Alumni E-News from St Vladimir's Seminary
Issue #17, October 2003
Dear Friends,
Three weeks into the fall semester, the daily discipline of seminary life is creating a sense of reassuring certainty. Although the activity level is high, so is the good will of everyone on campus.
While writing this issue, we learned of the falling asleep of the beloved former Dean of Students at the seminary, Very Rev. Cyril Stavrevsky. Fr Cyril died unexpectedly on Saturday evening, September 27 as he waited in a chair in the sanctuary of his church, St John the Baptist, in Rochester, NY, to begin Vespers. For those of us who remember him, Fr Cyril was a charming man with a great sense of humor. As the Dean of Students from 1969-1977, Fr Cyril was responsible for overseeing the day-to- day life of each seminarian, assuring their well being as well as supervising their responsibilities. He had a wonderful way of engaging each student and the unique ability to reprove without offending. He truly will be missed. We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife, Margarite, and his children Fr James ('79) and Ann Carol. May his memory be eternal.
STUDENTS
Let me update you on the demographics of our student body. The new class is a large one, numbering 45. This brings the total number of students to 95. Of the total, 41 represent the OCA, 12 represent the GOA, and 10 represent the AOCA. Other students represent the Serbian Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, the Moscow Patriarchate, the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Armenian Church, the Malankara Orthodox Church, and a number of non-Orthodox churches. Thirty-eight students are married.
On-campus married student apartments are filled to capacity. The seminary is leasing nine additional apartments off-campus to house the dramatic increase in numbers of married students.
SEPTEMBER FEASTS
Two major feasts -- the Nativity of the Theotokos and the Exaltation of the Cross -- blessed the beginning of the fall semester. Both of these feasts were celebrated with their usual reverence and joy. On the Feast of the Cross, His Grace Bishop Nikon of Baltimore (OCA) presided at the Vigil, at which he blessed the four corners of the universe with the Holy Cross, and at the Liturgy, at which he ordained second-year student David Arnold to the diaconate.
SEMINARY HONORS DR JAROSLAV PELIKAN
Also on the evening of the Feast of the Cross, the seminary sponsored a lecture by Rev. John McGuckin, Professor of Church History, Union Theological Seminary, and Professor of Byzantine Christianity, Columbia University, and Assistant Pastor of St Mary Magdalene Church in New York City (OCA). Fr McGuckin's topic was entitled 'Orthodoxy and Western Christianity: The Original European Culture War?' This lecture was part of a nationwide, year-long series honoring Dr Jaroslav Pelikan on the occasion of his 80th birthday. Dr Pelikan is the Sterling Professor Emeritus of History at Yale University, past President of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and one of the foremost Church historians alive today. The series was arranged by two of his former students at venues closely connected with Dr Pelikan, including the University of Chicago, Southern Methodist University, Yale University, and the Library of Congress. The next engagement will be held Saturday, October 18 at the Annunciation Cathedral of San Francisco, CA, where Speros Vryonis, Jr, Emeritus Alexander S. Onassis Professor of Hellenic Civilization and Culture, New York University, will speak on the topic of 'The Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople and Its Relations to the State.'
OUR SYMPATHY
Fr John Behr's father, Nicholas, passed away earlier this month, following major surgery. We extend our sympathy to Fr John, his sister, Macrina (Behr) Hopko ('90), and their entire family.
ORTHODOX INTERSEMINARY MOVEMENT REESTABLISHED
On Saturday, September 28, seven SVS students attended a meeting of the Orthodox Interseminary Movement (OISM) held on the campus of St Tikhon's Seminary in South Canaan, PA. This is the first such meeting among Orthodox seminary students after a long period of inactivity. The movement was very popular in the 1970s and served to build up mutual respect and admiration among the representatives. At the recent event, three seminaries were represented: St Vladimir's, St Tikhon's who hosted the event, and Holy Cross. Thirty seminarians attended the weekend activities. A Board of Administration was elected. The new board is as follows: Paul Gabriel Erickson, President (St Tikhon's), Joseph Matusiak, Vice-President (St Vladimir's), Alex Vallens, Treasurer (St Tikhon's), Haralambos Fox, Secretary (Holy Cross), Tim Hojnicki (St Tikhon's representative), Justin Patterson (St Vladimir's representative), and Tikhon Thurman (Holy Cross Representative). The next meeting is scheduled for the spring and will be hosted by St Vladimir's. A Thanksgiving get-together is also being planned.
ANNUAL PICNIC
The student body, staff, faculty, and administration enjoyed an afternoon of hot dogs, hamburgers, barbeque chicken, salads, and desserts on the campus Sunday, September 21. The married students were in charge of preparing and hosting the meal. Soccer, football, bunches of little children, and great fellowship filled the day.
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
For almost twenty years, the administrative building next to the chapel has served to house the bookstore and packing room. With the construction of the new library, the vacated library space provided an opportunity to relocate bookstore operations. The entire bookstore, customer service area, warehouse, and packing room are now relocated in the vacated library space. The relocation requires learning new traffic patterns and takes some adjustments, but on the whole these new facilities offer greater opportunity for the expansion of the mail order operations and should help to provide better customer service. And, there are no more UPS deliveries in front of the chapel!
MEDIA ROOM
The seminary has outfitted one of the small side rooms located in the Library Reading Room with a large flat screen display, speakers, DVD/CD/VCR player, and computer workstation. This room is designed for viewing materials available in the library or assigned by instructors and for other approved academic uses. This room is well suited to presentations using computer equipment by one instructor and several students.
FACULTY NEWS
Dr Paul Meyendorff, Father Alexander Schmemann Professor of Liturgical Theology, will chair the meeting of the Faith and Order Commission of the NCCC in Berkeley, CA, on October 9-11. Completing eight years as chairman of the commission, he will be honored at a banquet held at the Patriarch Athenagoras Institute in Berkeley. He will also lecture on the subject of baptism at the OCA Cathedral in San Francisco on October 11. While in San Francisco, Dr Meyendorff will speak about the seminary�s Strategic Plan at a SVS alumni gathering at the OCA Cathedral. On October 23-25 he will attend a meeting of the Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation in Washington, DC: he was appointed to the position by SCOBA in the summer of 2003.
Dr Peter Bouteneff, Assistant Professor of Dogmatic Theology, attended an International Colloquium on Sacraments and Sacramentality, held at Windsor Castle, England from September 29 to October 2, and gave a paper entitled "The Mystery of Union: Elements in an Orthodox Sacramental Theology."
Very Rev. Thomas Hopko, Dean, emeritus, is in Australia from September 23 - October 25 speaking, touring, and visiting SVS alumni.
ALUMNI NEWS
Peter DeFonce ('97) was married on February 16, 2003 to Nadezhda Aleksandrovna Smirnova of Moscow, Russia. He was ordained to the diaconate on September 21 at St Mary's Church in Cambridge, MA by His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip (AOCA).
Deacon Valentine Vassechko ('92) was ordained to the priesthood on September 21, 2003 at the Prophet Elias Cathedral in Archangelsk by SVS alumnus, His Grace Bishop Tikhon, Bishop of Archangelsk and Kholmogory, who studied at the seminary in the early 1990s. SVS alumnus Archimandrite Zacchaeus participated in the Liturgy. Fr Valentine is head of the Department of Comparative Theology at Moscow's St Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Institute.
Fr Alexander Rentel ('95) and his wife Nancy ('95) are parents of a new daughter, Maria Tatiana, who was born August 4. Fr Alexander is an Instructor in Church History and Canon Law. We extend our best wishes to Fr Alexander, Nancy, their son, Demetrios, and Maria Tatiana.
Deacon Jesse Greendyk ('02) and his wife, Tara, are parents of a new daughter, Abigail Helen, who was born on September 24. Deacon Jesse works as an Advancement Officer at the seminary. We wish Deacon Jesse, Tara, their son Jacob, and their new daughter Abigail our very best.
Rev. Presbyter Joel McEachen ('68) was honored as one of four Orthodox priests to receive the Prophet Elias Award for rendering outstanding service to Orthodox youth through the Church and the Boy and Girl Scout programs. He wrote the requirements for the current Alpha-Omega, CHI-RHO, and Prophet Elias programs for Orthodox Scouting youth and adult leaders. He and Fr Donat Augusta ('70) were sent by Fr Alexander Schmemann to help with the first greater New York area Orthodox scout retreat at Camp Wauwepex on Long Island in October 1965.
Rev. Charles Austin Dinkler, who attended the seminary between 1983 and 1985, fell asleep in the Lord on September 11 after a long illness. Memory Eternal.
UPCOMING EVENTS
October 4 Orthodox Education Day. Frederica Mathewes-Green, National Public Radio commentator, will be the keynote speaker. Special youth activities will include a concert featuring Peter John Gillquist.
November 9 � 12 Association of Theological Schools (ATS) will be at the seminary for their decennial visit.
November 13-15 Open House for prospective students.
December 26-28 Christmas Retreat for high school and college students.
ALUMNI GATHERINGS
We wish to keep you abreast of alumni gatherings around the country. The Alumni Association Board is taking this initiative to foster dialogue and unity. If you would like to host a gathering in your area, please email:
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Date: Location: Host: Visiting Faculty:
October 6 Columbus Fr Daniel Rentel Fr Alexander Rentel
Midwest Diocesan Assembly
(The seminary will host a reception before the main banquet)
October 12 San Francisco Fr Victor Sokolov Dr Paul Meyendorff
Holy Trinity Church 415-673-8565
GRADUATION FRAMES
If you are like me, your SVS diploma is probably somewhere in your filing cabinet! Now we have the opportunity to display that diploma in a beautiful frame made especially for the seminary. The frame measures 16� x 18� and is made of cherry finished wood with a double matting, glass, and a foam-core backing. Our school's name is embossed on the bottom of the matting while the school's embossed logo appears on the top of the matting. The cost is $75.00 plus shipping and handling ($7.00). Payment must be made in advance to the seminary bookstore. Please send your request and check to the bookstore at the seminary address. The bookstore also honors VISA, MASTERCARD, and DISCOVER credit card orders.
