This year’s St. Matthias Merit Scholarship Essay Contest challenged seminarians at St. Vladimir’s Seminary to reflect on the liberation of Dachau 80 years ago, toward the end of World War II, and the remarkable celebration of Pascha that followed—recited entirely from memory—by the Orthodox Christian clergy and other survivors of the concentration camp, on May 6, 1945.
Four seminarians offered deeply thoughtful responses to the question of what prayer(s) and/or passage(s) they would likewise hope to always cherish and retain in their memory, whatever situation might befall them in life. After a rigorous evaluation of the excellent essays entered into the competition, Benjamin Franks was selected as the winner of the 2025 St. Matthias Merit Scholarship Essay Contest. In addition, fellow seminarian Mother Melania (Mikhaiel) was awarded a smaller scholarship as the contest’s first-ever honorable mention.
Franks’ winning entry is titled, “Christ: The Conqueror of Hells.”
“Just as the Church gave her sons at Dachau the words to interpret their experience and to worship in the midst of it,” wrote Franks, “this prayer [the Paschal Stichera] has allowed me to enter into the despair of the Myrrhbearers at not finding the Lord in the tomb, and to realize with them that the Living One is not among the dead. He is not conquered by my encounters with death, but in conquering Hell He conquers each iteration of it.”
Read Benjamin Frank’s Winning Essay
Benjamin Franks is a seminarian of the Orthodox Church in America’s Diocese of the South. He is in his second year of studies in the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program.
Seminary Dean Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie presented hand-made, stained-glass crosses to the participants of this year’s St. Matthias Merit Scholarship Essay Contest. The crosses were made by a member of the family of donors, and were tagged with the seminarians’ names and quotes from each of the participants’ essays. (Pictured from left to right: Nicolas Sheridan, Benjamin Franks, Dr. Tudorie, and Henry Brink. Not pictured: runner-up Mother Melania).
For his winning entry, Benjamin Franks was awarded $4,000 in scholarship money. Mother Melania received a $500 scholarship award as an honorable mention. All four participants this year were gifted hand-made, stained glass crosses. The crosses were made by a member of the family of donors who sponsor the essay contest each year. Each cross was labeled with the recipient's name and a tiny phrase linking the participant's essay to its respective resolution.
That generous family of anonymous donors has sponsored the St. Matthias Merit Scholarship Essay Contest every year since 2018, and increased the scholarship award for the 2025 edition. They also select the topic of the essay contest each year and develop thorough and thoughtful criteria to determine the winner.
The contest is one of many offerings by St. Vladimir’s Seminary to help seminarians lower their tuition expenses as they prepare to go forth to serve the Church. The Seminary also administers need-based tuition grants, need-based scholarships, merit scholarships, continuing education grants, and matching grant opportunities for seminarians. These are made possible thanks to many benefactors who have graciously given funds to St. Vladimir’s.
Support Seminarian Scholarships
Previous Essay Contest Winners:
Top Photo: Seminarian Benjamin Franks and wife Emily
