St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary is pleased to announce our selection of two leaders to guide us in our mission to serve the Orthodox Church through theological scholarship and the training of future priests and church leaders.  

Fr John Behr and Fr Chad Hatfield have been elected by the seminary Board of Trustees to share in the seminary leadership – Fr John as Dean and Fr Chad as Provost (Chief Executive Officer).  As Dean, Fr Behr will preside over the ecclesial and educational life of the seminary, while Fr Hatfield, in his role of Provost, will head the organizational running of the school. Both will report to the Board of Trustees presided over by its President, The Most Blessed Herman, Metropolitan of All America and Canada and Primate of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA).

Fr Chad Hatfield comes to St Vladimir’s from St. Herman Seminary in Kodiak, Alaska, where he has served with great distinction as Dean since 2002.  Fr Hatfield holds a Doctor of Ministry from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary where his thesis was “An Examination of the Pastoral Rites for Ministry to the Sick as Found in the Orthodox Christian Euchologia.”  He received his Master of Divinity in 1978 and Master of Sacred Theology in 1988 from Nashotah House Seminary in Wisconsin.  Ordained as Priest by Bishop Basil (Essey) of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America in 1994, he is Vice President of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) Board, Co-Chair of the OCA Department of Evangelization, and member of the OCA Board of Theological Education, the Editorial Advisory Board for Christian Bioethics journal and the Kodiak College Advisory Council.  Fr Hatfield and his wife, Matushka Thekla, will be moving to St Vladimir’s campus at the completion of the current academic year.

Fr John Behr is the current Professor of Patristics at St Vladimir’s and is widely regarded as one of the eminent theologians of our time.  Having studied under Bishop Kallistos (Ware), Fr Behr earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Theology from Oxford University and a Master of Theology from St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary.  A prolific author, his most recent published books include The Mystery of Christ: Life in Death (Crestwood, NY: SVS Press, 2006) and The Nicene Faith, vol. 2 of The Formation of Christian Theology (Crestwood, NY: SVS Press, 2004).  He has also published numerous articles and papers and speaks throughout the world on Orthodox theology.  Ordained to the priesthood in 2001, Fr Behr is the current editor of St Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly and the Popular Patristics Series and is the faculty supervisor for the Inter-Seminary Dialogue.  He lives with his wife Kate and their two sons and daughter on St Vladimir’s campus.

St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, located in Crestwood, NY, is a graduate school of theology whose programs are registered by the New York State Education Department.  It is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada.

In speaking on the new appointments, Metropolitan Herman said, “To address the challenges of theological education today and to fulfill its mission in the fullest possible sense, we could not be more pleased to have two such shining stars of the Orthodox world, and brothers in Christ, leading St Vladimir’s.”  As they embark on their new roles, a key objective for Fr John and Fr Chad will be the implementation of the new faculty-developed, Board-approved “Good Pastor” curriculum.  This curriculum integrates, in an innovative way, academic seminars and coursework with practical training, especially in Homiletics and Teaching.  Fr Chad and Fr John will officially start their terms upon the completion of the current term of Fr John Erickson in June 2007.  We thank all those who participated in the selection process and ask for your prayers that the Holy Spirit might guide St Vladimir’s as we enter into a new era.