“My hope and prayer when I joined the Board was that I would be able to make an impact on the success of the Seminary with the experiences I have had in my life,” said Francis (Frank) Barrett. “To be able to play a small part in improving the quality of life for the seminarians, and to be able to do it with physical labor, walking the path of many holy men and women here of the past and present, was incredibly humbling and rewarding.”
Frank Barrett serves as an elected member of St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Board of Trustees. He indeed brings a wealth of experiences to the Board, including thirty-five years of experience as Treasurer and later President and CEO of Boyd Wilson, LLC in Lancaster, PA. He is currently its Chairman of the Board. He has also served on the Parish Council as Treasurer of St. John Chrysostom Antiochian Orthodox Church in York, PA, from 1995 to 2024, helping to grow the parish from a mission to its current average of 220 people in Liturgy on any given Sunday.
He had recently been discussing with his fellow Seminary Board members the importance of investing in and improving the campus for seminarians and their families.
“I thought, ‘I’d better put my money where my mouth is!’”
So this July—with temps in the upper 80s and 90s—Barrett traveled to campus, put on his working boots, and spent several days helping Plant Manager Rafael Rivera install ceiling fans, dehumidifier switches, and making other improvements in seminarian apartments and dormitories. Barrett donated the labor cost and arranged for the fans to be obtained at a lower price.
“I told him I may not let him leave,” joked Rivera.
The new ceiling fans will help better circulate the cooler air in the common living areas in the summer. In the winter, the fans can be switched to alternate rotation in order to push warmer air down and distribute it more evenly. Barrett described the dehumidifier switches as “building savers.”
“The trustees we have are so dedicated to the Seminary and have such generosity—and talent, as you can see,” said senior staff member Ted Bazil. “We are so thankful to Frank for coming down here himself to help get this work done. Rafael works very hard for this place, and I know he appreciated the help immensely.”
“I only had a small part in the excellent work Ted, Rafael, and Yuri [Shcherbakov] have been doing all summer, and just wanted to lend a helping hand. I am happy to help—but we’re not finished with our improvements!” added Barrett.
Donations can be made to the Seminary toward any number of essential needs—from seminarian scholarships to campus improvements. To learn more about ways to give and to make a donation, svots.edu/give.
Top Photo: Trustee Francis (Frank) Barrett and Plant Manager Rafael Rivera
