Rick and Jean Wagner hail from St. Paul, Minnesota. Rick completed his undergraduate education in chemistry at UNC-Chapel Hill and then earned a Ph.D. at Duke University. Jean attended Duke University in Biomedical Engineering, obtaining both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. After Rick finished a NIH post-doctoral Fellowship at the Pennsylvania State University, the Wagners moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Rick joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota and Jean went on to become an Information Technology project leader and manager for several companies. The Wagners attend St. Mary Orthodox Cathedral in Minneapolis.
Longtime donor to St. Vladimir’s Dr. Carston "Rick" Wagner has enjoyed a distinguished career as Professor and Endowed Chair in Medicinal Chemistry in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Minnesota. As director of the Wagner Research Lab at the University, Dr. Wagner (who goes by his nickname Rick) enjoys his work with bright young graduate students.
In the field of medicinal chemistry, Rick and his team of graduate students study drug design and development. Over the years, their work has evolved so that it now focuses on anti-cancer and anti-viral research, and they’ve been discovering new ways to treat pain and to use the immune system to target and kill cancer cells. He also teaches pharmacy and graduate student classes at the University.
As a mentor and an academic, Dr. Wagner respects the formation of lives that takes place at St. Vladimir’s.
“The Seminary is the preeminent scholarly center for modern Orthodox theological scholarship, education and theology in the world,” Rick says, “and lately they’ve been expanding the boundaries of pastoral training by providing opportunities for seminarian education outside of the Yonkers campus in hospitals, parishes, and even prison.
“St. Vladimir’s has also been strengthening their leadership, the faculty, and the financial and operational foundations of the school,” adds Dr. Wagner. “With these positive moves, it’s a critical time for those of us who love the Seminary to step up and push the fulfillment of the Seminary’s mission to new heights.”
Dr. Wagner and his wife Jean have been supporting St. Vladimir’s for 13 years, most recently as members of our community of committed monthly donors, the St. John Chrysostom Society. The Wagners converted to the Orthodox faith as students at Duke University, and at their home parish of St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral in Minneapolis (OCA) they have been volunteers and supporters of Orthodox Prison Ministry-Minnesota and FOCUS-Min.
As lifelong learners, Rick and Jean appreciate the resources of the Seminary that benefit laypeople. In addition to reading SVS Press books, Dr. Wagner has attended several summer institutes at St. Vladimir’s and has benefitted from the liturgical instruction in the well-regarded Diaconal Vocations Program that meets on campus every summer.
“St Vladimir’s is a leader in the U.S. and internationally—other organizations look to the Seminary for theological and scholarly leadership,” notes Rick. “A world without St. Vladimir’s would be a world without the great writers and professors who have shaped the Church over the last 50 to 60 years.
"And the impact of the Seminary reverberates far beyond the Yonkers, New York campus," adds Dr. Wagner. "Worldwide Orthodoxy has been greatly impacted by St. Vladimir’s. The Seminary is continuously pointing the Church around the world towards the vision of a united, engaged communion.”
Seven seminarians from the Serbian Orthodox Church are enrolled at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in the 2018-2019 Academic Year. The Serbian Scholarship, so generously established by some of the Seminary’s outstanding servants and donors, pays for up to three Serbian Orthodox students each year to attend seminary. Funding is needed, however, for the other four. St. Vladimir’s Seminary needs your helpto raise $25,000 to cover the cost of tuition, books, and room and board for these future leaders of the Serbian Church.
Dr. Veselin Kesich (+2012) taught New Testament studies from 1953-1991, and served as acting Dean of St. Vladimir's Seminary from 1983–1984.The archives of St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVOTS) are filled with Serbian names. Over its eighty-year history, the Seminary has counted numerous Serbian Orthodox among its faculty and student body. That long, distinguished list includes His Grace Bishop Firmilian (Ocokoljich), Dr. Veselin Kesich, His Grace Bishop Irinej (Dobrijevic), and St. Nikolaj Velimirović, who also taught at St. Tikhon’s Seminary in South Canaan, PA and Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY. You will also find Serbian Orthodox among St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s most generous supporters and donors, who have worked tirelessly to help maintain the long, fruitful relationship between the Seminary and the Serbian Orthodox Church.
His Grace Bishop Irinej (Dobrijevic), a SVOTS alumnus, currently serves on the Seminary's Board of Trustees.“Thirty or forty years ago, the cream of the crop of Serbian priests came from St. Vladimir’s Seminary,” said Dr. Brian Gerich, trustee emeritus, who served on the board of St. Vladimir’s for more than twenty years. “They were huge leaders, and because of that the Seminary has always been highly regarded in the Serbian Orthodox community in North America.”
More than one graduate of the Seminary has touched the life of Gerich, his family, and his parish, St. Steven's Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Alhambra, California. His pastors, all SVOTS alumni, have included Protopresbyters Dennis Pavichevich (+2018), George Gligich, and Nicholas Ceko, who is now dean of the Cathedral and is assisted by Priest Norman Kosanovich, also a SVOTS alumnus.
“The first alumnus to serve us was Fr. Dennis Pavichevich,” Gerich recounted. “When Fr. Dennis joined us, he was ‘on fire’ for Jesus Christ, and he taught us the importance of a eucharistic life. He also spoke about how St. Vladimir’s had changed his life.”
Protopresbyter Dennis Pavichevich (+2018) graduated from SVOTS in 1975“From then on, we made sure every priest we had after Fr. Dennis was a graduate of St. Vladimir’s, if we could.”
Serbian Orthodox students started enrolling at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in the late 1940s, hailing from the United States, Canada, and Europe.
“The Serbian Orthodox became involved because they saw the importance of St. Vlad's and the quality of its faculty and teaching, and what they were doing in producing priests,” said Ted Bazil, senior advisor for Advancement, who himself has held a long association with the Seminary. “We have seen perhaps a hundred Serbian Orthodox students graduate from St. Vlad’s over its history.”
In the 1990s, members of the Serbian Orthodox Church began establishing the Serbian Scholarship at SVOTS, so that no young Serbian men would be turned away from becoming priests. Brian Gerich was among those generous donors along with fellow trustee emeritus Mitchell Zunich and Mr. and Mrs. Petar Gerich.
Trustee Emeritus Dr. Brian Gerich served on the board of St. Vladimir's Seminary for more than twenty years.“Mitch Zunich, my good friend, said, ‘I will join you,’ and that's how it started,” Brian recounted. “Ten years ago, I asked for all the people that had received those scholarships. It's a huge list.”
“If you end up with 30 or 40 thousand dollars’ worth of debt, how are you going to pay that off on a priest’s wages? My goal is to make sure the Serbian Orthodox seminarians have no debt—and if there are no Serbian students, then any other student who needs help.”
Another longtime trustee from the Serbian Orthodox Church, Alex Machaskee, also established a liturgical music scholarship fund at the Seminary. He calls SVOTS the “citadel” of Orthodox theological teaching.
“Through its leadership, faculty, and press, the Seminary is respected throughout the world for its scholarship,” said Machaskee. “Once when I was in Jerusalem and attended an Arab Orthodox church, I mentioned to the priest that I was on the board at St. Vlad's. He became ecstatic at the news and gave me a whole loaf of holy bread!”
Seminary Trustee Alex Machaskee established a liturgical music scholarship at St. Vladimir's.Machaskee added that he is pleased that the Serbian students he has met through St. Vladimir’s have been exemplary.
“We have several St. Vlad's alumni as priests in Northeast Ohio, and I am very proud of the service they provide to their churches and congregations,” Machaskee said.
Servants for the Serbian Orthodox Church continue to be formed at St. Vladimir’s. Seven students from the Serbian Church are enrolled as seminarians in the current academic year (2018-2019): Dorde Tomic, Dn. Stefan Djoric, Mihajlo Gnjatic, Miroslav Miljevic, Stefan Mastilovic, Nebojsa Varagic, and Dn. Larry Soper (pictured below). Another Serbian, Alumnus Fr. Aleksa Pavichevich (’08), is a Doctor of Ministry student.
“Having more Serbian Orthodox students around me this year influenced me in every aspect of my life at St. Vlad’s,” said second-year seminarian Dorde Tomic. “I could feel the presence of Serbian spirit all the time, which both challenged me and encouraged me to improve my knowledge day by day.”
The large number of Serbian Orthodox seminarians at SVOTS is cause for celebration, but also cause to renew commitment to current and future seminarians from the Serbian Church. The Serbian Scholarship, so generously established by Brian Gerich and others, pays for up to three Serbian students each year to attend seminary. Funding is still needed, however, to cover the cost of tuition, books, and room and board for the other four. The Seminary needs to raise $25,000 before the end of the 2018-2019 academic year in May to clear all debt before the other Serbian Orthodox students can register for next year.
"We are thankful to God for the visionary founders of the Serbian Orthodox Scholarship, and we are thankful to God for our alums and current students who benefit from it,” said Seminary President Archpriest Chad Hatfield. “However, we need to raise $25,000 to meet the expenses of those Serbian Orthodox seminarians not covered by this scholarship fund. Together, I am confident that we can give these outstanding ordination candidates the boost that they need."
Gerich, despite being among those visionary founders, remains humble about his giving.
"People who read Scripture or listen to homilies hear often the commandment to go out and baptize all nations,” said Gerich. “For some people, they may not feel educated enough or confident enough.”
“Early in my adult life, I realized that I did not have a calling to be an evangelist. But I remember a pious old priest once told me that a well-educated priest, over the life of his service to God, will touch ten thousand lives. That is something that I could get involved in by supporting the Seminary financially. If I could give someone an education at St. Vladimir's, and that person goes out and touches ten thousand lives, that's a bargain.”
Long may the connection between the Serbian Orthodox and St. Vladimir’s continue!
Fr. David Barr (SVOTS Class of ’83), pastor of St. Elias Orthodox Church in Austin, Texas since 2004, recently participated in a phone interview with Ginny Nieuwsma from the Seminary’s advancement team. We appreciate the time he took to answer her questions.
He emphasizes the unique place of St Vladimir’s Seminary.
FDB: What makes St. Vladimir’s exceptional is that it is the American seminary that is the salt and light to all of North American society, not just a particular ethnic segment of it. It is not the center of just one jurisdiction, but a center for all Orthodox Christians, enabling us to present the timeless truths of Christ and His Church to the world.
St. Vladimir’s has never been just “the OCA Seminary.” Orthodox Christianity is multi-ethnic and ours is not a one-jurisdiction school. We incorporate a variety of Orthodox traditions in the chapel and classroom. This is what makes us completely unique.
GN: The last few years at SVOTS have been ones of growth and change. What is your perspective on the Seminary’s direction at this time?
FDB: St. Vladimir’s is on a good track. I’m very impressed with the new academic dean—on paper he reminds me of the late dean Fr. John Meyendorff. He is a well-educated, pious, and humble man. I’m looking forward to more of our alumni meeting him as time goes on.
Just as Frs. Meyendorff and Schmemann and many other outstanding professors came from Europe, again we have a dean from “across the pond.” Here we have a stirring of the waters and the opening up of new possibilities. Remember, at the present time there is no place in America to earn a Ph.D. at an Orthodox institution, so it makes sense to bring in someone like Dr. Alex Tudorie. He has earned not one but two doctorates from a distinctly Orthodox school and environment in Romania, and this will offer something fresh to students at St. Vladimir’s.
GN: Despite your busy schedule, you have invested in SVOTS both through financial contributions and by serving as Alumni Association Board Chair for not one but two terms! Can you tell us why?
FDB: I really care about the Seminary and firmly believe in the importance of sound theological education. My concern is that today we don’t always value this enough. We think we can learn everything through the internet but in this, we lack discernment about what it really takes to lay a solid foundation for the life of ministry.
Frequently I am reminded of how well St. Vladimir’s prepared me for my priesthood, enabling me to articulate the Faith and deal with the many preconceptions of the people who come through our doors. We must prepare to “give an answer to the hope that is in us” (I Peter 3:15), explaining to those who are spiritually hungry what it means to be an Orthodox Christian.
I am glad and grateful that there are over 180 graduates who are serving within my Antiochian Archdiocese as priests and hierarchs. Four of our current hierarchs, including my own bishop, are alumni. SVOTS nurtures Antiochian seminarians in various ways such as by serving Byzantine Vespers in the Chapel. There is an ongoing commitment to Antiochian seminarian preparation.
GN: What part did St. Vladimir’s play in your preparation for the priesthood?
FDB: The Seminary played a central role in my preparation. My professors are still a part of my life. When I serve I often think of Fr. Alexander Schmemann, and when I make a liturgical decision I’ll often ask myself what he would have done.
St. Vladimir’s formed my entire liturgical life since I learned about the daily life of the Church there. Without this, I would not have been prepared to serve well. You can’t learn the services and the full liturgical life by reading web articles, or by any method other than showing up in Three Hierarchs Chapel twice a day!
GN: Father David, in addition to being our Alumni Association Board Chair, you are also an archpriest in the Antiochian Archdiocese. Could you catch us up on your pastoral ministry?
FDB: We’ve spent the last fifteen years in Austin, and through God’s grace our parish is growing tremendously—it’s overwhelming! We have two liturgies on Sunday and both are full. We serve 250-350 families or between 500-900 members (depending on how you count!). We’ll probably bring in 18 catechumens on Holy Saturday and that’s very typical.
As the oldest Orthodox church building in central Texas, we are located just four blocks from the Capitol. Since no expansion downtown is possible, we are building a north campus outside of the city’s core in order to house a satellite parish.
GN: Can you identify the factors that have been responsible for the growth of St. Elias?
FDB: We have a good location downtown and are easy to find. We also have a strong web presence in which our yearly September catechism class is prominently advertised. I get emails from people all the time who have found us on the web.
A parish always needs a site with good navigation, but then it’s important to respond to inquirers positively and quickly! Our first contact with a seeker is frequently an email, but then we grab personal time with people whenever possible over coffee or lunch.
Also, our parish is a mile from the University of Texas at Austin and we are blessed with an active Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF). For instance, we have a Chinese student from the University who has been coming to St. Elias. He’s a very literate Bible reader who had never been outside of China until he came here and found us!
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The Very Rev. David Barr chairs St Vladimir’s Alumni Association. In addition to his duties as pastor of St. Elias Orthodox Church in Austin, Texas, Fr. David serves as dean of the Central Texas Deanery, vice-chairman of the Department of Inter-Orthodox and Inter-faith Relations of the Antiochian Archdiocese, and director of the St. Romanos Chanter's Training Program. Father David and Khouria Luanne have two children, Samuel and Christina, and two canine family members named Bella and Bailey Mae.
Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Director of Music Harrison Russin has successfully defended his doctoral dissertation, “I Believe: The Credo in Music, 1300–1500.” Russin passed the oral examination via Zoom on January 22, 2021.
Russin will now be granted a Ph.D. in musicology from Duke University, Durham, NC. He also holds an M.A. in musicology from the same institution.
“While my research had its origins in some possible Eastern Christian connections in medieval Western European music, I eventually settled on the topic of monophonic rhythmic chants of the Credo that proliferated mostly in Italy and France in the late medieval period,” Russin explained.
“Writing and finishing my dissertation while teaching and conducting at St. Vladimir’s has been a challenge—and even more so in the past year because of limited access to libraries and scholarly resources. I am grateful to everyone at St. Vladimir’s for giving me the time I needed to research and write,” Russin added. “I especially thank Fr. Chad Hatfield, Dean Alex Tudorie, and librarians Eleana Silk and Danielle Earl.”
Russin and his family have a long connection with St. Vladimir’s. In addition to teaching on the faculty, Russin is an alumnus, having graduated from the Seminary’s M.Div. program as valedictorian in 2013. His wife, Gabrielle, is an M.A. graduate of St. Vladimir’s (‘14) and currently works as the Seminary registrar and student affairs administrator. Russin’s cousin, the late Protodeacon Keith Russin (+2017), graduated from St. Vladimir’s in 1971.
Saint Vladimir’s Seminary President Fr. Chad Hatfield’s fascinating presentation about North American saints is now available to the public.
Father Chad delivered the presentation, “Orthodox Christian Saints of North America,” for the Orthodox Christian Laity (OCL)’s 33rd Annual Meeting and Program on November 13, 2020. A recording of the presentation, which was given online, was recently posted by OCL. His overview focused on “the foundation they have given us to draw all Orthodox Christians into unity here in North America.”
Watch the presentation via OCL’s YouTube page below.
In the spring of 2020, New York state was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) classes went virtual, and its chapel and liturgical life were effectively suspended. But several months later, in August, SVOTS reopened for the new academic year with in-person classes, full residential living, and liturgical services resuming on campus for students and their families. SVOTS Director of Music Harrison Russin discusses the realities of liturgical music and services in the current climate and lessons learned from the pandemic.
Q: How have services at SVOTS been adjusted because of the pandemic?
HR: For our liturgical services and because of our chapel space, right now we are limited to one singer and one reader. We place the singer near the door, we have windows open, and we turn off the air conditioning. Masks are required. We are currently blessed to do Vespers and Matins on weekdays. On weekends we are blessed to do Vespers Saturday night and liturgy on Sunday. Perhaps the interesting feature of all this is that on Sundays we serve three liturgies simultaneously [two following OCA rubrics and one following rubrics of the Antiochian Archdiocese]. We have one liturgy in the chapel, one liturgy in the chapel basement, and one liturgy in the Metropolitan Philip auditorium.
Q: How have students reacted to all the adjustments?
HR: The majority I've spoken to are thankful that they are here at all, that we can have in-person worship, in-person liturgical services—especially being in New York when six months ago this was the coronavirus epicenter of America. The ones that I talked to have been very thankful about the arrangement. And perhaps a little nervous as we get further into the semester. They will be expected to handle more of the services as the semester continues. Right now I am doing a lot; the second- and third-year students are doing a lot. We will expect more from all the students. There is a liturgical ownership as the semester continues.
Q: Is there anything we can take forward post-pandemic?
HR: I think there is a lot we can take into life after the pandemic. The pandemic hit so suddenly and the closures hit so suddenly we thought we would emerge from it as suddenly. Six months later we realize that it will be gradual. We still don’t have a clear idea what it will mean. We’re teaching and expecting a greater liturgical awareness, of conducting these services. Students will have help from the faculty and the priests of the chapel. More will be expected from the students and that can only be a good thing in terms of long-term liturgical awareness and growth.
I think this has also brought an awareness of simplicity and how simple the services can be done and still be beautiful. Father Sergei Glagolev, who is, in a sense, the architect of English-language liturgical music in America, has said several times that the icon is the example of what any liturgical art should be. The defining feature should be the icon. It is transparency. Not immediate hermeneutical transparency, but a transparency that we know automatically we are viewing something that is bringing us to a greater acknowledgement of reality. The simplicity of our music aids in that understanding. It is easier to get caught up in how flat the singer is because there is only one singer. But I think when we can engage with the truth of our music and the truth of our texts it leads us to a greater understanding of the beauty of our worship.
Music is not a different art form from other liturgical sacred arts we have. Music is part of the cloth from which these are all woven. There is a certain unity of sacred arts which I think any liturgical experience will lead to. Growing up within the OCA [Orthodox Church in America] with the largely four-part Russian music, or growing up in the Greek church or in the Antiochian church, we may have certain expectations. Perhaps one of the gifts of this time is the confounding of these expectations and how a liturgical understanding of the beauty of our liturgy is not dogmatically placed in one style of music. Sometimes we confuse dogma with taste. If anything we can, at least because of the limits of our musical worship right now, realize that personal taste is perhaps secondary to the goal of our music or the end of our music. It doesn’t mean you shouldn't defend your tastes. But a realization that they are tastes, this will lead to a greater understanding and cohesion of liturgical arts.
Q: Can you speak to how music and sacred arts in general are experienced at the Seminary?
HR: It’s very moving and encouraging and edifying to be in such an environment. Not only do we teach sacred arts and not only do we have courses in iconology, but other arts like preaching, the art of rhetoric, we live those day to day in Matins and Vespers. We see it come alive when we celebrate a feast day and we see all the clergy dressed in blue. It just highlights how the liturgical year moves in a certain way and our understanding of how the arts fit into that. Every time we have the beginning of our academic year I see how much these aspects of these liturgical arts come together in our daily and weekly worship.
St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) faculty member Dn. John (Rassem) El Massih was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on Sunday, August 30 by the hand of His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA). The ordination took place during a hierarchical Divine Liturgy served at Ss. Peter & Paul Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church in Potomac, MD.
May I serve every Divine Liturgy as if it is my first with humility and fear. Hopefully I will never take it for granted,” said Fr. John at the conclusion of his ordination. He has been assigned as an "attached" priest to Ss. Peter & Paul. He will continue to teach Byzantine liturgical music at SVOTS, the Sacred Music Institute, and the Antiochian House of Studies and continue his music composition for AOCANA’s Department of Sacred Music.
Father John was born and raised in Anfeh, Lebanon, where he studied Byzantine Chant under the tutelage of the renowned teacher Fr. Nicholas Malek. After immigrating to the United States in 2001, Fr. John enrolled in Hellenic College in Brookline, MA, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies. He later continued on to Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, where he graduated with a Master of Divinity degree. He served as the Protopsalti of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Boston until his assignment in summer of 2013 as an assistant and chanter for His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip of blessed memory.
The third episode features St. Vladimir’s Seminary assistant professor Very Rev. Nicholas Solak along with Casey Clardy, Ph.D.
“Everything bears meaning: meaning about our life and God and the world and ourselves…and resident within all that is opportunity,” Fr. Nicholas said as the discussion began.
Watch the entire interview with Fr. Nicholas and Dr. Clardy below.
Father Nicholas is a graduate of St. Vladimir’s Seminary; first in 2002 with an M.Div. degree and again in 2008 with a D.Min. Degree. He was ordained to the priesthood in February 2002. Prior to attending St. Vladimir's Seminary, Fr. Nicholas worked for ten years in prisons delivering cognitive-behavioral treatment to criminal offenders with drug and alcohol addiction histories. He also has experience working with the 12-Step Program in treating drug and alcohol addicts. Since 2002, he has been the parish priest at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Stroudsburg, PA, where he lives with his wife and three children. He is also chair of the Orthodox Church in America’s Office of Pastoral Life.
Drawing from his experience as a missionary in South Africa and Orthodox mission planter in the United States, St. Vladimir’s Seminary President Fr. Chad Hatfield discusses Orthodox evangelism and offers practical advice for new parishes.
“The first evangelical words [of Scripture] are found in the beginning of Genesis,” Fr. Chad explained during his talk at NLA. “Adam and Eve are hiding, because they now know who they are—their nakedness has been exposed—and it is God, Himself, who calls out, 'Where are you?’
“Ours is a God who comes seeking you and me."
Father Chad’s trip to Norway was arranged by St. Vladimir’s Seminary Alumnus Fr. Theodor Svane (’15) and the parish Fr. Theodor serves, Annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary Orthodox Mission Parish (in Norwegian, Hellige Jomfru Marias Bebudelse Ortodokse Menighet). The parish hosted Fr. Chad’s visit and worked with the university and Holy Theophany parish for the two talks. During the trip, Fr. Chad also delivered a Nativity Retreat at Fr. Theodor’s parish.
Following the Great Feast of the Nativity, Fr. Sergius was the keynote speaker at the OCF College Conference Midwest, held from December 27 to 30, 2019, at Saint Iakovos Retreat Center, Kansasville, WI. He offered this reflection to OCA.org about his experience:
“As I stood in front of more than ninety college students at the OCF College Conference Midwest at the St. Iakovos Retreat Center in Kansasville WI, and as I began the first of three keynote addresses that I would deliver over the weekend, I couldn't help but think of the OCF college conference that I attended thirty years ago that changed my life forever. I was baptized and chrismated in the Orthodox Church during my college years, and from the very beginning, I thought that maybe I had a vocation to serve the Church. I once asked a senior priest about possibly going to seminary. His first question was, "Do you have a college degree?" I told him that I was close to finishing my B.A. "What is your major?" he asked. "Biology," I said. Then he harrumphed and said, "Well...that doesn't have much to do with theology does it?" That was the end of the discussion, and almost the end of my vocation. A few months later I was at a summer OCF college conference at the Antiochian Village, and Fr. Thomas Hopko was the keynote speaker. Of course I knew who Fr. Tom was—in those days it seemed like everyone did! We listened to his lectures on tape and read his books and knew that he was dean of St. Vladimir's Seminary. Over the course of the retreat, I waited for a moment when he wasn't surrounded by too many people, and with all the courage I could muster, I introduced myself and asked about going to seminary. He cheerfully asked me about where I was from, where I was going to college, and then he asked me the question that I was dreading, "What is your major?" I sheepishly responded, "biology," fearing another bad response. Father Tom thought for a moment, and then he said, "Biology, that is wonderful! You know, St. Isaac the Syrian said that the Christian must love God, love neighbor, and love all of creation—including the lizards. And for someone who lived in the desert, that's really saying something!"
I shared this story with the students at the OCF conference and told them that no matter what you are studying in college, God is calling you to serve, to follow His commandments, and to build up the Body of Christ. The theme of the retreat was from the Prologue of St. John's Gospel, "The Light Shines in the Darkness" and over a remarkable three days of prayer, reflection, and fellowship, we all had an opportunity to allow the light of Christ to burn more brightly in our hearts. The retreat was entirely planned and run by college students, and I'm deeply grateful to all of them for the amazing work they did. The retreat also included a dynamic group of speakers including Fr. Panagiotis Boznos, Steven Christoforou, Paul Karos and Katrina Bitar. The diversity of the speakers gave the college students a concrete image of how Christian discipleship and vocation takes innumerable forms: lay and clergy; male and female; young and old; God calls every one of us to radiate the light of Christ in the darkness.
Coming away from the OCF College Conference Midwest reminded me of just how important it is to nurture and support our college students through the work of OCF. Thinking back on my own life, I was reminded of just how crucial on OCF experience can be to a young person discerning a vocation to serve Christ and His Holy Church. But my three days at the conference also reminded how remarkably life-giving it is for older people, like myself, to serve young people. In helping to kindle and nurture the fire of Christian faith in others, our own Orthodox Christian faith is renewed and strengthened. Glory to Jesus Christ!
On Monday, February 3, 2020, Fr. Sergius spoke to clergy of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America who gathered at the Washington Retreat House in Washington, D.C. for a Pre-Lenten retreat. The theme of the retreat was "Kerygma" and Fr. Sergius' talk, "Encountering the Word: Kerygma sprung from scripture, liturgy and hymnography," was the first of three reflections offered by homiletics professors.
In opening remarks His Eminence, Archbishop Elpidophoros noted the importance of preaching in pastoral ministry, and encouraged the participants to preach with clarity and focus. Fr. Sergius reflected on the profound demands of pastoral ministry in terms of the spiritual warfare, and he invited preachers to see the preparation and delivery of homilies as an essential component of the spiritual life.
"Preaching is far more than simply delivering a lecture,” said Fr. Sergius. “When we prepare to preach the Gospel, our first task is to listen for the Word of God, to hear how Christ is speaking to us in the midst of our challenges and temptations. Hearing the Word of God, we can be personally strengthened and renewed in our own Christian faith, and offer to our hearers an opportunity to be renewed and strengthened in Christ."
