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Alumni E-News from St Vladimir's Seminary
December 2003
Volume 3, No. 11 Dear Friends, Greetings to all of you during this Advent season. We just completed a very busy month, filled with important and fruitful activities. Let me share some of them with you. ASSOCIATION OF THEOLOGICAL SCHOOLS VISITS SVS Four representatives of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) visited the campus from November 9-12 for our decennial accreditation visit. Their purpose was a thorough examination of the policies, programs, and institutional integrity of the seminary. They interviewed all administrative officers, the faculty, nearly every student, members of our alumni, and virtually all the members of the staff. Their preliminary oral report was gratifying, and recommended reaffirmation of the accreditation of the seminary and its degree programs. Our visitors were particularly impressed with the commitment to the mission of the institution on the part of the trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and supports; the commitment to scholarship and witness in contemporary society, most notably through SVS Press; the seminary's excellence in worship and community; and its distinctive witness to Orthodox unity. PRE-THANKSGIVING MEAL The pre-Thanksgiving Day meal took place on Thursday, November 13 in the Kunett Auditorium with more than one hundred and forty people in attendance. Although an annual event, this year's meal was unique in that members of the faculty and staff surprised the student community by serving the meal and cleaning up afterwards. This allowed the students who usually serve the meal the pleasure of simply enjoying the evening. Expressions of surprise and astonishment on the faces of students were precious as they entered the dining area. To say the least, it was a huge hit. SVS OPENS ITS DOORS FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS For the third year, the seminary community welcomed prospective students to the campus for three days of exploration. Twelve participants and their families attended classes, chapel services, and information sessions. In addition, they toured the campus and met with students and faculty. The program is an important opportunity for seekers and has proved fruitful for the seminary relative to the influx of applications. A spring open house is scheduled. ARMY RECRUITERS VISIT The seminary received two recruiters from the U.S. Army who visited the campus on Wednesday, November 19. Fr John Anderson, a SVS alumnus ('90) and Fr Joseph Fleury were available to answer questions about military chaplaincy from interested students. They came with the message that the military is in dire need of Orthodox chaplains. Presently, there are fifteen alumni from SVS either serving on active duty or in the reserves. SVS TRUSTEES MEET The Board of Trustees held their semi-annual meeting from November 20-22. Committee meetings convened through most of the day on Thursday, November 20. On Friday, Metropolitan Herman, seminary President, presided at the festal Liturgy for the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple. The full board met in the afternoon to review committee reports and reports by the dean and the chief staff members. On Saturday the full board discussed the implementation of the SVS 2010 plan, as well as proposals for the construction of new married student apartments and the Advancement Committee report. The Board also elected two new seminary trustees, Anne Mackoul and Jim Bach. Both Anne and Jim are members of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese. ALUMNI BOARD MEETS Members of the Alumni Board visited the campus on Thursday, November 19 for their semi-annual meeting. They received updates from the Dean Erickson on seminary life, the ATS visit and the Strategic Plan, and from Professor David Drillock, the Chief Financial Officer, who encouraged the alumni to help the seminary discover new sources of scholarship aid for students. In addition, the board members were introduced to new employees, namely, Fr Stephen Hrycyniak, the marketing director for SVS Press; the new Communication Officer and SVS alumna, Julia Wickes ('01); and Director of Systems, Kirill Sokolov. Discussion was focused on strengthening the relationship between alumni and their connection to the seminary utilizing each particular administrative area. In addition, the board discussed alumni gatherings around the country and the idea of an annual class reunion, possibly beginning in fall of the 2004. FACULTY AND STAFF TRAVEL TO ATLANTA Fr John Behr, Fr Stephen Hrycyniak, and Julia Wickes traveled to Atlanta, GA from November 21-25 to attend the America Academy of Religion convention (AAR). The convention offers a unique opportunity to meet faculty colleagues from other seminaries and universities, authors of theological books, publishers, and those who have expertise in public relations. This year's trip was extremely valuable in each of these areas. In addition, Fr John delivered a lecture at an alumni gathering at St Mary of Egypt Church where SVS alumnus, Fr Peter Smith, is pastor. The meeting allowed everyone to enjoy a meal together and the opportunity to learn what is happening on campus. If you would like to host such a gathering in your area, please contact Fr Steven Belonick at
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or 914-961-8313, ext. 328. Please visit our website for a fuller report on the AAR. SEMINARY HIRES ANNUAL FUND OFFICER The seminary recently hired John Congdon to work in the Advancement Office as the Annual Fund officer. John is a member of St Mary Magdalen parish in New York City and brings to the position a strong liberal arts background and experience in sales. John's brother, William, is a 1991 alumnus from the seminary. FACULTY ENGAGEMENTS Dr Peter Bouteneff, Assistant Professor of Dogmatic Theology, spoke on “Sacraments and Mysteries” at the 14 th Annual Festival of Icons at St John's Orthodox Church, Warren, OH, on November 1. He also delivered a talk entitled “Screening the Sacred: Jesus in Film” at Holy Resurrection Church, Wayne, NJ. Rev Timothy Blumentritt, Lecturer in Pastoral Theology, made a presentation on Conversion to the enquirers' class at St Mary's Church, Cambridge, MA (AOCA) on November 9. Very Rev Paul Lazor, the John and Paraskeva Skvir Lecturer in Practical Theology, gave the keynote address at the 80th birthday banquet of His Eminence, Archbishop Dmitri (OCA) held at St Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas, TX. Dr Albert Rossi, Adjunct Professor of Pastoral Theology, addressed the topic “Revitalizing Your Prayer Life” at St Vladimir's Orthodox Church in Trenton, NJ, November 1, for a clergy wives retreat in the Diocese of New York and New Jersey. He also attended a conference sponsored by Harvard Medical School from November 8-9 on “Forgiveness and Healing.” Very Rev Paul Tarazi, Professor of Old Testament, spoke at a Hellenic College faculty seminar on the topic “Wisdom and Calling in a Suffering World: Lessons on Vocation from the Old Testament.” SVS alumna, Ann (Mitsakos) Bezzerides, coordinated the event. He also delivered four lectures on “The Development of the Canon of Biblical Literature” at the University of St Thomas, St Paul, MN. SVS alumnus, Fr Marc Boulos, coordinated the event. In addition, Fr Paul spoke at Ss Peter and Paul Church, Meridan, CT (OCA) on the topic “The Body of Christ in the Pauline Epistles.” FUTURE ENGAGEMENTS Helen Breslich Erickson, Lecturer in Liturgical Music, will be featured on the radio program Come Receive the Light on December 27 and will discuss “The Christian in the Workplace.” Visit the radio program's website: http://www.receive.org. for further information. Dr Paul Meyendorff, the Fr Alexander Schmemann Professor of Liturgical Theology, will present three lectures at St Luke's Church, Garden Grove, CA (AOCA) from February 6-7. Rev Alexander Rentel, Instructor in Church History and Canon Law, will deliver a paper at Holy Trinity Seminary, Jordanville, NY on February 5 entitled “How the Patriarch Served the Divine Liturgy in 14 th century Constantinople.” Eleana Silk, Librarian, will present a workshop on Oral History on January 10, 2004 at St Mark's Church, Bethesda, MD. Deacon Kevin Smith, Fellow in Liturgical Music, will be a featured speaker on the radio program, Come Receive the Light , on December 20. He will speak on “Orthodox Christian Hymns on the Incarnation.” ALUMNI NEWS Rev Francisco Salvador (M.Div. '99) and Lorena (M.A. '99) joyfully announce the birth of their third son, Jose Miguel on October 24. Fr Francisco is working full-time in his parish in Santiago, Chile, and is also creating a new parish community in Santiago. He teaches religion classes in an Arabic Orthodox school, serves as Director of Youth Camps of the Archdiocese, and is webmaster of the www.iglesiaortodoxa.cl . UPCOMING EVENTS December 7 - Annual gathering of seminary community and church school children for Feast of St Nicholas. December 13 - Feast of St Herman of Alaska and Memorial Service following the Liturgy for Fr Alexander Schmemann (20 th anniversary). Fr Thomas Hopko will preach at the Memorial Service. A coffee-fellowship will follow in the Kunett Auditorium. December 15 - End of fall semester. December 25 - Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord. December 26-28 - Annual Christmas Retreat (ages 16-22). UPCOMING ALUMNI GATHERINGS Date: Sunday, Feb 12
Where: St Anthony the Great Church, Spring, TX
Faculty: Fr Thomas Hopko
Alumni Host: Fr George Dahdou PLEA FOR ASSISTANCE We need your help in insuring that our database is up-to-date. If you suspect that we do not have your proper mailing address or email address, please let us know. If you know of any alumnus/a who is not receiving seminary mailings or E-News, please inform us as well. We want to keep the lines of communication open, and having correct information is vital to make that happen. -END-
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