Alumni E-News from St Vladimir's Seminary
March 2004
Volume 4, No. 3

Dear Friends,

Let me begin by asking for your forgiveness and by also entreating the Lord that your Lenten journey will be bear much spiritual fruit.

Lent began at seminary in the usual way with Forgiveness Vespers.   Before the Rite of Forgiveness began, Dean John Erickson gave an excellent sermon describing Great Lent not only as time to “take off the old man” but also a time “to put on the new man.”   His words were well received and provided a foundation for the first two days of Lent when the seminary held its annual Lenten Retreat.   Fr Thomas Hopko, Dean Emeritus, served the Matins both on Monday and Tuesday and provided four mediations on the meaning and purpose of Lent.   We were very pleased to welcome Metropolitan Herman (OCA), president of the school, who made his annual Lenten visit to serve the Canon of St Andrew of Crete on Monday evening.  

Let me update you on the events that occurred during the previous month.

PRE-LENTEN GATHERING

The seminary community gathered on February 20 for a pre-Lenten party.   The evening combined good food, fellowship, and a talent show.

SENIOR CLASS FROM HOLY CROSS VISITS

Twenty members of the senior class from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology made a visit to St Vladimir's Seminary on Friday, February 27.   Their visit was part of their annual excursion to the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in New York City and to St Basil's Home in Garrison, NY.   Fr Paul Lazor and second-year exchange student from Holy Cross, Gregory Rubis, met the group and welcomed them to the seminary.

SEMINARY CHOIR PARTICIPATE IN SUNDAY OF ORTHODOXY SERVICES

Along with other parish choirs, the seminary choir sang responses to the Sunday of Orthodox services held at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Savior in Rye, NY on February 29.   Sponsored by the Westchester Orthodox Clergy Association, the Vespers was concelebrated by clergy from the parishes of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, the Orthodox Church in America, the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese, and the Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church.   Fr Paul Lazor and Fr Steven Belonick represented the seminary among the clergy.   Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos was the main celebrant and provided a sermon that focused on the work of the Standing Canonical Orthodox Bishops of America (SCOBA).

ALUMNI NEWS

Deacon Joseph (Fred) Bittle ('03) was ordained to the holy priesthood on February 22 by Bishop Basil (AOCA) ('73) at St George Cathedral, Wichita, KS.

Very Rev Paul Jannakos ('83) , Pastor of St Mary Magdalene Orthodox Mission in Fenton, MI was appointed in 2003 to the Board of Trustees for the Flint Institute of Music (FIM).   Besides overseeing the nationally acclaimed Flint Symphony Orchestra, the Institute also oversees the operations of the Flint School of Performing Arts.   Fr Paul is the chairman of the FIM's Marketing and Communications Committee and the School of Performing Arts' committee for Corporate Funding.

Stig Symeon Froyshov ('93) defended his doctoral thesis at the Sorbonne in Paris on December 10 th , 2003.   His doctoral program was a joint venture between St Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute and the Catholic Institute of Paris, and also between the latter and the University of Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV).   The thesis was the edition of the Horologion (Book of Hours) of codex Sinai Georgian 34 from mid-10 th century, with French translation and a commentary.

Very Rev Stevo Rocknage (‘88) was asked to deliver the keynote address at the Serbian Orthodox Eastern Diocesan Assembly in St Petersburg, FL the weekend of February 13-14.   His presentation was entitled “Are We Doing Our Part To Keep Our Children In the Holy Orthodox Faith?”

Very Rev Vitaly Voshchullo (‘57) fell asleep in the Lord on February 1, 2004 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

FACULTY NEWS

Very Rev Paul Lazor (‘64) , John and Paraskeva Skvir Lecturer in Practical Theology, spoke at the Midwest Diocesan Clergy Retreat (OCA) in Chicago, IL.   Fr Paul will also lead a retreat for area churches at St George Serbian Orthodox Church, Lorain, OH from March 20-21.

Very Rev Paul Tarazi , Professor of Old Testament, delivered at talk for the Estonian clergy in Tallinn, Estonia on February 19 entitled “Continuity and Discontinuity between the Old and New Testament.”   He also lectured on the topic “Wisdom in the Bible” at the Helsinki Orthodox Church, Helsinki, Finland.   Fr Paul will also deliver talks on the topic “Apocalypse Now: An Exposition on the Book of Revelation” at Holy Trinity Cathedral (OCA), San Francisco, CA on March 19-20.

Peter Bouteneff ('90) , Assistant Professor of Dogmatic Theology, delivered the homily on the Sunday of Orthodoxy Pan-Orthodox Vespers in Albany, NY.   Professor Bouteneff will also speak at the New Jersey District of the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America (FOCA) annual retreat in Bayonne, NJ on March 23.   His topic will be “The Orthodox Church and Other Christians: ‘The Heresy of Ecumenism'?”

Rev John Behr (‘97) , Assistant Professor of Patristics, preached at the Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers at the Church of the Annunciation, Brick, NJ.   Fr John will visit the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Church, Binghamton, NY to preach the Sunday homily on March 20 and provide an afternoon talk at the parish on the topic “Virgin Mother, Virgin Church.”

Dr Albert Rossi , Adjunct Professor of Pastoral Theology, will engage OCF students from Penn State University with the topic “Discovering My Vocation” at Antiochian Village, Ligonier, PA on March 26-28.

David Drillock ('63) , Professor of Liturgical Music, was a featured speaker at the 10 th anniversary of the Liturgical Singing Seminar presented by PSALM, Inc.   Professor Drillock presented five talks at the seminar that was held at St Seraphim Orthodox Church, in Santa Rosa, CA, February 13 and 14.   Professor Drillock also spoke at St Lawrence Orthodox Christian Church, Felton, CA on February 15 on the topic “The Evolution and Development of Liturgical Singing.”

UPCOMING EVENTS

March 10
A seminary-wide seminar/workshop on “Reducing the Risk of Sexual Misconduct and Child Sexual Abuse” will be held on the seminary campus.

March 12-13
Orthodox Interseminary Movement will hold its semi-annual meeting on the seminary campus.

March 13-14
His Grace, Bishop Seraphim of Ottawa (OCA) will visit with seminarians from his diocese and will ordain Kevin Haan, an MTh student, to the diaconate on Saturday and third-year student John Strickland to the diaconate on Sunday.

March 16
An Eastern-Oriental Orthodox Symposium will be held in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium.   The theme of the gathering is “Saints and Sanctity: shared witness, shared vocation.”    The symposium is a joint venture of St Vladimir's Seminary and St Nersess Armenian Orthodox Seminary.

March 17
The seminary choir will sing the responses to the Presanctified Liturgy celebrated during the meeting of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America in Syosset, NY.

March 18-20
Open House for Prospective Students.

March 27
Fr Paul Lazor will lead the annual Lenten Retreat on the seminary campus on the topic “Repentance in the Christian Life.”

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