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St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary
Alumni Association
E-News - November 2007
Volume 7, No. 11
Dear Friends,
It has been a while since I last communicated with you. I apologize for that, but my new responsibilities as Associate Dean for Student Affairs and following in the footsteps of Fr Paul Lazor have been a bit overwhelming. Thank you for your patience. To say the least, there is a lot to report.
NEW LEADERSHIP TEAM BEGINS WORK
Fr John Behr and Fr Chad Hatfield assumed their leadership positions as seminary dean and seminary chancellor, respectively, on July 1, 2007. Since then, it has become clear that they work extremely well together and are viewed by others and by themselves as a team. Fr John is responsible for the academic and ecclesial life of the seminary and Fr Chad is responsible for the financial and operational life of the seminary. Their installment took place on the weekend of the Elevation of the Cross and included: the celebration of the Vigil with Metropolitan Herman presiding and with co-celebrants, Archbishop Seraphim of Ottawa ('82), Bishop Hilarion of the Moscow Patriarchate, and Bishop of Maxim of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of the West; the Festal Liturgy for the Cross; a Symposium on the Future of Orthodox Theology; and an evening banquet. For more information and photos, please visit the seminary website: http://www.svots.edu/News/Recent/2007-0914-newleaders/
NEW LEADERS VERY ACTIVE IN FIRST FEW MONTHS
As one would expect, Fr John and Fr Chad have been extremely busy since they assumed their respective leadership responsibilities. Fr John has been heavily involved with overseeing the implementation of the New Curriculum, beginning with the revised orientation program to the dramatic change in class times. The New Curriculum has transformed the typical morning one-hour sessions in particular academic disciplines to three-hour sessions devoted to the same particular academic disciplines. The afternoons are now given over to liturgical rubrics and music. Through all of this, Fr John and others have been very attentive to the students and to the great demands the New Curriculum has placed on them. To this end, the seminary will make some minor changes to the scheduling of the afternoon classes in the spring semester, in order to maximize study time. In addition, Fr John was heavily involved with the success of the Symposium held in conjunction with the installation events; and the episcopal visit of Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit and the Romanian Episcopate. Further, under his leadership, the seminary concurrently is hard at work again thinking about how to improve its other programs (the MA and the MTh), and exploring the possibilities of a PhD program. Fr John is also involved in the development of a nationwide extension program. So, keep your eyes open!
Fr Chad, on the other hand, has focused his efforts on the many administrative tasks which require his attention, including: oversight of the Advancement Office, the changes in personnel and clarification of job descriptions of the staff, the cultivation of annual gifts, and specifically first-time donors; oversight of the installment of new software which will bring the seminary into the 21st century and allow it to continue to be financially transparent; the hiring of a new CFO, Melanie Ringa, who brings an expertise in accounting to the office, the addition of Deborah Belonick, who besides her editorial work at the Press, will begin grant proposal work; the cultivation of the Office of Communications, with a planned conference on Orthodox Publications and Media in 2008 to mark the 300th publication for SVS Press; the promotion of the awareness of the seminary library; the re-invigoration of the Alumni Association; and the modernization of the seminary facilities.
As you can see, the new leadership is working very hard, yet at a manageable pace, to continue the great legacy of our seminary. Please keep them in your prayers.
NEW ORIENTATION FORMAT GREETS ENTERING CLASS
The seminary's entering class, numbering 28, enjoyed an extended four-day orientation this year. In addition to important information sessions, the new format provided a number of unique activities, including a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a number of cookouts to meet each other, faculty families, and returning students, and a fall-day workshop on Time Management. Fr Thomas Hopko, Dean Emeritus, provided substantive talks each evening, challenging students to the work of and responsibility for theological education. One of the major fruits of the new format was the strong bonding and positive attitude of the new students.
ARCHBISHOP NATHANIEL VISITS SEMINARY
The New Curriculum has provided the opportunity to invite a "visiting hierarch" to reside on campus for a few days, the meet the students, the address them on a topic of his choosing, and to strengthen the bonds with the faculty. The first such "visiting hierarch" was Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit and the Romanian Episcopate. His Eminence arrived on campus on Thursday, October 25 and sat in on the Parish Administration class of Fr Harry Pappas. On Friday, he presided at the Liturgy for the Feast of St Demetrius and ordained Dn Paul Coats to the holy priesthood. That afternoon, His Eminence delivered a talk entitled, "Administrative Unity in America" to the entire student body and faculty. His dined with the faculty-council on Friday evening and joined the chapel clergy for breakfast the following morning before departing. It was the consensus of everyone on campus that these kinds of episcopal visits are extremely valuable opportunities, both for the bishops and for the seminary community, at large.
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS RETREAT SCHEDULED
The seminary will host once again its annual Christmas Retreat. This year, however, the program will not only focus on a theme with talks and discussion, but will provide hands-on experience working with the homeless and underserved. The retreat, scheduled for December 26-29, is for high-school students and is entitled, "Who is My Neighbor: The Challenge of the Good Samaritan." Speakers will include George Hazlaris, former National Director of Youth Ministries for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Fr Hector Firoglanis and his wife who spent two years in Albania as OCMC Missionaries, and Jordan Henderson, Program Director of Orthodox Youth Outreach (OYO), a short term mission agency of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese, who will oversee the retreat's service projects. For more information, please visit: http://www.svots.edu/News/Upcoming/2007-1226-christmas-retreat/
ALUMNI BOARD MEETS AT REUNION
The Alumni Board met on the seminary campus from October 16-18 for their annual "in person" meeting. They were grateful for the time that Fr John Behr and Fr Chad Hatfield provided them. Important agenda items were discussed, including, the development of a set of bylaws to guide its work, an election process which is representative of alumni diversity, the clarification on what constitutes an alumnus/a, and a discussion on how to strengthen mutual support between the seminary and its alumni. The reunion gave alumni several opportunities to worship and pray together in the Chapel during daily Matins and Vespers, as well as during a Memorial Service for the seminary's departed alumni. A Divine Liturgy for the Feast of St Luke the Apostle on Thursday morning concluded the reunion. For a full report, see: http://www.svots.edu/News/Recent/2007-1018-alumni-reunion/
SEMINARY GOES "GREEN"
On Friday, September 28, the seminary launched a campus-wide initiative for environmental sustainability, which was conceived and planned by Fr Chad Hatfield. The day's activities included remarks by Fr Chad, a short presentation by Kenneth Greehan, Manager of the Department of Public Works for the City of Yonkers, a keynote speech by Dr Elizabeth Theokritoff, and workshops. For a more in depth look at this initiative, visit: http://www.svots.edu/News/Recent/2007-0928-go-green/
FR THOMAS HOPKO ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP FUND UPDATE
To date, $30,000 of the targeted $100,000 has been received into the Hopko Alumni Scholarship Fund. This is very promising, given that the appeal is new and the initial gift to the fund was $5,000. The fund has grown recently through a few sizable gifts from alumni and from offerings made at the Installation Banquet. We appreciate your donations, which will help sons and daughters of our alumni study at St Vladimir's. If you would like to contribute to this important fund, please contact Fr Steven Belonick at his email address:
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. Every donation helps and is tax deductible. Please visit the progress of our fund on the seminary's alumni page: http://www.svots.edu/alumni/index.html/
PLEASE HELP!
In our continual attempt to strengthen relationships between our seminary and its alumni and the relationship between alumni, the Alumni Office wishes to remember and recognize ordination dates of our alumni to the diaconate, to the priesthood, and to the episcopacy. The Office of Systems and Information Technology has the capacity to identify these significant events on a weekly basis and to disseminate them through E-News. We believe that you may want to recognize these dates of your friends as well. Please send your information to Fr Steven Belonick at his email address:
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.
ALUMNI HONOR ANN HOLOD ZINZEL AT REUNION
The fourth consecutive Alumni Reunion was held from Tuesday, October 16 to Thursday, October 18, 2007. The 25th anniversary class of 1982 and the 50th anniversary class of 1957 were honored along with other classes reaching milestones. The Alumni Association also honored the seminary's alumni best friend, Ann Holod Zinzel, recognizing her many years of service to the seminary. Activities included a banquet, daily liturgical services, Divine Liturgy on the Feast of St Luke presided by Alumni President, Fr David Barr ('83), an update on the work of the Alumni Board, and fellowship. In addition, participants had an opportunity to meet the new leadership. For more information and photos, visit: www.svots.edu.
ANN HOLOD ZINZEL SAYS THANKS
You can read Ann's letter of thanks to all the alumni at: http://www.svots.edu/News/Recent/2007-1025-zinzel/.
TESTIMONIAL RECOGNIZES SVS ALUMNUS
Holy Resurrection Serbian Cathedral honored its pastor, SVS alumnus, Fr Dennis Pavichevich ('75) at a retirement testimonial on Sunday, July 22. Fr Thomas Hopko, Dean Emeritus, offered a message which you can read at: http://www.svots.edu/Faculty/Thomas-Hopko/Articles/fr-dennis-pavichevich/
SVS PRESS AND BOOKSTORE NEWS
The bookstore is ready for 2008! They have a beautiful, large icon calendar, along with the rubrics calendar for 2008. They have improved their selection of children's books, which includes a children's prayer book with morning and evening, before and after meals, and before and after lessons. The edition includes pictures and large print for easy reading. They also have many new icons and crosses. Watch for new publications and reprints coming from SVS Press including a new volume authored by Professor Emeritus Veselin Kesich in the "Church in History" series and Volume 2 of "On the Mystical Life."
TOC EDITOR SAYS SVS IS MODEL FOR THE CHURCH
Very Rev Leonid Kishkovsky ('67), SVS alumnus and editor of The Orthodox Church (TOC) praised the seminary for its new approach to leadership, both academically and administratively in his recent editorial. To read the full text, please visit: http://www.svots.edu/News/Recent/2007-1001-kishkovsky-installation/.
FACULTY/STAFF NEWS
Fr John Behr, Dean, traveled to the United Kingdom from June 24-29 studying Syriac manuscripts at the British Library in London. He represented the seminary at the 48th Antiochian Orthodox Convention held in Montreal Quebec from July 23-29. From August 20-24, he visited Lampeter/Wales to deliver a talk on Mother of God. From September 28-30, participated in a Patristics Symposium marking the 1600th Anniversary of the repose of St John Chrysostom, held at the St John Chrysostom Church, St Louis, MO where he presented a paper entitled "The Pastoral Power of Theology." He will travel to the St John of Damascus Institute of Theology at the University of Balamand (Lebanon) from December 1 - 7 for an International Orthodox Symposium titled "Thinking Modernity: Towards a Reconfiguration of the Relationship Between Orthodox Theology and Modern Culture." His talk is entitled "Returning to First Principals: Articulating Orthodoxy in a Post-Modern Context." On December 30, he will participate in an Indian Orthodox gathering that attracts about 1,000 people in Yonkers, NY and will deliver a short talk entitled "Feast and Being the Body of Christ."
Mark Bailey , Lecturer in Liturgical Music, was the main speaker at a music conference held at Ss Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, West Nyack, NY on November 10.
Dr Peter Bouteneff, Associate Professor of Dogmatic Theology, will speak about icons at Ss Peter and Paul Church, South River, NJ on December 9, at 3pm as part of the Department of Pastoral Life of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. At their November 15-17 meeting, the seminary's Board of Trustees affirmed the decision of the Tenured Faculty to promote Dr Bouteneff to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure. Congratulations!
Fr John Erickson, Professor of Church History, participated in a meeting of the History of the World Christian Movement working group, Princeton NJ, August 8-11. He gave a presentation "Towards a Great and Holy Council in the 21st Century?" for an Open Forum of OCL (Orthodox Christian Laity), Chicago, November 2-3. In addition, he worked on the second revised edition of his book "Orthodox Christians in America: A Short History" (now in paperback, at a lower price) published by Oxford University Press, November 2007.
Fr Chad Hatfield, Chancellor, attended the Parish Life Conference in Plymouth, MA, June 30 - July 1. From July 23-29, he, along with Fr John Behr, represented the seminary at the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese Convention, Montreal Quebec, and met with alumni at an alumni gathering held during the convention. On September 30th, he was the banquet speaker at the Federation of Orthodox Churches of Connecticut in Bridgeport, CT. Fr Chad traveled to San Francisco on October 2 with Protodeacon Kirill Sokolov for the Enthronement of His Grace, Bishop BENJAMIN, San Francisco and the West. From October 27-29, he traveled to Indianapolis, IN to be trained at the Board and Fund Raising School at the ATS headquarters. While in the area, he attended Vespers and Divine Liturgy at St George Church and met with the Central Indiana Mission Committee. On November 4th, Fr Chad delivered a talk at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, NYC entitled "What the Bible Says About Marriage." He traveled to Guatemala City, Guatemala from November 7-9 to attend the consecration of the Holy Trinity Monastery Church and was present for the Guatemala. Missionary Reunion. He will be the main speaker at the Indian Youth Conference, Baltimore, MD on November 24 and will visit St Thomas' Indian Orthodox Church there on November 25. From December 1-2, Fr Chad will lead a parish retreat at St John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, Des Plaines, IL. Further, he will lead a parish retreat at St George Church, Lorraine, OH from December 8-9. Fr Chad will visit St Nicholas' Cathedral in Washington, DC December 16-17 and will meet with alumni in the area. The alumni gathering will include tickets to the World Premiere of the "Christmas Oratorio" composed by the Russian Orthodox Bishop of Vienna and Austria, Hilarion (Alfeyev) held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in D.C on December 17. In addition, Fr Chad will be the keynote speaker OCF western college conference in Dunlap CA from December 27-30. He will travel to Austin, TX from January 4-8 for an alumni gathering. He will also speak at an Indian Youth Conference on January 12 in Yonkers, NY.
Fr Paul Lazor, the former John and Paraskeva Skvir Lecturer in Practical Theology and Associate Dean of Student Affairs, presided and preached at the St Sava's Serbian Orthodox Church, McKeesport, PA, on September 23 where SVS alumnus ('88) Fr Stevo Rocknage is the pastor and his son, Christopher Rocknage, also a SVS alumnus ('06) is the choir director. On October 13-14, he conducted a mini-retreat, served and preached at the Sunday Liturgy on the parish feast day (OS), Corning NY, where SVS Alumnus ('97) Fr Stephen Loposky is the pastor. In addition, he gave the main address at the banquet after the Liturgy. Fr Paul also traveled on November 7, to Holy Ascension Church, Charleston, SC, where SVS alumnus ('04) Fr John Parker is the pastor. He served Vespers and made a presentation, entitled, "The Sanctification of Time: the Importance of Liturgical Services other than the Divine Liturgy." Fr John Breck, former professor of New Testament at SVS was present, along with his son, SVS alumnus ('95), Michael Breck, who is the choir director at the parish. From there, Fr Paul traveled to Holy Apostles Church, Columbia, SC, where SVS alumnus Fr Thomas Moore is the pastor. He presided at the Divine Liturgy for St Michael's Day. At the Liturgy, there were seven concelebrants. Fr Paul delivered the homily and gave an afternoon mini-retreat for the priests on I Tim 4:12 (the verse engraved on the back of the Cross given to the priest at ordination in the OCA). Eight clergy in attendance at an evening lecture on "The Centrality of Cyclic Worship in the Orthodox Church." At the Columbia, SC stop, SVS alumnus ('85) Fr Peter Carmichael from Springfield, VT and his son were also present. Fr Paul continued his journey by visiting the Holy Cross Church, Greensboro, NC on November 9 SVS alumnus ('06) Fr Christopher Foley is the pastor. He delivered an evening presentation entitled "Liturgy and Life." Also present at the presentation were SVS alumni, Fr Paul and Patty Schellbach ('96, '90), and Krissy Disharoon ('06). Fr Paul concluded his southern trek with a visit to the Church of St John of the Ladder, Piedmont, SC on November 10 where SVS alumni Fr Marcus Burch ('97) and assistant pastor, Fr Nikolay Miletkov ('06) serve. Fr Paul delivered a presentation on "The Importance of the Liturgical Cycle in Orthodox Worship," followed by Great Vespers. Also present were Fr. Jacob ('82) and his wife, Sharon. The next day, Fr Paul served the Sunday Divine Liturgy, preached the homily, enjoyed a pre-lenten Thanksgiving parish dinner, and had open dialogue with parishioners in English and Russian. Fr Paul already has some future dates scheduled. He will deliver public lectures and a clergy retreat for the Greater Pittsburgh Orthodox Clergy Association, March 15-17, 2008. Fr Stevo Rocknage is the president. A parish retreat at SS. Peter & Paul Church, Phoenix, AZ and a parish retreat in the San Francisco area are also in discussion but no dates has been set.
Dr Paul Meyendorff, The Father Alexander Schmemann Professor of Liturgical Theology, October 10-14 traveled to Sweden from October 10-14 and gave four talks on various aspects of liturgy: at the Roman Catholic seminary in Uppsala; at the Pentecostal seminary in Uppsala; to an Orthodox audience in Stockholm; to a secular audience at the Sigtuna Foundation. From October 25-27, he participated in a meeting of the Orthodox-Catholic Consultation in Los Angeles, CA, and presented a paper on primacy in a united church. In addition, from October 31-Nov 4, he traveled to Belgrade to participate in a meeting of the St Irenaeus Orthodox-Catholic Working Group and presented a short paper on primacy. From November 16-21, he will attend an academic symposium at the University of Vienna in Austria and presented a paper entitled "Toward a Baptismal Ecclesiology."
Fr Harry Pappas, Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology, gave a presentation, "What will the Harvest Look Like? Preparing Clergy for the new Millennium in the Orthodox Church" at St George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Hartford, CT, on Oct. 7. He will lead workshops on "Practicing the Presence of God: The Art of Silence, Solitude, and Stillness" at the OCF College Conference at Antiochian Village, Dec. 27-31. In addition, he will preach at the Pan-Orthodox Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers in Naples, Florida, on March 16, 2008.
Dr Al Rossi, Adjunct Professor in Pastoral Theology, will lead a retreat at Penn State from Nov 30 to Dec 2, to OCF group, on "Advent: Spiritual Warfare Upscaled"; he also will give a retreat to teens for SVS alumnus, Fr Mousa Haddad ('07), in Chicago from Dec 26 to Dec 29.
Fr Paul Tarazi, Professor of Old Testament, spoke on the topic "Land and Covenant; the New Jerusalem" at St John of Damascene Antiochian Orthodox Church, Vancouver, Canada, November 19. A list of Fr Paul's talks is available at http://www.svots.edu/Events/faculty-speaking.html/.
Daniel Bethancourt, Director of Recruitment, assumed responsibilities in August. At the end of August he represented the seminary at the Missions and Evangelism Conference at the Antiochian Village. In September he attended and spoke at the "Root and Branch" Conference in Louisville, KY, as well as an OCF Retreat at the Diakonia Center in Salem, SC, representing the seminary at both events and making contacts with potential students. He organized a college retreat that was held in conjunction with Orthodox Education Day (Oct 6-7). SVS alumnus ('06) and OCF Chaplain John Stonestreet (2006 alumnus) spoke on the topic of vocation. At the beginning of November, SVS hosted the Fall open house, with 20 prospective students in attendance. Upcoming events include a service-oriented high school Christmas Retreat that will take place Dec 26-29, entitled "Who Is My Neighbor? The Challenge of the Good Samaritan," which is being co-sponsored by Orthodox Youth Outreach. Also in December, there will be seminary representatives at both OCF College Conferences. The Spring open house is scheduled for March 27-29.
ALUMNI NEWS
His Grace, Bishop BENJAMIN ('82) was officially installed as Bishop of San Francisco and the West (OCA) on October 2 in San Francisco. Fr. Chad Hatfield (Chancellor) and Protodeacon Kirill Sokolov (Director of Systems and Lecturer in Liturgics) represented the seminary. AXIOS!!!
Thomas Pleska ('86) - From 1998 until 2003, Fr Melchisedek (Thomas Pleska) served as the Chaplain of Holy Cross Monastery in Thebes, Boeotia, Greece, and from 2003 until 2005 at the Monastery of St George the Great Martyr in Mavrommati/Mouzaki, Thessaly Greece. Since 2005, he has been in residence at Petras Monastery, Katafygion, Karditsa, where he serve as Chaplain. On September 8, 2004, he was tonsured to the Great Schema by Fr Dionysios, the Abbot and Elder of our Brotherhood at Petras Monastery, with the name of Melchisedek, and on December 18, 2004 was raised to the ranks of Archimandrite and Spiritual Father. In September of that year, he made his first visit to Constantinople to celebrate the induction with Patriarch Bartholomew, and later that month made the first of two visits to the Monastery of Bose, in Magnano, Italy where he participated in the annual Conference on Orthodox Spirituality, which is hosted there. Other travels have taken him to France and Slovenia. He has been able, in spite of open-heart surgery in January of 2005, to keep fairly active.
Fr Paul Schellbach ('96) has recently assumed a position as a Re-Adjustment Counselor for the Greensboro Veteran's Counseling Center in Greesboro, NC. He counsels and provides resources for military veterans and their families.
Mark D'ercole ('00) and his wife Kendra are new parents of a son, Luke Dominic, born November 5, 2007. Also, Kendra recently earned her Doctorate in Music Composition from Arizona State University and continues to teach Musicianship and Theory at Phoenix College. Congratulations!
Charles Baz ('00) was ordained to the holy diaconate on Sunday, September 16 by His Eminence Metropolitan Philip at St Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church in Bridgeport, CT. Axios!
Fr William C. Mills (MTh '07) announces the publication of his new book "A Light to the Gentiles: Reflections on the Gospel of Luke" which is the fourth book in a series of reflections on the scriptures. Fr Mills also launched his personal webpage at www.wcmills.com. In May Fr Mills delivered a talk at Wake Forest University on the topic of "Communicating the Kingdom Through Worship: An Orthodox Response" as well as leading a retreat for the School of the Spirit--School for Spiritual Directors in Durham, NC. Beginning this fall, Fr Mills has a regular PODCAST on the new ARK Internet radio program, a ministry of Come Receive the Light radio ministry.
ORDINATIONS
Michael Bishop ('92) was ordained a deacon September 23, 2007 at St Nicholas Cathedral on 97th Street in New York by Bishop Mercurius of Zaraisk, Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA. He is assigned to Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Baltimore MD. AXIOS!
Dn John Beal ('01) was ordained to the holy priesthood at his home parish of St Nicholas Church in San Anselmo, CA on September 23, 2007 by His Grace Bishop Benjamin. This was the first ordination to have ever taken place there, which has now produced a priest from its 50 year-old community. AXIOS!
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