Fr Michael Ellias, an of St. Vladimir’s Seminary (class of 1985) is rector of St Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church in New York City. Under his leadership, Fr Michael, has seen an abundance of baptisms and chrismations. By encouraging his lay people, he has revitalized many of the parish's programs.
With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the falling asleep of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman (Swaiko), retired primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). His Beatitude reposed on September 6, 2022, at the age of 90.
His Beatitude was born Joseph Swaiko in Briarford, PA, on February 1, 1932, and was baptized at St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Church in Curtisville, PA. As a youth and young adult, he sang in the parish choir, taught Sunday school, and eventually served as a member of the parish and diocesan councils. After completing his elementary and secondary education with honors in the West Deer Township schools, he enrolled at Robert Morris School of Business (later, Robert Morris College and now, Robert Morris University) in Pittsburgh, where he received a certificate in secretarial science. Subsequently, he served in the Adjutant General Corps of the US Army while stationed in Labrador.
After being discharged from the military in 1959, at the urging of his parish priest Fr. Gabriel Davidiuk, Joseph Swaiko enrolled at St. Tikhon’s Seminary, South Canaan, PA, from which he graduated in 1963. While still a seminarian, he was appointed personal secretary to His Grace, Bishop Kiprian (Borisevich), who became rector of the seminary in 1961. After graduation, Fr. Joseph also assumed the duties of seminary registrar.
Following his ordination to the Holy Diaconate on March 21, 1964, and to the Holy Priesthood on April 7, 1964, Fr. Joseph served as rector of St. John the Baptist Church, Dundaff, PA, and Ss. Peter and Paul Church, Uniondale, PA, while continuing administrative work and teaching Church Slavonic at the Seminary. He was appointed to the Seminary’s Accreditation Committee and was instrumental in organizing the formation of its Board of Trustees, of which he was a charter member and secretary-treasurer. As Bishop Kiprian’s chief assistant, Fr. Joseph Swaiko facilitated construction of a large new building for the Seminary and renovation of the monastery church. He also served as secretary of the Diocese of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania (today known as the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania). Fr. Joseph was also appointed general chairman of the Local Organizing Committee for the historic 14th All-American Sobor, convened at St. Tikhon’s Monastery in October 1970, which—on recognizing the Church’s autocephaly granted earlier that year—became the 1st All-American Council of the Orthodox Church in America.
In his ministry to youth, Fr. Joseph organized the first summer camp for children at the Seminary and Monastery in 1965. He inspired the formation of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship at Bloomsburg State College and became its chaplain. For many years he also served as spiritual advisor to the Anthracite District of the Federated Russian Orthodox Clubs (today known as the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America).
On December 4, 1970, he was tonsured a monk by Archbishop Kiprian and given the name Herman, in honor of St. Herman of Alaska who had been glorified among the saints just four months earlier. Less than a year later, on October 17, 1971, he was elevated to the rank of Igumen and named deputy abbot of St. Tikhon’s Monastery.
On October 19, 1972, Fr. Herman was elected to the Holy Episcopate and raised to the rank of Archimandrite three days later. He was consecrated to the episcopacy at Holy Resurrection Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre, PA, on February 10, 1973, with the title of bishop of Wilkes-Barre, serving as auxiliary of the Diocese of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. The hierarchs participating in his consecration were Metropolitan Ireney (Bekish), Primate of the Orthodox Church in America; Archbishops Sylvester (Haruns) of Montreal and Canada; Kiprian of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania; Valerian (Trifa) of Detroit and the Romanian Episcopate; along with Bishops Theodosius (Lazor) of Pittsburgh and West Virginia and Dmitri (Royster) of Hartford and New England.
During his episcopal service, Bishop Herman continued to reside and teach at St. Tikhon’s Monastery and Seminary. In addition to his ministry within the Diocese of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, he served as temporary administrator of the Diocese of the West in 1975 and temporary administrator of the Diocese of New England in 1978–81. Following the death of Archbishop Kiprian in December 1980, Bishop Herman was nominated to be ruling hierarch by a diocesan assembly on February 19, 1981, and elected bishop of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania by the Holy Synod of Bishops on March 17, 1981. His installation as diocesan hierarch took place at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Philadelphia on April 29, 1981. During his tenure as ruling bishop of the diocese, several parishes were established and new church buildings were constructed and consecrated for both new and long-established parish communities.
Even after he was appointed rector in May 1981, Bishop Herman continued to teach at St. Tikhon’s Seminary. Among the subjects he taught were Church Slavonic, liturgics, homiletics and pastoral theology. As rector, he recruited new faculty members and sought to increase the student body. He oversaw modernization of the existing Seminary building and construction of a large new dormitory, and supervised several stages of the Seminary’s academic accreditation.
As deputy abbott of St. Tikhon’s Monastery, he continually reinforced the monastic community by receiving new members. He also spearheaded construction of a new bell tower next to the church, which was the original home of an icon repository and erection of a mausoleum at the cemetery. He hosted several monastic and other conferences as well as continuing the tradition of an annual Memorial Day weekend pilgrimage for the faithful that have taken place since the monastery’s founding in 1905.
In addition to his service to the Diocese of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, Bishop Herman served the greater Orthodox Church in America in a wide variety of capacities. He served as chairman of the OCA Department of Finance; vice-chairman of the Department of Missions; member of the Board of Theological Education; vice-chairman and chairman of several preconciliar commissions; episcopal moderator for the Department of Stewardship; chairman of the Pension Board; vice-chairman of the Office of Inter-Church Relations and Ecumenical Witness; and member of the Lesser Synod of Bishops.
Bishop (later, Archbishop) Herman represented the OCA at numerous events abroad, often traveling with Metropolitan Theodosius to Russia and elsewhere. As an OCA hierarch, he participated in the historic conference of North America’s Orthodox bishops in Ligonier, PA, in 1994. Several patriarchs and numerous hierarchs from around the world visited St. Tikhon’s Monastery for the annual pilgrimage or other celebrations throughout the years as guests of Metropolitan Herman.
Metropolitan Herman was well known as a proponent of the Sanctity of Life. For many years he participated in the March for Life held in the U.S. capitol every January, leading the Orthodox participants and addressing thousands in defense of the unborn.
On September 29, 1999, he was named acting treasurer of the Orthodox Church in America, while also serving as temporary administrator of the Orthodox Church in America from May until September 2001, during Metropolitan Theodosius’ medical leave-of-absence.
On April 2, 2002, Metropolitan Theodosius submitted a petition requesting retirement to the Holy Synod of the OCA. The Synod granted his request and announced that the election of his successor would be held on July 22 at the OCA’s Thirteenth All-American Council in Orlando. No candidate received the required two-thirds majority for immediate election during the first round of voting, which made a second ballot necessary. During the second round, Bishop Seraphim of Ottawa and Canada received the majority of votes, but the Holy Synod chose to elect Archbishop Herman. The enthronement of Metropolitan Herman took place during the Divine Liturgy on September 8, 2002, at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Numerous prominent Orthodox hierarchs and dignitaries from around the world attended the enthronement ceremony and the reception that followed.
During his primatial tenure, in 2005, the title of the primate was changed to “Archbishop of Washington and New York”, consolidating the two dioceses. This placed greater diocesan responsibility on Metropolitan Herman, who ably shouldered this additional burden until his retirement. In 2009 the two dioceses were once again separated as before their merger in 2005.
Metropolitan Herman received numerous awards and honors. In 1994 he was elevated to the rank of archbishop by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America and awarded the Order of St. Innocent Silver Class. He was granted an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Nashotah House Seminary in Wisconsin and an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree from his alma mater, Robert Morris College.
On September 4, 2008, after a somewhat turbulent, short primatial tenure, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America granted Metropolitan Herman’s request to retire as primate of the Orthodox Church in America. The election of his successor took place two months later at the Fifteenth All-American Council. During his retirement Metropolitan Herman quietly resided in a house on the grounds of St. Tikhon’s Monastery until his repose.
St. Vladimir's Seminary was blessed by Metropolitan Herman's leadership and guidance as primate and his presence on campus on numerous occasions.
Metropolitan Herman is especially remembered by those who were seminarians under his mentorship. Historically, in terms of the development of the Orthodox Church in America, he will be remembered as the second American-born primate of the OCA.
May Metropolitan Herman’s memory be eternal!
Giving thanks to God, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) kicked off its 2022–2023 Academic Year on Monday, August 29.
Forty-three students are beginning their first year of studies in their respective degree programs: nineteen (19) in the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program, eleven (11) in the Master of Arts (M.A.) program, eight (8) in the new Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) cohort, and five (5) in the Master of Theology (Th.M.) program.
The incoming class is a diverse, pan- and inter-Orthodox group. The thirty-five (35) men and eight (8) women hail from six (6) countries: The United States, Canada, China, India, Uganda, and Ukraine. The seminarians represent eleven (11) Eastern and Oriental Orthodox jurisdictions:
One of those first-year seminarians, Naomi DeHaan, from the OCA's Diocese of the South, is pursuing an M.A. with a concentration in Theological Scholarship and Research.
"I am very excited about participating in the choir community and daily services," she said, "as well as exploring the Church Fathers who express themselves in poetry, such as St. Ephrem the Syrian, St. Gregory Nazianzus, and other poetic writers."
This year's incoming class includes several single students as well as married seminarians. Dn. Mark Roosien, from the OCA's Diocese of New England, and his wife Claire have three small children.
"The thing I am looking forward to the most is the formation," said Dn. Mark. "St. Vladimir's has a very unique and special way of integrating academic formation with spiritual formation, combining learning in the classroom with worship in the chapel and pastoral education classes."
Counting the incoming class, SVOTS' total student body is eighty-seven (87) seminarians.*
The new academic year also brings new faces to the faculty: noted scholars The Very Rev. Archimandrite Dr. Maximos Constas and Dr. Michael Legaspi. Dr. Legaspi is beginning his first semester teaching as SVOTS' associate professor of biblical studies (Old Testament). Fr. Maximos is a visiting professor at SVOTS for the 2022 fall semester; he is teaching a course on the Philokalia.
May the intercessions of the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, our patron Great and Holy Prince Vladimir, and all the saints be with our seminarians, faculty, and staff as a new academic year commences in service to Christ!
On August 13, 2022, Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) hosted its annual Education Day Online, a six-hour “Zoomathon” where participants listened and posed questions during discussions led by Seminary professors and guest scholars.
The online event drew around 730 registrants from more than 20 different countries. The discussions—which included the future Orthodox biblical studies, liturgical theology, abortion, and other topics—were led by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, board chair of SVOTS, archbishop of Washington, and Metropolitan of All America and Canada (OCA); The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, president of SVOTS; The Very Rev. Archimandrite Dr. Maximos Constas; The Rev. Dr. Bogdan Bucur; The Rev. Ignatius Green; The Rev. Dn. Dr. Michael Azar; The Rev. Dn. Dr. Vitaly Permiakov; Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie, academic dean of SVOTS; Dr. Ana S. Iltis; Dr. Michael Legaspi; Dr. Matthew Vest; and Dr. Harrison Russin; Dr. Peter Bouteneff served as host and moderator.
A replay of Education Day Online is now available to watch on YouTube.
Education Day Online, in addition to serving as an educational forum for the public, also helps raise funds to educate seminarians. This year's event raised approx. $47 thousand (more than $15k above SVOTS' fundraising goal for the event!) thanks to the generosity of the many participants and sponsors. Glory to God!
Donations may be made anytime at www.SVOTS.edu/give/donate.
With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the falling asleep in the Lord of His Eminence, Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia, a leading Orthodox Christian theologian, teacher, and author.
His Eminence authored, among many other works, the immensely popular The Orthodox Way, published by St. Vladimir's Seminary (SVS) Press, and the Seminary was blessed to have him speak on campus on multiple occasions. In September 2011, the Seminary Board of Trustees and faculty bestowed upon Metropolitan Kallistos an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in recognition of the many gifts His Eminence contributed to the Orthodox Church and to Christians worldwide.
Metropolitan Kallistos was born Timothy Ware in Bath, England, on September 11, 1934. He was raised Anglican but discovered Orthodox Christianity in his youth, and he was finally received into the Church in 1958, at the age of twenty-four.
In 1966, he was ordained to the priesthood and was tonsured as a monk, receiving the name Kallistos, in honour of St. Kallistos Xanthopoulos. The same year, he became a lecturer at the University of Oxford teaching Eastern Orthodox Studies, a position which he held for thirty-five years until his retirement in 2001. His Eminence was elected and consecrated titular bishop of Diokleia (of the Patriarchate of Constantinople) in 1982, becoming the first Englishman to be consecrated as a bishop in the Orthodox Church since the Great Schism of the eleventh century. In March 2007, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate elevated the Diocese of Diokleia to Metropolis and Bishop Kallistos to titular metropolitan of Diokleia.
For many years following his retirement as a university lecturer, Metropolitan Kallistos continued to publish and to give lectures on Orthodox Christianity, traveling widely. He was considered by many to be one of the most important Orthodox Christian theologians of his generation.
May the memory of Metropolitan Kallistos be eternal!
Reader Dr. Geevarghese (Renish) Abraham was ordained to the holy diaconate Saturday, August 20, 2022 in his home diocese of Delhi, India (Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church).
His Grace, Youhanon Mar Demetrios of the Diocese of Delhi presided over the ordination at Ss. Peter and Paul’s Orthodox Church, Parumala, Kerala, India. Also participating in the ordination service were St. Vladimir's Seminary Trustee His Grace, Zachariah Mar Nicholovos (Poothiyottu) of the MOSC's Northeast American Diocese; and the Seminary's Assistant Professor of Malankara Studies The Rev. Dr. Varghese M. Daniel.
The Rev. Dn. Dr. Geevarghese Abraham is entering his second year of studies at St. Vladimir's. He is currently on sabbatical from St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi, where he serves as assistant professor of English. Dn. Geevarghese earned both his Ph.D. in English studies and M.A. in English literature from the University of Delhi; he also holds a B.A. in English language and literature from Catholicate College, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India.
May God grant the newly ordained Dn. Geevarghese many years!
St. Vladimir's Education Day Online returns! Listen to discussions by Orthodox scholars and ask them your burning questions on a variety of topics, including Scripture, church history, and current events such as the influx of Orthodox seekers and the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court. Education Day Online is a six-hour “Zoomathon” where you get to participate and pose questions to Seminary professors and guest scholars.
The online event is Saturday, August 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT (7 a.m. to 1 p.m. PDT). Participate in discussions and win prizes. Join the Zoomathon when a topic that interests you is scheduled, or join several discussions throughout the day. It's up to you when you join and for how long. (See the schedule below.)
Education Day Online is also for a good cause—join us and help raise $30,000 to educate seminarians! Attendance is FREE. Please consider making a donation as you register or during the event. (If donating through our Giving Page, please write "ED DAY" in the comment section.)
You may submit questions now, as you register, to be asked during the event on August 13 (please indicate what topic your question belongs to in the comment box). Of course, you will be able to submit questions during the event as well.
Faculty members from St. Vladimir’s Seminary will be joined by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon and University of Scranton Professor Rev. Dn. Dr. Michael Azar (SVOTS class of '05).
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TIME (EDT) |
TOPIC |
SCHOLARS |
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10am |
Welcome & Opening Remarks |
Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield & Dr Peter Bouteneff & His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon |
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10:05am |
On the Orthodoxy Trail in the Post-Pandemic Era |
Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield & His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon |
|
11:05am |
And the Infant Leaped in Her Womb: |
|
|
12:05pm |
The Fathers and the Theological Discipline of Patristics |
|
|
1:05pm |
Orthodoxy and the Enlightenment: |
|
|
2:05pm |
The Future of Orthodox Biblical Studies |
|
|
3:05pm |
Liturgical Theology and Music |
|
|
4:00pm |
Closing Remarks |
Matushka Anne “Anya” Hopko, née Schmemann, for the last two decades of Ellwood City, PA, and previously, for many years, of Crestwood, NY, fell asleep in the Lord on Thursday afternoon, August 4, 2022, in Quebec, Canada, where she was vacationing with family. She was 78.
At the time of her repose in the Lord, Matushka Anne was in palliative care in a hospital in L’Annonciation (Rivière-Rouge), Quebec. She had suffered, without warning, a sudden, massive stroke on Wednesday, August 3, while enjoying a late morning cup of tea with family members, together on summer holiday in Lac Labelle, Canada.
Anne Hopko was the wife of the late Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko (+2015). She was the oldest child of the late Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann (+1983) and his wife, the late Matushka Juliana (Ossorguine) Schmemann (+2017).
Matushka Anne and Protopresbyter Thomas’s five children are Archpriest John (Macrina), Juliana (Gregory), Catherine (Raymond), Mary (Archpriest Nicholas), and Alexandra (Joseph). Matushka Anne had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
May Matushka Anne’s memory be eternal!
With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the falling asleep of Archpriest Alexander Padlo, an alumnus of St. Vladimir's Seminary. Father Alexander reposed in the Lord on Tuesday, August 2, 2022.
The Very Rev. Alexander Padlo was born in 1935. He went on to study at St. Vladimir's Seminary and graduated in 1970. At the Seminary he also served as ecclesiarch under Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann.
In his pastoral ministry, Fr. Alexander Padlo most recently served at Ss. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church in Miami, FL (Orthodox Church in America), one of the oldest Orthodox parishes in South Florida. He began his ministry there in 2002, having previously served in the Diocese of Western Pennsylvania. He retired as pastor of Ss. Peter and Paul in 2016.
Father Alexander was described by his former parish as a man of prayer and great faith.
May his memory be eternal!
More spiritual treasures from St. Isaac the Syrian are available in English for the first time. Saint Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press has published Headings on Spiritual Knowledge, a translation from the recently discovered “Second Part” of St. Isaac's works.
