With faith in Christ and hope in the resurrection, we share news of the repose of St. Vladimir’s Seminary Trustee Emeritus Mitchell Zunich. Zunich, 93, died on the Feast of Holy Pascha, Sunday, April 19, at his home at St. Mary of the Woods Assisted Living in Avon, OH.

Zunich was born May 10, 1926 in Lorain, OH. He served with the US Army during World War II in the 357th Regiment of the 90th Infantry Division. During his service, he participated in the battles of Rhineland and Central Europe and received the European-African-Middle-Eastern Theater Ribbon with two Bronze Stars, a Good Conduct Medal, a WWII Victory Medal and an Occupation Medal for Germany. His division was awarded the Bronze Star and participated in the liberation of Flossenburg Concentration Camp. Zunich attended the Ohio State University where he earned a bachelor of science in accounting. He founded Mitchell Zunich & Co. Certified Public Accountants, retiring in 2001. He was active in the community, having served as an officer, president, and board member of many organizations including the Lorain Rotary Club, Lorain Salvation Army, Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority, the City Bank Co., Lorain Family YMCA, Clearview School Board, and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. In the 1990s, Mitchell and his wife, Violet, helped establish a scholarship for Serbian Orthodox seminarians at St. Vladimir’s so that no young Serbian Orthodox men would be turned away from becoming priests. Zunich was a member of St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Lorain, the Serbian National Federation, the Ohio Society of CPAs, and the AICPA.

"Mitch was honored to be on the Seminary’s Board of Trustees," said fellow St. Vladimir's Trustee Emeritus Brian Gerich. "He served many years as one of the four Serbian trustees along with [Trustee Emeritus] Alex Machaskee, Leon Lysaght, and myself.

"During our 1990’s Capital Campaign, I asked Mitch to join with me in establishing endowments for scholarships for Serbian Orthodox students studying to become priests. He immediately accepted, and he and his beloved wife Violet added to their endowment regularly. Mitch was pleased to know that as students graduated they were debt free as they prepared for a lifetime of serving our Lord."

"I remember Mitch as a quiet, decisive, compassionate gentleman who was a staunch supporter of our Orthodox Christian faith and a great contributor of time, talent, and treasure to St. Vladimir's Seminary," added Alex Machaskee. "He was a founding contributor to Monastery Marcha in Richfield Ohio, a decorated veteran of World War II, and a highly esteemed civic leader."

Mitchell Zunich is survived by his sons, Mitch Zunich of Cleveland and Rob (Eva) Zunich of Avon Lake; grandchildren, Neven, Dane, Rada, and Mila Zunich; and sister, Sophie Tyrin of Chicago. Zunich was preceded in death by his wife of 58 years, Violet M. Zunich (née Kobac) on Sept 7, 2014; infant son, Nick Zunich, in 1959; parents, Nikola & Stanka Zunich (née Kunic); brothers, Demeter, George, Nick, and Mike Zunich; and sisters, Mildred Stamatis, Dorothy Kovan, Nellie Raynovich, and Mary Zunich.

Due to restrictions on social gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, private family funeral services will be held. Hieromonk Nektarije Tesanovic of St. George Serbian Orthodox Church will preside with burial to follow in Elmwood Cemetery in Lorain. Memorial contributions may be made to St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, 3355 Grove Ave, Lorain, OH, 44055 or St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, 575 Scarsdale Rd, Yonkers, NY, 10707. Arrangements are under the direction of Gluvna-Shimo-Hromada Funeral Chapel, 3224 Broadway Ave, Lorain. Online condolences may be made at www.gluvna.net. 

May the memory of Mitchell Zunich be eternal!

-- 

(The photo and some information in this article have been reprinted from The Morning Journal.)

Strengthen Your Knowledge of the Orthodox Faith

Join Orthodox Education Day August 29!

What question would you like to ask St. Vladimir’s Seminary professors and guests during Orthodox Education Day? 

This year’s program features six unique one-hour sessions, each exploring a different topic in Orthodox faith and life. Led by St. Vladimir’s distinguished faculty and guest scholars, these sessions are a chance to learn from some of today’s leading Orthodox voices—and to ask your own questions. All Education Day gifts will benefit the general St. Vladimir's Scholarship Fund.

 Join us for the full program beginning at 10 a.m. EST/7 a.m. PST, or join only the sessions that interest you most.

 Register to Attend

GIVE NOW

Orthodox Education Day Schedule of Topics

Saturday, August 29, 2026

Unity in a Divided World

In our polarized culture of North America and with all the increasing tensions abroad, how might the Church address and minister to our fragmented world? 

Orthodoxy in the Trenches: Alumni in Ministry

What are our St. Vladimir’s alumni witnessing with regard to seekers and converts? What ministry trends and challenges are they experiencing at the parish level? How is today’s seminary education emphasizing pastoral formation and preparation, and how does someone discern a call to the priesthood? What needs are there for lay leadership and service at the parish level?

The Book of Job and Suffering

Fr. Thomas Hopko once wrote, “There is no life in this world without suffering. The   cessation of suffering comes only in the Kingdom of God.” How are we to understand the inevitability of suffering in this life, and what should be our proper response to it?

Artificial Intelligence and the Church

Grok, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude: what are Orthodox Christians to make of AI, and in what ways should our Faith inform our approach to it?

Internet Apologetics

There are benefits AND dangers of learning and reading about Orthodoxy online as we encounter countless social media influencers, videos, podcasts, and blogs. What is the proper role and conversely, the pitfalls, of the many online resources now available to the faithful Orthodox Christians and spiritual seekers?

Responding to Church Growth

We’ll examine the available data and insights related to the unprecedented growth of the Church in North America, and also discuss ongoing and future Seminary plans to respond to that growth and need.

 Register to Attend

GIVE NOW

Today marks the fortieth anniversary of the falling asleep in the Lord of Professor Serge S. Verhovskoy (+August 4, 1986), among the most influential and important figures in the history of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS). Verhovskoy, known affectionately as “Prof,” was Professor of Dogmatic Theology and Ethics, and he served as Provost from 1955 until his retirement in 1981. Having served on the faculty of St. Vladimir’s Seminary for nearly three decades, he helped train several generations of Orthodox clergy and theologians in North America.

Born in Sarzha, Russia in 1907, Verhovskoy left Russia with his parents and sisters in his early youth following the Bolshevik Revolution (1917). He completed his secondary education in Prague, Czechoslovakia before moving to Paris, France. He was greatly influenced by Fr. Georges Florovsky while studying at St. Sergius Theological Institute between 1932–36, and Dr. Verhovskoy became known for his passion for Orthodox Tradition, grounded in the Church Fathers and Holy Scripture. By the early 1950s he was recognized as an important theologian and writer, and was invited by Fr. Florovsky to join him in New York City in the forming of St. Vladimir’s Seminary.

One of Verhovskoy’s former students, Michael Stankovich (Class of 1978), recalled of his beloved teacher that “Professor Verhovskoy always seemed to live ‘beneath the radar,’ until it was necessary for someone to step forward to speak the Truth, which he always did without hesitation—an issue for which he continually chided his students: ‘You are called to be “Ezekiels,” yet you are silent.’”

That Professor Verhovsoy was perhaps underappreciated yet profoundly important in the life of the Seminary was also noted by former Seminary Dean Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko (+March 18, 2015):

Under Fr. Alexander [Schmemann]’s leadership, St. Vladimir’s came to be so joined with his person and work that it was known, affectionately and not so affectionately, as the “schmemannary.” The connection, almost identification in some circles, of St. Vladimir’s with Fr. Alexander was understandable but also seriously misleading in that many others played enormous roles in the life of the school. First among them was Professor Sergei Sergeevich Verhovskoy, whom everyone at the school called “Prof.” “Prof” was the Seminary’s bulwark and anchor. He lived at the school from his arrival from France in 1951 until his death in 1986. He loved meeting with the seminarians, favoring especially the women students and seminarians’ wives, of whom he was the most devoted advocate. In addition to teaching he was provost and financial officer, largely involved in finding the Crestwood property that the seminary occupied in the fall of 1962. He loved the Crestwood campus. Woe to the one who trimmed a tree without “Prof’s” approval!

Prof. Verhovskoy taught dogmatic and moral theology (which he pronounced “feeology”), and lots of other things as well. He clearly considered himself the strongest (if not the sole) defender of Orthodoxy on campus. As his handpicked successor I met with him for several hours every week, even after I began teaching in the graduate division with him in the early 1970s. “Prof” taught me his thoughts and convictions about everything, multiple times, before finally turning things over to me. He threatened me with his “eternal malediction” if I ever taught any of my own ideas as Church doctrine. He promised me the same if I ever allowed the Seminary to cut one minute of the six semesters of required dogmatics. I think I’m still out of harm’s way in regard to the former threat.¹

 

Though Verhovskoy was primarily known for his teaching activities, he also led a fruitful life in academia. Among Verhovskoy’s publications are the book God and Man (in Russian), the work The Light of the World published by St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press, and various articles in theological journals. In addition, Protopresbyter John Meyendorff remarked that during Verhovskoy’s teaching years at St. Sergius “he was something of a star-performer at meetings with Roman Catholic theologians (rare occurrences in those days), where his articulate and creative presentations of Orthodox Trinitarian theology impressed all present. (The text of one such presentation, ‘La Procession du Saint-Esprit d'après la Triadologie orthodoxe,’ appeared in Russie et Chrétienté, 1950, No. 3-4, pp. 197-210).”²

Fr. John also spoke of Dr. Verhovskoy’s tremendous individual character.

“Together with [his] agonizing concern for truth, Verhovskoy was also a moral perfectionist. Seeking an incarnation of the faith which was not merely ‘ritual,’ he visualized Christian ethics, together with doctrinal truth, as the absolute demand of authentic Christianity.”

Professor Verhovskoy was unexpectedly thrust into the position of leading St. Vladimir’s Seminary following the resignation of Fr. Georges Florovsky in 1955. He then bore the titles of Provost and Dean of Students. After 1962, with Fr. Alexander Schmemann as Dean, Dr. Verhovskoy continued as Provost, assuming responsibility for personnel, finances, and plant operation of the new campus located in the Crestwood neighborhood of Yonkers, NY. He held this position until his retirement in 1981.

In his later years, after his beloved wife Olga died of sudden cardiac arrest while preparing to attend Liturgy on St. Thomas Sunday, Professor Verhovskoy surrounded himself with his former students in discussion and fellowship, and he immersed himself in the writings of St. John Chrysostom.

“It is impossible to define, in a few words, the full extent of his responsibilities and actual contributions to the life of the Seminary, to which he devoted practically all his time, even at the expense of further research and writing,” wrote Fr. Meyendorff. “He loved to teach, and he spent hours in meeting students. He was very personally concerned with the details of their lives, to the extent that some of them would say: ‘Fr. Schmemann is our spiritual father, but “Prof” is simply our father.’” 

May his memory be eternal!

 ¹ Thomas Hopko, “Remembering our Leaders, 1957–1983,” SVS News, Autumn 2003

 ² John Meyendorff, “In Memoriam: Serge S. Verhovskoy,” St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly 30, no. 4 (1986): 283–287 

CrossRoad Summer Institute returned to St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVOTS) this July, bringing another large group of Orthodox high school juniors and seniors to campus.

From July 6–16, participants were given a taste of seminary life as they roomed in dormitories, partook in daily prayers at Three Hierarchs Chapel, ate meals at the Seminary refectory, and enjoyed focused classroom sessions, including discussions with His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon and Dr. Albert Rossi. They also ventured off campus to visit a number of local Orthodox parishes, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese headquarters, Central Park, and the Statue of Liberty.

Although last year was CrossRoad’s first official visit to SVOTS, the organization has always had strong ties to the Seminary. Seminary faculty have been actively involved in CrossRoad since its inception in 2004, including Fr. Thomas Hopko, Fr. Alexander Rentel, Fr. Bogdan Bucur, Dr. Albert Rossi, Dr. John Barnet, Dr. Peter Bouteneff, and Dr. Michael Legaspi. The CrossRoad initiative began with alumna Dr. Anne Bezzerides (M.Div. ’00), who started the program and serves as its Executive Director. She works alongside fellow alumni Dr. Jennifer Haddad Mosher (Th.M. ’09), who is CrossRoad’s Research & Educational Design Director, and Summer Programs Director Ana Legaspi (M.A. ’25).

This year’s session at SVOTS was the Institute’s fourth and final session of the summer. Two others took place in Boston and another in southern California.

About the CrossRoad Summer Institute 

CrossRoad is a ten-day academic summer institute that prepares high school juniors and seniors to make big life decisions and invites them to connect with the Orthodox Christian theological and spiritual tradition in a deep and meaningful way. CrossRoad offers a space for young people to form authentic and lifelong friendships, ask hard questions, and explore their calling as an Orthodox Christian in the 21st century.

To learn more about the program and how to sign up, visit CrossRoad’s website.

View More Photos of CrossRoad’s New York Summer Session

All photos courtesy of CrossRoad Institute

This summer three alumni of St. Vladimir’s Seminary were ordained for the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church’s Diocese of South-West America.

The first took place on June 27 as Dn. Geevarghese (Toby) John (M.Div. ’21) was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by the hands of His Grace Thomas Mar Ivanios, Bishop of the South-West American Diocese. The ordination took place at St. Mary’s Malankara Orthodox Cathedral in Farmers Branch, TX. The newly ordained Fr. Geevarghese serves as Youth Minister at St. Mary’s Malankara Orthodox Church in Houston and Director of the Diocese’s Mar Gregorios Orthodox Christian Student Movement (MGOCSM). He is also Prison Relationship Manager for Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry (OCPM).

His Grace then ordained Dn. Thomas (Ryan) Thomas (M.Div. ’24) to the Holy Priesthood on July 18 at St. Thomas Orthodox Church of India in Warren, MI. Fr. Thomas is appointed as Youth Minister for Malankara Orthodox parishes in the Atlanta, GA, area.

Just a couple days later, on July 20, His Grace ordained Solomon Geevarghese Jacob (M.Div. ’25) to the Holy Diaconate at the same parish in Michigan, St. Thomas Orthodox Church of India. Dn. Solomon is General Secretary for the Diocese MGOCSM.

May God many years to the newly ordained Fr. Geevarghese, Fr. Thomas, and Dn. Solomon!

The Catechist Certification Program, offered by St. Vladimir’s Online School of Theology, drew nearly 130 participants for its most recent cohort formed in April. Those participants are working to complete the Certification Program this July.

The Catechist Certification Program—offered with the blessings of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon and His Eminence Metropolitan Saba—was launched in response to the recent waves of inquirers, seekers, and catechumens at Orthodox churches across North America and even abroad. It is not a catechesis but a training program for aspiring catechists. These professionals help support their priests or even work full-time in parish life, promoting Church growth in this moment that our merciful Lord is entrusting to us.

One of the Program’s current catechists-in-training is R. Leo Olson, a parishioner at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church in Grand Rapids, MI. He read an article by Metropolitan Saba about activating deacons and lay catechists to assist the local clergy, and heard about the Catechist Certification Program from his priest.

“His Eminence said God is doing something great, and so we all should respond to what that is,” said Olson. “The course has not disappointed. We’ve heard from many different teachers, including two metropolitans, about the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of helping people find the will of the Father, the Truth of Jesus Christ, and the love of the Holy Spirit.”

Prominent instructors leading the courses, in addition to Metropolitans Tikhon and Saba, include multiple hierarchs, the dean and other faculty members from St. Vladimir’s Seminary, the dean of St. Tikhon’s Seminary, and many others.

“It has been wonderfully helpful,” said Olson’s fellow Program participant Matthew O’Connor, of Holy Theophany Orthodox Church in Colorado Springs, CO. “I got to teach my first class a few weeks ago on ‘Why Go to Church?’ and [parish rector] Fr. Andreas [Blom] and I have been talking about a few more class ideas for the fall so I can fit them in between the priest’s catechism.”

“I didn’t expect I would be as inspired by this course as much as I was,” said Fr. Michael Nasser, Director of Spiritual Formation at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. Fr. Michael serves as the course mentor, and helped organize the program along with the Dean Dr. Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie and Online Education Consultant Arpi N. Bullockian. “How beautiful it was to see so many people committing to a tough schedule—two nights a week for almost three months—all of whom were so excited for the work of sharing their Orthodox faith with the people showing up at their parish. Just as inspiring were the presentations from a veritable ‘who’s who’ of North American Orthodoxy, each of whom shared invaluable insight on this blessed work.” 

The St. Vladimir’s Online School of Theology forms one to two cohorts each year for its Catechist Certification Program. The next cohort will be formed in September 2026. Program and registration details will be announced in the coming days.

To learn more, visit the Online School of Theology website at www.online.svots.edu. 

By Sh. Kim Whiteside

The Rev. Dn. John Whiteside is entering his third year of study in the M.Div. Program at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. He was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by His Eminence Metropolitan Saba on December 7, 2025, at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church of Little Falls, NJ. 

This reflection by his wife Sh. Kim was first published in the Summer 2026 E-Bulletin of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women of North America. Below is an excerpt. Read the full article on the Antiochian Archdiocese website by clicking here.

Four years ago my husband John and I, along with our two youngest children, moved from Texas to Tennessee. We had no idea that two years later we would be loading a U-Haul and moving again, this time to New York, to St. Vladimir's Seminary. …

Just the other day, I was telling a friend whose husband just graduated, and is waiting for his permanent assignment, how you cannot anticipate the wild ride that life is when you say yes to God, particularly when it involves a path to the Priesthood. Beautiful, wonderful things will happen, but oh, so does the suffering, the difficulty, the truly confounding. The evil one pulls out all the stops to discourage you, to make you afraid, to make you despair, and give up. I could share a lot of stories, both my own and others,’ but I will leave those for another day. In the end, we received a blessing, and eleven months after saying “Yes, God, we will follow you wherever you want us to go,” we were headed to Yonkers, New York, to St. Vladimir's Seminary.

We sold our beautiful home and sold or gave away many of our possessions. We felt like we had downsized a lot and were ready to move into our seminary apartment. When we arrived, a group of adults and kids descended upon us, and had our truck unloaded within thirty minutes or so. When they were done, we were left with a small apartment filled to the brim with our already much-culled possessions. It felt like a game of Tetris at the very top of the screen, when you know you’re about to lose the round. There was hardly an open space to move something in order to put something else where you wanted it. If I had it to do over again, I would definitely bring even less stuff, but we got to work unpacking, organizing, and, yes, giving away a lot (thankfully there are plenty of people on campus who usually want what you are offering). Just a few days later John was off to the yearly seminarian retreat at Antiochian Village, and thus began the intense pace of seminary life. …

Read the Rest of An Unexpected Journey

The community of St. Vladimir’s Seminary joyfully celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary of Archpriest Alexander Rentel’s ordination to the Holy Priesthood!

The Very Rev. Dr. Alexander Rentel is Rector of the Three Hierarchs Chapel and Assistant Professor of Liturgical Theology and Canon Law at the Seminary. 

“Fr. Alexander has a legacy of service and deep love for St. Vladimir’s Seminary,” said Seminary Dean Dr. Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie. “We, as a Church, are indebted to him for all his priestly labors during these twenty-five years. AXIOS!”

Fr. Alexander and his wife Matushka Nancy (née Homyak) both graduated from St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s M.Div. program in 1995. Fr. Alexander was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on July 21, 2001, and went on to finish his doctoral dissertation under the direction of the renowned liturgist Fr. Robert Taft, S.J., at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome in 2004. In addition to Fr. Alexander’s many years as a faculty member at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, he has also served as Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America. He and Matushka Nancy are the proud parents of three children: Dimitrios (a second-year seminarian at St. Vladimir’s), Maria, and Daniel.
 

Getting to Know The Very Rev. Dr. Alexander Rentel 
 

May God grant Archpriest Alexander, Matushka Nancy, Dimitrios, Maria, and Daniel many years!

By the grace of God, St. Vladimir’s Seminary Alumnus Archpriest Paul Shafran celebrated his 104th birthday this July.

Fr. Paul, the oldest living Seminary alumnus, marked the occasion on July 2. His daughters Nina Shafran and Paula Koerte arranged an in-home celebration with family. Then, on Sunday, July 5, the celebration continued at St. Vladimir Orthodox Church in Trenton, NJ, where Fr. Paul is Pastor Emeritus. Current Pastor Fr. Volodymyr Chaikivskyi, family members, and parishioners joined in the celebration.

The Very Rev. Paul Shafran was born to an Orthodox family in 1922 in Olyphant, PA, and went on to study at Columbia University and St. Vladimir's Seminary. He graduated from the Seminary in 1945 but returned a few years later for post-graduate studies, and he began teaching Liturgics as a member of the faculty in the 1950s. Fr. Paul’s commitment to theological education saw him not only teach at the Seminary but also serve as a trustee starting in 1966, and he accomplished much in his decades on the Seminary Board.

Fr. Paul married his beloved Matushka Mary (+2025) on November 27, 1947. He was ordained to the Priesthood December 28, 1947, by the hand of Archbishop Nikon (de Greve of Brooklyn) at the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection in New York City. Fr. Paul was elevated to Archpriest in 1961. His priestly ministry included more than fifty years as Pastor of St. Vladimir Orthodox Church in Trenton, service as Assistant Chairman of the Sunday School Committee of the Orthodox Church in America, and appointment to a commission by the Great Council of Bishops for the translation of liturgical books from Russian into English. 
 

• Read More about Fr. Paul Shafran
   

May God grant Archpriest Paul many years!

Photos: Diocese of New York and New Jersey

Longserving Deacon John Dibs joined the ranks of the Holy Priesthood this summer. Fr. John, an alumnus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, was ordained on Saturday, July 4, during Divine Liturgy held in San Diego at the Parish Life Conference of the Antiochian Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles and the West. His Grace Bishop Anthony (Michaels) presided.

The Rev. John Dibs is the son of the late Mary and Dr. George Dibs from Southern California. As a child Fr. John attended St. Luke Church in Garden Grove, CA. He graduated from U.C. Berkeley (B.A. in History, 1984) and St. Vladimir’s Seminary (M.Div., 1987). During his time at the Seminary Fr. John volunteered as a parish assistant at St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Juneau, AK, in the summer 1984; was a member of the St. Vladimir’s Seminary Octet in the summer of 1985; and volunteered at the SYNDESMOS Secretariat in Kuopio, Finland in the summer of 1986. (SYNDESMOS is the world fellowship of Orthodox youth organizations.) His ministry has included service in the Antiochian Archdiocese’s Society of Youth Organization (SOYO), on the editorial board of The Word magazine, and on the Executive Committee of SYNDESMOS. After his ordination to the Holy Diaconate in December 2001, Fr. John went on to serve multiple Antiochian parishes in California including St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in San Francisco, St. Timothy Orthodox Church in Fairfield, CA, and the Orthodox Church of the Redeemer in Los Altos Hills, CA.

Following his ordination to the Priesthood, Fr. John has been assigned to serve as Pastor of St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church, Murrieta, CA.

Fr. John married Irena Szydlowska from Hajnowka, Poland in 1990. They have four adult children living in the Bay Area: John, Michael, Gregory, and Maria.

May God grant many years to the newly ordained Fr. John, his wife Khouria Irena, and their family!

Photos: Antiochian.org 

Some information for this article was adapted from the website of St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church.