Installation of Archpriest Chad Hatfield as Chancellor & Priest John Behr as Dean of SVOTS
15 September 2007

Your Beatitude, Very Reverend and Reverend brother clergy, Esteemed Members of the Board of Trustees, Honored Guests, Alumni and Benefactors our seminary, Distinguished Faculty, Faithful Staff, Beloved Seminarians and your families.

GLORY TO JESUS CHRIST!

As the Executive Chair of the Board of Trustees, Anne Glynn-Mackoul, has reminded us this evening, we are concluding, with this celebratory banquet, the formal installation of a new leadership team at St. Vladimir’s Seminary.  This bold and visionary change is the fruit of the labors of many who participated in the recent decanal search process. Proper discernment for such a dramatic move did not come easily but it did come with a clear consensus, from all who were participants, that the guidance of the Holy Spirit was evident and the courage to say “YES” has already given many blessings.  I know that of us gathered here this evening give thanks to God for the fresh winds that are moving like the ruach of the Almighty, in the opening verses of Genesis, bringing new creation and renewal to the life of this venerable institution of higher learning. 

I might add that I am also thankful that in the process which resulted in the now famous “Schema 8” that the suggestion to use the title of “co-dean” was abandoned.  Just think, Anne, if that had happened, that Fr. John and I were to be “co-deans”, You might well have been named the “Heroine”!

Seriously, we must remember that our new leadership model is Trinitarian in design and the Executive Chair has done an outstanding job of overseeing the smooth transition and implementation of the model approved by the Board of Trustees.

I know that there are those who thought that this new leadership model was surely the creation of a two-headed monster that would create camps and divisions and additional strife that would distract and not enhance the mission of St. Vladimir’s Seminary.  For those of you who had such thoughts I want to say clearly tonight that through the nearly six months of transition and the now three months of close working relationship that Fr. John Behr and I have established, I say with confidence that the right team is now in place and those fears are without merit! This is not to say that temptation does not lurk close by. Fr. John and I are both fully aware of this spiritual truth. We are, however, both seasoned Orthodox priests who place our love of God and our desire to serve His Church faithfully and in particular this seminary under the Patronage and protection of St. Vladimir that reminds us both that we are brother priests who now share in a most special God-given trust that we must now perfect and preserve for those who will follow us in our respective offices. By your God-pleasing prayers both of us will be sustained and strengthened to persevere in this awesome responsibility that we now share!

My brother, Father John, in introducing this night you made mention of my commitment to the missionary spirit of the Church.  This is the one gift that I have to share that may well define my personal vision of where SVOTS will find a renewed vision of service to Christ and His Church. A few years ago I was sitting in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium with Seminarians from St. Herman Seminary listening to Archbishop ANASTATIOS of Albania speak. He said that “The Church is not the Church when it is not actively engaged in Missionary work”. Those words live in my heart and  they will be repeated by me many times  as  SVOTS seeks to fulfill our own mission and find our way fulfill our goal of offering only the very best in theological education as we face the challenges of the 21^st Century. This Missionary component cannot be missing from our life here!

To illustrate my vision for SVOTS I want to share a story that comes from the Mission Field. It is an African story. It is an ever so slightly sexist story not intended to cause and offense.

This story is from the great South African desert called the Karoo.

This vast area has regions which only receive measurable amounts of rain every five years or so. The hardy farmers in the northern region try to make a living raising goats but life very difficult for the farmers and their animals. One farmer decided that he was giving up and moving to a new life on a new farm in the southern region where there is more rain and ostrich farming is the norm. So, he sold his goats and farm and prepared to move to the southern ostrich farming area. But, he decided to take his chickens with him as they were good and faithful chickens.

To avoid the heat of the day he moved at night. He finally arrived at his new farm in the night and he decided that he would set his crate of chickens on the ground with the door open so they could go out on their own and explore their new farm. At sunrise the rooster told his hens that they should stay in the crate while he scouted out the new territory.

As the rooster strolled about the green farm he was pleased with what he saw. And, then, suddenly he saw something in a nest. He could not believe his eyes as he beheld ostrich eggs for the first time!

He went running back to his hens and he told them that he was not complaining about their productivity and egg production over the years.  They were regular layers of grade A and often AA eggs. But as he showed them the ostrich eggs he exclaimed with excitement – “Girls, just think of the possibilities!”

This African Story beautifully says what I want to say this night. We have received a most wonderful inheritance from those who have labored here before us. No one is complaining about the sacrifices, and there have been too many to count, that have brought us to this night. Without the labor of those now departed deans and provosts, and faculty and staff, who are remembered in the small shrine in front of the Germack building SVOTS would not be what it is today – “The Jewel of Orthodoxy” as Al Foundos is found of saying!. And there are those who are known only to God who are numbered among our founders, benefactors and sustainers.  We thank God for them! But, tonight, I also want us to THINK OF THE POSSIBLITIES!

Think of the possibilities if our new curriculum actually does what we all believe that it can and will do to better prepare the future leadership of the Church, both ordained and lay. Imagine! Ask yourself tonight if there has EVER been a time in the history of Orthodoxy in America that needed, more than we do today, a fresh and invigorated model for leadership and service that we are now prepared to provide!

Think of the possibilities of what our fledgling program for wives of future priests can do to give these women a solid foundation that prepares them for a life shared with a man who is called to holy orders. This is not an easy vocation to assume without serious preparation and this seminary is now prepared to take this preparation to an all new level. Think of the possibilities and what this can mean not only for future clergy wives but what if means for the Church that they too are called to serve!

Think of the possibilities of a Seminary Community fully committed to “Going Green”! What can a 12 acre campus look like that is not only picturesque but environmentally sensitive.   Think of the possibilities of older buildings being restored and transferred over to alternative energy sources. Think of new structures that will house all of our faculty on campus, provide us with a stimulating learning environment  and yes, even enough space for the entire seminary community to share a common meal together!

Think of the possibilities of what it will mean when long awaited new software is functioning? When the SVS Press is expanded and SVS becomes a leader in communicating the Truth of Orthodoxy in ways that honor our past yet meet the fast changing needs that challenge us today and in the near future.  Think of the possibilities when our Seminary Community is numerically too large to fit into our current Three Hierarchs Chapel?  Think of the possibilities of scholarly and ecumenical contributions that will be made by those who teach and those who learn at this world-class seminary!

Think of the possibilities when we have the funding for endowed chairs and expanded programs for learning. Think of the possibilities of a time when our graduates are not faced with years of paying back their seminary education debt.

Think of what it would mean to American Orthodoxy if this seminary played a significant role in the creation of an English liturgical text that became the common American text so we all can pray the Our Father, Oh Heavenly King and recite the Nicene Creed without tripping over our words!

Think of the possibilities of our library truly becoming a center for theological research and study as well as being the Mother Library assisting the development of new Orthodox Seminary Libraries around the world!

This incomplete list of possibilities are all achievable – imagine! We can all make a good start tonight by taking the envelope provided at your table and returning it to SVOTS. I know that the envelope is labeled “Christmas 2006”.  The reason is that we are a resourceful and now environmentally concerned seminary. We needed to use and not waste these envelopes. BUT there is another reason for using “Christmas 2006” envelopes.

I am going to ask the Hopkos to please stand. This offering taken during this installation celebration is being designated for the SVS Alumni Scholarship which bears your name. It is a scholarship that benefits the sons and daughters of clergy and alumni who study at SVS.

As we continue to make strides forward in being the seminary best prepared to educate and form the future leaders of the Church there will be for sure times of doubt. When this happens my hope is that you will remember the words that you have heard tonight and remember the vision that they convey – Think of the possibilities.