrator of the Diocese of Budapest and Hungary, in addition to his position as the Representative of the Russian Orthodox Church to the European Institutions in Brussels. On March 31, 2009 he was appointed Bishop of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations. On April 20, 2009 he was elevated to the dignity of Archbishop.

Metropolitan Hilarion is the author of more than 700 publications, including numerous books in Russian, English, French, Italian, German, and Finnish. Apart from his doctoral degree from Oxford, he also holds a doctorate from St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris.

By Deborah (Malacky) Belonick

“If we have faith, and allow God to do to us that which He wills, everything good will come down to us,” said His Grace Thomas, visiting bishop to our Three Hierarchs Chapel, during his homily on the Feast of St. Barbara and St. John of Damascus. Preaching on Luke 8:43, the gospel story of the woman with the flow of blood, His Grace reminded our seminary congregation that obedience to God’s will, within the providential circumstances of life and within the Holy Orders of church service, produces healing and perfection.

An alumnus of St. Vladimir’s, Bishop Thomas leads the Diocese of Charleston, Oakland, and the Mid-Atlantic, part of the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese in America (AOCANA). The diocese includes more than thirty churches and missions in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

This was His Grace’s first visit back to his alma mater in twenty-five years. He warmly greeted the chapel congregation, and graciously presided over the Divine Liturgy. Five presbyter-seminarians and one deacon-alumnus within the fold of AOCANA concelebrated with His Grace, along with three visiting presbyters from AOCANA, and our seminary Dean Archpriest John Behr and Chancellor Archpriest Chad Hatfield.

“It is a blessing to be with you,” Bishop Thomas began his homily. Then, especially addressing seminarians, he instructed, “It will be a temptation for you to think that you will heal people; that you will teach; that you will change things. We think that we will save the world, the Church. It’s best, if we simply save ourselves.

“We must not lose sight of the fact that we are slaves of Jesus Christ,” he continued. “We must not forget Who is the true Priest and Who is in charge of everything we do.” 

Bishop Thomas also conveyed to the seminary the Nativity Season blessing of Metropolitan Philip, Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All America. Lastly, he acknowledged St. Vladimir’s as a “hospital that [spiritually] heals people and sends them out to distribute God’s Grace.” He wished the seminary “many more years of healing and teaching for His kingdom.”

Serving at the altar with His Grace were presbyter-seminarians, Frs. Raphael Barberg, Jason Blais, Michael Sakran, Lucas Rice, and Ignatius Warren; deacon-alumnus Adrian Budiça; sub-deacon-seminarian Richard Ajalat; and altar-server seminarian Andrew Meena—all from his archdiocese. Visiting AOCANA priests who served included Frs. George Alberts, Dimitri Darwich, and Thomas Zain; Fr. Elias Bitar, SVOTS Lecturer in Liturgical Music, also attended the liturgy.

At the conclusion of Divine Liturgy Chancellor Archpriest Chad Hatfield welcomed His Grace, noting, “It is a particular joy to receive back one of our students who is within the episcopal rank of Holy Orders.”

A special luncheon with Bishop Thomas, for AOCANA seminarians, their spouses, and visiting clergy, followed.

Two affable Orthodox Christian Swedes visited our campus this week, to gain "inspiration" and to glean "knowledge" that will help them develop "Sankt Ignatios teologiska seminarium"—that is, "St. Ignatios Theological Seminary"— a newly formed school in the town of Södertälje, Sweden, which opened its doors September 2010. Olle Westberg, the Chancellor of the newly formed seminary, and Michael Hjälm, its Director of Studies, eagerly and carefully observed the program at St. Vladimir's this week, both the academic curriculum and rhythm of liturgical life, tucking away ideas and making comparisons  and contrasts between the Swedish and U.S. educational systems.

"We're here to get inspiration from because the cultural similarities between Americans and Swedes are closer than, say, between Swedes and the French."

"Also, we need the experience and knowledge that St. Vladimir's has to offer," chimed in Mr. Hjälm. "St. Vladimir's, to us, is like an older sister, or like a mother taking care of a daughter."

Specifically, Mr. Hjälm said that they chose to observe the theological program at SVOTS for three reasons: its emphasis on pastoral theology, "which is similar to liturgical theology, in that sacramental life is primary"; its administrative structure that is organized with a dean and a chancellor, which is very similar to Swedish educational institutions; and its inclusion of Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians within its student body, since St. Ignatios is supported by Coptic, Serbian, Romanian, and Syrian church jurisdictions. The school itself is housed in St. Minna Coptic Orthodox Church.

Despite the similarities, Mr. Westberg and Mr. Hjälm noted the distinctions between U.S. and Swedish educational operations. Many schools in Sweden, they said, are related to and opened by trade unions, churches, and so forth; the state provides for their funding but does not control their curricula. "Churches have educational systems parallel to universities," said Mr. Westberg. "These educational institutions must belong to another 'official' state school, but the state cannot interfere in their life or educational aims." St. Ignatios, he noted, is part of Botkyrka folkhögskola (college) in cooperation with the Orthodox Education and Culture Study Association, which remains in close dialogue with the Orthodox churches in Sweden.

St. Ignatios was founded by a board of representatives of Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, which initially started a school to serve refugees who were believers and who needed to learn to speak English. Now, notes the school's Website, it is prepared to offer "a year of introduction of Orthodox theology and tradition." Among its faculty are Fr. Mikael Liljeström, a St. Vladimir's alumnus.

St. Vladimir's Seminary Dean Archpriest John Behr, after meeting with our Swedish visitors, said, "I am amazed by the work that they are doing in Sweden, involving not only the various Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions, but also the Oriental Orthodox. They have established a very firm foundation, and I am sure that their school will continue to grow, and look forward, with great anticipation, to building up connections and collaboration."