Fr Bogdan holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Marquette University and has been Associate Professor of Patristics at St Vladimir’s Seminary since Fall 2020. Previously, he was an Associate Professor of Theology at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, and served as a parish priest at St Anthony Orthodox Church in Butler, PA for many years.
Aside from his teaching duties during the academic year, Fr Bogdan recently taught the first-ever online course offered by the new St Vladimir’s Online School of Theology, Preparing to Read the Fathers. He will also give a one-hour presentation along with Dr Alexander Titus at the 2023 Online Education Day Zoomathon on August 5, 2023, entitled The Patristic Foundations and Spiritual Legacy of St Gregory Palamas.
In this Faculty Spotlight Interview, Fr Bogdan Bucur outlines how and why the theological education at St Vladimir’s Seminary plays an important part in the formation of our future clergy and other servants of the Church. He also shares his thoughts on the current developments at St Vladimir’s Seminary and expresses his appreciation for the sacrifices made by students who choose to come to St Vladimir’s Seminary.
How would you explain the importance of the theological education at St Vladimir's Seminary, both in training priests and lay leaders and scholars?
Stakes are really high. I have in mind the priests and catechists with whom my children will interact ten or fifteen years from now. I hope these will be faithful, deep, and intelligent Christians, capable of a charitable but critical engagement with the world they are seeking to serve; Orthodox teachers knowledgeable about the various theological areas, but also civil and patient with others, and aware of their own limitations—certainly not ignorant and arrogant peddlers of half-digested bits of YouTube theology, or narcissistic “Church professionals” aspiring to be the Grand Inquisitor.
Having been both an Orthodox scholar and parish priest before coming to St Vladimir's Seminary in 2020, how would you say life at St Vladimir's Seminary prepares our students for the priesthood, further scholarship, or both?
Learning to live in community, entering into a rhythm of intense liturgical life, submitting to the pace of academic instruction within a community of teachers and fellow learners, and being stretched and molded by long periods of time of intense interaction with normal (that is, always less-than-ideal) fellow Christians—all of this is challenging, testing, and potentially transformative for any candidate for ordination to holy orders or for assignment as a teacher of the faith. I do not discount or minimize the difficulty (and in many cases the impossibility) of uprooting oneself for three years in order to attend the St Vladimir’s Seminary MDiv program; nevertheless, I find the alternative of an online seminary education to be downright irresponsible. To put it bluntly: I don’t think the pastorate of a parish or mission should be entrusted to someone parachuted in after two or three years of theological cyber-schooling with perhaps a few weeks of “liturgical boot camp” thrown in. Future priests and catechists simply need the kind of residential and communal theological education and formation that St Vladimir’s Seminary offers.
In teaching and guiding seminarians, what is your approach in helping to prepare them to become priests, teachers, and leaders in the Church?
I must confess that I feel mild disgust and a hefty dose of suspicion every time I hear of “leaders in the Church.” Christ Himself said, "I am among you as the one who serves" (Luke 22.27). We must strive to cultivate the mindset of one serving the Lord by serving those who come here to become servants in the Lord’s vineyard. My job is to give all that I am able to give in terms of teaching, mentorship, companionship, and encouragement on the road to Emmaus.
What are ways that you have seen St Vladimir's Seminary grow and expand its mission in the last year?
As everyone knows, there is much going on at the administrative level, as the trustees and the president are weighing very carefully whether and how (and where and when) the Seminary should relocate in order to continue and expand its work. In my opinion, speaking as a member of the faculty, the most important developments the past year have been, by far, the arrival of our new colleague, Dr Michael Legaspi—a high-caliber scholar, proven teacher and mentor, and wonderful human being who now holds the position of professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, and (...drum roll, please!) the decision to kick off the long and laborious application process for an in-house Ph.D. Program in Orthodox Theology. I should also mention the hire of a Director of Online Education in the person of Arpi Nakashian, with the goal of boosting the Seminary’s new Online School of Theology. These are all very significant developments, whose positive impact upon the mission of St Vladimir’s Seminary will be felt for a long time.
Why did you want to teach at SVOTS?
I remember my honest amazement upon learning that the new position of Academic Dean had been filled by an unknown, “unconnected” candidate—Dr Alex Tudorie, a young and very competent Church historian from Romania. To me, that was a guarantee that future searches would also proceed in earnest. Some two years later, when the opening in Patristics was announced, I was equally impressed by the descriptions of what St Vladimir’s Seminary was aiming for, namely a faculty given to academic research no less than to teaching, who would view both as service and who would support each other in a collegial, collaborative way, eventually forming a team, a cluster of teacher-scholars, greater and better than the sum of its parts.
What subject(s) do you teach? What are the parts of Patristics you enjoy teaching about the most?
My own approach and interests in the area of Patristics are largely the result of being taught and mentored by a wonderful professor, now Archbishop Alexander Golitzin. It is thanks to him and the entire “Theophaneia” School he created that I have a special interest in the link between biblical reception history and doctrinal articulation in early Christianity and the Byzantine tradition; the interest in studying how early Christians articulated their identity by reworking doctrines, imagery, and practices inherited from the many currents of Second Temple Judaism; and the conviction that a certain spiritual continuum unites all the saintly writers who have borne witness to Christ, from the patriarchs and prophets of old to the apostles and their disciples down to our very own generation.
What excites you most about the students at SVOTS?
I am deeply moved by the sacrifices made by incoming seminarians, especially those who are married and are raising children: they have left behind the relative comfort and stability of houses, jobs, and network of families and friends, entrusting three years of their lives to the Lord and to us at St Vladimir’s Seminary. How could I not reciprocate by giving my best and doing my utmost to serve such people? Besides, it is exciting to see seminarians who come with a great thirst for learning, for understanding more and better, and who are also dedicated to becoming better disciples to the Lord and better brothers and sisters to each other.
Finally, I love their sense of humor! On this note, I am a fan of the anonymous student satire piece recently posted all over campus, Notes From the Schmem-a-Dome, the “official unofficial student newspaper that no one asked for and no one needs”: I think we all need it.
Fr Bogdan Bucur was born in Romania. He and Cristina have just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary and they are the parents of Irina, Andrei, and Miruna.
