During St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s 2021 Fall Semester and the summer preceding it, one new bishop, five new priests, and four new deacons were added to our student body and alumni fellowship. Another eight were elevated in rank or bestowed an ecclesiastical award.

We keep them all in prayer as they continue in their ministries. AXIOS!

HOLY EPISCOPATE

Bishop Gerasim (Eliel) (M.Div., ’12)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Episcopal Consecration: Consecrated as bishop by the hands of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon and members of the Holy Synod of Bishops 29JUNE21 at St. Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX
Current ministry: Bishop of Fort Worth and auxiliary to His Eminence, Archbishop Alexander and the Diocese of the South

 

HOLY PRIESTHOOD

Priest Haroutiun (Michael) Sabounjian (M.Div., ’18)
Jurisdiction: Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 4–5June21 by His Grace, Bishop Daniel Findikyan at Holy Resurrection Church, New Britain, CT
Current ministry: Assigned as pastor of Holy Resurrection Church, New Britain, CT
Educational and Professional Background: B.A. in Philosophy, minoring in Music and French, from Boston College; served a pastoral internship at the Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Church of Providence, RI, under the tutelage of Fr. Shnork Souin

Priest Thomas Miller (3rd-Year Seminarian, M.Div. Program)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 16AUG20 by His Grace, Bishop Basil at St. George Cathedral, Wichita, KS
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 13JUNE21 by His Grace, Bishop Basil at Holy Ascension Antiochian Orthodox Church, Norman, OK
Educational and Professional Background: Graduate of Liberty University (B.S., '02) and the University of Florida (M.H.A., '07); Served as an officer in the US Air Force Medical Service Corps specializing in global supply chain management, separating from active duty status as a major in the summer of 2019 in order to attend seminary

Hieromonk Basil Paul (M.A., ’21)
Jurisdiction: Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church
Holy Diaconate:  Ordained 23June21 by His Eminence, Mor Aphrem Mathews at St. Jacob Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church, Allapra, Kerala, India
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 25June21 By His Eminence, Mor Aphrem Mathews at St. Mary’s Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church, Krariyeli, Kerala, India
Monastic Tonsure: Tonsured 14July21 By His Eminence, Mor Aphrem Mathews at St. Mary’s Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church, Kuruppampadi, Kerala, India
Educational and Professional Background: Bachelor of Engineering from Nagpur University, India; Bachelor of Divinity from United Theological College, Bangalore; Internship in the National Council of Churches in India’s Youth Department

Priest Kosmas (Mitchell) Morfas (M.Div., ‘21)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 17MARCH21 by the hand of His Grace Bishop John at St. George Orthodox Church, West Roxbury, MA
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 11JULY21 by the hand of His Grace Bishop Basil at St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral, Wichita, KS
Current ministry: Pastor of Holy Ascension Orthodox Church, Norman, OK
Educational and Professional Background: B.A. in Religious Studies from Hellenic College Holy Cross, in Boston, MA; previous work includes camp counseling at Camp St. Thekla in Cleveland, SC and serving on staff for the CrossRoad Summer Institute at Hellenic College Holy Cross

Priest Silouan (Blake) Cohen (3rd-Year Seminarian, M.Div. program)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 25MARCH21 by the hand of His Grace Andrei, Auxiliary Bishop of the Romanian Episcopate, at Three Hierarchs Chapel, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY
Holy Priesthood: Ordained 12Dec21 by the hand of His Eminence Archbishop Alexander at Holy Nativity of the Lord Orthodox Church, Shreveport, LA
Educational and Professional Background: Bachelor’s degree in general studies from Louisiana State University, Shreveport, LA; Before coming to seminary Dn. Silouan worked in sales for a wholesale flooring company and as a barista for a large coffee corporation

 

HOLY DIACONATE

Deacon Nicholas Fine (2nd-Year Seminarian, M.Div. Program)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 12SEPT21 by His Eminence, Metropolitan Joseph at St. Mary’s Antiochian Orthodox Church, Brooklyn, NY
Educational and Professional Background: B.A. in Bible and Theology from Multnomah University, Portland, OR

 

 

Deacon Vitaly Permiakov (SVOTS Faculty; M.Div., ‘04)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 14SEPT21 by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon at St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel
Current ministry: Ecclesiarch and assistant professor of liturgical theology at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Yonkers, NY
Educational and Professional Background: B.A. in Russian culture from the Latvian Academy of Culture (Riga, Latvia); M.A. in humanities from the University of Texas at Dallas; Ph.D. in theology/liturgical studies from the University of Notre Dame; taught at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary, Jordanville, NY from 2011 to 2020

Deacon Anthony (Gaelan) Gilbert (2nd-Year Seminarian, M.Div. Program)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 24OCT21 by His Grace, Bishop Basil at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Cathedral, Wichita, KS
Educational and Professional Background: Adjunct professor of literature and history at Hellenic College-Holy Cross, Brookline, MA; department chair and associate professor of arts and humanities at the University of Saint Katherine, San Marcos, CA; headmaster at Christ the Savior Academy in Wichita, KS; Ph.D. in English and medieval literature and culture from the University of Victoria; M.A. in English language and literature from San Diego State University

Deacon Joseph Thornburg (2nd-Year Seminarian, M.Div. Program)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Holy Diaconate: Ordained 31OCT21 by His Eminence, Metropolitan Joseph at St Anthony Antiochian Orthodox Church, Bergenfield, NJ
Educational and Professional Background: B.A. in Christian studies with a minor in philosophy from California Baptist University; youth director and developer of Sunday school curriculum for High School-age youth; served as adult catechist for a number of years

 

ELEVATIONS & AWARDS

Archpriest Basil Biberdorf (M.Div., ’05)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Elevation to Archpriest: Elevated to the dignity of archpriest 29JUNE21 at St. Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX
Current ministry: Priest-in-charge of St. Nektarios Mission Waxahachie, TX

 

 

 

Archpriest Marcus Burch (M.Div., ’97)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Ecclesiastical Awards: Awarded the jeweled cross 29JUNE21 at St. Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX
Current ministry: Rector of St. John of the Ladder Church, Greenville, SC; chancellor of the Diocese of the South

 

 

Priest John Cox (M.Div., ’11)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Ecclesiastical Awards: Awarded the gold cross 29JUNE21 at St. Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX
Current ministry: Rector of Holy Ascension Church, Mount Pleasant/Charleston, SC; dean of the Carolina Deanery

 

 

 

Archpriest Nikolay Miletkov (M.Div., ’06)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Elevation to Archpriest: Elevated to the dignity of archpriest 29JUNE21 at St. Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX
Current ministry: Rector of All Saints of North America Church, Albuquerque, NM

 

 

Archpriest Thomas Moore (M.Div., ’99)
Jurisdiction: Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Ecclesiastical Awards: Awarded the jeweled cross 29JUNE21 at St. Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX
Current ministry: Rector of Holy Apostles Church, West Columbia, SC

 

 

Archpriest Christopher Eid (M.Div., ’10)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Elevation to Archpriest: Elevated to the dignity of archpriest 12SEPT21 by the hand of His Grace, Bishop Thomas at Holy Ascension Antiochian Orthodox Church, West Chester, PA
Current ministry: Priest of Holy Ascension Antiochian Orthodox Church, West Chester, PA

 

 

Archpriest Aaron Warwick (M.Div., ‘09)
Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Elevation to Archpriest: Elevated to the dignity of archpriest 12SEPT21 at St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church, Wichita, KS
Current ministry: Pastor of St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church, Wichita, KS

 

Protodeacon Andrei Psarev (Th.M., ’04)
Jurisdiction: Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR)
Elevation to Protodeacon: Elevated to the dignity of protodeacon 19DEC21 at the Cathedral of Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, NY
Current ministry: Professor of Russian Church history and canon law and director of Undergraduate Studies at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary, Jordanville, NY

A seminarian's daughter picks up some of her family's presents gifted through FOCA

The Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America (FOCA) brought the spirit of St. Nicholas to campus this Nativity season for seminarians and their families. FOCA helped fulfill wish lists for married seminarians and their children in the month of December.

The gift-giving is part of the St. Nicholas Wish List Project that FOCA has sponsored for more than fifteen years. The Project matches chapters and parishes from all over the country with seminary families from both St. Vladimir's and St. Tikhon's seminaries. Over the years, FOCA has helped over 450 seminary families with presents for their children at Christmas, household items, and money for food, bills, and gas.

FOCA is an official organization of the Orthodox Church in America. Fulfilling wish lists is one of many ways FOCA supports seminaries and a number of other causes around the country and abroad. Learn more about FOCA and how to get involved on the organization’s website, here.

Thank you, FOCA!

Join Moscata, a friendly and informative dog, who leads readers through an Orthodox women’s monastery in the newest children's book from St. Vladimir's Seminary (SVS Press).

Enjoy the beautiful illustrations in Moscata Visits a Monastery as you explore the church the nuns are building, the candle factory, the cemetery, and the grounds. Find out how the nuns work and pray, what they wear, how they serve Christ, and why they have chosen the monastic life.

December 13 marked thirty-eight years since the repose in the Lord of St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s former dean and renowned theologian Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann (September 13, 1921–December 13, 1983), and 2021 marks 100 years since his birth. In remembrance of Fr. Alexander, St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, D.C. invited his son, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Serge Schmemann, to speak about Fr. Alexander’s life and work.

Serge Schmemann began by recounting his last moments with his father and reflecting on a question Fr. Alexander raises in his journals. Noting in his opening entry that he had been a priest and theologian for more than a quarter of a century, Fr. Alexander asked, "What does it all mean?"

"The question is a spiritual one,” Serge remarked, “…but to me, as someone who shared part of his life, there's also the challenge of melding, of combining that question that he raises with a life that really went an incredible long journey, from the poverty and statelessness of an exile and ended up helping shape the new Orthodox Church in the new world.”

Serge Schmemann’s entire reflection on Fr. Alexander may be watched below, courtesy of St. Nicholas Cathedral and Archpriest George Kokhno. The talk was part of the Primatial Cathedral Adult Education program. Serge also spoke for the program last year.

May the memory of Protopresbyter Alexander be eternal!

Seminarian Dn. Silouan Cohen joined the ranks of the Holy Priesthood Sunday, December 12, 2021 in Shreveport, LA. His Eminence, Archbishop Alexander presided over Fr. Silouan's ordination at Holy Nativity of the Lord Orthodox Church.

The Rev. Silouan, a seminarian of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is in his third year studying in St. Vladimir's Seminary's Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program. Before enrolling at St. Vladimir's, Fr. Silouan worked in sales for a wholesale flooring company and as a barista for a large coffee corporation. He holds a bachelor's degree in general studies from Louisiana State University, Shreveport, LA.

Father Silouan and his wife, Matushka Katie, are parents of Sophia, Genevieve, Christopher, Brigid.

May God grant them all many years! AXIOS!

With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of Alumnus Archpriest Nicholas Neyman, who fell asleep in the Lord Sunday, December 12, 2021 after a brief illness.

The Very Rev. Nicholas Neyman moved to Crestwood, NY in the 1960s with his wife, Khouria Malvi, to attend St. Vladimir's Seminary. Father Nicholas studied in the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program from 1966 to 1970, and was ordained to the Holy Priesthood in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA).

Father Nicholas and Kh. Malvi are known and beloved especially for their longtime ministry at Camp St. Nicholas in Frazier Park, CA, where they spent twenty-four years. As they oversaw the Camp, the Neymans began traveling 100 miles each way to serve at Holy Cross Church in Palmdale, CA, which they helped establish. Over the course of his priestly ministry, Fr. Nicholas also served as pastor of St. Mary Orthodox Church of West Palm Beach, FL. Following retirement, Fr. Nicholas served at St. John the Baptist Church in Post Falls, ID.

He is survived by Kh. Malvi, their children Richard (Mary Jo), Marianna (Bill), Kh. Julianna (Fr. Samer), and Kh. Joanna (Fr. Mark), and many grandchildren.

May the memory of Fr. Nicholas be eternal!

Glory to God, and thanks to the generosity of so many people, St. Vladimir's Seminary raised approximately $117,000 on Giving Tuesday to help educate more seminarians! That amount includes more than $97,000 already donated and another $20,000 in pledges.  

We know there are many worthy causes to give to on Giving Tuesday and throughout the year, so we sincerely appreciate the many generous gifts we have received. The amount raised on Giving Tuesday is an enormous contribution to the mission of St Vladimir's to train more leaders for the Church. 

Thank you from all of the seminarians, faculty, staff, and families of St. Vladimir's Seminary!

 

The corner of 81st Street and Ridge Boulevard in Brooklyn now bears the name of longtime St. Vladimir's Seminary professor The Very Rev. Paul Schneirla (1916–2014). In recognition of his long life of ministry and his zeal for faithful collaborations, officials from the City of New York co-named that section of roadway Father Paul Schneirla Way at a dedication ceremony October 24 in front of the church where Fr. Paul served for fifty years, St. Mary's Antiochian Orthodox Church.

Among those attending the dedication ceremony were St. Mary’s pastor Fr. Michael Ellias (St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s class of 1995), Fr. Paul’s son Peter Schneirla and his wife Caroline, his daughter Dorothy Downie and her husband Robert, State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, Consul to Lebanon John Abi Habib, and City Councilman Justin Brannan, who served as master of ceremonies.

“His arrival in Brooklyn was a case study in the right place, the right time, the right people, and the right man,” Fr. Paul’s son Peter told the Brooklyn Reporter. “I can think of no one more worthy than my father to be honored in this way.”

Father Paul served as pastor of St. Mary’s from its inception in 1951 until his retirement in 2002. He remained pastor emeritus of the church until his death on September 20, 2014, at the age of 98.

“At the end of your life, all you have left is what you’ve given to other people,” said Fr. Paul’s daughter Dorothy. “With Fr. Paul, his influence will extend far beyond his own lifetime through the families and friends he so faithfully served.”

The Very Rev. Paul Schneirla converted to Orthodox Christianity from a Protestant background as a young man. He came to St. Vladimir’s Seminary as a student in the early 1940s, when the campus was still located in New York City. He was ordained a priest in 1943 and served in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA) for seventy-one years.

Father Paul took on a number of important ministries over the course of his priestly life in addition to his parish ministry and teaching at St. Vladimir’s. He also served as the first chairman of AOCANA’s Department of Christian Education, as dean of the Atlantic Deanery, and as the first editor of The Word magazine. A tireless advocate for Orthodox unity in America, Fr. Paul worked under the direction of hierarchs Metropolitan Antony Bashir (+1966) and Metropolitan Philip Saliba (+2014), as the Archdiocese’s ecumenical officer. Father Paul had been a member of the General Board of the National Council of Churches (NCCC) since the 1940s and at the time of his death was the last surviving member of the original founders of The Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (now succeeded by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America).

The Rev. Dn. Dr. Vitaly Permiakov contributed his expertise in liturgical scholarship to a special conference in Serbia celebrating the centennial of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR; 1921–2021).

The conference, titled Links Between Times: Conclusions and Perspectives, took place November 23–25, 2021 in both Belgrade and Sremski Karlovci. It was co-organized by the Archive of the Serbian Orthodox Church, directed by Dr. Radovan Pilipovic, and the website Historical Studies of the Russian Church Abroad, directed by Dn. Vitaly's fellow St. Vladimir's Seminary alumnus, The Rev. Dn. Dr. Andrei Psarev ('04), professor of Russian Church history and canon law at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, NY. The conference received letters of greeting from His Holiness, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia and His Beatitude, Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and Ukraine.

Deacon Vitaly and Dn. Andrei were among a number of speakers at the conference. Scholars from Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, Belarus, the United States, and Canada delivered more than twenty papers. Deacon Vitaly presented "Can We Speak of a Unique Liturgical Tradition of the Russian Church Abroad" to highlight the unique place of ROCOR among the churches of Russian tradition from a liturgical perspective. Part of his presentation included the history of the new Slavonic translation of the Liturgy of St. James. Deacon Andrei's lecture was titled "The Development of the ROCOR's Attitude to the All-Russian Council of 1917–1919 with Regard to the Issue of Conciliarity.”

Some abridged papers from the conference are posted on the Historical Studies of the Russian Church Abroad website.

On Friday, November 26, Dn. Vitaly served at Divine Liturgy on the Feast of St. John Chrysostom at the historic Serbian Orthodox monastery of Vavedenje (Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos) in the Senjak district of Belgrade. The Liturgy was presided over by His Eminence, Metropolitan Mark (Arndt) of Berlin and Germany (ROCOR).

About The Rev. Dn. Vitaly Perkmiakov
Born to a Russian family in Riga, Latvia, Dn. Vitaly Permiakov, Ph.D. relocated to the United States in 1999 after completing his undergraduate studies. He entered St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) in Yonkers, NY with the blessing of late Archbishop Dmitri (Royster) of Dallas (OCA) (d. 2011). After finishing seminary, Dn. Vitaly enrolled in a doctoral program in Liturgical Studies at the University of Notre Dame, where in 2012 he defended his dissertation on the history and origins of the Byzantine rite for the consecration of churches. Deacon Vitaly taught at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary (Jordanville, NY) from 2011 to 2020, and joined the full-time faculty at St. Vladimir's Seminary in August 2020.

Deacon Vitaly was tonsured to the ecclesiastical rank of reader in the Orthodox Church in America at Three Hierarchs Chapel, St Vladimir’s Seminary, in 2002. In 2021, on the Feast of the Annunciation, he was ordained subdeacon, also at Three Hierarchs Chapel. On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, September 14, 2001, again at the Seminary chapel, he was ordained to the holy diaconate through the hand of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon.

To address the growing need for priests and other vocations in the Orthodox Church, the Board of Trustees of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) has voted to relocate SVOTS from its current location in Yonkers, NY. The new location and the timing of the move have yet to be determined, but the Board recognizes that the Seminary will not be able to expand and adapt to the needs of the twenty-first century Church if the campus remains in Yonkers.

Following eighteen months of extensive research and deliberation at five Board meetings, the Board reached the relocation decision on Friday, November 5, 2021. Board members and Seminary administration worked with three professional consulting groups during this process and concluded that SVOTS’ current location is untenable for numerous reasons, including the following:

• The New York City area’s high and rising cost of living impacts seminarians, their families, and employees and makes it difficult for SVOTS to recruit faculty, staff, and students.
• The Yonkers campus is landlocked, leaving no room for expansion. Expansion is needed due to rising enrollment, increasing operational and staffing needs, ongoing and future initiatives (such as adding online educational programs to current residential offerings), and other infrastructure needs.
• The legal and regulatory environment in the New York area makes significant alterations to campus infrastructure or growth extremely difficult, even if expansion of the current campus were possible. 
• Preliminary estimates from contractors have revealed it would take tens of millions of dollars to make necessary improvements to SVOTS’ aging and deteriorating campus in order to be a viable institution in the twenty-first century. Simply bringing the Yonkers campus to an adequate standard could easily cost as much or more than relocating and building a brand new campus to fit the Seminary’s needs for decades to come. 

“Much prayer and a long process of due diligence and discussion led to the Board’s decision to relocate the campus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary,” said The Rev. Dn. Michael Hyatt, trustee and executive chair of SVOTS. “We considered doing nothing; we explored investing into the campus in Yonkers; but we believe without doubt the legacy and long-term future of SVOTS lies with relocation in order to expand and meet the demands of the twenty-first century.” 

“Over its more than eighty-year history, St. Vladimir’s Seminary has relocated multiple times in order to fulfill its mission and purpose, including the move to Yonkers in the 1960s,” said The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, president of SVOTS. “Now we find ourselves again at a critical juncture in the Seminary’s history, and we simply cannot afford to do nothing or to try staying in New York—there is risk no matter which avenue we decide to take.” 

“We have a duty to serve the Orthodox Church in the face of the current reality confronting theological seminaries in North America. Over the past decade, more than fifty seminaries accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) have either merged or closed their doors entirely,” added Fr. Chad. “The time has come to make a bold move, not just to survive but to thrive and expand for the sake of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 

Because of the Board’s decision, a relocation task force will evaluate various cities throughout the country, and Seminary administration will complete a comprehensive project plan, a detailed fundraising plan, and a five-year financial model. The Board will consider the location and timeline for relocation at its May 2022 meeting.