Mihailo Vlajkovic (Th.M. ‘25, M.A. ‘24) came to St Vladimir’s Seminary in August 2022, after completing his undergraduate degree in Orthodox theological studies at the University of Belgrade in Serbia, his home country. He is now about to graduate with his second degree from the seminary. Aside from his studies, during his time on campus Mihailo has represented the seminary at an academic conference at Yale University, co-produced a theatrical performance of two “biblio-drama” plays originally written in Serbian by a former mentor, worked in the SVS Press bookstore, and served many hours volunteering at events, in the refectory kitchen, and on seminary grounds. As his time at St Vladimir’s Seminary draws to a close, we asked him to share his thoughts on the Master of Theology (Th.M.) program.
In what ways has the Th.M. program prepared you to serve the Church in your future ministry?
The Th.M. program is indeed a complex one that requires dedicated effort, as the academic demands placed on students are higher than those in the M.A. or M.Div. programs. I believe that the theology we had the opportunity to study in these courses can serve our future service to the Church in every way. The way we apply what we’ve learned will largely depend on our personal interests. I’ll give two examples, although there are certainly many more:
A) If one of us is ordained as a priest, every course we took in this program will undoubtedly help us answer the many questions a priest may receive from parishioners or those interested in the Church in general.
B) On the other hand, if someone chooses to continue on the academic path or already works as a teacher at some educational level, the importance of these courses hardly needs to be emphasized.
What does it mean to you to be part of the Seminary community, and how has it supported your spiritual growth?
The grace of daily services in which we can tangibly experience everything we are learning–this is paramount. Going out into the world and spreading the Gospel and all we have learned truly becomes the fulfillment of that knowledge. Because what is the purpose of all the lectures and reading if each of us were to keep all that we've learned to ourselves?
Mihailo helping lead a children’s activity with His Grace Bishop Irinej of Washington-New York and Eastern America of the Serbian Orthodox Church during a hierarchical visit before Christmas 2024
The richness of diversity we have here on campus represents “extra credit” classes that cannot be measured by any academic or formal means, or by any unit of measurement. What we tend to forget is that our true unit of measure is Christ Himself — in other words, the amount of love we have for our neighbor. And it’s important to understand that there is no one who is not our neighbor.
What would you like to say to those who support the seminary and its seminarians?
Studying at St Vladimir's Seminary would definitely not have been possible for most of my friends who studied with me, nor for me, if it weren’t for the help of all the good people who support the seminary. My prayers are with them, and my wish is that wherever life may take me, I will not forget their love, but pass it on to others in the same way it was given to me—with love.
