St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) is happy to announce that it has received a Worshipping Communities Grant of $24,630 from the Calvin Institute of Worship. The purpose of this grant is to support a year-long process of reflection and renewal relating to Eastern Orthodox liturgical singing in the Seminary Chapel of the Three Hierarchs. This program is made possible by a Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.
Serving as project lead is Dr Alexander Lingas, Professor of Music and Associate Director of the Institute of Sacred Arts at St Vladimir’s Seminary. He is leading an Implementation Team of Seminary faculty that will:
- Undertake an inventory of existing chapel musical repertories.
- Host “Liturgical Music in Eastern Orthodox Theological Education,” a colloquium to be held on 13–14 March 2024. Representatives of American and European Orthodox institutions will discuss how theological visions and socio-historical realities shape the practice of liturgical singing in their chapels. The keynote address will be given by the Very Rev. Prof. John Erickson, former Dean of St Vladimir’s Seminary. Other confirmed speakers included the Rev Dr Romanos Karanos (Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology), Deacon Petar Kozakijević (Serbian Orthodox Church, Metropolis of Zagreb and Ljubljana), Dr Nicholas Schidlovsky (Dean of Holy Trinity Seminary, Jordanville), and Anastasia Kappanadze (St Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary).
- Develop updated musical materials handbook for chapel use, with implementation starting in the Fall 2024 semester.
SVOTS President, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield, commented on the new initiative, saying, “This effort will deepen and enrich our seminarians’ understanding and knowledge of the rich variety of liturgical singing traditions we have inherited in the Orthodox Church. I applaud the Institute of Sacred Arts faculty, especially Dr Alexander Lingas, for setting this worthy project in motion.”
ABOUT THE CALVIN INSTITUTE OF CHRISTIAN WORSHIP
The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (CICW), located at Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is an interdisciplinary study and ministry center that promotes the scholarly study of the theology, history, and practice of Christian worship and the renewal of worship in worshipping communities across North America and beyond.
ABOUT THE LILLY ENDOWMENT
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff, and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education, and religion and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A primary aim of its grantmaking in religion is to deepen the religious lives of Christians, principally by supporting efforts that enhance congregational vitality and strengthen the leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment values the broad diversity of Christian traditions and endeavors to support them in a wide variety of contexts. The Endowment also seeks to foster public understanding about religion by encouraging fair, accurate, and balanced portrayals of the positive and negative effects of religion on the world and lifting up the contributions that people of all faiths make to our greater civic well-being.
