In recent weeks members of the St. Vladimir's Seminary community traveled to the gravesites of two luminaries in the history of the Seminary and the Orthodox Church in America (OCA)—Frs. Georges Florovsky and John Meyendorff—to pray for the souls of the departed.
On August 11, a group led by Archpriest Alexander Rentel, Dn. Harrison Basil Russin, Dr. Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie, and Zachariah Mandell visited St. Vladimir’s Russian Orthodox Cemetery near Trenton, NJ. While there Fr. Alexander led memorial prayers at the graves of former dean Archpriest Georges (+Aug. 11, 1979) and Matushka Xenia Florovsky (+Nov. 5, 1977), as well as the grave of longtime Seminary trustee Anthony Kasmer (+Oct. 11, 2020). The group also visited nearby Rova Farms Cemetery to pray for departed alumnus Archpriest Daniel Skvir (+March 23, 2025). A couple weeks earlier, in July, members of the Seminary community, led also by Fr. Alexander, conducted a memorial service at the graves of Protopresbyter John (+July 22, 1992) and Mka. Marie (+Nov. 24, 2024) Meyendorff.
“It is our honor to remember these faithful servants of the Church,” said Fr. Alexander. “Each had their unique gifts that they offered to the Seminary and the Orthodox Church.”
The Seminary keeps updated the list of departed hierarchs, leaders, faculty, and alumni along with others whose names have been sent to be remembered at the altar. To submit names of departed loved ones or any other prayer requests to St. Vladimir’s Seminary, you may email chapel@svots.edu at any time.
May the memories of the departed whose names have been entrusted to St. Vladimir’s Seminary, as well as all the faithful departed who have fallen asleep, be eternal!
Top photo: At the grave of Fr. Georges Florovsky Aug. 11, 2025: (left of grave) the family of Anthony Kasmer (including wife, Ann, and son, Christopher), Fr. Raymond Martin Browne (St. Mark Church, Newtown, PA), and Seminary Dean Dr. Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie; (right of grave) Fr. Alexander Rentel, Fr. Volodymyr Chaikivskyi and son (St. Vladimir Church, Trenton, NJ), Zachariah Mandell, and Paula Koerte (daughter of Fr. Paul Shafran, the Seminary’s oldest living alumnus).
