Our faculty will be delivering several retreats and homilies throughout North America during this season of Great Lent. Please check your local church listings and come to hear them when they visit your geographical area.

Archpriest John Behr, Dean

Saturday, March 12, 2011, 7 p.m., St. Joseph Church, Wheaton, IL, public lecture on "The Meaning of Icons"

Sunday, March 13, 2011, 6:30 p.m., St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Cicero, IL, Homilist at the Triumph of Orthodoxy Vespers

Monday & Tuesday, March 14–15, 2011, New Gracanica Monastery of the Holy Mother of God, Grayslake, IL, a clergy retreat sponsored by The Orthodox Clergy Association of Greater Chicago, with three presentations: “Through the Cross,” “For This We Were Created,” and “Glorify God in Your Body”

Sunday, March 26, 2011, St. Michael Orthodox Christian Church, Southbridge, MA, as part of a series of parish retreats, “On the Annunciation”

Friday, April 8, 2011, St. Elias Orthodox Church, Austin, TX, 6 p.m. Akathist followed by 8 p.m. lecture, "Orthodox Christianity as Paideia: Faith, Reason, and Culture in the Early Church."

Saturday, April 9, 2011, 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., followed by Vigil, St. Elias Orthodox Church, Austin, TX, parish lenten retreat, with three presentations on the theme, "Journey to Jerusalem."

Sunday, April 10, 2011, St. Elias Orthodox Church, Austin, TX, Homilist at the Divine Liturgy.

Archpriest Chad Hatfield, Chancellor

Saturday, March 12, 2011, St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church, Syracuse, NY, retreat titled “Mary, Mysteries, and Mission.”

Sunday, March 13, 2011, St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church, Syracuse, NY, Homilist at the Divine Liturgy and Homilist for the Sunday of Orthodoxy.

Thursday–Sunday, March 17–20, 2011, St. Herman Theological Seminary, and Holy Resurrection Cathedral, Kodiak, AK, Guest Lecturer and Homilist.

Friday, April 1, 2011, St. Nicholas Antiochian Cathedral, Brooklyn, NY, "Models of Holiness from Alaska," part of the parish's lenten series.

Saturday, April 9, 2011, St. Steven’s Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, Alhambra, CA, “M & M’s: Christian Basics,” Pan-Orthodox Young Adult Retreat.

Sunday, April 10, 2011, St. Steven’s Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, Alhambra, CA, Homilist at the Divine Liturgy.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011, St. Andrew's Antiochian Orthodox Church, Riverside, CA, Presentation after the Presanctified Liturgy, which begins at 6:30 p.m.

Dr. Paul Meyendorff, The Father Alexander Schmemann Professor of Liturgical Theology

Friday, March 18, 2011, 7 p.m., St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Little Falls, NJ, retreat titled "The Role of the Laity in the Liturgy"

Fr. Harry Pappas, Adjunct Professor of Pastoral Theology

Sunday, March 13, 2011, St. Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church in Pawtucket, RI, as guest of the Rhode Island Pan-Orthodox Clergy fellowship, "Truth Is Strongest of All," Homilist for the Sunday of Orthodoxy.

Dr. Albert Rossi, Adjunct Professor of Pastoral Theology

Saturday, March 5, 2011, St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church, Irvine, CA, retreat titled "The Jesus Prayer"

Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, April 15–17, 2011, Holy Cross Seminary, Brookline, MA, workshop for CrossRoad participants, “Teaching Youth to Teach Youth: Chastity Today”

Protodeacon Nazari Polataiko will instruct aspiring and experienced iconographers in the egg tempera Russo-Byzantine style of iconography, endeavoring to teach not only craft and technique but also the prayerful attitude required in executing this art.

Protodeacon Nazari Polataiko and his wife, Matushka Tatiana, established the Saints Alypij and Andrew Rublew Icon Studio in 1996. The icon painters of the studio are dedicated to reviving this ancient art. The Polataikos were born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine and both graduated with B.F.A degrees: Fr. Nazari from Kosiv and Matushka from Vyznytcia Art College in Ukraine.

Protodeacon Nazari studied the basics of iconography by copying antique icons from his father’s collection and visiting the renowned iconographer, Archimandrite Zinon, in Pskov. Later he learned advanced iconographic technique from Dmitri Andreyev, of the Prosopon School in New York, and by visiting iconography studios all over Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.

Protodeacon Nazari shared his discoveries with his wife and, together, they have been writing icons for almost 15 years. Their work can be seen in several churches in Ukraine, and in numerous churches across Canada and the United States. They can also be found in the private chapels of His All Holiness Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew, Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv, Ukraine, and Metropolitan Wasylij of Winnipeg (of blessed memory). The icons from this studio are written in a Russo-Byzantine style, and all are written in egg tempera and gold leaf, using traditional materials and techniques.

The most recent large projects that the Polataikos have undertaken include: decorating the dome of St. George's Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Dauphin, Manitoba; a series of icons of Ukrainian saints (an ongoing project); and an iconostas for Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Speden, Alberta. Most recently Fr. Nazari and Matushka completed work on the iconostas of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Vegreville, Alberta.

The workshop this summer will also include and end with presentations on ecclesiastical architecture by Mr. Andrew Gould, on Saturday, June 25th. Mr. Gould works in partnership with George Holt at the firm New Byzantine World, in Charleston, South Carolina.

Mr. Gould is becoming known nationwide as a designer of traditional Orthodox churches. His built works include Holy Ascension Orthodox Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and he has designed churches pending construction in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. It is Mr. Gould's hope that he can help guide the Orthodox churches of this country to develop an architecture of their own. "This style," he says, "must be one that is worthy of the glorious tradition of Byzantium and Medieval Russia, without abandoning the building traditions indigenous to our own land." 

Mr. Gould studied Art History at Tufts University and the Arts and Crafts Movement at University College London. He has a master's degree in architecture from University of Pennsylvania. A craftsman as much as a designer, he is skilled in wood carving and other decorative arts. In addition to Orthodox churches, he specializes in urban infill development and the design of new "old" houses.

ICONOGRAPHY WORKSHOP (includes Architecture Seminar): Registration, Fees, & Accommodations • Schedule

ARCHITECTURE SEMINAR ALONE, INCLUDING LUNCH, $10: Registration • Seminar Description & Schedule

Download the attached flyer of the Iconography Workshop & Architecture Seminar, and share it on your social networks with your family, parish family, and friends.

Download the attached postcard describing all of our Summer Programs 2011 and share it with your family, parish family, and friends.

Practical liturgical training for deacons and lay diaconal candidates will be supported by celebration of the Divine Liturgy and other services. Intensive workshops will provide participants with the skills needed to serve effectively in the Orthodox Church, with attention given to the liturgical patterns of movement that inform the rite. Guidance on concelebrations and hierarchical celebrations will prepare participants for such occasions. Focused presentations by seminary faculty will augment the deacon's understanding of his place in the liturgical life of the Church and the deacon's broader vocation as a symbol to the faithful of the diakonia of Christ our Lord. Instruction in public speaking and vocal technique will also be offered. Workshop leaders will be Archdeacon Kirill Sokolov, Fr. Sergius Halvorsen, and Fr. John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir's.

Click on the highlighted links for more information & to register:

Full Description of the Program & Faculty • Schedule • Preparation & FAQs • On-Campus Accommodations • Off-campus Accommodations • Registration 

Download the attached flyer of the 5th Annual Liturgical Practicum, and share it on your social networks with your family, parish family, and friends.

Download the attached postcard describing all of our Summer Programs 2011 and share it with your family, parish family, and friends.

Register Now!

The enormous world of internet pornography continues to invade our culture, and the statistics* are staggering: 40 million Americans are regular visitors to porn sites; 70% of men ages 18–24 visit porn sites monthly; 1 in 3 porn viewers are women; there are 116,000 searches for “child pornography” daily; and 35% of all internet downloads are pornographic.

Dr. Albert Rossi, our adjunct professor of Pastoral Theology, has designed a workshop for pastors, youth ministers, and educators, to address this pressing problem. There will be a dual focus to this workshop: 1) pastoral counseling for internet pornography problems of adults; and, 2) the issue of chastity for youth and young adults today. Lecture, video material, and discussion will comprise the sessions.

Dr. Rossi teaches courses in pastoral theology at our seminary. He has written numerous articles on psychology and religion and published a book through Paulist Press entitled, Can I Make a Difference: Christian Family Life Today. After teaching at Pace University for 24 years, he retired as Associate Professor of Psychology. He is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of New York.

*Via Online MBA

Registration, Fees, & Accommodations • Schedule

Download the attached flyer of the Internet Pornography & Chastity Workshop, and share it on your social networks with your family, parish family, and friends.

Download the attached postcard describing all of our Summer Programs 2011 and share it with your family, parish family, and friends.

This past Sunday, Professor Peter C. Bouteneff brought seven seminarians to St. Mark’s Syrian Orthodox Cathedral in Teaneck, N.J., at the invitation of H.E. Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim, archbishop and patriarchal vicar to the Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church for the Eastern United States. The visit was part of Dr. Bouteneff’s seminar on “Christology in Dialogue,” which focuses on the rapprochement between the Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.

After attending Divine Liturgy, the seminary delegation visited with the archbishop for more than an hour for discussion on the current state of the dialogue, and on the liturgical and theological life of the Syriac Orthodox Church. They were joined as well by Dr. George Kiraz, director of the Beth Mardutho House of Syriac Studies and president of Gorgias Press.

Read more about our professors and their activities in the Faculty Footnotes section of our Website.

"The Bible is about life—all of life, real life. Not life as we imagine it, or even as we might live it, but life as it truly is whenever we enter into authentic life," began Fr. Harry Pappas as he commenced our seminary's annual public lenten retreat. "And we have a God who, among all the other gods and goddesses that were around during the Old Testamental period, takes great delight in life, in his creation."

Fr. Harry, who is adjunct professor of Pastoral Theology at St. Vladimir's, chose as his overall theme for this year's retreat, "Back to Basics: Old Testament and Life." He focused on the biblical books that the Orthodox Church prescribes for reading during the period of Great Lent—Genesis, Proverbs, and Isaiah—and drew from them images and themes that exemplify life in and with God.

The lenten retreat began with many participants attending the Divine Liturgy in our seminary chapel, and continued with three presentations by Fr. Harry: "How Life Begins" (Genesis); "How Life Works" (Proverbs); and "How New Life Appears" (Isaiah). You may listen to all three of Fr. Harry's presentations in the "Voices from St. Vladimir's" section of Ancient Faith Radio.

View a photo gallery of this day of fellowship, prayer, and instruction.

St. Vladimir's Seminary Press began as a response to the urgent need for English-language books about the Orthodox Christian faith, which arose in the mid-1950s. At that time, our multi-ethnic Orthodox student body were hearing lectures in English, but textbooks were available only in foreign languages, in particular, Russian and Greek. To address this need, lecture notes of the professors were hand typed or mimeographed for student use, and sometimes collated for distribution.

Simultaneously clergy in parishes were clamoring for educational material. To address this need, Fr. Alexander Schmemann (Dean  from 1962–1983) produced a series of small pamphlets, including “Clergy and Laity” and “Great Lent." When Fr. Alexander published the full version of his Great Lent in book form in 1969, it sold out within the season of the Great Fast, demonstrating the hunger by clergy and laity for English-language titles about their faith.

Today "SVS Press" is the largest and most active publisher of Orthodox Christian books in the English language, with more than 400 titles in print. It continues its reputation of insisting on works of theological excellence, as evidenced in its 2011 releases, recently showcased in its Spring Brochure.

In addition to its usual scholarly releases, the press welcomes to its collection a children's book, St. George and the Dragon, engagingly written by well-known author Jim Forest and strikingly illustrated by iconographer Vladislav Andreyev. The book will be available in summer 2011, and SVS Bookstore is taking advance orders. Click here to order the book.

"St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press has been really active recently," notes Fr. Benedict Churchill, Associate Director of SVS Press. "In the past few months, we’ve added four books to the Popular Patristics Series, and introduced two new books, with Metropolitan Hilarion's Orthodox Christianity series, vol.1, History and Canonical Structure, and Archbishop Dmitri’s commentary on The Epistle of St. James.

"I’m delighted to have a role in helping these important works see the light of day, and in helping the Press in its mission of making Orthodox materials available in English," he says.

Download a PDF of SVS Press's Spring Brochure.

Browse our seminary's Bookstore.

Saturday, October 1, 2011 • Annual Orthodox Education Day

When you come to our annual Orthodox Education Day (OED) this year, look for some surprises: bagpipes, a military honor guard, icon displaying soldiers and peacemakers, folk dancers wielding swords, special workshops to help our service men and women and the church communities ministering to them, and a campaign to send care packages to those deployed in the armed forces—all in conjunction with this year's theme: "For God and Country."

Throughour the day, we will be honoring (and especially praying for, as our liturgy bids us to do), all our men and women "in the armed forces everywhere," and especially our Orthodox military chaplains.

Our keynote speaker will be The Rev. Dr. Philip LeMasters, a member of the seminary's Board of Trustees; Professor of Religion, Director of the Honors Program, and Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Religion at McMurry University; and rector of St. Luke Orthodox Church, Abilene, Texas, under the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA).  Fr. Philip is the author of an article titled "Orthodox Perspectives on Peace, War and Violence," published recently in The Ecumenical Review (Vol. 63:1, 54–61, March 2011).

Our primary workshop leader will be Dr. Stephen Muse, director of the Counselor Training Program at the Pastoral Institute, Inc. in Columbus, Georgia, who also teaches and supervises with the U.S. Army Family Life Chaplain Training program at Fort Benning. Dr. Muse has taught and led workshops throughout the U.S. and internationally, both in the civilian sector and also for the U.S. Army Chaplains, in areas such as special problems of clergy and helping professionals, marriage, and the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

We are inviting clergy, with their parishioners, from all area churches to attend the keynote lecture by Fr. Philip, which will be based upon his aforementioned article, and the workshop by Dr. Muse, which will explore the potential support that churches can offer veterans and their families in the mission of returning home—psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually—as well as what civilians have to learn from those have gone to “hell for us” (in the words of Dr. Muse) and returned. We also are planning to have a panel of Orthodox Christian military chaplains, who will be discussing various aspects of service in the Armed Forces; and a panel relating to military family life "states-side," while loved ones are deployed.

St. Tikhon's Monastery Museum houses a good collection of military chaplains uniforms and kits from WWII to current U.S. wars, and the entire display will be on loan to SVOTS for OED 2011. Archpriest John Perich, museum curator, and Igumen Sergius, abbot of the Monastery, who are graciously lending our school this memorabilia, note that each item in this exceptional display is annotated with a specific chaplain's name.

Master iconographer Vladislav Andreyev will be displaying his beautiful illustrations from our new children's book, St. George and the Dragon, a timeless account of the brave saint who conquored demons through martyrdom, written by author Jim Forest.

We'd like to have your voice included in this lively day of discussion and prayer. Please join us for our annual campus open house, and bring your family, parish family, and friends. We'll warmly welcome you to St. Vladimir's!

If you or your parish would like to help with donations to the ethnic food booths, or for further information on the event, please e-mail our Events Coordinator, Tanya Penkrat, or call her at 914-961-8313 x351. 

Download a flyer of Orthodox Education Day 2011 as a PDF  here.

Download a flyer of Orthodox Education Day 2011 in JPG format here.

Share the news with your family, parish family, and friends!

Download a full schedule of Orthodox Education Day here.

Find us on Google Maps.

New York and Alaska are worlds apart, but an ongoing exchange between St. Vladimir's Seminary in Yonkers and St. Herman Seminary in Kodiak has helped shrink their cultural and geographical divides—at least in the sphere of Orthodox Education. Most recently, our chancellor, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, accompanied by two SVOTS seminarians, spent four days at our Alaskan "sister seminary," lecturing and sharing ideas on missiology and the relationship between religion and culture.

“This most recent exchange between our two seminaries is building on a firm foundation of several decades," observed Fr. Chad. "The street is two-ways, and it benefits both our seminaries and our seminarians, giving each group a broader picture of Orthodoxy.”

Father Chad, who served as the dean of St. Herman's from 2002 to 2007, focused on the topics “Missiology Basics" and "Where Do Protestants Come From?" during his part of the exchange program. Seminarian Dn. James Bozeman spoke about his faith journey from Evangelical Protestantism to Orthodoxy, while his brother, Seminarian Ephraim (Lee) Bozeman, gave illuminating sessions on "Culture and Orthodoxy," a subject escpecially apropos to missionary endeavors in Alaska because of the multi-cultural population.

Seminarian Dn. James experienced the "two-way street" between the schools first hand during his premier Alaskan experience. "The 'official' intention of our trip was to offer two days of teaching sessions, covering culture and theology, missiology, and the distinctions between the doctrines and theology of Protestants and Orthodox Christians," he said. "My impression of this was that we were going to go to Alaska to offer something to the students.

"What I found was that we had much to offer each other," he continued. "I was very impressed with the humble sincerity of the students. They quickly welcomed us and gave us much of their time, showing us around Kodiak and the surrounding area. There is a straight-forward simplicity in their approach to their church worship and to their education that I found refreshing and inspiring. Celebrating services with them in the presence of St. Herman's relics was an incredible joy and a real honor."

His brother Ephraim expressed similar sentiments, saying, "It is difficult to describe the beauty of Kodiak and the deep impression this trip has made on me. As a student at St. Vladimir's Seminary, I am used to people coming to experience our community, but this opportunity allowed us to become ambassadors in some respects to our fellow seminarians in Alaska. We were received with tremendous hospitality and a genuine affection that was wonderful to see. The authentic faith of the seminary community was inspiring for me and I hope to be able to carry that with me as I continue my education at St. Vladimir's."

Speaking further of this connection between the two seminaries, Archpriest John Dunlop, dean of St. Herman's, stated, "The historical link between the two schools is paving the way to closer cooperation, particularly in the fields of missions and evangelism. We trust that God will give more opportunities for our seminaries to cooperate in our common vision to serve the Church."

Read about other recent exchanges that strengthen the bond between our two seminaries, including a visit by Alaskan students to St. Vladimir's for the March 2011 Orthodox Inter-Seminary Movement (OISM) meeting, and Fr. Chad's trip to the Kuskokwim River region in January 2011 for a clergy wives retreat—be sure to watch the video of him "mushing" up the tundra!

View a gallery of photos from Fr. Chad's and the Bozeman brothers' recent journey.

Register Now! View our updated Program Schedule and Workshop Schedule

In recent decades, we have seen several important conferences about women in the Church. These have reflected on women’s gifts, and their joys and frustrations in trying to fulfill their Christian calling; some have produced recommendations for parishes and local churches.

This year, for our annual summer academic conference, we've chosen "Women Disciples of the Lord" as the theme. The goals of this particular conference are:

• to explore and articulate the Christ-centered context out of which lay, and especially women’s, ministries are to be expressed;
• to listen to women pursuing Gospel-bearing vocations in the Church and parish, home and society; and, building on previous meetings,
• to help our parishes and Churches foster women’s and lay vocations.

The primary questions we will be addressing towards these goals are:

• How did our female forebears understand and live in Christ—as women? And how may we follow their examples today?
• Christ empowered the women among His disciples. How can women’s talents enrich the work of the Church today, energize parishes, and bring the Gospel into the world?
• How can the Church’s institutions better participate in the preparation of women and other laity for service? How can the Church validate women in their ministries: hiring them, blessing them, and sending them to attend to the Church’s missions? How can it establish positions worthy of its women seminary graduates? What infrastructure needs to be created?

This conference is not for women only, but also for laymen and clergy interested in building and broadening lay vocations and ministries in the Church. We seek to foster a creative, constructive, and inspiring encounter, through lectures, panel discussions, and workshops, with table fellowship and daily worship.

Our list of topics and speakers includes:

• Opening Address: "The Joy to Serve" • Matushka Juliana Schmemann (via video)
• "Eve, Mary, and Us" • Dr. Kyriaki Karidoyanes Fitzgerald
• "Light from the Past on Vocations Today" • Dr. Mary Ford
• "Confessions of a Free-lance Writer: Discerning God's Will in an Unpredictable Vocation" • Khouria Frederica Mathewes-Green
• "Orthodox Women in America: A Recent History" • Ms. Eleana Silk

On Friday, June 17, 7:30 p.m., Archpriest John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir's Seminary, will present a free and public lecture, "Male and Female Created He Them," in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium of the John G. Rangos Family Building, with reception to follow.

Through workshops and panels participants will also examine ministry within such church agencies as the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC), and St. Catherine’s Vision; and by means of topical sessions, including, how science serves the Church and chaplaincy in prisons, hospitals, and other settings.

 After Divine Liturgy in Three Hierarchs Chapel on Sunday, June 19, there will be  a meeting of women alumnae of theological seminaries, to draw up recommendations regarding resources for women’s theological education and vocations.

All, especially our alumnae, may continue to shape the conference by emailing the co-coordinators, Tanya Penkrat, tpenkrat@svots.edu, and Dr. Peter C. Bouteneff, pcb@svots.edu.

Registration, Fees, & Accommodations • Program Schedule • Workshop Schedule

Please download the attached flyer (PDF or JPG) and share it with on your social networks and with your friends, family, and parish family!