St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) has received a grant of $250,000 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to supplement the Compelling Preaching program, a new project which aims to strengthen preaching and homiletics in Orthodox Christian parishes.
The program was developed with the support of an earlier grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Compelling Preaching Initiative.
The supplemental grant will allow SVOTS to expand and strengthen the first three initiatives of its Compelling Preaching program:
Renew: a continuing education program for preachers
Resource: a curated online resource of exemplary preaching
Research: an interdisciplinary academic conference on Orthodox Christian preaching
Additionally, the supplemental grant will allow us to add an exciting fourth initiative to the program—Reveal: a faith-based storytelling initiative for laypeople that will identify, and provide coaching, for participants who will share a compelling story of faith in a live storytelling event.
Seminary President, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield, shared his enthusiasm for the new initiative, saying, "Sharing the Gospel with others is an essential part of our call to walk as children of light. (Eph 5:8) This generous grant from Lilly Endowment will help us to support all Orthodox Christians who are called to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ."
Lilly Endowment launched the Compelling Preaching Initiative in 2022 because of its interest in supporting projects that help to nurture the religious lives of individuals and families and foster the growth and vitality of Christian congregations in the United States.
ABOUT THE LILLY ENDOWMENT Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff, and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes ofcommunity development,education, andreligion and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A primary aim of its grantmaking in religion is to deepen the religious lives of Christians, principally by supporting efforts that enhance congregational vitality and strengthen the leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment values the broad diversity of Christian traditions and endeavors to support them in a wide variety of contexts. The Endowment also seeks to foster public understanding about religion by encouraging fair, accurate, and balanced portrayals of the positive and negative effects of religion on the world and lifting up the contributions that people of all faiths make to our greater civic well-being.
According to an explanation provided by Facebook, “When you follow someone or a Page [on Facebook, or other social medium, like Twitter], you may see updates from that person or Page in your News Feed.” It means that the Follower is immediately informed of the affairs of the Followed (e.g. a private individual, public figure, organization), including the latter’s interests, life events, locations/travels, endeavors, aspirations, opinions, and other such information.
The act of following on social media, however, has no substantive bearing upon one’s life, either in thought, word, or deed. Following on social media does not carry with it any incumbent real life consequences. For example, if a Facebook Friend posts that he is attending an event, there is no necessary corollary that a Follower must also attend that event. Even if a Follower does decide to alter his life in conformity to the information provided by the Followed Friend and attends the event, it is only by virtue of the Follower’s whim. It is not dependent upon the previously freely-made choice of following; following on social media carries no obligations.
Contrarily, Christ’s command to his disciples, “Follow me,” is substantive, carries obligations, and involves the whole person without reservation. The command is significant enough that the same story in which Christ says, “Follow me,” is recorded similarly in all four Gospels. The Synoptic accounts share most of these details explicitly; John’s conforms with them by implying the details in his narrative. In the story, located within the first five chapters of all four books, Jesus encounters the fishermen brothers Simon Peter and Andrew at the beginning of his ministry in Galilee, after his own baptism and forty-day withdrawal into the desert. The details of this short but poignant story convey the same message about what it means to follow Jesus. In all four accounts, the disciples-to-be are engaged with their mundane task of catching fish, likely for their livelihood. For simple fishermen, the last thing they would do is abandon their lives/livelihood because this would likely mean financial ruin; yet, this is exactly what occurs.
In Matthew 4:18–20 and Mark 1:16–18, Jesus simply calls to Simon and Andrew to follow him, and they do. In these accounts, Jesus gives his command to follow him; the text specifically indicates that the disciples did so “immediately,” or “suddenly” in Armenian translation, implying a total, unexpected break from the perceived correct order of reality. Simon and Andrew followed Jesus so completely that they abandoned their previous lives totally. It was a corollary action to their choice to follow Jesus to abandon their previous lives of meager certainty as fishermen for new uncertain lives as disciples, fishers of men. Mark and Matthew demonstrate that following Christ must include a complementary real life consequence, and that these two disciples recognized that fact and willingly fulfilled this responsibility. In Luke 5:1–11, Jesus’ command to follow him is preceded by Jesus aiding Simon and Andrew to catch many fish, after which they likewise abandon “everything” (nets, boats, and fish) to follow Jesus. John 1:35–42 implies the abandonment by simply saying, four times, that the disciples just followed, and stayed, with him.
In all four accounts, the command and corresponding action described in the Armenian translation strongly indicate that following Jesus is more than isolated moments of accumulating information on a ‘News Feed.’ The Armenian uses the word “to come”/“գալ” paired with “after”/“զկնի” for Jesus’ command, i.e. “Come after me.” It uses the word “to go”/“գնալ” (John uses another word for “to go,” “երթալ”) to describe the disciples’ resulting incumbent action. In other words, the choice of following Jesus cannot be acted upon according to the whim of the follower. While a free choice, it carries indispensable responsibility that must be totally fulfilled along with the privilege of being Christ’s disciple.
Christianity takes to its farthest logical conclusion the dictum: my house, my rules. The choice to live as a Christian, i.e. in Christ’s ‘house,’ must be chosen. Once chosen, however, there are requisite responsibilities/rules which accompany it, namely to be like Christ himself. There are no such incumbent responsibilities in following on social media. In light of the modern trend of “following on social media,” the Church can simply return to the sources, once again emphasizing the incumbency of the real life consequences of coming after Christ. We can choose to follow him willingly, but we must always prepare and rejuvenate ourselves for the privileged responsibilities that accompany that God-given choice.
Join us for the first webinar in The Light of the World Webinar Series. This monthly webinar series will feature 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 we conducted, these webinars aim to address a diverse range of themes that address real and pressing issues facing Orthodox faithful in modern society.
The first webinar will be co-hosted by His Grace Bishop John (Abdalah), Auxiliary of the Diocese of Worcester and New England (AOCANA), and Orthodox writer, Khouria Frederica Mathewes-Green, on the topic, Submission to the Church: How to Become Children of the Light. This webinar will be held on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m., via Zoom livestream.
The online webinar is open to the public and free of cost. It will be recorded and uploaded to our YouTube channel afterward for easy access. Click the button below to register and to receive the Zoom webinar link.
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 October 14-15, 2023!
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.
This summer, Academic Dean of St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS), Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie traveled to India to meet with key representatives of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
At the ordination of theRev. Dr Renish Geevarghese Abraham to the priesthood
Dr Tudorie started his visit in the town of Ranni in Kerala state on July 29, where he attended the ordination to the priesthood of SVOTS seminarian, the Rev. Dr Renish Geevarghese Abraham (Th.M. ‘24, M.Div. ‘24), held at St John’s Orthodox Church in Chempanmukham, Ranni. Presiding hierarchs at the ordination included His Eminence Met. Dr Youhanon Mar Demetrios, Metropolitan of Delhi, assisted by His Eminence Zachariah Mar Nicholavos, Metropolitan of Northeast America, and His Eminence Joshua Mar Nichodemus, Metropolitan of Ranni-Nilackal.
Dr Tudorie with the newly ordained Rev. Dr Renish Geevarghese Abraham
“Fr Geevarghese is a top-notch scholar and one of our best students,” said Dr Tudorie. “I was very glad to be able to attend his ordination to the priesthood in his home country.”
Following the ordination, Dr Tudorie visited His Grace Dr Zacharia Mar Aprem, Metropolitan of Adoor at St George Monastery in Chayalode, Adoor.
Dr Tudorie with His Grace Dr Zacharia Mar Aprem, Metropolitan of Adoor
On Sunday, July 30, Dr Tudorie attended church at St John’s Orthodox Church, where Fr Geevarghese served his first Holy Eucharist. Dr Tudorie participated in a lamp-lighting ceremony to inaugurate a charitable project for the empowerment of local women, set up by a contribution made by Fr Geevarghese.
The following day, Dr Tudorie visited the Orthodox Theological Seminary (OTS) in Kottayam city in Kerala at the invitation of OTS Principal, the Rev. Dr Reji Mathews. Dr Tudorie addressed a group of seminary faculty and students and then engaged in a Q&A session moderated by Fr Geevarghese.
From left: Rev. Dr Renish Geevarghese Abraham, OTS Principal, the Rev. Dr Reji Mathews, Dr Tudorie
After his presentation, Dr Tudorie was treated to a backwater cruise at Kumarakom by the Rev. Dr K. M. George, former principal of OTS, Kottayam.
On August 1, Dr Tudorie met with His Holiness, Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan, at the Catholicate Palace in Devalokam, Kottayam. In this meeting, they discussed the future collaboration between St Vladimir’s Seminary, the St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
Dr Tudorie speaking with His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews III
Several other hierarchs and distinguished members of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church were in attendance at this landmark meeting, and all voiced their enthusiasm for a strengthened partnership in the future. In appreciation for the generous hospitality shown by the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church leaders, Dr Tudorie presented each with books from SVS Press.
From left, front row: Fr Renish Geevarghese Abraham (Th.M. ‘24, M.Div. ‘24); His Grace, Yakob Mar Irenius, Metropolitan of Kochi; His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews III; Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie; His Grace Abraham Mar Stephanos Metropolitan of the U.K., Europe, and Africa; His Eminence Dr Youhanon Mar Demetrios, Metropolitan of Delhi
Dr Tudorie with His Grace Joshua Mar Nichodemus, Metropolitan of the Nilackal Diocese
On the last day of Dr Tudorie’s stay in India, he visited the capital city, New Delhi to discuss a partnership between St Stephen’s College, Delhi, a premier higher educational institution established by Cambridge Mission to India in 1881, and St Vladimir’s Seminary; he was welcomed by Professor John Varghese, Principal of St Stephen’s College, Delhi; Dr Alphy Geever, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at St Stephen’s College; the Rev. Fr Abin P. Jacob, secretary to the Metropolitan of Delhi, and Fr Renish Geevarghese Abraham (on sabbatical from his faculty position at St Stephen’s College until the completion of his studies at SVOTS). During the course of this meeting, Dr Tudorie and Professor Varghese signed a memorandum of understanding between St Vladimir’s Seminary and St Stephen’s College. Potential future collaborations between the two institutions include faculty and student exchanges and joint research programs. St Stephen’s College also has existing memoranda of understanding with the University of Notre Dame and the University of Cambridge.
After signing the Memorandum of Understanding between SVOTS and St Stephen’s College
In reflecting upon his visit to India, Dr Tudorie remarked,
The first benefit of this trip for me personally as a Church historian was to understand the place of the Malankara Orthodox Church and Indian Christianity within their country and culture. I was amazed to see Christian churches on every street corner in Kerala, having come from a Western perception of India as home to primarily Hindu or Muslim practitioners.
I was very glad to attend a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church; it was a wonderful opportunity to meet with many hierarchs and establish a personal relationship with the leaders of the strongest Christian presence in Asia. I am also looking forward to a fruitful partnership with St Stephen’s College, widely regarded as the best liberal arts college in India.
In this Student Spotlight Interview, we get to know Seminarian Andrew Prather. Andrew and his wife, Amber, are both M.Div. students going into their final year at St Vladimir’s Seminary. They met as first-year classmates in Fall 2020, married the following year, and welcomed their daughter, Elizabeth, in August 2022.
Andrew has distinguished himself on campus through his community service assignment as the student photographer; for the past three years, he has documented campus events and feast days with stunning, carefully composed images. In this conversation, Andrew describes his background, his thoughts on the importance of quality photography in Orthodox parish and community life, and his commitment to pursuing the academic study of theology at St Vladimir’s Seminary.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself, Andrew.
I'm from Pella, Iowa. I attended St Nicholas Orthodox Christian Church of the OCA Diocese of the Midwest in my hometown. At Central College, I double majored in religion and computer science. Then for nine years after college, I worked in a hospital IT department, specializing in PACS medical imaging. I was unhappy with my job and started thinking about what to do next. One day, the thought popped into my head: “I could go to seminary”. And so I looked into that, and here I am.
What is your degree program and year of study, and what has been particularly impactful for you during your time at seminary?
I’m an M.Div. student in my final year here at St Vladimir’s Seminary. Of course, one of the most impactful things about my time at seminary was meeting my wife Amber and having my daughter, but also the professors have been very impactful for me, both inside the classroom and out. They really care for the students. Some of the memorable classes I took were The Psalter by Fr Silviu Bunta, Hebrew by Dr Legaspi, Church History by Dr Tudorie, and Old Testament and Patristics by Fr Bogdan.
What has your community service been during your time at seminary, and what have you learned from this experience?
In my first year, I was on the meal team in the refectory, but throughout that year I started getting more and more requests to photograph services and that became my primary community service assignment at the start of my second year. I had photographed some liturgies and ceremonies before seminary, but I was mostly a landscape photographer. Now, I mostly photograph people, liturgies, ceremonies, and events. So my focus has completely shifted, and I've learned quite a bit about photography here.
Looking forward, I've been trying to gain experience so that I can continue to work in photography after seminary. Throughout my time here, I’ve taken on more and more work, including photographing fellow seminarian families, for family photos or for their special occasions, such as baptisms and ordinations. So I’ve started my own small photography business and hope to continue it after seminary, if possible.
Is there a special need to take photos of these moments at seminary? How is it meaningful?
Yes, not just here at seminary, but in parishes in general. Basically, I think every parish should have a photographer, or at least on occasion, pay a photographer to come in and take photos. And the reason for that is to build our presence on the web, particularly on our websites. At one point, I started looking through parish websites and found that while there are some beautiful parish homepages, the majority of websites out there are not very well done. They might have images, but most of the time, they're low quality, they're blurry, they’re not contributing to the website, or they're very old. And it just brings down the quality of the website. So I think that's one area in which photography can be impactful within Orthodoxy; it can be a missionary tool.
Andrew serving as photographer at a seminarian ordination in 2021
The photo taken from Andrew’s perch on the ladder in the vestry
What are some ways you hope to grow during your last year at seminary?
We can always grow spiritually and personally and so that is a priority, but I think one thing that I need to work on is academics, especially areas like language and knowledge of many different theological topics. Sometimes there can be a sense that the students who are choosing to take the academic classes over the pastoral classes might be “doing seminary wrong”, or striving to do what they excel in, rather than pursuing spiritual or pastoral improvement. However, for me, I never came in pursuing ordination–I came in originally as an MA student. And after my first semester, I switched to the M.Div. So in the past few semesters, I've been embracing the academic side of seminary, as I aim to determine if that's my future. I feel I should give that my focus and see where it goes.
We’re not all called to pastoral ministry, and I don't exactly know what my call is. I go back and forth on whether I want to pursue ordination every other week, which for right now means it's not something I'm pursuing. So for the last few months, I've kind of embraced that. I don't have to worry that I'm taking the wrong classes. I've loved all the elective classes that I've taken. And I don't regret any of the choices that I made to take those classes–they've been a formative part of my journey here.
It seems you’re making the important point that Seminary is not only for those who will become priests, they are also for those who seek to grow spiritually and serve the Church in lay ministry or academic research.
Yes, for example, one of our classmates who just graduated, Mitchell Sophia Matias (M.Div.’23), she's a chaplain educator. My wife Amber will receive her M.Div. next year along with me; she won’t become a priest, but she hopes to use her degree in future ministry within our parish life, or possibly in a missionary capacity. With the MDiv program, we get a well-rounded, multidisciplinary academic experience. It’s useful for priests, but also for those who aren’t seeking the priesthood. So there are many different things you can do to serve the Church as someone who was blessed to complete a seminary education.
Andrew and Amber Prather after their engagement, March 2021. Photo credit: Sarah Werner
How can St Vladimir's Seminary community members pray for you and your family?
We do still have to get through this last year at seminary–my wife's a full-time M.Div. student and we have our one-year-old daughter. Childcare can be a tricky business here, especially as it's so expensive. There are times when we have classes and commitments at the same time. We have a plan right now for this semester. Last semester, at this time, we also had a plan, but it fell through in the third or fourth week, so I'm not holding my breath. I'm also going to be doing Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) throughout the school year, in addition to weekly assignments, reflections, and papers. So I might just ask for prayers that we navigate this busy seminary schedule well this year.
What would you say to those who choose to support the Seminary with their donations?
I just say thank you to those who donate to the seminary. Especially for the student scholarships, those really help students. As someone in a family with two M.Div. students, the scholarships have really helped us and allowed us to be here. We couldn't do it without the scholarships.
Even if you're not donating to the scholarship fund, donating to the seminary does help out in many different ways. As you've probably heard many times, we live in a very expensive area and so it’s very expensive for the seminary to keep operating and to give all these opportunities for the students, but also to have an impact on the Church. It requires the donations of supporters.
So thank you for your donations and your generosity. We students really appreciate all that you guys do for us.
Andrew Prather’s photography can be found at andrewpratherphotography.com.Here are a few of his favorite shots from the past two years at seminary.
With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share the news of the repose of Fr Daniel Simon, who fell asleep in the Lord at age 86 on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. He lived a selfless and joyful life, in sacramental commitment to priestly service.
At age 6, when he survived polio, Fr Daniel's parents dedicated his life to the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ordained as a subdeacon at the age of 15, he began his ministry to those afflicted and in need.
A native of Grand Rapids, MI, Fr Daniel graduated from Central High School and enlisted in the Army in 1958, where he served as a helicopter mechanic. After leaving the military, Fr Daniel attended Ferris State University, receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting in June of 1963.
He married Eileen Hoffer in September of 1964, and she accompanied him to St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) in New York. He was ordained to the holy priesthood at Holy Protection Cathedral (OCA) in New York City on Dec. 11, 1966, by His Beatitude Metropolitan Ireney of thrice-blessed memory, of what is now the Orthodox Church in America. Father Daniel graduated seminary in June 1967 with a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree.
Subsequently, he served Antiochian parishes such as St George Church in S. Glens Falls, N.Y. in 1967. In 1968, Fr Daniel was reassigned to St George Church in St. Paul, MN. There, he was instrumental in finding and negotiating the purchase of the current church property in West St Paul. Fr Daniel also worked for the State of Minnesota as an auditor from 1968 to the mid-1970s.
After his time in West St Paul, Fr Daniel served multiple communities from Italy to Hawaii to the Upper Midwest, in several Orthodox Christian jurisdictions.
Fr Daniel is survived by his wife of 59 years, Kh. Eileen; children Anna, Daniel (Nojelyn Kato), John (Rafif), and Alexander (Elizabeth); grandchildren James (Alta), Matthew, AnnaMaria, Luke, John, Mark, Sho Kato, Julia, Lila, Aiden; sister Frances (James) Sears; niece Mary Simon, and cousins Christine and Alexis Elias.
He is preceded in death by his parents; his brother George and sister-in-law Kareemeh Simon; sister Margaret Simon; and brother Matthew Simon.
The family gives special thanks to Mergitu Tibesso and the family who warmly cared for and looked after Fr Daniel in their loving adopted adult care home.
Services will be held at St George Church of West St Paul, MN, scheduled as follows:
Sunday, October 15
4:00 p.m. – Visitation
6:00 p.m. – Funeral service for a priest
Monday, October 16
9:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy
10:30 a.m. – Funeral service
11:30 a.m. – Meal of mercy in the parish hall
1:30 p.m. – Interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the St George Church building fund (write "Fr Daniel Memorial" in the check's memo line) at 1250 Oakdale Ave., West St Paul, MN 55118.
In his first visit to St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) since graduating in 2019, Fr Simon Menya gave a presentation on the Orthodox mission he shepherds in Gulu, Uganda. Over 20 seminarians, faculty, and staff attended Fr Simon’s talk, which was hosted by the St Innocent Mission Society.
In his 40-minute presentation, Fr Simon described the many facets of his ministry in Uganda as an Orthodox priest and as founder of the Northern Uganda Self-Sufficiency Project (NUSSP). Fr Simon conducts church services daily; translates Orthodox service books and other texts from English into the local language, Luo; and travels to many small towns and villages in his region to visit the sick, celebrate the sacraments, and catechize new inquirers. Last month, he oversaw the completion of a new church building dedicated to St Catherine and baptized 33 catechumens into the Orthodox Faith. In addition to this prodigious work, he works with NUSSP to organize medical treatment and the building of new clinics; improve local water infrastructure; offer secondary schooling for children; and facilitate opportunities for adults to practice animal husbandry and farming, among other professional skills.
Many of the community members in Fr Simon’s pastoral care experienced long periods of time living in refugee camps due to a 24-year civil war that raged in Uganda until 2008. As a result, says Fr Simon, there is a need to focus on skill-building: when people learn to grow their own food and manage their own livestock, they can live self-sufficiently and build thriving communities, rather than relying on humanitarian aid to survive.
Seminary President and faculty advisor for the St Innocent Mission Society, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield recounted stories from his own 2017 visit to Uganda with Fr Simon and praised him for his tireless efforts to build and grow the Orthodox mission in Uganda, and for his focus on developing self-sufficiency in his community. Referring to his many years teaching missiology classes to seminarians, Fr Chad remarked, “I have always encouraged would-be missionaries to foster entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency in their mission community. Of all the students I have ever taught, Fr Simon has embodied this lesson most successfully.”
Fr Simon's compatriot and current seminarian Richard Okello (M.Div. '25) added a few words at the end of Fr Simon's talk, speaking about his experience as a teacher at the Archangel Michael’s Orthodox Secondary School in Lapainate village, which saw its enrollment skyrocket from 105 students to 586 students in two years. Richard testified to the joy and fulfillment in Christ to be experienced by working with the Orthodox mission in Uganda and encouraged his classmates to visit Uganda in the future.
The St Vladimir’s Seminary community was blessed with a hierarchical visit from His Grace, Bishop Andrei of Cleveland (Romanian Episcopate, OCA), for the weekend of October 7-8. His Grace presided over Vigil on Saturday evening and the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy the following day in Three Hierarchs Chapel.
During the Liturgy, His Grace ordained seminarian Fr Spyridon Ickes (M.Div. ‘24) to the priesthood, joyfully proclaiming Axios in Greek, English, and Romanian. His Grace commented after the Liturgy on his great joy at seeing new priests being ordained at Seminary, and expressed his hopes to return for many more ordinations in the future.
Congratulations and many years to Fr Spyridon and Preoteasa Sarah! Vrednic este!
On Thursday, September 28, His Eminence Metropolitan Saba, primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA), celebrated the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at Three Hierarchs Chapel on the campus of St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS).
His Eminence made his first official visit to SVOTS at the invitation of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). Welcoming him at the seminary were SVOTS President, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield, the faculty, and the seminarians, especially the Antiochian students and recent graduates who served alongside Metropolitan Saba and sang with the Byzantine Choir. The Byzantine Choir was led by the Rev. Nicholas Fine (M.Div.’23), newly appointed Lecturer in Liturgical Music.
During the Divine Liturgy, His Eminence elevated Fr Bogdan Bucur to the dignity of archpriest. The Very Rev. Dr Bogdan Bucur is Associate Professor of Patristics at SVOTS and an archpriest of the Antiochian Archdiocese.
The day also marked the commemoration of St Isaac the Syrian. His Eminence included commemorative prayers for His Eminence Metropolitan Isaac of Germany and Central Europe, and all those who keep St Isaac as their patron. In his homily, Met. Saba highlighted the great emphasis St Isaac placed on humility in his writings, and encouraged the faithful in attendance to strive to attain humility first in their pursuit of the virtues.
Following the liturgy, His Eminence met with the Antiochian seminarians and the faculty, stressing the importance of priestly formation and ministry. Expressing gratitude for His Eminence’s visit, Fr Chad Hatfield remarked, “We look forward to building upon our 70-year-long relationship with the Antiochian Archdiocese now under the pastoral care of His Eminence, Metropolitan Saba.”
