Our seminary Men's Choir sang at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Cohoes, New York, the weekend of December 4–5, in honor of the parish's feast day. The choir sang both Great Vespers and the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, at which His Grace The Rt. Rev. Michael (Dahulich), bishop of New York City and the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, presided.
HDn. Fr. Herman (Majkrzak), the seminary Chapel Music Director, said of the visit, "The parish warmly welcomed us and was extremely appreciative of our music."
Three St. Vladimir's alumni, Fr. Terenti Wasielewski, rector of St. Nicholas Church; Fr. Alvian Smirensky, who is attached to the monastery of the Monks of New Skete; and Dn. Michael Burdikoff, who serves at Christ the Saviour Church, Ballston Lake, New York, served at the Divine Liturgy.
The Men's Choir will be traveling again during the season of Great Lent: Sunday morning, March 11, 2012 at St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Allison Park, Pennsylvania; and Vespers that same evening at Holy Trinity Church, State College, Pennsylvania.
On Sunday, December 11, at the Patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand in Lebanon, two of our alumni were among three ordained to the episcopacy in the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA). The three new hierarchs were ordained by His Beatitude, Ignatius IV, patriarch of the Great City of God, Antioch, and all the East; they will serve as auxiliaries to His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip, archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All America.
His Grace John (Abdalah), who earned a Master of Divinity degree from St. Vladimir's in 1984, has been named Auxiliary Bishop for Worcester and New England; and His Grace Anthony (Michaels) who earned a Master of Divinity degree from the seminary in 1982, has been named Auxiliary Bishop for Toledo and the Midwest. His Grace Nicholas (Ozone) was the third bishop ordained; he has been named Auxiliary Bishop for Brooklyn, and he will also assist Metropolitan Philip at the headquarters of AOCANA in Englewood, New Jersey.
Prior to his ordination to the episcopacy, Bishop John served as dean of St. George Cathedral in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and as editor of The Word, the official magazine of AOCANA. Bishop Anthony served as pastor of St. John Chrysostom Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Reflecting upon his new office and responsibilities, and his alma mater, Bishop Anthony said, "Philosophy approaches truth as a concept, history records how it affected human events over time, science conducts experiments to justify it, and theology celebrates it in the Person of Christ and as a Person, giving us an encounter with Him. My professors at St. Vladimir’s and the entire family of the seminary showed how the beauty, harmony, and exalted elegance of the kingdom of God is here with us all the time; and how the world is a sacrament of His love, a beginning in time of the timeless relationship with Him in the never ending day of His kingdom.
"As a bishop, I would hope to hand down this vision of truth to other so that they can find themselves in Christ and enjoy their own Sabbath rest with God, persons to persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."
Read more about the consecrations of the new bishops, and view photos on the Antiochian Archdiocesan Website, here.
His Eminence Savas (Zembillas), who has been an episcopal member of our Board of Trustees since 2008, and who was elected Metropolitan of the Metropolis of Pittsburgh of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese (GOA) this past November, will be enthroned December 8th at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Pittsburgh, his cathedral church. His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, will preside at the enthronement.
The entire enthronement ceremony will be broadcast live on the Internet, beginning at 3:30 p.m. (EST), through a link on the home page of the Greek Archdiocese: www.goarch.org.
Our seminary wives' group, the St. Juliana Society, wrapped up its fall semester activities with a how-to in Christmas wreath-making. Tanya Penkrat, who is the Special Events Coordinator here at St. Vladimir's and a former florist, instructed the women in creating holiday decor, using fresh (and free!) branches cut from the variety of evergreens that adorn the seminary grounds. The fun session capped a semester of twice-monthly get-togethers, which ranged in nature from the practical to the sublime: everything from engaging with a panel of "PKs" (i.e., "Priests' Kids") to reflecting upon the art of prayer.
Matushka Thekla Hatfield, who coordinates the group, remarked upon this past semester's topics, saying, "According to feedback given by the wives, it was a very satisfactory and beneficial semester. They are all pleased with the direction in which the society is moving and are looking forward to the spring semester programs."
After the session on holiday decorating, the group expressed its enthusiasm and thanks to Matushka Thekla for her efforts by presenting her with a topiary.
See a full listing of the St. Juliana's Society's activities for the fall semester here.
Each year, St. Nicholas (aka Santa Claus, Svyatyi Mykolay, Father Christmas, Sinterklaas, San Nicola, et cetera) visits the seminary campus to distribute gifts and candy to our resident children during a festive get-together following Divine Liturgy. Bidding his presence requires a little wonder-working: our church school children sing the traditional hymn "Oh, who loves Nicholas the saintly" three times, and faster than a flying reindeer, he appears. With wide eyes and expectant hearts, the children welcome the ancient bishop's warm blessing and, of course, the presents that he brings.
Planning this year's celebration were Bettye Malone, long-time chapel member and church school supporter; Peggy Meyendorff, coordinator of the chapel coffee hour; and Ashley Lear, 2nd-year student. Seminarian Lear, under the guidance of Archpriest Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO, is the 2010–2011 Church School Coordinator.
The St. Nicholas Day party became an integral part of this year's church school curriculum, which is designed around major themes. Church school children—numbering around 40—meet two to three times per semester on Saturdays to engage in 3-hour sessions centered around these primary topics.
"On the Saturday before St. Nicholas Day," said Seminarian Lear, "we had a three-hour event, with three lessons, two craft projects, a brief musical rehearsal, and lunch. The theme of the day was 'Nativity,' and it included preparations for the visit of St. Nicholas on Sunday, the next day. With the cooperation of the children's parents, I hope to organize more events such as this one, probably three or four next semester, including one during Great Lent."
NEW POPULAR PATRISTICS from SVS Press, available for order in December 2011
Popular Patristics Series Numbers 44a and 44b
On the Incarnation, a new translation and introduction by Archpriest John Behr, Dean of St. Vladimir's Seminary Preface by C.S. Lewis
By any standard, this is a classic of Christian theology. Composed by St. Athanasius in the fourth century, it expounds with simplicity the theological vision defended at the councils of Nicaea and Constantinople: that the Son of God himself became "fully human, so that we might become god." Its influence on all Christian theology thereafter, East and West, ensures its place as one of the few "must read" books for all who want to know more about the Christian faith.
The Press is pleased to offer this new translation by our Dean, Archpriest John Behr, with a full introduction, in two formats: in English (PPS 44b) or with the Greek text presented on the facing page (PPS 44a). The bilingual version (978-0-88141-409-7) is 174 pages, and sells for $22.00; the English-only version (978-0-88141-427-1) is 112 pages, and sells for $16.00. Order this title here.
Popular Patristics Series Number 43
Works on the Spirit, by Athanasius the Great and Didymus the Blind
Translated by Mark DelCogliano, Andrew Radde-Gallwitz, & Lewis Ayres.
In the second half of the fourth century the mystery of the Holy Spirit was the subject of fierce debate. Those who fought against the Nicene Creed opposed the idea that the Spirit was God. Even some of those willing to accept the equality of the Father and the Son saw the Spirit as more angelic than divine.
The first great testament to the Spirit's divinity—showing how the Spirit creates and saves inseparably with the Father and the son—is St. Athanasius' Letters to Serapion. Only a few years later, Didymus the Blind penned his own On the Holy Spirit, which is here translated into English for the first time. For Didymus, the Spirit transforms Christians by drawing them into the divine life itself, and must therefore be one with the Father and Son.
This volume offers new translations of two of the most powerful Patristic reflections on the work and nature of the Holy Spirit.
This book (978-0-88141-379-3) has 240 pages, and sells for $22.00. Order this title here.
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St. Vladimir's Seminary Bookstore also may be readhed at 1–800–204–2665, or www.svspress.com.
Dr. Vigen Guroian, professor of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia, will lead our annual public lenten retreat this year on Saturday, March 31, 2012. The retreat will begin with a Divine Liturgy celebrated in our campus Chapel of the Three Hierarchs at 9 a.m., followed by a lenten brunch and then two presentations by Dr. Guroian.
First Talk with Q&A 11:30 a.m.: "I confess the Cross because I know of the Resurrection"
Coffee and Bookstore Break: 12:30 p.m.
Second Talk with Q&A 1 p.m.: "O Death, where is your sting?"
Dr. Guroian has authored of a number of books, many on morality and ethics, and many that are meditative in content, such as Inheriting Paradise: Meditations on Gardening. Dr. Guroian will base the content of this year's public lenten retreat on his latest book, Melody of Faith: Theology in an Orthodox Key (Eerdmans, 2010).
There is no "Missionary's Manual' for Sierra Leone, a West African country of magnificent natural beauty deeply scarred by the meanest forms of human brutality during the civil wars that lasted from 1991 to 2004. The religious question in Sierra Leone is not so much the bourgeois "What Would Jesus Do?" as "Where Is Jesus at All?".
How does one bring the "Good News" to a little boy who was forced by rebels to shoot his own father with an AK47 while his little sister was required to "dance" during the bloodshed? How does one bring healing to young man who has had his hand (or arm) amputated as punishment for casting a vote in a local ballot box? How does one bring hope to families that live on less than $1 per day, or to women who must choose between "soap or bread" at the market, to care for their children? How does one bring clean water and sanitation to areas in which 20% of children under the age of 5 are dying of dysentery?
"Orthodox Christians are pioneering a new chapter in missionary work in such post-conflict, post-war zones," said Fr. Themi (a/k/a Themistocles Adamopoulo), guest speaker at our seminary's first annual "Missions Day," who has ministered in Sierra Leone since 2007, and before that, in Kenya.
"In the Holy Diocese of Sierra Leone, there are seven West African nations, and in all of them, we are dealing with post-conflict situations," he continued. "We are adapting our mission strategies in each contextual situation. We are encountering the crucified Christ—the Christ without legs or arms, the beggar, the hungry. We are spreading the message of Christ in verbal and practical forms. Jesus is powerful in all cultures; I tell them about Jesus and from there flow all other gifts."
Indeed, many "gifts" are evident in "Freetown," the mission post city developed by Fr. Themi in Sierra Leone: an elementary school, a cottage industry for former women inmates, a church with four native priests and a deacon, and a supply of wheelchairs and prosthetic arms and legs for amputees. Compared to the post-war wounds he witnesses however, these fruits of his labor seem "like a drop in the ocean." "But," assured Fr. Themi, "one drop is better than no drop."
The seven African nations currently open to Fr. Themi's work are Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Senegal, Cape Verde, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau, and he has developed a general plan to initiate a mission in each. "The first thing I do," he noted, "is to meet with the President of the nation and the embassy leaders. I say, 'I want to help your nation. I will give you schools, clinics, and care for you amputees. Now, what will you give me?' And, they usually respond with a deal for tax-free land and security to protect the mission compounds. I am in constant dialogue with the governments."
At the conclusion of his absorbing lecture—which was sponsored by the Missions Institute of Orthodox Christianity, based at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts—Fr. Themi alluded to his personal spiritual journey: from atheist to seeker to believer in the Crucified and Risen Christ; from rock musician to academic to missionary. He also reminded his audience that he had taught a semester at St. Vladimir's Seminary, under the guidance of retired Professor Emeritus of New Testament, Dr. Veselin Kesich.
Lastly, Fr. Themi reminded his audience that all the mission fields now open to him require laborers. In response to his plea for support and future missionaries, two Trustees of the seminary, Tony Kasmer and Anne van den Berg, pledged the support of the Board of Trustees in sponsoring a seminarian from West Africa interested in a seminary education at St. Vladimir's.
Listen to Fr. Themi's lecture in the "Voices of St. Vladimir's" section of Ancient Faith Radio, here.
"Like" Fr. Themi's Facebook Page, and read his bio here.
Watch a goosebump producing video about Fr. Themi's work in Sierra Leone on his Website: "Paradise Kids 4 Africa," here.
As he took a military oath that dates back to the Revolutionary War, Hieromonk Kilian—a seminarian in the Master of Theology program at St. Vladimir’s—also became known as “Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Christopher Sprecher,” and a chaplain in the U.S. Navy Reserves. Hieromonk Kilian, who completed his Master of Divinity degree at the seminary in 2011, continues to make history here on our campus: he was the first monk to be tonsured to the monastic rank of “Lesser Schema” in our Three Hierarchs Chapel, in 2010; he now becomes the first monk on our campus (and perhaps the Orthodox Church in America) to be inducted into the U.S. Naval Reserves as a chaplain.
“Growing up in a Marine Corps family—both my father and mother were Marines—I was surrounded by the rhythms and discipline of military life. I believe my work as a Navy chaplain in this environment of men and women working under extreme stress and with the highest discipline as they offer their lives in service and protection of our country will be well served by the complementary rhythms and discipline marking out my life now: not only those imbued in me as a ‘Marine brat,’ but also those breathed into me by life in the Orthodox Church as a monk and priest.”
Father Kilian was sworn in by his uncle, Lieutenant Colonel David Searle, of the U.S. Air Force; and Lieutenant Marcus Williams, the U.S. Naval officer who recruited Fr. Kilian, witnessed his oath of office. Lieutenant Colonel Searle, just prior to administering the oath, recognized the serious commitment that Fr. Kilian already had made in promising service to God, and said that he had confidence that “Chris”—whose developing character he had observed since Fr. Kilian’s childhood—would be equally committed to his duties as a military chaplain. The ceremony took place in front of the flagpole that was newly dedicated on the campus during Orthodox Education Day this year, which had as its theme "For God and Country" and which honored the work of Orthodox military chaplains.
While pursuing his theological studies, Fr. Kilian recently was appointed rector of St. Gregory Palamas Orthodox Church, in Glen Gardner, New Jersey. This month the Hunterdon County Democrat posted an article and photo about his work as pastor at St. Gregory’s. Read it here.
Following 12 years of outstanding service to our Board of Trustees and the seminary, Attorney Michael Bress was honored at a celebratory dinner with the bestowal of the title "Trustee Emeritus," a gramata acknowledging his board contributions, and a beautiful icon of the Holy and Great Prince Vladimir, patron of our school. Although Mr. Bress is stepping down from his role as Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee of the board, he will continue as an adviser to that committee.
In reflecting upon his tenure as a trustee, Mr. Bress remarked, "Through the years I developed a great admiration for St. Vladimir's, from my exposure to the publications of its press, contacts with priests who are alumni, contact with faculty at lectures and retreats, in my local parish, and especially from all I heard of its contributions to the development of Orthodoxy in America in the last 60 or 70 years. I accepted an invitation to join the board, hoping to make some contribution to the support of this fine institution. I have not been disappointed. Seeing the institution up close and the work that has to be done to keep it going has enhanced the general appreciation I had for St. Vladimir's."
Also honored for their service to the seminary and board were Archpriest Jaroslav Sudick, rector of Holy Trinity Church, Yonkers, New York; outgoing Alumni Association Board Chair, Archpriest David Barr; and outgoing Executive Chair, Anne Glynn-Mackoul (See full story on Anne Glynn-Mackoul's departure as Executive Chair here.)
Father Jaroslav not only served on the Academic Affairs Committee of the board, but also, in his position as President of the Yonkers Board of Education, helped seminarians and their families in navigating the city school system and acted as a liaison between the seminary and the city administration. For many years, he mentored seminarians at his parish, and he forged a relationship between the seminary and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York that enabled the seminary to produce a major sacred music concert in New York City, St. Matthew Passion, by Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) in 2011.
Father Jaroslav further noted that although he is moving from Yonkers in January, to take up new residence in Virginia, he is "not retiring" from life and duties. Upon his reception of the gramata and icon of St. Vladimir, he said, "It is not a 'job' for me to do the things I have done for the seminary; that's what I'm here for. We're here on earth to do good things, to do good to one another, and I will continue to help the seminary in the future."
