By God’s grace, 2024 at St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) saw a robust incoming class and returning student body totaling 97 seminarians. Several exciting new initiatives and ongoing programs developed in each area of the seminary, including SVS Press, St Vladimir’s Online School of Theology, and the Institute of Sacred Arts. A few highlights were: the announcement of 60 years of clean audits; the launch of the first lay catechist cohort and the offering of archival courses in an asynchronous learning environment by the St Vladimir’s Online School of Theology; the Institute of Sacred Arts’ colloquium on Church music in America; the announcement of a partnership between SVS Press and Vatopedi Monastery on Mt Athos; and rebuilding seminarian scholarship funds through an all-time high Giving Tuesday. As always, the primary mission and focus of St Vladimir’s Seminary continues unchanged: to train priests, lay leaders, and scholars to be active apologists of the Orthodox Christian Faith—focusing on academic rigor and spiritual formation within a residential Orthodox community.
JANUARY: In a notable milestone, the 2023 financial audit of St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) marked 60 years of consistently clean financial audits, a testament to its ongoing commitment to transparency and fiscal responsibility.
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JANUARY: Seminarians from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) at St Vladimir’s Seminary were blessed with a hierarchical visit from His Grace Dr Thomas Mar Ivanios, Metropolitan of the Diocese of South-West America, on January 23-24, 2024.
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JANUARY: A large group of seminary faculty, staff, and students traveled to Washington D.C. for the annual March for Life.
JANUARY: The Synaxis of the Three Great Hierarchs, Sts Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, was celebrated in the Three Hierarchs Chapel with a hierarchical Divine Liturgy. Presiding at the liturgy were His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon of All America and Canada (OCA), and two newly ordained hierarchs, His Grace, Bishop Nikodhim of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese (OCA), and His Grace, Bishop Benedict of Hartford and New England (OCA). The patronal feast of the seminary was enhanced by the ordination of seminarian Monk Stephen Guirgis (M.Div. ‘25) to the Holy Diaconate.
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JANUARY: The 41st Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture was given by Dr Robin Darling Young, Ordinary Professor of Church History at the Catholic University of America, speaking on the topic “Evagrius of Pontus at the Border of Cosmos and Aeon.”
Watch lecture
FEBRUARY: St Vladimir’s Seminary announced it had received a Worshipping Communities Grant of $24,630 from Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. This grant has supported a year-long process of reflection and renewal relating to Eastern Orthodox liturgical singing in the Seminary Chapel of the Three Hierarchs, a project led by Professor of Music and Associate Director of the Institute of Sacred Arts, Dr Alexander Lingas.
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FEBRUARY: The Institute of Sacred Arts (ISA) hosted a special private tour of the exhibition, Africa & Byzantium, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on February 28, inviting select ISA faculty and guests to attend. The tour was led by seminarian Jaime Rall (M.A. ‘25, concentration in Sacred Arts), who completed a six-month internship at The Metropolitan Museum to support the exhibition, which ran from November 19 to March 3.
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MARCH: January 2024 graduate of the Doctor of Ministry program at SVOTS, Fr Ted Paraskevopoulos presented his doctoral research in a webinar titled “‘A Failure to Die’: Countering Death-Denying Culture through Orthodox Catechism,” on March 7. Director of the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program, the Very Rev. Sergius Halvorsen, gave introductory remarks and hosted the Q&A session.
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MARCH: Former Professor of Church History and Dean Emeritus, the Very Rev. Dr John Erickson, returned to St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) to deliver the keynote address for the 2024 Colloquium on Liturgical Music in Eastern Orthodox Theological Education. Fr John gave his talk “Identity, Authenticity, Fidelity: Stories From the Last Century and What We Might Learn From Them Today” to a large crowd in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium and an audience of almost 200 registrants online. Also invited to present at the Colloquium were a number of scholars in Orthodox church music and composition, including Anastasia Kappanadze (St Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary), and Dr Nicholas Schidlovsky (Dean of Holy Trinity Seminary, Jordanville).
Read more & watch keynote
MARCH: Each year, during the first two days of Great Lent, a Lenten retreat with a full cycle of daily services is held, along with a series of talks from an invited speaker.
The SVOTS community is encouraged to keep silent, focusing on entering the Fast in earnest. This year, the Rt Rev. Jeremy Davis presented for the retreat, giving a four-part series of talks titled “Sacrifice: Refocusing on Relationship.”
Watch four-part series
APRIL: On the eve of Lazarus Saturday, over 100 community members and friends of St Vladimir’s Seminary attended an in-person rendition of Patriarch Abraham, a theatrical performance staged by seminarians and faculty in the seminary’s Metropolitan Philip Auditorium. The text of the play was originally written in Serbian by Dr Nenad Božović, professor of Old Testament and the director of the Biblical Institute at the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the University of Belgrade. The play was lovingly performed by seminary students in support of their classmate, Dn Richard Okello (M.Div. ‘25), whose home village in Uganda was undergoing a terrible drought, and needed funds to dig a new well. Thanks to the play attendees and several generous donors, over $6000 was raised and the well was constructed a few weeks later.
Read more & see photos
Read more about the well project in Gulu, Uganda
APRIL: The Rev. Dr Silviu Bunta, a prolific Orthodox author and speaker, gave the seventh and final “Light of the World” Webinar hosted by St Vladimir’s Seminary on April 25. In harmony with the Lenten calendar, Fr Silviu drew from the life of St Mary of Egypt in discussing the profound and essential place of the Psalter and the Scriptures as a whole in attaining Christ-like perfection. Fr Silviu’s presentation, “A Sweet Light Descended and Enlightened Me: St Mary of Egypt and the Cleansing Strength of the Psalms,” and the other six presentations for the series can all be found on our YouTube channel.
Access the Light of the World Webinar Series playlist on YouTube
MAY: This is the day which the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it! The Rev. Nikoloz Skhulukhia (M.A. ‘25) censes the congregation at the Paschal Divine Liturgy in Three Hierarchs Chapel.
MAY: Commencement—the graduating class of 2024 with His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, visiting hierarchs, and faculty and trustees of St Vladimir’s Seminary.
MAY: The Commencement Address was given by Dr Robert P. George, who was also awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, in recognition of his faithful and dedicated philanthropic service over many years within the Church. Dr George and another distinguished guest, The Very Rev. Dr Patrick Henry Reardon, each received honorary degrees during the ceremony: the degrees of Doctor of Canon Law and Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa, respectively.
MAY: During the Commencement ceremony, Student Council President Kripaya Varghese (M.A. ‘24) presented the Saint Macrina Award to Academic Dean Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie. The Saint Macrina Award is an honor given each year to a professor elected by the student body to recognize his or her effort and excellence in teaching.
JUNE: Longtime Seminary President, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield, retired in June 2024 after 17 years of dedicated and fruitful service to the seminary.
Read “A ‘Real Spiritual Father:’ Fr Chad Hatfield at St Vladimir’s Seminary”
JUNE: This June the Institute of Sacred Arts (ISA) brought back world-renowned iconographer Dr George Kordis to St Vladimir’s Seminary. His icon-painting school, Writing the Light, offered several days of workshops on campus, from June 16–20. Twenty-eight students participated in the workshops. Kordis’ stay at the seminary culminated in a public conversation with ISA Director Dr Peter Bouteneff on the role of the sacred arts in church and society. (Hear that discussion in its entirety through ISA’s Luminous Podcast.)
Read more and listen to the podcast
JUNE: St Vladimir’s Online School of Theology received the maximum enrollment for its online certification program for catechists, “Laying Foundations for Teaching the Faith.” The new program launched in the 2024–2025 academic year.
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JULY: Effective July 1, Academic Dean Dr Ionuţ-Alexandru Tudorie assumed the additional role of Interim President of SVOTS, to which he was unanimously appointed by the seminary’s Board of Trustees. Dr Tudorie leads the faculty and staff as SVOTS continues its comprehensive search for the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield’s successor, led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon as chairman of the Board. His Beatitude is chairing a President Search Committee, as mandated by SVOTS’ bylaws. The Board of Trustees also appointed a Transition Committee to assist with and ensure a seamless transition.
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Read Dr Tudorie’s letter in this year’s Impact Report (p. 8-9)
JULY: St Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press announced a new partnership with the Holy and Great Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos. SVS Press now serves as the exclusive American distributor of books published by Vatopedi Monastery in the English language. Vatopedi Monastery’s “Holy Mountain Series” and other titles are now available through the SVS Press Mount Athos Collection. The Holy Mountain Series shares the spiritual patrimony of the Holy Mountain with the English-speaking world, making the lives and teachings of recent Athonite saints and elders readily available and accessible.
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JULY: Education Day was held online via Zoom; the event featured six hours of presentations conducted by SVOTS faculty members, was attended by hundreds online, and raised over $36,000 for seminarian scholarships.
Watch the 2024 Ed Day presentations
AUGUST: Thirty-two students began their first year of studies in their respective degree programs: fifteen in the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program, three in the Master of Arts (M.A.) program, six in the Master of Theology (Th.M.) program, one in a special one-year program, and seven in the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program. Half of the resident student body are accompanied by their wives and families, while the other half of the student body attend as single students.
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AUGUST: The St Juliana Society hosted its first gathering for the Fall 2024 semester during Orientation. The St Juliana Society, named after St Juliana Lazarevo, was formed in 2010 by Mka Thekla Hatfield to support future clergy wives and the women on campus by hosting speakers on topics related to parish life and service. Dr Patricia Bouteneff and returning trustee Tatiana Hoff stepped in to guide the Society for the Fall semester.
AUGUST: The newest hire at St Vladimir’s Seminary, Zachariah Mandell (M.Div. ’20), has a multi-faceted job description: Director of Admissions, Financial Aid, and Alumni Relations, and also Assistant Director of Chapel Music. We sat down with Zach to talk about his upbringing, his own journey within the Church, and his vision for seminarian life and community.
Read Zach’s interview
SEPTEMBER: On Friday, September 6, the Rev. Dr Jacob Joseph presented a talk on campus based on his forthcoming book, The Christ Who Embraces: An Orthodox Theology of Margins. His Eminence Mor Titus Yeldho, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of the Malankara Archdiocese in North America and an alumnus of St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (M.Div. ‘03), presided at the event.
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SEPTEMBER: On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Lifegiving Cross, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon (OCA) ordained seminary faculty member, Assistant Professor of Liturgical Theology, the Rev. Dn Dr Vitaly Permiakov, to the Holy Priesthood. Seminary students, staff, and faculty congratulated Fr Vitaly heartily, at the service and via the seminary Whatsapp group, with one student saying, “Axios to the man who taught me the Liturgy!”
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SEPTEMBER: The St Innocent Mission Society partnered with Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (New Rochelle, NY), to participate in a Soup Run. The group distributed food to those in need on the streets of New York.
SEPTEMBER: Sunday, September 29 marked the 24th anniversary of the repose of Sophie Koulomzin, former faculty member at St Vladimir's Seminary and prolific author, speaker, and Orthodox Christian education expert. In honor of her memory and in gratitude for her legacy, we republished her biography. May the memory of Sophie Koulomzin be eternal! Vechnaya pamyat!
Read the biography
OCTOBER: The seminary held its annual Thankathon on Oct. 17-18, during which trustees, faculty, and students called seminary supporters to thank them for all they do. Hierodeacon Stephen Guirguis (M.Div. '25) expressed his deep appreciation for seminary donors, saying "I am truly grateful for the support which enables me and my fellow seminarians to study here at St Vladimir's Seminary. Thank you!"
OCTOBER: Seminarians and their families gathered in the refectory kitchen for a prosphora baking workshop hosted by Fr Volodymyr Zablotskyy from Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Yonkers. The kids were especially excited for this hands-on opportunity to participate in church life.
OCTOBER: The St Vladimir’s Online School of Theology announced its latest learning opportunity: asynchronous courses! Beginning in June 2023, the Online School has offered six public courses with our distinguished faculty. These world-class courses had only been accessible during the period when they were offered live, but now, anyone can register to access the recorded lectures, the reading list, and the faculty powerpoint slides. This offering invites all to discover the richness of theological education from the comfort of your own home, at your own pace. The courses can also be given as a gift to the theologically-minded friend or family member in your life.
Learn more & register
OCTOBER: Seminary families gathered for the annual Fall Festival, which included a chili cook-off, games and crafts, and a children’s costume contest.
NOVEMBER: The Board of Trustees at St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) met for their fall session on November 7-8, 2024. In addition to their formal meetings, board members attended several meet-and-greet receptions to interact with students, faculty, and staff. The female trustees organized a reception for the women on campus, as well. The trustees also attended the annual campus Community Thanksgiving Dinner, enjoying the opportunity to mingle with seminarian families and share a festive time of fellowship.
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NOVEMBER: The Board of Trustees joined the seminary community for Vespers in Three Hierarchs Chapel before the annual Thanksgiving Dinner (not pictured, Board Chairman His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon (OCA), who arrived the following day)
NOVEMBER: Faculty served Thanksgiving dinner for seminary students and their families, in a longstanding SVOTS tradition.
NOVEMBER: Thanks to the generous contributions by a dedicated group of donors of over $35,000, the seminary made long overdue repairs to the Three Hierarchs Chapel roof! For a few unseasonably warm days in November, workers completely reshingled our chapel roof, carrying out important repairs that will serve the chapel for years to come.
DECEMBER: Through God’s grace and the collective efforts of our generous community of donors, St Vladimir’s Seminary raised $160,386 during Giving Tuesday week, the highest Giving Tuesday total in the ten years we have been observing this day of philanthropy.
Special thanks to Scott Strickland (M.Div. ‘27) and family who offered us a window into their journey to seminary, and to our talented videographer Caleb Rexford (M.Div. ‘26), who despite his busy schedule put countless hours into the creation of the video, “Joyful Sacrifice: Road to Seminary.”
Watch the Giving Tuesday video
DECEMBER: Seminary children gathered at the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium for a special visit from St Nicholas (played by a seminarian), and were thrilled to receive generous gifts from local parishes, organized by the Fellowship of Orthodox Christians in America (FOCA). Seminary families also enjoyed receiving sets of Christmas pajamas from the kind parishioners of St Anthony Orthodox Church in Bergenfield, NJ.
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DECEMBER: SVS Press has released a new extraordinary book, Journal of Joy, on ebook and in hardcover. The author, Nicu Steinhardt, known in his later monastic years as Father Nicolae de la Rohia, was born in 1912 near Bucharest to Jewish parents. A refined scholar who had established himself as one of the most erudite voices of his generation, he was imprisoned by the repressive communist regime in 1960. Steinhardt asked to be baptized in his cell—“illicitly”—and eventually found profound joy amid the suffering and despair of the prison. After an extraordinary experience of Christ, the intense happiness accompanying him perpetually transfigured the cruel and gloomy surroundings into a luminous world permeated by God’s love and grace—which is why writing the Journal in the early 1970s was essential, even in the knowledge it would be banned by the communists.
Purchase here
DECEMBER: Interim President and Academic Dean, Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie, expressed his profound gratitude to all who support and pray for St Vladimir’s Seminary: “Marveling anew at the profound mystery of the Incarnation, we thank you for your commitment to the proclamation of this glorious Gospel to a world desperately in need of the good news. Christ is Born!”
