A memorable celebration took place on campus as Theodore (Ted) Bazil was honored for his tremendous contributions to St. Vladimir’s Seminary and the Church. On Thursday, October 30, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon bestowed the Primatial Gramota upon Ted Bazil in recognition of his more than fifty years of faithful service.
His Beatitude led an Akathist of Thanksgiving at Three Hierarchs Chapel before the reception of the Gramota.
“On these sacred grounds, you offered yourself, not primarily to buildings and facilities, but rather to the human persons who lived, labored and prayed here,” remarked His Beatitude. “Successive generations of these many constituents have come to know Ted, along with your faithful wife, Claudia, as a pillar of St. Vladimir's Seminary and its mission. But beyond these sacred grounds, you have become known to the wider Church—bishops, priests, deacons, and faithful from many parishes and missions—as an advocate for the work of the local Church here in North America.”
Read Primatial Gramota Presentation Remarks
The occasion was further blessed by the presence of His Grace Bishop John (Abdalah), Seminary faculty member and auxiliary bishop of the Antiochian Archdiocese; His Grace Bishop Irinej (Dobrijevic) of the Eastern American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church; and His Grace Bishop Nikodhim (Preston) of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). Other members of the Seminary community, alumni, trustees, the extended Bazil family, and friends also gathered for the beautiful ceremony and reception.
It was a fitting celebration of Ted, whose contributions to the Seminary in particular have been so numerous, impactful, and varied, they can scarcely be summarized in any concise fashion.
“What sets Ted apart is not just his enormous energy, which anyone who has tried to keep pace with him knows better than I, but it's the way he channels that energy into service,” Trustee Emeritus Pdn. Peter Danilchick said during the reception. “Whatever the issue, whether problem or opportunity, Ted leaps into the breach, not for recognition, not for reward, but simply because the work needs doing.”
Ted Bazil is the most senior member of the management staff at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. Originally hailing from Michigan, he began his time at the Seminary as a student in 1969 after graduating from Michigan State University earlier that year (with a B.S. in Urban Planning, minor concentration in Engineering). He received his Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from St. Vladimir’s in May of 1973 and began his employment with the Seminary the very next month, in June.
Ted during his seminary years (back row, middle) with members of his family, including cousins Michael, Leonard, Mark, Philip, the future Fr. Thomas, and Matthew; and Frs. Vladimir, Gregory, and Igor.
Professor Emeritus Dave Drillock, himself another enormously important figure in the Seminary’s history, recalled how Ted began assisting him in the early days of St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press.
“Ted Basil, then a student, would see the light on and come in many nights and help me collating orders, ordering books, looking up publishers of books … I was especially impressed with Ted's humility, and at the same time, he showed a genuine interest in theology, bookstore details, and theological publishing. This is when I really got to know Ted, his natural love for St. Vladimir’s.”
Professor Emeritus Dave Drillock was one of several speakers who paid tribute to Ted.
Prof. Drillock went on to recommend to then-Dean Fr. Alexander Schmemann that Ted be hired full time upon graduation. Since then, Ted has been instrumental in the rise of SVS Press and the expansion of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, holding many roles—most of them held simultaneously—including Business Manager, Director of SVS Press, Recording Secretary for the Board of Trustees, Director of Advancement CFRM, Planned Gifts Officer, and acting Chief Operations Officer. He both directed and was the project manager for construction and capital improvements totaling over $20 million, and was the lead person for campus expansion for over fifty years. During his tenure as the Director of SVS Press in its early years in the 1970s through 2013, the Press grew from 2-3 titles to over 500 titles, began generating over a million dollars in annual sales revenue, and established itself as the world’s largest and most active publisher of Orthodox Christian books in the English language.
“Over the decades, Ted has diligently and faithfully shared his talents through acts of service, love, and care in various roles in the Seminary administration,” said Seminary Dean Dr. Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie. “As we have been renewing our commitment to the Crestwood campus, moving into a new era of the Seminary's history, Ted has been a constant source of strength, ideas, resilience, and support for our faculty, staff, and students.
“I am honored to call Ted a true friend and colleague,” added Dr. Tudorie. “It has been a great joy and pleasure getting to know him through our shared work over the years.
Dr. Tudorie presented Ted with tokens of appreciation on behalf of the Seminary administration, faculty, staff, and students.
During the reception Thursday, Ted’s eldest son Andrew (Drew) shared more about what makes his father such a faithful and dedicated servant.
“If you know my dad, you know what relationships mean to him. It's one of the most important things that I love about my dad. ... He's just a caring person, and he just keeps in contact with everybody,” Drew Bazil explained. “I mean, sometimes he’ll sit on the couch … and just start going through contacts. ‘Oh, I haven't called this person in a while. Maybe I'll give him a call or her a call and see what's going on.’ He just cares about people, and that's very important.”
Ted’s eldest son Drew spoke on behalf of the Bazil family.
Ted’s focus on relationships was evident throughout the celebration, as many friends and colleagues from near and far traveled to St. Vladimir’s Seminary to honor him. Many others who weren’t able to make the trip offered messages of appreciation and congratulations to Ted and his family.
“I have to say that I'm happy,” Ted said to conclude the memorable evening. “I'm happy that [Prof. Drillock and the Seminary] took a chance on hiring me. And finally, I just want to just conclude and say, ‘Where your treasure is there, your heart will be also’ [Mt. 6:21]. This is something that Fr Schmemann always used to quote from Scripture and tell me. And after all these years, I now realize that my treasure is here in this place, in my work, in this chapel, in the Seminary, in this community, my family and my wife, and my faith in Christ. So God bless you all.”
May God grant Theodore Bazil and his family many years! Axios!
The Bazil family (from left): granddaughter Emma, daughter-in-law Sarah, son Drew, Theodore (Ted), wife Claudia, daughter-in-law Alexandra, grandson Summit, and son Justin.
