by Deborah (Malacky) Belonick

During the Divine Liturgy for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord into the Temple, The Right Reverend Mark, bishop of Baltimore and administrator of the Diocese of the South of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), ordained seminarians Dn. Photius Avant to the Holy Priesthood and James Bozeman to the Holy Diaconate. In his remarks following the service, His Grace recounted all the charateristics of the priesthood contained in the prayer for ordination—purity of heart, evangelical fervor, love of Holy Scripture, and joy in liturgical celebration—and urged the newly ordained and their families to imitate these traits.

Thus far this academic year, five of our seminarians have been ordained. A quick overview of their fascinating biographies reveals how Christ calls men of diverse backgrounds to grow into the image of the True Shepherd, in the unity of one Body.

FATHER PHOTIUS AVANT

Educational and Professional Background: B.A. Literature, University of North Texas • Secondary (grades 6–12) English Literature and Composition teacher in Texas for six years.
Student status: 3rd-year student, M.Div. program SVOTS
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Ordination Holy Diaconate: 25 March 2010,Three Hierarchs Chapel, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, New York, by His Beatitude Jonah, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Ordination Holy Priesthood: 3 February 2011, Three Hierarchs Chapel, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, New York, by His Mark, bishop of Baltimore and administrator of the Diocese of the South (OCA)
Current church service: Seminarian parish placement, Holy Trinity Church,Yonkers, New York, The Very Rev. Yaroslav Sudick, rector.
Biographical note: After graduating from the University of North Texas, Dn. Photius began his career as a public school teacher. His conversion to Orthodox Christianity from Roman Catholicism at the age of 23 sparked an interest in serving the Church. His wife, Carissa, is a Certified Public Accountant, and they have three children, Isaak, Genevieve, and Ian Patrick.

DEACON JAMES BOZEMAN

Educational and Professional Background: B.S. Broadcast Communication, Toccoa Falls College • Furniture Builder for 15 years, Project Manager and Assistant to VP of Design at Habersham Furniture • Musician • Free-lance Graphic Designer
Student status:   2nd-year student, M.Div. program SVOTS
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Ordination Holy Diaconate: 3 February 2011, Three Hierarchs Chapel, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, New York, by His Grace Mark, bishop of Baltimore and administrator of the Diocese of the South (OCA)
Ordination Holy Priesthood: Currently a deacon, attached to Three Hierarchs Chapel, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, New York
Current church service: Resident Assistant for Married Students at SVOTS Lakeside Apartments • Prior to seminary: Reader and parish council member at St. Timothy Orthodox Church, Toccoa, Georgia, The Very Rev. Jacob Kulp, rector.
Biographical note: After graduating from Toccoa Falls College, Dn. James pursued the dual life of a musician-carpenter. By accident, he discovered his aptitude for furniture building, and he then left behind his training in broadcasting to pursue furniture craft as a career. Simultaneously, the band in which he played guitar, Luxury, was able to secure a record deal with a Seattle-based record company, which led to several years spent seeking musical success. Thanks to his bandmates, Christopher Foley and his brother Lee Bozeman, he and his wife discovered the Orthodox Church. After becoming involved serving at his local parish, St. Timothy Orthodox Church in Toccoa, Georgia, Dn. James discerned a greater calling to serve the Church. Supporting him at SVOTS are his wife, Katie, and their two sons, Alex and Gabriel.

FATHER MAXIMUS CABEY

Educational and Professional Background: B.A. in Theology and Mental Health and Human Services, Franciscan University of Steubenville • Teacher of religion and psychology at the high school level in Kalamazoo, Michigan • High School Youth ministry, 4 years • Marketing/Trade show coordinator, small manufacturing company in Michigan • Personal Injury Adjuster and Total Loss Auto Claims Adjuster for State Farm Insurance
Student status: 3rd-year student, M.Div. program SVOTS
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Ordination Holy Diaconate: 20 February 2010, Three Hierarchs Chapel, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, New York, by His Beatitude Jonah, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Ordination Holy Priesthood: 14 September 2010, Three Hierarchs Chapel, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, New York, by His Beatitude Jonah, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Current church service: Seminarian parish placement at Holy Transfiguration Church, New Haven, Connecticut, The Very Rev. Michael Westerberg, rector
Biographical note: Raised as a Roman Catholic and originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Fr. Maximus immigrated to the U.S. in 1988. Always sensing a call to be a pastor and teacher, he has been involve d in pastoral ministry in one form or another for the past 23 years. After becoming an Orthodox Christian and marrying, Fr. Maximus felt a renewal of Christ’s call for him to be a pastor and teacher. After three years of prayer and planning, Fr. Maximus and his wife, Photini, moved from Michigan to New York where he enrolled at the Seminary. Mat. Photini works as a customer service representative for a company in nearby Elmsford, New York.

DEACON JOHN W. CULBREATH-FRAZIER

Educational and Professional B ackground:  B.A. in Pyschology and Certificate of Family Ministry at Lenoir-Rhyne College (University) in Hickory, North Carolina • Attended Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary • Various Human Services jobs, including Teacher/Counselor at Sipe's Orchard Home in Conover, North Carolina, and Grandfather Home for Children in Banner Elk, North Carolina
Student status: 3rd-year, M.Div. program SVOTS
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Ordination Holy Diaconate: 14 September 2010, Three Hierarchs Chapel, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, New York, by His Beatitude Jonah, primate of the Orthod ox Church in America (OCA)
Ordination Holy Priesthood: Currently a deacon, attached to Three Hierarchs Chapel, St. Vladimir's Seminary• By the Grace of God, to be ordained to the Holy Priesthood 12 March 2011, by His Grace Seraphim Sigrist, former bishop of Sendai (OCA)
Current church service: Seminarian parish placement at St. Gregory the Theologian Orthodox Church, Wappingers Falls, New York, The Very Rev. Alexis Vinogradov, rector and The Rev. Dr. Michael Plekon • SVOTS Community Church School & Kids' Cafe Coordinator.
Biographical note: Dn. John was born and raised in Fort Mill, South Carolina. He met his wife, Mandy, at Lenoir-Rhyne, through their membership in the Church and because of their mutual interest in community service. Dn. John was received into the Orthodox Church at Nativity of the Holy Virgin Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. He completed a Clinical Pastoral Education internship and is pursuing CPE residency to be a full-time hospital chaplain.

FATHER MICHAEL SAKRAN

Educational and Professional Background: B.A. History and Religious Studies, University of Houston • Diploma in Orthodox Theology, St. Stephen’s Course • U.S. Marine Corps 1998–2002 • Mortgage Loan Officer 2002–2005
Student status: 3rd-year, M.Div. program SVOTS
Jurisdiction: Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Ordination Holy Diaconate: 13 November 2009, St. George Orthodox Church, Houston, Texas, by His Grace Basil, bishop of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America (AOCANA)
Ordination Holy Priesthood: 12 November 2010 at St. George Orthodox Church in Houston, Texas, by His Grace Basil, bishop of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America (AOCANA)
Current church service: Seminarian parish placement at St. John the Forerunner Antiochian Orthodox Church, Levittown, New York, The Rev. George Makhlouf, rector
Biographical note: After completing one semester of college, Fr. Michael enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, and was eventually stationed in Quantico, Virginia. Having served honorably for four years, he was discharged in 2002 from active duty. While finishing up his history degree at the University of Houston, two providential events occurred: he discerned a call to the ordained ministry and he met his future wife, Melanie (Moore). After college, Fr. Michael worked as the full-time youth director at St. George Orthodox Church in Houston, Texas, before enrolling at St. Vladimir’s. Fr. Michael and Kh. Melanie are blessed with twin sons, Michael and Gabriel. At the Seminary, Dn. Michael not only actively participates in the Byzantine choir, but in his spare time, he teaches a martial arts class to some of the children on campus.

Register Now! $50 registration fee waived if you sign up and pay prior to May 1st.

Registration for our 2011 Summer Programs has begun. Please join us in June for a major conference, “Women Disciples of the Lord,” and for continuing education workshops.

June 7–8:  Missiology and Evangelism Workshop

In an effort to reach two indigenous and rapidly growing North American populations with the message of Orthodox Christianity, our two-day workshop on missiology and evangelism will focus on outreach to people of African heritage and Spanish-speaking cultures in the U.S. and Canada. Workshop leaders will be Fr. Moses Berry of St. Louis, Missouri, and Fr. Antonio Perdomo of Pharr, Texas, two experienced "evangelists."

Registration, Fees, & Accommodations

June 9–11: Internet Pornography and Chastity Workshop

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: 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.

*Via Online MBA

Registration, Fees, & Accommodations • Schedule

June 17–19:  Women Disciples of the Lord

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. 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 God-bearing vocations in Church, 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" • Matushka Juliana Schmemann
• "Eve, Mary, and Us"  • Dr. Kyriaki Karidoyanes Fitzgerald
• "Light from the Past on Vocations Today: Learning From the Women Saints" • Dr. Mary Ford
• "A Writer’s Vocation in the Orthodox Church" • Frederica Mathewes-Green
• "Orthodox Women: 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,"  

Workshops and panels will feature a wide range of speakers from Gospel-bearing vocations within and outside parishes, representing areas such as chaplaincy, education, prison ministry, service to the poor, youth ministry, science and ethics, music ministry, parenting, writing, and others. A final session for SVOTS Alumnae is planned to work towards assisting the local churches with resources for women, their theological education, and their 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 • Schedule

June 19–23:  5th Annual Diaconal Liturgical Practicum

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 

June 19–25: Iconography Workshop

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. The offering this summer will also include presentations on ecclesiastical architecture. 

Registration, Fees, & Accommodations • Schedule

Download the attached flyer and share it with your friends, family, and parish family!

February 9, 2011 • Dr. David Wagschal

Our seminary Dean, Archpriest John Behr, with the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid, has announced the creation of a new tuition scholarship. The "Dean's Scholarship" will be awarded to outstanding candidates for the Th.M. degree and will cover the full cost of tuition. Up to five awards will be made per year.

"Over the past few years St. Vladimir's has significantly revamped and reconfigured its Master of Divinity program," remarked Fr. John. "This scholarship represents the first phase in a similar process of developing our new one-year Th.M. program. Demand is high for an advanced theological degree in Orthodox studies, either as preparation for doctoral work or as a more specialized research complement to an M.Div. or M.A. degree. With this new scholarship we hope to encourage some of the outstanding men and women who show significant promise of success in advanced theological studies to pursue a degree at St. Vladimir's Seminary. It is essential for the future of our seminaries, and thus the health of the Church more generally in this country, that opportunity is provided for those who are able to take their education to a higher level."

The number of St. Anthony the Great monastic scholarships and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian scholarships has also been increase2012 academic year. The St. Anthony the Great Scholarship Fund, established in 2010 for entering and returning students, now grants three awards (up to 100% of tuition in grant and work-study) to Eastern Orthodox men and women of the monastic rank of (at least) Rassaphore who demonstrate need, strong academic performance, and promise of significant service to the Church. Priority is given to men who are enrolled in the M.Div. program and preparing for ordination.

The Malankara Orthodox Scholarship Fund, established in 2010 for entering and returning students, now grants six awards (up to 75% of tuition in grant and work-study). It is awarded to men and women of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church who demonstrate need, strong academic performance, and promise of significant service to the Church. Priority is given to men who are enrolled in the M.Div. program and preparing for ordination.

Learn more about scholarships offered at St. Vladimir's.

by Deborah (Malacky) Belonick

Over 1,000 people streamed into the awe-inspiring Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City Monday evening to hear the equally sublime St. Matthew Passion, composed by Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev), an episcopal member of the Board of Trustees of St. Vladimir's Seminary and chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations. The performance—the U.S. English-language premiere of the opus—was hosted by the seminary in cooperation with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and it crowned the four-day visit of His Eminence Hilarion to the metro area.

Maestro Greg Hobbs, who next week will also conduct the Dallas premiere of the work, took command of soloists, string orchestra, and chorus to deliver a stately and majestic performance to an overflowing  crowd. Under his baton, The Salomé Chamber Orchestra; famed soloists soprano Mary Mackenzie, mezzo-soprano Ana Mihanovic, tenor Blake Friedman, and bass Aaron Theno; and The New York Virtuoso Singers prepared by Harold Rosenbaum, magnificently elucidated text and music, creating a highly expressive yet sober symphonic experience for the audience. Protodeacon Vadim Gan, who sang the principal baritone part of “The Evangelist,” anchored their rhapsodic voices and soul-stirring strings to scriptural passages, which he intoned with humble subtlety.

Metropolitan Hilarion studied composition at Moscow Gnessins School of Music and subsequently at the Moscow State Conservatory. His musical compositions include the Divine Liturgy (2006), and All-Night Vigil (2006) for a cappella choir; the Christmas Oratorio for soloists, boys choir, mixed choir, and symphony orchestra (2007); and A Song of the Ascent, a choral symphony on the Psalms (2008).

In 1987 Metropolitan Hilarion was ordained priest, and since 2002 he has been a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church; he was elevated to the rank of archbishop in 2009. A polyglot and exceptionally gifted, His Eminence has authored more than 600 publications, including twenty books that have been translated into major European languages.

Besides attending the premiere in his honor during his New York City stay, Metropolitan Hilarion also delivered the 28th annual Father Alexander Schmemann Lecture, Saturday, February 5th on our campus, and was honored at a book signing at St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Patriarchal Cathedral, 15 East 97th St., New York, on Sunday, February 6th after Divine Liturgy. Most of the seminary community accompanied our Dean, Archpriest John Behr, and our Chancellor, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, to the cathedral for the Eucharistic service, and several seminary priests concelebrated the liturgy with His Eminence Justinian, archbishop of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA (Moscow Patriarchate); His Eminence Metropolitan Hilarion; and His Beatitude Jonah, primate of the Orthodox Church in America and president of the Board of Trustees of St. Vladimir's Seminary. Also concelebrating at the liturgy was His Grace Melchisedek, bishop of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania (OCA), who was visiting the seminary for the weekend.

After the Divine Liturgy, at a special reception, Metropolitan Hilarion signed two books that he has published with St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, Christ the Conqueror of Hell: The Descent into Hades from an Orthodox Perspective (2009) and The Orthodox Christianity Set.

by Deborah (Malacky) Belonick

Following the lecture, Metropolitan Hilarion presented the seminary with an exquisite icon of the Theotokos and Christ Child, and then celebrated Great Vespers with the seminary community in Three Hierarchs Chapel.

His Eminence will be visiting the New York Metro area this entire weekend. 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. He 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 The Orthodox Christianity Five-Volume Series.

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. The concert is being hosted by St. Vladimir's Seminary, in cooperation with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. Tickets are still available online or at the door the evening of the concert, but they are selling out quickly.

January Snowfall 2011 • Seminary Campus • Deborah Belonick

Poet Emily Dickinson made falling snow sound romantic:

It sifts from leaden sieves, it powders all the wood,

It fills with alabaster wool the wrinkles of the road.

It makes an even face of mountain and of plain, —

Unbroken forehead from the east unto the east again.

It reaches to the fence, it wraps it, rail by rail,

'Till it is lost in fleeces; it flings a crystal veil....

But, here at our seminary in Crestwood, we're just wondering if it ever will stop!

This winter 61" inches of snow have fallen on our campus, far exceeding the average annual snowfall of 38" and quickly approaching the record snowfall of 89.5", which "flung a crystal veil" over Westchester County during the winter of 1995–1996.

Nonetheless, the snow has inspired a number of photographers, including our Dean, Fr. John Behr, and our Associate Director of SVS Press, Fr. Benedict Churchill, to snap scenes of wintry wonders. We want to share these beautiful images of "powdered wood" and "alabaster wool" with our readers, and nod to Ms. Dickinson, who understood so well the transformative effects of fallen snow.

Amid the signage at the March for Life rally this year in Washington, D.C.— “Choose Life: Your Mother Did,” “Everyone Deserves a Birthday,” and “I Regret My Abortion”— waved a banner embossed with the  “St. Vladimir’s Seminary” name and logo. Thirty members of our campus community braved the January chill to gather with thousands of pro-lifers on the National Mall to mark the 38th year since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down Roe v. Wade, legalizing abortion.

Our seminary Chancellor, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, accompanied seminarians and their families to the annual March, where they joined other Orthodox Christians, including His Beatitude Metropolitan Jonah, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), who opened the pre-March rally, and Archpriest John Kowalczyk of Jermyn, PA, who delivered the benediction.

“Life is a gift from God and we were in Washington, D.C. to make that witness,” noted Fr. Chad. “This year, I was struck especially by the youthfulness of the participants. Most were young women, and the crowd was around 350,000 people.

“I am also so thankful for the warm hospitality given by St. Nicholas Cathedral to the seminarians and their families, who traveled from both St. Vladimir’s and St. Tikhon’s Seminaries to 'March for Life',” Fr. Chad continued.

Prior to the March, Metropolitan Jonah presided at the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at the OCA’s St. Nicholas Cathedral in the nation’s capital. His sermon, which set the tone for the Orthodox Christian marchers, may be viewed on the OCA web site at www.oca.org.

On March 26, 2011 Metropolitan Jonah will monitor a forum with our campus community, which will examine "beginning of life" issues.

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.