Giving thanks to God, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) hosted its 87th Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 16, 2026.
Divine Liturgy
The celebration began that morning with Divine Liturgy at Three Hierarchs Chapel, presided over by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon. Joining His Beatitude were His Grace Bishop John, Auxiliary Bishop of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America and SVOTS Assistant Professor for Pastoral Theology; His Grace Bishop Nikodhim of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese; His Grace Bishop Benedict of Hartford and the Diocese of New England; and His Grace Bishop Vasily of San Francisco and the Diocese of the West. Two other noted alumni of the Seminary also served at the Liturgy: the Very Rev. Alessandro Margheritino, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America; and the Very Rev. John Parker III, Dean of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. They were joined by Seminary clergy among the faculty and student body, both those graduating and the seminarians concluding their studies for the academic year. Following the Divine Liturgy, Chapel Rector the Very Rev. Dr. Alexander Rentel welcomed the bishops, visiting clergy, and guests to Three Hierarchs Chapel.
Commencement
In the afternoon, the community returned to the Chapel for a Service of Thanksgiving. At its conclusion the clergy, faculty, and graduates processed into the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium in the John G. Rangos Family Foundation Building for the Commencement Exercises. Distinguished guests, in addition to the clergy previously mentioned, included His Grace Metropolitan Zachariah Mar Nicholovos of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church’s Northeast American Diocese; His Grace Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan of the Armenian Church’s Eastern Diocese of America; the Rev. Mardiros Chevian, Dean of St. Nersess Armenian Seminary; this year’s Commencement speaker Charles Ajalat JD and his wife Marilee; their son Richard, a SVOTS alumnus, former Alumni Association President, and Trustee, and Richard’s wife Kayla; and many returning alumni, family members, and friends. Members of SVOTS’ Board of Trustees, who had just concluded their semi-annual on-campus meetings, were also in attendance for the Commencement celebrations.
“On this God-given day, we gather to celebrate the work and achievements of our students, who have been formed through scholarship and community life in preparation for service to the Church,” said Seminary Dean Dr. Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie as he opened the ceremony. “We rejoice in this and we thank you all, the Church and the extended St. Vladimir’s community of bishops, donors, supporters, administrators, and families for all you do to enable this essential work of ours in service to the Church, as an institution of the Church.”
The Class of 2026
Eighteen graduates comprised the class of 2026: fourteen graduated with a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree, one with a Master of Arts (M.A.), and three with a Master of Theology (Th.M.). The graduates hailed from various dioceses of the Orthodox Church in America, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America, the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, and dioceses of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church both in North America as well as India.
View the List of Graduates in the 2026 Commencement Program
“If [we have learned] anything,” said class salutatorian the Rev. John Reavis during his thoughtful address, “it's that to have the mind of Christ, which is hopefully what we're trying to do here, is to undergo kenosis, self-emptying, descent, if there is ever to be any ascent. … So although at this precipice we may feel tired and empty, it is in our emptiness that Christ has met us and emptied Himself. And here at St. Vladimir's, we have not only been taught about Christ's kenosis, it has been modeled for us.”
Class valedictorian the Rev. Nathan Jekel offered a beautiful reflection drawing from the psalms and the gospels.
“Ready is my heart, O God. Ready is my heart, for magnified even unto the heavens is Thy mercy,” read Fr. Nathan. “We know that to meet a ready and merciful heart is to see the truth, that no search light we shine into the cave can outshine the light that radiates from it. And so we proclaim, ‘Christ is risen!’”
Hear both addresses in their fullness and watch the entirety of the 2026 Commencement Exercises below, or on the Seminary’s YouTube channel.
Commencement Address
Charles Ajalat, J.D., Hon. J.C.D., one of the most prominent Orthodox Christian lay leaders and philanthropists in North America, delivered this year’s commencement address. A former trustee of St. Vladimir's Seminary, Ajalat also served as the Chancellor of the Antiochian Archdiocese and has founded multiple Orthodox organizations and initiatives.
“We are at a period where tens of thousands of people are finding the Orthodox Church, and the flow will not stop but increase,” Ajalat remarked, as he encouraged the graduates to make use of the talents and faithfulness of others around them as they go forth in their ministries. “The church has underutilized its faithful lay talent. And you all, you graduates as future leaders, can change that, laying the foundation, finding the royal priesthood that you can trust and can help in your ministry.”
At the conclusion of the commencement address, Dr. Tudorie presented Ajalat with an icon of St. Vladimir on behalf of the Seminary community, in recognition of the tremendous support and generosity Ajalat has shown the Seminary going back many years.
Honors
During commencement exercises, St. Vladimir’s seminarians also honored Zachariah Mandell, an instructor in Liturgical Music, with the 2026 St. Macrina Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award is selected each year by student vote.
Subdn. Emil Peter, a graduate and outgoing President of the Student Council, announced the award and presented an icon of St. Macrina to Mandell. The beautiful icon was painted by a member of the graduating class, the Rev. Daniel Werner.
The graduates then presented two gifts to the Seminary: a new cutting board for the Prothesis table at Three Hierarchs Chapel and a cross for the St. Thomas Malankara Chapel.
“This is a token of appreciation for the Seminary, a token of our love for all the things that Seminary has done for us … and for the role that you have played in [our] formation,” said Subdn. Emil.
At the conclusion of the ceremony His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, the President of the Seminary, offered closing remarks, reminding the graduates of the unique moment facing their ministries.
Orthodoxy in America is growing genuinely visibly in ways that were not predictable even a decade ago. … Priests who are serving are stretched, doing the work of two and sometimes three men available at all hours to all manner of need. …
The founders of this Seminary could not have imagined the church you are graduating into. They planted in soil they could not see. Every priest who has gone before you would say the same. The weight is real. The weight is worth carrying and you will not carry it alone. …
Go down with humility so that you may be lifted up by Christ and receive the gifts that he bestows on all of us.
May the Lord God grant many blessed and fruitful years of service in His vineyard to the St. Vladimir’s Seminary Class of 2026!
