With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share the news of the repose of the Very Reverend Herman Schick (M.Div. ‘87), who fell asleep in the Lord on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the Loretto Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Syracuse, New York, at the age of 68.
Archpriest Herman was born Warren Schick in New Jersey and married Cynthia Ewsuk of Elmira Heights, New York. He attended college at Concordia University and then studied at St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, NY, graduating in 1987.
Upon graduation and ordination to the Holy Priesthood, Father Herman served Saint Martin Chapel at West Point Military Academy, NY; St. Panteleimon Church, Summit, IL; Protection of the Holy Virgin Mary Church, Royalton, IL; Nativity of the Virgin Mary Chapel, Buckner, IL; Church of the Holy Transfiguration, Pearl River, NY; and St. George Church, Buffalo, NY.
Archpriest Herman is warmly remembered by fellow seminarians, brother clergy, and parishioners. His humble and joyous personality was experienced by the many faithful people who were touched by his ministry.
Archpriest Herman is survived by his wife, Matushka Cynthia (Ewsuk); children Elizabeth (Yu) Seimiya of Japan and George Schick of Buffalo, NY; brother-in-law John Ewsuk of Canada; sisters-in-law Sandra and Victoria Ewsuk of Elmira Heights, NY; and nephew Zachary of Elmira Heights, NY.
Family and friends are welcome to attend the memorial services for Fr Herman at St John the Baptist Orthodox Church, 855 South Goodman Street, Rochester, NY. The Service for the Burial of a Priest will be celebrated on Thursday, March 21 at 6:00 P.M. The Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts with the Prayers for the Departed will be celebrated on Friday, March 22 at 10:00 A.M. Interment will take place at Westside Cemetery, Chili, NY.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St John the Baptist Orthodox Church, Rochester, NY.
In-person and online attendance is welcome for a presentation given by Professor Emeritus and former Dean, the Very Rev. Dr John Erickson, on the topic “Identity, Authenticity, Fidelity: Stories From the Last Century and What We Might Learn From Them Today.” This talk, taking place at 7:00 p.m. EST on Wed. March 13, will be the keynote address at the 2024 Colloquium on Liturgical Music in Eastern Orthodox Theological Education, to be held on March 13–14, 2024.
Fr John Erickson describes his upcoming presentation with the following overview:
As an historian, I am fond of quoting some words from Henry Glassie, distinguished historian of material culture: "History is not the past. History is a story about the past, told in the present, and designed to be useful in constructing the future" (Material Culture, p. 6). In my presentation I shall be telling a story – or, rather, several overlapping and interwoven stories about the past. I hope that these will be useful as the seminary moves forward with the implementation of its exciting new grant program.
With stories about the quest for Orthodox unity in mid-century America, I shall call attention to ways in which liturgical singing once helped to create and express a common sense of Orthodox identity across jurisdictional lines. With stories from my own past, from high school and college through my days at SVS, I shall trace changes in the make-up and character of our “chapel community.” Within it the liturgical theology taught in our classrooms came to life. We discovered the Divine Liturgy as an evening service. We began to receive communion more frequently. One result has been the proliferation of new musical settings for the Presanctified Liturgy and for communion hymns. Finally, I shall try to tease out stories about technological and societal changes that have shaped liturgical practice in ways we may simply overlook because they are so pervasive.
All are invited to attend the keynote lecture in person or online via livestream.
The keynote lecture is free and open to the public. Register below to receive an email with the link to access the keynote address online. We also ask that you kindly register if you are planning to attend in person, to facilitate adequate preparation of our facilities and the reception following the keynote.
Registration is closed.
The 2024 Colloquium on Liturgical Music in Eastern Orthodox Theological Education will gather representatives of American and European Orthodox institutions to discuss how theological visions and socio-historical realities shape the practice of liturgical singing in their chapels. Confirmed speakers include the Rev Dr Romanos Karanos (Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Brookline, MA), Deacon Petar Kozakijević (Serbian Orthodox Church, Metropolis of Zagreb and Ljubljana), Dr Nicolas Schidlovsky (Holy Trinity Seminary, Jordanville, NY), and Anastasia Kappanadze (St Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, South Canaan, PA). Portions of the colloquium will be recorded and shared on our YouTube channel following the event. All those who would like to attend in person are welcome; please refer to the Colloquium Schedule to plan your visit.
This program is made possible through a Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.
Fr Ted Paraskevopoulos (D.Min. ‘24) presented his doctoral research in a webinar titled “‘A Failure to Die’: Countering Death-Denying Culture through Orthodox Catechism,” at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 7, 2024. Director of the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program, the Very Rev. Sergius Halvorsen, gave introductory remarks and hosted the Q&A session after Fr Ted’s presentation. Close to 200 registrants from across the United States and Canada signed up to hear Fr Ted speak on how Orthodox Christians are called to understand death from an Orthodox Christian lens rather than a modern, secular perspective.
During his talk, Fr Ted elaborated on his motivation for undertaking this project, saying that the modern tendency to avoid and obscure the awareness of death is contrary to our faith as Orthodox Christians and hinders us from embracing “the temporary nature of earthly existence… [and] the hope of eternal life through Christ.” Furthermore, our contemporary reluctance to engage with our own mortality blocks us from truly encountering Christ and the Cross, “the symbol of Christ’s sacrificial love and redemption for humanity.”
Fr Ted gave a brief overview of his doctoral project, where he surveyed Orthodox Christians who had recently converted and the clergy who catechized them. The survey was designed with two goals: to compare and contrast the catechism experience to the impact it had on people’s lives afterward, and “to ascertain the level of quality of the catechetical approach as well as to identify any deficiencies.”
In his conclusion, Fr Ted spoke eloquently on the ways contemporary catechetical teaching could be augmented in the areas of eschatology, death, and the afterlife. Webinar attendees submitted a range of questions, offering Fr Ted the opportunity to further explore the copious research he conducted for his D.Min. final project.
The D.Min. final project, the webinar presentation slides, and the recording of the webinar presented by Fr Ted Paraskevopoulos are available via the links below.
TheDoctor of Ministry degree at St Vladimir's Seminary enhances the practice of ministry for ordained and lay ministers in the Orthodox Church. The program integrates enhanced competencies in pastoral analysis with skills necessary to lead students to an advanced understanding of the nature and purposes of ministry. Working in communities of teachers and learners, the students gain deeper knowledge about the practice of serving others in Christian love as they grow in spiritual maturity as ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The D.Min. program at St Vladimir's Seminary provides priests, chaplains, and other pastoral professionals with advanced knowledge and skills in order to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who are suffering. Integrating doctoral-level academic work with pastoral spirituality, this program will help you to acquire and refine the skills to minister to those whom God has called you to serve. Please consider joining us in a doctoral program that will give you an opportunity to foster deep and lasting friendships as we engage in work that contributes to authentic spiritual and pastoral renewal. The next D.Min. cohort will commence in Fall 2024.
The Doctor of Ministry program is made possible in large part thanks to Protodeacon Peter and Tanya Danilchick through their generous support to the Danilchick Family Endowment for Pastoral Studies.
About the Speakers
Fr Ted Paraskevopoulos
Fr Ted Paraskevopoulos, D.Min., has been serving in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Canada since 2006 where he was ordained a deacon and served the communities of St Nicholas and Prophet Elias. It was at Prophet Elias that Fr Ted was ordained a priest, and then was sent to his first community of St Demetrius in Winnipeg, Manitoba. After serving for six years in Winnipeg, Fr Ted returned to Toronto and assumed the leadership of Sts Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, where he continued to serve until March 1, 2023, when he assumed his current position of parish priest at the community of Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Holding a bachelor of theology from the Patriarchal Toronto Orthodox Theological Academy, Fr Ted received his Master of Arts in Theology and his Doctor of Ministry from Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Fr Ted taught Pastoral Theology at the Orthodox School of Theology at Trinity College, University of Toronto from 2015-2018 and has been the Professor of Pastoral Studies at the Patriarchal Toronto Orthodox Theological Academy from 2014-present.
Fr Ted is married to his wife, Joanna, and has three children; twins Katerina and George, and a younger son Angelo.
The Very Rev. Sergius Halvorsen
The Very Rev. Sergius Halvorsen (M.Div. ‘96; Ph.D., Drew University, 2002) is Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric at St Vladimir's Seminary and serves as director of the Doctor of Ministry Program. In addition to teaching homiletics and rhetoric, he also teaches courses in Christian education and the sacred art of narrative. Fr Sergius is a priest of the Orthodox Church in America, he is attached to Holy Transfiguration Church in New Haven, CT, and has contributed to a number of "Archangel Voices" recordings. He currently lives in New Haven, CT, and serves part-time as a chaplain at Yale New Haven Hospital. He loves gardening, hiking, biking, and reading biographies and fiction.
Prolific author and scholar Christine Chaillot visited St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) on Thursday, February 22, giving a stirring presentation to the student body in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium, titled “The Dialogue Between the Eastern Orthodox and the Oriental Orthodox.”
The Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield gave the introduction, noting Chaillot’s abiding commitment to studying and writing about reconciliation between the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches and applauding her for “going right to the top” in bringing the issue to the leading hierarchs of our day. Fr Chad endorsed Chaillot’s many contributions to the study of this millennia-old division and mentioned plans for a conference to be held at St Vladimir’s Seminary in 2025, intended to further the dialogue between Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches.
Christine Chaillot opened her presentation by summarizing the current relations between the various Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches. She then posed the question, “What does Church unity really mean?” and shared thoughts inspired by a 2022 article by SVOTS Professor Emeritus and former dean, the Very Rev. Dr John Erickson, “From Division to Dialogue and Beyond: The Quest for Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Unity.” Chaillot summarized various approaches to interpreting the conclusions of the 4th Ecumenical Council (Chalcedon, 451) and the main points presented by those who oppose dialogue and reconciliation between the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, including the question of how to deal with varying liturgical practices, and how to recognize saints canonized after the Council of Chalcedon.
In concluding her talk, Chaillot urged her listeners, and all those not well informed or against dialogue, to take the time to read the writings produced by others in the “family of churches” to gain an understanding of their Christological and spiritual kinship. “By reading the liturgical books of the Oriental Orthodox,” said Chaillot, “we can understand that their Christology, Mariology, and faith in general are Orthodox.”
Chaillot placed a special emphasis on the importance of practical dialogue, informed by love and humility, to be experienced as a “living reality,” not only by theologians and specialists but also by clergy and faithful from the two families of churches, especially by seminarians who will become clergy in the future. Her final question to the audience was, “If we understand the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches actually have the same Christology, is it proper to reject the possibility of unity any longer?”
The lecture was attended by a large group of students, spanning multiple Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and was followed by a Q&A session. Watch the recording of the talk by Christine Chaillot by clicking the button below.
Online Webinar via Zoom Live-stream (register below to receive link)
Fr Ted Paraskevopoulos (D.Min. ‘24) will present his doctoral research in a webinar entitled “‘A Failure to Die’: Countering Death-Denying Culture through Orthodox Catechism,” at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 7, 2024. Director of the Doctor of Ministry program, the Very Rev. Sergius Halvorsen will give introductory remarks.
Fr Ted introduces his research as follows:
The first half of this presentation will explore the presence and effects of death-denying culture on Orthodox Christians, and how a death-denying worldview sometimes affects adult catechumens. The data presented will show that an improper understanding of death can result in the conversion of “non-Orthodox secularists” into "Orthodox secularists,” instead of true disciples.
The second half will explore some possible remedies to this problem by proposing a methodology for Orthodox catechesis that is rooted, not in the denial of death, but rather in its embrace, as it is experienced through the sacramental life of the Church.
Join us for this thought-provoking and edifying presentation on the appropriate Orthodox Christian approach to death and dying.
This webinar will be open to the public for online attendance. To attend the webinar, register at the link below. There is no entrance fee, but donations are much appreciated and will directly benefit St Vladimir’s Seminary.
Registration is closed.
About the Speakers
Fr Ted Paraskevopoulos
Fr Ted Paraskevopoulos, D.Min., has been serving in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Canada since 2006 where he was ordained a deacon and served the communities of St Nicholas and Prophet Elias. It was at Prophet Elias that Fr Ted was ordained a priest, and then was sent to his first community of St Demetrius in Winnipeg, Manitoba. After serving for six years in Winnipeg, Fr Ted returned to Toronto and assumed the leadership of Sts Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, where he continued to serve until March 1, 2023, when he assumed his current position of parish priest at the community of Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Holding a bachelor of theology from the Patriarchal Toronto Orthodox Theological Academy, Fr Ted received his Master of Arts in Theology and his Doctor of Ministry from Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Fr Ted taught Pastoral Theology at the Orthodox School of Theology at Trinity College, University of Toronto from 2015-2018 and has been the Professor of Pastoral Studies at the Patriarchal Toronto Orthodox Theological Academy from 2014-present.
Fr Ted is married to his wife, Joanna, and has three children; twins Katerina and George, and a younger son Angelo.
The Very Rev. Sergius Halvorsen
The Very Rev. Sergius Halvorsen (M.Div. ‘96; Ph.D., Drew University, 2002) is Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric at St Vladimir's Seminary and serves as director of the Doctor of Ministry Program. In addition to teaching homiletics and rhetoric, he also teaches courses in Christian education and the sacred art of narrative. Fr Sergius is a priest of the Orthodox Church in America, he is attached to Holy Transfiguration Church in New Haven, CT, and has contributed to a number of "Archangel Voices" recordings. He currently lives in New Haven, CT, and serves part-time as a chaplain at Yale New Haven Hospital. He loves gardening, hiking, biking, and reading biographies and fiction.
About the Doctor of Ministry Program
The Doctor of Ministry degree at St Vladimir's Seminary enhances the practice of ministry for ordained and lay ministers in the Orthodox Church. The program integrates enhanced competencies in pastoral analysis with skills necessary to lead students to an advanced understanding of the nature and purposes of ministry. Working in communities of teachers and learners, the students gain deeper knowledge about the practice of serving others in Christian love as they grow in spiritual maturity as ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The D.Min. program at St Vladimir's Seminary provides priests, chaplains, and other pastoral professionals with advanced knowledge and skills in order to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who are suffering. Integrating doctoral-level academic work with pastoral spirituality, this program will help you to acquire and refine the skills to minister to those whom God has called you to serve. Please consider joining us in a doctoral program that will give you an opportunity to foster deep and lasting friendships as we engage in work that contributes to authentic spiritual and pastoral renewal. The next D.Min. cohort will commence in Fall 2024.
Do you feel called to serve the Church, either in ordained ministry, academia, or another vocation?
Explore that calling at the St Vladimir’s Seminary Open House, held on-site on March 2-3, 2024!
Prospective seminarians are invited to take a closer look at the spiritual, academic, and residential life at St Vladimir’s Seminary. Pray in the chapel, speak with seminarians and seminary professors, and enjoy our beautiful campus.
Open House attendees will be responsible for their transportation to and from the seminary and lodging expenses. Meals will be provided on campus.
2024 Spring Open House Schedule
Saturday, March 2
8:00 a.m. - Continental breakfast
9:00 a.m. - Welcome remarks by St Vladimir’s Seminary President & Academic Dean
9:30 a.m. - Degree programs presentation, Q&A session with faculty members
12:00 p.m. - Lunch & group discussion with current seminarians
1:00 p.m. - Meeting and discussion with Director of Spiritual Formation
1:30 p.m. - Tuition and financial aid
2:30 p.m. - Library and campus tours
3:30 p.m. - Admissions Overview
5:00 p.m. - Dinner
6:00 p.m. - All-Night Vigil
Sunday, March 3
9:00 a.m. - Divine Liturgy
12:00 p.m. - Brunch and closing remarks
1:30 p.m. - Departure
Lodging Options:
Book your room via this link for a discounted rate at the Hampton Inn & Suites Yonkers - Westchester.
Just after Christmas, St Vladimir’s Seminary had the joy of hosting the youth group from St Steven’s Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Alhambra, CA, led by their cathedral dean and SVOTS alumnus Fr Nicholas Ceko (M.Div. ‘85). The youth were met first by four seminarians, Paisius Bradley Winsler (M.A. ‘24), Sergio Hector Lopez (M.Div. ‘26), Pavlo Kurganov (M.A. ‘24), and Silouan Jovani Valdez (M.A. ‘24), who sat down with them to talk about seminary life and their own backgrounds and reasons for pursuing a vocation within the Church. Seminarians took questions from the youth group members and spoke candidly about past experiences of conversion, the struggles and joys of attending seminary, and the redemptive nature of life within community in prayer and service.
Seminary President, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield followed the seminarians with a presentation of his own, giving the youth group a brief history of Orthodox seminary education in America and explaining the developments that brought St Vladimir’s Seminary into being. Fr Chad took questions from the students and encouraged all, including the young women, to consider a future education at the seminary. Fr Nicholas also shared many reminiscences about his time as a student and an SVS Press Bookstore employee in the 1980s, including fond memories of former Dean of Students, the Very Rev. Paul Lazor.
The youth group and seminarians enjoyed lunch together in the refectory in the Germack building and then were treated to a tour of the Father Georges Florovsky Library, given by senior staff member and former SVS Press Director, Ted Bazil. During the tour, one of the students, a grandson of longtime seminary benefactor and former trustee Obren Brian Gerich (Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa), was able to get a photo with the plaque bearing his grandparents' names as sponsors of the Seminary Board Room. The youth group also made a stop in Three Hierarchs Chapel, where they sang two hymns, "Holy God" and "Praise the Lord,” a special treat for everyone.
Fr Chad, reflecting on the St Steven’s Youth Group visit, remarked, “It is truly encouraging to see fresh young faces coming to visit the seminary, showing their piety and interest in future service to the Church. It was also a joy to welcome back notable alumnus Fr Nicholas Ceko and to meet the grandson of distinguished seminary supporter, former board member, and founder of multiple endowment funds for Serbian students, Brian Gerich. We hope to welcome many more Serbian students in the future at St Vladimir’s Seminary.”
At the 16th All-American Council (AAC) of the OCA meeting in Seattle, WA in 2011, a resolution calling for each parish or mission to contribute 1% of their annual budget to a seminary of their choice was brought forth. This resolution passed without any contrary votes.
Despite the lack of opposition at the AAC, very few parishes or missions became seminary supporters through the 1% resolution. At best, our seminary had around thirty parish supporters at the peak of participation. It should be noted that after hearing of the resolution, some non-OCA parishes decided to dedicate 1% of their resources and become seminary benefactors, as well.
The very first 1% seminary supporter was the small OCA Mission of St Tikhon in Chattanooga, TN. I recently had the great blessing of returning to St Tikhon’s after 10 years to conduct a pre-Lenten retreat, and it has grown substantially. Their former treasurer told me that for eight years she cut the 1% check no matter how small it was in some lean times. She beamed and said, “The Lord has blessed us for being faithful”. Indeed, and now they support a parishioner of their own as he journeys through the M.Div. program at St Vladimir’s Seminary.
Mission of St Tikhon parish members 10 years ago
Mission of St Tikhon parish members in February 2024
Their priest, Fr Seth Earl (M.Div. ‘17), shared that he and his wife took advantage of our tuition-free initiative and were able to graduate debt-free. This is only possible because parishes, missions, and individuals know that seminarians are no longer supported by gifts from the Tsar’s purse! We are able to fulfill our mission and return the newly ordained to the mission field debt-free because you did your part.
This Great Lent, please remember to support our seminaries. Remember to do what the retired treasurer told me in Chattanooga and cut the check no matter how small.
The fifth session in the Light of the World Webinar Series was co-hosted by Fr Photius Avant (M.Div. ‘11), author, dedicated religious educator, and rector of St Sava Orthodox Church in Allen, TX, and Khouria Destinie Winn, author of the popular blog Ascetic Life of Motherhood, and wife of Fr David Winn (M.Div. ‘20). The webinar, titled “A Light to Bring Revelation: The Presentation of the Lord in the Temple–How Are We to Present Ourselves and Our Children to the Lord in the Church?” was held on Thursday, February 15, 2024, from 7:00—8:30 p.m. Eastern, via Zoom livestream.
Fr Photius began the presentation by exhorting listeners to “confront the problem of modernity”—the popular modern tendency to relegate our Christian life and practice to going to church on Sunday, rather than striving to live and model our faith in our families each and every day. He encouraged parents to counter the “catechism of the world”, the increasingly counter-Christian ideas taught in schools and pop culture, by embracing their parental vocation to continuously bring “their children into the living experience of following Christ.”
Following Fr Photius’ talk, Khouria Destinie laid out her four guiding principles in raising her children to be Orthodox Christians: bring them to church; lead them in the Faith; establish a Christian home; and encourage piety. Khouria Destinie gave numerous examples of practical ways to engage children in living a life of Faith, emphasizing the importance of following established seasonal liturgical rhythms and making the hymns, feastday traditions, prayers, and saints of the Church real and tangible to children. By weaving the liturgical life of the Church into our homes, we “lay the foundation that sets the course of their entire life,” said Khouria Destinie, and we ensure that the “soil of their hearts is as rich as possible to receive the Truth” throughout their lives.
Seminary President, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield, moderated the Q&A session following the speakers’ presentations, which included questions from listeners about the role of godparents and how to deal with misbehavior or tantrums during church services. He thanked the speakers for their timely and actionable presentations, saying, “This has really been an enlightening and wonderful evening and time well spent.”
Chief Advancement Officer and webinar orchestrator, Sarah Werner, also thanked the speakers for their valuable insights and encouraged listeners to support current students at St Vladimir’s Seminary by making a donation to the scholarship fund at svots.edu/give.
To watch the recording of the fifth session of the Light of the World Webinar Series, “A Light to Bring Revelation: The Presentation of the Lord in the Temple–How Are We to Present Ourselves and Our Children to the Lord in the Church?”, click the link below.
This monthly webinar series features speakers from among St Vladimir’s Seminary faculty, alumni, and friends, speaking on a variety of topics while answering a core question:
How are we Christians to be the light of the world?
Drawing inspiration from feedback received through a recent survey, these webinars aim to address a diverse range of themes that address real and pressing issues facing Orthodox faithful in modern society.
These online webinars are open to the public and free of cost. They are recorded and uploaded to the St Vladimir’s Seminary YouTube channel after the live Zoom event for easy access.
In this student spotlight interview, we get to know Dn Peter Jared Ries (M.Div. ‘24). Before arriving at St Vladimir’s Seminary, Dn Peter Ries spent several years working in mental health case management. Here at Seminary, he has become an integral part of the community, serving as Student Sacristan and organizing periodic “Porch Nights” for fellow seminarians to gather on the Germack porch to talk, laugh, and sing songs together. We sat down with him in October 2023 for this candid conversation on his experience as an M.Div. student at St Vladimir’s Seminary.
Dn Peter, please tell us a bit about your background.
I’m from Cleveland, OH, and for over fifteen years I have been a member of St Innocent Orthodox Church (OCA, Diocese of the Midwest). I attained a degree in psychology from Cleveland State University in 2015, and then I spent several years working in mental health case management. In this field, I assisted and treated individuals with severe mental health diagnoses, primarily those with schizoaffective and bipolar disorders. I ultimately found myself on the path to seminary, and this Midwestern boy came to the Big Apple in the Summer of 2021. My wife, Sophie, and I met very early in my seminary journey, as she is from the area, and we were married in October of 2022. We are happily living here on campus, in our cozy apartment surrounded by friends and faith. Sophie is a professionally trained artist specializing in illustration and design.
How do you feel your educational/professional background prepared you for seminary?
When you work in the field of mental health, you encounter Christ very quickly and very bluntly. I witnessed incredibly raw and incredibly human moments during my time, and crisis was a large element of my daily workload. But most importantly, I learned in that field that service to those around you was paramount to sharing the Gospel. If you go out and preach to a community, but you do not serve them, it will be a hollow message falling on rightfully deaf ears. In something as secular as the social work field, I was still so poignantly aware of God’s operation in my clients’ lives, not through proselytizing them but rather through serving their needs in love.
Why did you choose St Vladimir's Seminary?
I knew early on that St Vladimir’s was my choice for seminary. Archbishop Paul, of blessed memory, was very involved in my discernment process, and he was helpful in pointing me to the place where I would benefit the most on my personal journey of spiritual and professional formation. Fr Alessandro Margheritino, an alumnus of this seminary and the current Secretary of the OCA, was my parish priest for much of my childhood, and he taught me about the resources St Vladimir’s Seminary has to offer: their CPE program, the caliber of their faculty, and the advantage that all us students are learning and struggling in a very tight, very intentional community, together. Campus life was a big draw for me, and I am grateful that Sophie and I were able to start our marriage here.
What is your year of study and degree program, and what have been some particularly impactful experiences during your time at the Seminary?
I am a 3rd-year M.Div. candidate, so I am nearing the end of my seminary adventure. An easy top answer to this question is my marriage to Sophie. We were able to have it at her home parish in New Jersey, attended by many seminarians, faculty, and staff. Sophie and I have always felt very cared for by the married faculty and students, and it has been so useful to be able to model their behavior as Sophie and I learn and grow together. Another memorable event was my recent ordination to the Holy Diaconate. It is a humbling obedience, and it was such a blessing to take on this responsibility while standing alongside my colleagues, mentors, and friends.
What are some ways you hope to grow during your last year at seminary?
An exciting aspect of the last year’s curriculum here is a tightened focus on pastoral formation. I am taking homiletics, pastoral theology, and am fulfilling an internship at one of the local parishes. Combined with the spiritual formation that is baked into the liturgical schedule and community life here on campus, I want to take this education and have it further develop my appreciation and desire for service. We are formed into servants here, to become shepherds of souls, and I want to grow into that role more fully.
When you contemplate the phrase "You are the light of the world," how do you hope to fulfill this directive in your own life and ministry?
Calling back to my pastoral theology course, I am reminded of a recent point made by the professor of that class, Fr Eric Tosi. He made mention of the Greek translation of the word apostolos. It means, quite literally, one who is sent forth, and I think that this is an important distinction to make when we talk about the Church as being Apostolic. Though this term very well calls to mind the fact that our tradition is handed down from Christ to the Apostles and carried through to today, we cannot forget that this tradition is, by design, meant to be taken out into the world. We are formed here so that we may go out there. There is not meant to be a separation between the Kingdom of God and creation, and so just as light permeates, we too must permeate the world by bearing witness to the light of Christ.
How can St Vladimir's Seminary community members pray for you and your family?
With this sending forth comes a level of uncertainty. Sophie and I do not quite yet know exactly where God will be sending us to do this work. It is a career path that demands one’s time and one’s patience, and obedience to the will of God. But that does not make it unique from the work God asks of all of us. So please, pray for me to develop my patience, and my love for the Church, and please pray that Sophie and I continue to grow in our marriage as we take these next steps. Please pray that I garner humility and a further appreciation of service so that I might be a good and faithful servant to the community and to Christ.
What would you like to say to supporters of the Seminary?
My time here is made possible by those who support this seminary, full stop. Without them, I would have never been able to come out here, I would have never had the opportunity to be formed by God through this institution. If you want to look at it in a schmaltzy way, without them I would have never found myself anywhere near New Jersey, a place where I found a beautiful and faithful woman to go on this journey with me. To those who support this seminary: thank you. Thank you for prioritizing the mission of the Church, and for helping educate the future of Orthodoxy in America and abroad. Thank you for taking the Lord’s directive seriously, and truly being a light to the world.
