In Memoriam: Mitchell Zunich

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!

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

Malankara Orthodox Graduates Ordained to Holy Orders

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).

Fr. Geevarghese and his wife, Sharon Kochamma (Kochamma means “little mother”)

 

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.

The newly ordained Fr. Thomas (right) with his wife Aleena Kochamma and His Grace Thomas Mar Ivanios 

 

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.

Dn. Solomon after his ordination 

 

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

Online School to Certify Nearly 130 New Orthodox Catechists

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.”

Metropolitan Tikhon leads a Catechist Certification Program session in May 2026. 

 

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

An Unexpected Journey

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

Archpriest Alexander Rentel Reaches Milestone in Ministry

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 Rentel was ordained to the Holy Priesthood in 2001.

 

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!

 

Oldest Living Alumnus Fr Paul Shafran Turns 104

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. 
 

May God grant Archpriest Paul many years!


Photos: Diocese of New York and New Jersey

Dn John Dibs Ordained to Priesthood at PLC in San Diego

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.

Church Musicians Train, Explore History at 2026 Summer Music Institute

This year’s Summer Music Institute at St. Vladimir’s Seminary brought together more than sixty people from Orthodox parishes across North America. From June 22–27 participants of all musical levels and experience studied and worshipped alongside noted liturgical music experts and instructors including Fr. Stephen MeholickAlexander LingasVladimir MorosanPhotini Downie RobinsonJuliana Woodill, and Alice Hughes.

“What an amazing community of musicians we had in attendance this year,”  said Hughes, who was one of the Institute’s chief organizers this year together with Dn. Harrison Basil RussinZachariah Mandell, Alexander Lingas, and Peter Bouteneff. “It was a joy to observe the camaraderie and supportiveness of the participants, who had various levels of experience and training, working together to grow and learn, to rehearse and then to render with beauty and prayer the services this week.”

Alice Hughes teaches vocal technique during an individual Summer Music Institute session.

 

The 2026 Summer Music Institute, an event of the Seminary’s Institute of Sacred Arts (ISA), offered training in musicianship, vocal technique, conducting, and—new for this year—advanced studies in the history of Orthodox liturgical music. The three keynote lectures delivered throughout the week explored the planting, cultivation, and flourishing of Orthodox music in North America and highlighted musicians such as Boris Ledkovsky, Michael Gelsinger, Tikey Zes, Michael Hilko, and others.

“If we continue with God’s help and guidance to build on the foundation that has been laid by our Orthodox musical forefathers here in America,” proposed Vladimir Morosan during his keynote lecture, “we will be contributing to that essential event of transforming this land, our nations of North America, in ways that the Puritans, first settlers, and founding fathers would never have imagined. May it be God’s will!”

Dr. Vladimir Morosan was one of three keynote speakers who delivered lectures throughout the week, along with Fr. Stephen Meholick and Dr. Alexander Lingas.

 

Each day Institute participants also convened in the Seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel for services, serving as the choir during Matins, Vespers, Divine Liturgy, and a special Panikhida for all departed Church musicians. During the Panikhida Fr. Alexander Rentel recited an extensive list of names which parishes from around North America submitted for remembrance. Two of the daily services (Great Vespers on Tuesday and Saturday Matins) were sung by a Byzantine Schola led by Photini Downie Robinson, Alexander Lingas, and Eleftherios Chasanidis. Dr. Chasanidis is protopsaltis of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. 

 

The Summer Music Institute concluded on June 27 with a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy presided over by His Grace Bishop Benedict of Hartford and New England.

“What draws me back each year is the continued training as well as the camaraderie,” shared Alta Xenia Morris, who has been to multiple Summer Music Institutes including this year’s. “Spending time together with Church musicians who are serving their parishes in the same way that I'm serving my parish truly makes my heart sing. Being able to learn from those who have more experience than I or to help those who are struggling in ways that maybe I’ve struggled before, learning together, laughing together, brainstorming, problem solving—that time spent together always leaves me ready to return to my parish with renewed energy and purpose.”

Next year’s Summer Music Institute is set for the week of June 21, 2027. More details will be announced in the coming months.

The participants and faculty of the 2026 Summer Music Institute.

 

ABOUT THE SUMMER MUSIC INSTITUTE

The Summer Music Institute has a storied history at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. In recent years the Institute has drawn hundreds of Orthodox church musicians from North America and abroad to St. Vladimir's Seminary to hone their vocal, conducting, and compositional skills. Past themes have included Orthodox liturgical music written by American composerspan-Orthodox hymnody, and practical skill- and resource-building for parish musicians.

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE OF SACRED ARTS

The Institute of Sacred Arts (ISA) at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary explores the intersection of human creativity and holiness. With a theology that is holistic, and a liturgy that unites multiple artistic disciplines and all the human senses, the Orthodox Christian tradition is ripe for the exploration and celebration of the sacred arts. Since its founding in 1938, St. Vladimir’s Seminary has fostered the study of icons, music and liturgy. The ISA serves to extend the seminary’s mission in exploring the mutual relationship between theology and the arts by: contributing to the work of people and institutions that practice and reflect on the sacred arts; engaging people and institutions of all backgrounds with Orthodox artistic tradition; inspiring wider public interest in spirituality and the arts. Learn more at www.instituteofsacredarts.com.

 

PHOTO GALLERY: Scenes from the Summer Music Institute

On St. John of Damascus’ Magnum Opus

With the help of generous supporters of the Seminary, St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press is closer to publishing St. John of Damascus’ masterwork, The Fount of Knowledge. It will be the third of the new Popular Patristics Series: Longer Works. Longer Works is an extension of the classic SVS Press series designed to publish major, full-length patristic texts that are too long for the traditional Popular Patristics Series format. 

What makes The Fount of Knowledge so significant, and why is SVS Press working on a new translation to bring to readers? Press Director Dr. Daniel Stauffer offers his thoughts.
 

 Give & Help Publish The Fount of Knowledge
 

Could you offer a brief biographical sketch about St. John of Damascus—his early life and formation, his path in ministry?

John of Damascus was born in Damascus several decades after it was conquered by the Muslims in the mid-seventh century. Coming from an elite family, he served in the court of the Umayyad caliphate. Eventually, probably due to increasing hostility towards Christians from the Muslim rulers, he abandoned his civil-service career to become a monk at the Monastery of St. Sabas near Jerusalem, where he lived the rest of his life. Here he gave orations in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre—for which he received the name Χρυσορρόας, or “flowing with gold”—and composed a great deal of liturgical poetry that is still used by the Orthodox Church today. (For instance, the text of Matins used during the midnight Paschal Service every year is attributed to St. John.) 

St. John is considered one of the greatest of the early Church fathers of the East during the first millenium. Why is he so significant, and what is the reason for his enduring appeal?

St. John of Damascus is important because he acts as a synthesis of much of the preceding patristic tradition. He also has a significantly easier and more straight-forward style than many other patristic authors, which makes him more accessible to a broader audience. He is also of great interest as the first of the great Christian authors to interact with Islam, and this gives his work significance for understanding the new world emerging in the Near East in the seventh and eighth centuries.

Tell us a bit about the translation process and the translator of this work, and why the Press prioritized a new version of St. John's magnum opus when other versions already exist.

There is only one prior translation of The Fount of Knowledge, done in the 1950s and published by Catholic University of America (CUA) Press. This translation is, unfortunately, somewhat outdated and inaccurate in places, and it was done based on an imperfect version of the original Greek text. Now that we have a much-improved version of the Greek text (the editor, Bonifatius Kotter, dedicated basically his entire life to producing immaculate versions of all of St. John’s prose works), SVS Press thought it was time for a new translation. The translator for this project, Norman Russell, is one of the foremost living translators of Byzantine theological texts. 

Who do you believe will benefit from this book? Are portions of it accessible to lay readers?

On the Orthodox Faith, which is the third part of The Fount of Knowledge, was published by SVS Press in 2022, and it immediately became one of our most popular books. That being said, SVS Press always intended to publish the first two parts of The Fount of Knowledge as well, although Norman Russell only finished the translation of these earlier parts after On the Orthodox Faith had been out for several years. Presenting the entire work in a single volume will provide readers with the most comprehensive view possible of John of Damascus’ approach to the Christian faith. 

This book is the third in the Popular Patristics Series: Longer Works, a new subseries recently launched by SVS Press. Can you tell us a little more about the Longer Works?

SVS Press is very excited for its new Popular Patristics Series: Longer Works. St. Gregory Palamas’ Triads was the first volume in this subseries, and it has been a huge hit with our readers, and the second volume, Hymns of Divine Eros by St. Symeon the New Theologian, is currently being printed. A great thing about Longer Works is it allows us to publish a whole range of patristic works that could never have fit into the smaller volumes of the Popular Patristics Series. The higher prices of these books also allow us to produce a higher quality physical product (hard cover, sewn binding, etc.) that will last through decades of reading and rereading by our customers.

Would you like to help make this important work available to the public in a fresh English translation, and for the first time printed with the Greek text on the facing page? Become a partner with SVS Press and invest in this exciting project. Click here to learn how.

Master Iconographer George Kordis, Writing the Light School Return to Campus

Master iconographer Dr. George Kordis was back at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in June, leading workshops and offering demonstrations to students.

The Seminary’s Institute of Sacred Arts (ISA) has been collaborating with Dr. Kordis and his Writing the Light school of iconography for several years. He was ISA’s inaugural Artist in Residence in the spring of 2022 and has trained students on campus nearly every summer since then. 

This year, he offered a five-day icon painting intensive in the Byzantine system both for beginners and more advanced, from June 15–19. The Seminary welcomed to campus both independent students and others participating in Writing the Light’s certificate program.

During this visit to the Seminary Dr. Kordis completed two icons: one of St. Demetrius and one of The Purification of Isaiah. 

 

(Photo: Coastlands Photography)

(Photo: Coastlands Photography)

 

ABOUT DR GEORGE KORDIS
Eminent iconographer George Kordis has the rare distinction for a practicing artist of a complete academic training in theology, with advanced theological degrees from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Boston and the University of Athens, where he was assistant professor in iconography (theory and practice). His training as a painter preceded and motivated his move into theology: During the 1980s he worked with the Cypriot master iconographer, Fr. Symeon Symeou, and also studied painting at The School of Fine Arts at The Museum of Boston from 1987–89; and even while obtaining his doctorate (Athens) in 1991 he continued his studies in painting and engraving under Fotis Mastichiadis. Dr. Kordis has been a visiting professor teaching icon painting courses at Yale University, the University of South Carolina, the University of Bucharest/Department of Orthodox Theology, and Ukraine Pedagogical University, Odessa, while continuing to create major church programs of iconography—including several in the US (see Holy Trinity in Columbia, SC and, recently, Holy Trinity in Pittsburgh and panel icons, which have been seen in numerous prominent exhibitions at Yale University and elsewhere). Kordis is also a prolific author with wide-ranging interests: theory and practice of Orthodox iconography, Fayum mummy portraits, Theophan the Cretan, Andrei Rublev, Fotis Kontoglou, Greek folk art, and many other topics.

Read his full CV and explore his expansive work.

 

PHOTO GALLERY: Scenes from Writing the Light Workshops

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