YONKERS, NY—Giving thanks to God, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) began its 2026–2027 Academic Year on Monday, September 7. A large group of new seminarians isn’t the only change following the summer break—physical improvements to the campus and enhancements to the Seminary’s spiritual formation program are all part of SVOTS’ response to the evolving needs of seminarians and the Orthodox Church in North America.
Thirty-three (33) students are beginning their first year of studies on campus at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. The incoming class is composed of both single and married students; two (2) are women.
Among the new seminarians is Jordan Christman (Antiochian Archdiocese), whose home parish is St. Anthony the Great Orthodox Christian Church in Spring, TX. He moved to campus with his wife Heather and their four young daughters.
“Our priest kept reminding us that it’s not just me going to Seminary; it’s our family. This will be a formative period for our four daughters as well. It’s also for them to get used to being in this type of environment, the liturgical life, having access to all the services every day. What a blessing!”
The Christman Family
Jordan and his fellow first-year seminarians represent eight (8) Eastern and Oriental Orthodox jurisdictions:
- Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (13 seminarians)
- Orthodox Church in America (10)
- Armenian Apostolic Church (5)
- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (1)
- Moscow Patriarchate in the USA (1)
- American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America (1)
- Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, Malankara Archdiocese (1)
- Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (1)
In addition to the incoming class, the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program has recruited another eight (8) students to form its newest cohort.
Counting the incoming class, SVOTS’ total student body is 98. Many more are enrolled in courses through St. Vladimir’s Online School of Theology this fall, including eighty-nine (89) students in the Online School’s Catechist Certification Program. (More than 130 others were certified as lay over the summer.)
“We love our new and returning seminarians and are deeply committed to their growth and formation,” said Seminary Dean Dr. Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie. “The status quo in North American Orthodox churches has given way to rapid changes. Our new seminarians are keenly aware of this. Their hearts are drawn to the spiritual needs of others and they have left everything familiar in order to respond to the urgency of this moment.”
Dr. Tudorie welcomed new students and their families following a Moleben at Three Hierarchs Chapel.
The needs of the growing Church and her seminarians have prompted St. Vladimir’s Seminary to undergo numerous efforts that are beginning to take shape this academic year. Among those, the most visible is the construction of three new apartments in the Seminary’s Bazil Building (which previously housed offices and a gym). The added housing for seminarians will increase the Seminary’s capacity to accommodate and train as many future Church leaders as God entrusts into its care. The ongoing project also reflects the larger number of married students enrolling in recent years compared to the higher numbers of unmarried seminarians seen in previous generations. Construction on the new apartments is expected to be completed in the following weeks.
Work to build new apartments in the Bazil Building began in June.
The Seminary is also enhancing its Spiritual Formation Program & Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) offerings to better prepare students—as well as their families—for the realities and challenges they will face in ministry. Fr. Michael Nasser, SVOTS’ Director of Spiritual Formation and Field Education, spearheaded alongside the Dean a new spiritual formation program that includes peer learning groups, sessions with experienced pastoral leaders, relational study courses that focus on youth ministry, training in financial management, and programs that teach relationship and communication skills. This includes a refresh of the long-running St. Juliana Society (SJS), with the intent of aiding student spouses and other women on campus in their preparation to serve the Church as well as strengthening bonds of fellowship and support. In addition, several returning seminarians took part over the summer in the new SVOTS-sponsored, community-based CPE program. (This CPE offering at the Seminary was added to the ongoing hospital-based program). Participants assisted Orthodox parish priests in a variety of ministries over a 12-week period, supervised by Fr. David Alexander.
Fr. Michael Nasser introduces seminarians to the revamped Spiritual Formation Program.
Members of the St. Juliana Society gather for the first fellowship of the new academic year.
The Very Rev. Dr. David Alexander (SVOTS Class of 2011) is one of several faculty and staff members who have recently joined St. Vladimir’s Seminary. He is Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling. Other new members of the Seminary community include:
May the intercessions of the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, our patron Great and Holy Prince Vladimir, and all the saints be with our seminarians, faculty, and staff as a new academic year commences in service to Christ!
About St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary
St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) is a higher education institution that strives to serve the Church, engage the world, and awaken hearts to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. SVOTS trains priests, lay leaders, and scholars, focusing on academic rigor and spiritual formation within a residential Orthodox Christian community. The Seminary is chartered by the University of the State of New York and accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) to offer the following program degrees: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts, Master of Theology, and Doctor of Ministry. Learn more at www.svots.edu.
