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Dear Friends, Christ is Risen!!! It is our hope and prayer that your Holy Week and Pascha celebration were filled with the joy and light of the Resurrected Lord. Much has happened since we communicated with you last. Allow me to outline for you some of many activities that have taken place. Oriental-Eastern Orthodox Symposium On April 1, 2003 St Vladimir's Seminary and St Nersess Armenian Seminary co-sponsored a symposium entitled "Jerusalem: Does it Divide or Unite?" The main stated purpose of the gathering was to explore, through a series of lectures and discussions, the ways in which the Holy City has served both as a common source of apostolic authority and spiritual nourishment, as well as a point where divisions among the churches and church families are made so clearly evident. The symposium brought together a collection of eminent scholars and experts, including Dr Roberta Ervine from St Nersess seminary, Fr Alexander Rentel from St Vladimir�s, Dr Serge Schmemann who served as NY Times Bureau Chief in Jerusalem from 1995-1998, and Dr George Kiraz, a Syriac scholar, all with a close and living familiarity with the city of Jerusalem and its complex historical and modern-day situation. Over 60 people were in attendance. Episcopal Visits His Eminence, Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas (OCA) celebrated the Liturgy on Saturday, April 5 and ordained Deacon John Parker to the priesthood. Fr John will be assigned to Holy Apostles Mission in Charleston, South Carolina. His Grace, Bishop Seraphim of Ottawa (OCA) celebrated the Liturgy on Sunday, April 6 and ordained Edward Justin Hewlitt to the diaconate. Deacon Justin will complete his studies at the seminary next year. His Grace, Bishop Job of Chicago (OCA) visited the seminary on April 2 and treated seminarians and their wives from the Midwest to dinner. Open House for Prospective Students Ten prospective students visited the campus the weekend of April 4-6. It was unusual to have this event during a weekend, but the participants were able to see two ordinations, dine with His Grace, Bishop Seraphim, and hear special talks on 'Faith and Fear' by three faculty members. Lenten Retreat Fr Thomas Hopko was the retreat leader for the annual Lenten Retreat on the seminary campus. He spoke to a filled auditorium on the topic: 'The Song of Mary: A Mediation on the Magnificat.' Strategic Plan � �SVS 2010� A number of faculty, staff, alumni, members of the Board of Trustees, and other members of the seminary's constituency have worked feverishly over the last month to produce working documents to chart a future course for the seminary. The focus was on ten areas of concern. These included: Training for Ministry, Educational Outreach, Parish Presence, Church Relationships, Cooperation with Other Schools and Institutions, Student Recruitment, Student Life, Communications, Faculty Development, and Financial Resources. The reports have been completed and readied for action by the Board of Trustees at their May meeting. Faculty Notes Dr Albert Rossi spoke at the Nativity of the Holy Theotokos Mission, Charlotte, NC on the topic, 'The Theotokos: The Great Example' on March 22. He spoke at St Nicholas Cathedral, Washington, DC on the topic, 'Listening for God's Voice' on April 12. In addition, he will speak at the First Church of Christ in Old Wethersfield, CT on the topic, �Revitalizing Your Marriage Relationship� on May 31. Dean John Erickson spoke at St Mark's Church, Bethesda, MD on the topic, 'In the Path of Righteousness Is Life' on April 2. Connie Tarasar officially retired from seminary in February 2003. Connie was an Instructor in Christian Education from 1970-2002. Our best wishes and prayers go with her as she moves back to Minneapolis. Fr Paul Tarazi and Dean John Erickson are featured speakers at the Saskatoon Institute May 17-25 on the topic 'The Church in Early Christian Experience and Reflection.' SVS News SVS News has a new format. Now in a full-color, expanded, magazine format, it will not only offer news from the seminary, but also provide important and interesting feature articles. Seminary Presents Volume of Essays to Bishop Kallistos (Ware) in His Honor Associate professor of Patristics at SVS and former student of His Grace, Bishop Kallistos, Fr John Behr traveled to Cambridge, UK, formally to present the Bishop with a volume of essays honoring him. Published by SVS Press, the volume, Abba: The Tradition of Orthodoxy in the West, contains 20 essays by former students and colleagues, a foreword by Patriarch Bartholomew, and a prologue by Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateria. Alumni News Nicholas Ozerov ('54) fell asleep in the Lord on April 16th. Professor Ozerov was an Instructor of Russian and Old Testament at the seminary between 1958-1964. Fr Drew Clements� ('77) father, Andrew, fell asleep in the Lord, Bright Week, April 30th. Deborah (Malacky) Belonick�s ('79) mother, Virginia, fell asleep in the Lord, February 7th. Fr. Peter ('87), Presvytera Hara Avgeropoulos announce the birth of twins, Gregory and Theodore, born on March 2nd. Fr John Panagiotou ('92) was featured in the Charleston, South Carolina daily newspaper, The Post and Courier on January 25, 2003. Deacon Norman ('99) and Anne Kosanovich announce the birth of Daniel Theodore on April 29th. Graduating seminarian, Matti Wallgren, (�03) will not be able to attend commencement exercises due to the unexpected death of the mother, Maija. Marine reservist and first year seminarian, Sgt. Jimmy Mora, served in Kuwait and Iraq during the war. Jimmy is in the M.A. program in Liturgical Music. He is an accomplished concert guitarist and was preparing for a concert at Carnegie Hall when he was called up for duty. The seminary community remembered him and our other alumni serving in the war effort daily. The community sent Jimmy a 16-pound 'care-package.' Future Events May 14-16 - Alumni Board Meetings May 14-17 - Board of Trustees Meetings May 16 - Metropolitan Philip Auditorium Dedication Banquet May 17 - Commencement Exercises Keynote Speaker: Fr Boris Bobrinskoy, Dean of Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute, Paris. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, will confer the degree of Doctor of Divinity honoris causa on Fr Bobrinskoy. May 18 - Faculty Seminar with Fr Bobrinskoy May 27-29 - Orthodox/Catholic Consultation Meetings May 29-31 - Orthodox Theological Society of America Meetings May 30 - Florovsky Lecture Presenter: Elizabeth Behr-Sigel May 31 - St Nina Quarterly Women's Event June 2-4 - Orthodox-Lutheran Dialogue June 22-27 - SVS Summer Institute June 21-27 - SVS Youth Institute All of us at the seminary extend to you our warmest regards. We pray for you at each Liturgy.
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