This month the St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVOTS) community is celebrating the ordinations of two current seminarians and one recent graduate. Glory be to God!
On Sunday, September 20, His Eminence Metropolitan Saba presided over the ordinations of Dn. John Whiteside to the Holy Priesthood and Christopher Stokich to the Holy Diaconate. The ordinations took place at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Brooklyn, NY.
Fr. John and Dn. Christopher serving together following their ordinations.
“Focus always upon Christ and His Gospel …” Metropolitan Saba instructed the newly ordained on Sunday. “You are studying theology, you know many things about God, about Christ, and about faith. But remember that you need to be so serious with yourselves—to be with God, to struggle spiritually, to purify yourselves, to read the Gospel every day, to prepare yourselves every time you will serve the Holy Liturgy. And at that time, our eyes are opened, and we know Him. When we know Him, we don’t talk anymore about who we study. We talk about who we know, who we live with, who we experience, who we feel. At that time, people can be moved through our speech and our sermons and our preaching.”
Fr. John and Dn. Christopher are seminarians from the Antiochian Archdiocese who are both entering their third and final year of studies in the Seminary’s Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program.
The Rev. John Whiteside
The Rev. Dn. Christopher Stokich
Earlier this month, on September 5, SVOTS alumnus Dn. Solomon Geevarghese Jacob (M.Div. ’25) was ordained to the Holy Priesthood at St. Thomas Orthodox Church of India in Warren, MI. Fr. Solomon has been assigned as Vicar of St. Thomas Indian Orthodox Church, Oklahoma City, OK. He has also been serving as the General Secretary of the South-West American Diocese’s Mar Gregorios Orthodox Christian Student Movement.
The Rev. Solomon Geevarghese Jacob and his wife, Caitlin Kochamma (Kochamma means “little mother”)
May God grant many years to the newly ordained Fr. Solomon, Fr. John, Dn. Christopher, and their families!
Metropolitan Saba’s quote is adapted from Antiochian.org.
Photos of the September 20 ordinations by Seminarian Christopher Whittington.
