Fr. Theophan Whitfield

The Doctor of Ministry Program at St Vladimir’s Seminary: Four Things I’ve Learned (So Far)

The pastor and the triage nurse have much in common.  Both spend significant  time assigning priority among hard cases.  In the parish and in the emergency room, the need for urgent care is often pronounced and pressing.  And the basic fact of life is that time and resources are limited.  “The poor you will always have with you” (Matt 26:11) takes on special meaning in parish ministry.

Seminary is of course the place which prepares the Orthodox pastor for ministry in a world of profound suffering.  And this is true regardless of whether one labors in a declining heritage parish in the northeast or a booming mission parish along I-10.  The goal of ministry is neither to keep the doors open, nor is it to multiply the number of new parishes.  The basic goal is to connect the weary and the heavy laden to Christ, so that He might give them rest (Matt 11:28).

And this is what Orthodox pastors do.  Whether you are a priest, youth pastor, prison chaplain, retreat leader, iconographer or missionary, the calling is the same  —  to make the timeless gospel make sense for the person who stands in need before you, right here and right now.

But with so much to do, it is easy to lose sight of the truth that ministry is a blend of calling and skill, and that both of these need nurturing.  We nurture our calling to ministry by taking care of our own relationship with Christ through prayer, fasting, worship, confession, and works of mercy.  But we must pay attention to our pastoral skills as well.  For too many the world is a misery mill that tirelessly churns out creative forms of suffering and alienation.

For me, the Doctor of Ministry program at St Vladimir’s Seminary is proving to be an experience which nurtures both calling and skill.  On the one hand, the D.Min. program is providing an excellent opportunity to pause and learn more about the many and novel pastoral challenges we face in the parish, and a major fruit of coursework so far is that I now bring better skills to the whack-a-mole work of ministry.  But the value of the program for me is not limited to the activity of hands and head.  It has nurtured my heart as well.  The D.Min. experience is strengthening my identity and calling as an Orthodox pastor.

To focus a bit, here are four things I’ve learned so far as a D.Min. student at St. Vladimir’s.

(1)  Pastors have experience, and the Church needs it.  Ministry is not just about coping with the problems of today.  Ministry is also about processing and learning from our pastoral experiences to this point, so that we might be armed to the teeth as we help our people confront the uncertainties of an unfolding future.  Orthodox pastors have an obligation (I would say) to hold up what they have learned through the years, whether by failure or by success, and to offer that experience as a resource for others who are laboring in the vineyard.  The D.Min. program offers such an opportunity.  As a D.Min. student, I am asked to think about ministry in a critical way, both because it makes me a better parish priest, but also because the Church needs me to do it.  The coursework and doctoral projects required along the way will be used by the Holy Spirit to ensure that the gates of hell most certainly will not prevail against the rock of our confession (Matt 16:18).

(2)  I have more time in my schedule than I feared.  One bar to entering the program was a concern about whether “one more thing” (and a big one at that) would dynamite the delicate constellation of work, family, and Netflix that already trembles each time the church phone rings.  Spoiler alert:  the work takes time  —  you cannot dash it off between coffee hour and the post-liturgical nap.  However, the distance-learning nature of the program delivers flexibility to your door  —  or at least to your web browser.  If you like to listen to lectures at a desk, wearing a cassock, with pencil and paper primed for taking notes … then you can certainly do that.  But if learning on the treadmill or train ride works for you, then let the world be your classroom!  Pajamas or pants  —  your wardrobe makes no difference.

(3)  I am not pursuing a doctorate in ministry, but WE are.   For students in the D.Min. program at St Vladimir’s, this statement makes sense.  We are blessed that St Vladimir’s takes the “cohort” vision quite seriously.  I entered the doctoral experience with ten others from eight different jurisdictions across the United States and Canada, and by design there is intimate overlap in our work.  We are proceeding through the program together.  We reflect on each other’s work weekly, and the “onsite intensive” each term is a jewel in the crown of the whole experience.  For a full week each semester we meet at St Vladimir’s and gather critical feedback from the cohort on our developing projects. 

Have you ever shouted your best idea with eloquence and power only to hear crickets in response?  (I’m looking at you, committee meeting.) Or do you from time to time take the Nestea plunge into Facebook and float on the waves stirred up by like-minded voices? In my cohort, there are no crickets, and there are no echo chambers.  Discussions are spirited and informed.  What I find in the cohort is a fellowship of disciples who want to make our common efforts alongside Christ as fruitful as possible.  It is a place where truly the goal is to speak the truth in love so that we may become the mature body of Christ (Eph 4:15).

(4)  There is a difference between being self-emptying and self-draining.  This is a quotation from Fr Nicholas Solak who taught the recent course Pastoral Counseling in the Parish.  If I had to pick a slogan for the D.Min. experience so far, this would be it.  One priceless benefit of my studies to this point is perspective, in a word.  It is easy to lose ourselves in ministry, to erase the good and needed boundaries that protect our authenticity as pastors and guides.  As we deepen our understanding of youth ministry, or advances in medicine and biology, or liturgical practice, we are reminded over and over that what we do, we do for the glory of God, through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.  It is good to step back and see the wide scope of excellent ministry that is ongoing in the Body of Christ.  For me, this has been a source of encouragement and renewal. I know it has been for others as well.  I look forward to the challenging work that still lies ahead.

Rev. Theophan Whitfield is the rector of St Nicholas Orthodox Church in Salem, MA.  With degrees in philosophy from Princeton and Columbia, he was a teacher of mathematics and the history of science before entering St Vladimir’s Seminary, from which he graduated in 2010.  When he is not busy explaining to witches that Christians have been blessing water, homes, and graves for 2000 years, he enjoys exploring the North Shore of Boston with his wife, Matushka Manna, and three daughters.

Apply for the Doctor of Ministry Program

Two presentations hosted by the St. Juliana Society (SJS) in the fall 2015 term provided the future clergy wives at St. Vladimir's with much food for thought and discussion. On Monday evening, October 26, a large group of women turned out to join in a mini-workshop offered by Matushka Amy Bozeman. Matushka and her husband Fr. David Bozeman (SVOTS '12) lead the community of St. Nektarios Orthodox Mission in Waxahachie, TX.

As an experienced labor and delivery nurse, an educator, doula, writer, editor, and mother of teens, Mat. Amy wears many hats. Her workshop focused on how women can identify and intentionally work through the expectations that they bring to seminary life. She emphasized the need for women to establish healthy patterns of self care, including the setting of appropriate boundaries that will be important later in the nurture of clergy family life.

L to R: Mat. Amy, Mat. Thekla Hatfield, Mat. Robyn HatrakOn Monday, November 9, Matushka Dennise Kraus of Holy Trinity Church in East Meadow, New York spoke to the SJS women on the topic "Pregnancy, Loss and the Orthodox Church: Praying for and ministering to families who have experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth." Matushka and alumnus Fr. Martin Kraus are the parents of five children ages 1–19. The couple experienced two miscarriages before and during their years at St. Vladimir's; this motivated Mat. Dennise to assemble prayers for the loss of an infant, and to prepare guidelines to help those who seek to minister to bereaved couples.

View the Service after a Miscarriage or Stillbirth from the Orthodox Church in America

Abraam Mikhail

If you asked me about seminary two years ago, I would have replied that it wasn't even on my mind. I was tucked away on the other side of the world, 16,500 kilometers away (yes, we use the metric system in Australia!). I had just finished my physical therapy degree and accepted employment in a private practice. I was set in a comfortable workplace, reporting to honest bosses, and enjoying a supportive environment such as any new graduate would dream of. I was ready to begin my career.

Then everything changed. His Grace Bishop Suriel, dean of St. Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Theological College (SACOTC) and bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Melbourne, commissioned me to come to St. Vladimir’s to study towards a Master of Arts degree. Eight months later, I landed in New York and began the process of making St. Vladimir’s my second home, and the adventure began. I’m hoping to complete a Master of Theology here at St. Vladimir’s before pursuing doctoral studies. God willing, when I return home, I will work as a lecturer at SACOTC.

I certainly stand out at St. Vladimir's, with my Australian accent and vocabulary, and my need of spellcheck for words like “colour” and “centre.” (Sometimes I deliberately spell them this way, on my papers!) What I've found, however, is that I’m not the only one with an unusual background. I've discovered that almost everybody here has a story, a unique experience to share, something inspiring to say. I’ve kept a careful record of it all, and my journal is full of what I'm learning and experiencing. So many comments and observations have slipped off the tips of people’s tongues here, and have triggered days of subsequent reflection for me. Little do they know how their words have echoed in my mind, and stayed with me.

While the whole experience of moving to New York has been an adventure, and living away from home has taught me many things, it is truly the people at St. Vladimir's who have made the experience most memorable. Living in this like-minded community, I've been amongst people who have committed their lives to the message of the Gospel. My professors and fellow seminarians alike have given me a new perspective on life, and even the everyday happenings on campus are shaping and sharpening me.

In the classroom, the pressures of academic work have stretched me and the required reading has left me wanting more. Perhaps the most valuable skills I’ve learnt have been methodological. We’ve been taught how to read the Fathers, how to prepare a spiritual reflection on a Biblical text, and how to analyse primary historical documents. I also took a course in Hebrew, which has opened up possibilities of tasting the beauty of the Old Testament in a new way I never knew was possible. This is the real value in formal theological study. It’s not so much the material I’ve learnt; rather, it’s the tools I’ve been given, and will use for the rest of life, to grow in my faith, as I walk the pilgrim’s road to the kingdom of heaven.

Since I left home in August last year, I have seen God’s hand at work in my life in a far clearer way than ever before. He’s arranged everything, from the simplest of things as my circle of friends, to the numerous travel arrangements. He's provided academic and spiritual nourishment, and even finances, and He’s taken care of my every need. It’s been the journey of a lifetime. I am like the sojourning pilgrim of Russia, travelling where the Lord leads, not knowing the way but holding a steady Hand, trusting in His wisdom and growing in His love.

I’ve been blessed with an opportunity I would not have thought to choose for myself, and I am deeply thankful. Glory to be God in all things! 

Read about St. Vladimir's relationship with Bishop Suriel and the St. Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Theological College. 

Abraam Mikhail is a first year Coptic student in the Master of Arts Program. He hails from Melbourne, Australia. This summer he was invited by Bishop Suriel to attend a conference in Egypt with His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, 118th Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. He visited the Monasteries of St. Antony the Great and St. Paul of Thebes in the Red Sea, as well as that of St. Pakhomius, near Luxor (Thebes). St. Pakhomius was the father of cenobitic monasticism. Abraam was amazed to see the remains of Ancient Egyptian temples — the Karnak Temple and Temple of Luxor — that have been standing tall for thousands of years.

In his leisure time, Abraam enjoys making phone calls back home to Australia, and maintains a patristics blog. He hasn't posted anything all semester because he was busy doing the required reading for the Patristics survey course and the Origen class; hopefully things will change over the next few weeks!

The St. Juliana Society met on Monday, December 7, 2015 in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium on campus to hear a special presentation by Khouria Krista West. Owner of Krista West Vestments, an author, and a very dynamic speaker, Kh. Krista creates designs that may be found in Orthodox churches of every major jurisdiction in North America as well as numerous countries throughout the world.

An avid scholar of the history and construction techniques of Eastern Orthodox ecclesiastical vesture, she writes and lectures on the topic in her Ancient Faith Radio podcast, The Opinionated Tailor, and has published a book with SVS Press on the same topic. She is the wife of Fr. Alban West, rector of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Portland, OR.

Buy the SVS Press book, The Garments of Salvation

The appealing invitation read, "Good afternoon, Ladies, Please join us at tomorrow’s Wine & Cheese reception. Let’s enjoy this last celebration before Lent begins!" Invited by Matushka Thekla Hatfield and Matushka Robyn Hatrak, SVOTS women attended a pre-lenten campus gathering on March 7  featuring an honored guest, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA).

The ladies first enjoyed a potluck of favorite cheesefare cuisine, before assembling to hear from His Beatitude, the Seminary's president and board chairman. After the chancellor of the Seminary, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, offered a short introduction, and Metropolitan Tikhon briefly shared his thoughts on the role of clergy wives in the Church, the floor was open for questions.

“How can I help my husband establish a good relationship with our bishop?”
“If there happens to be another Orthodox jurisdiction nearby, may I confess to a priest there?”
“What is your opinion on confession over the phone?”
“How did your trip to the Diocese of the South go, and what is your view on the incorrupt remains of Archbishop Dmitri of Dallas?”
“Has the process of canonization changed and sped up with the development of information technology, especially social networks like Facebook and Twitter?”
“What is your vision for the OCA in the years to come?”
“How does one regard the concept of spiritual fathers in America?”
“Whom do you turn to for spiritual guidance?"

Metropolitan Tikhon provided candid informal responses to these and other questions. As he elaborated on the practical pastoral aspect of serving at a parish, he pointed out that the ministry of a priest’s spouse is unique and demanding; yet to preserve one’s sanity and humanity, one shouldn’t forget about self-care.  

“The role of a clergyman’s wife is to keep him grounded. As he gets caught up in the mysteries—hearing confessions, serving Liturgy, and so on, she helps him get back down-to-earth. But in order to do that, you have to keep grounded yourselves. Many of you came tonight with a baby. Tending to a parish is somewhat similar—in some sense they are your children, your flock. And then the temptation is to escape into a fantasy, to imagine yourself someplace else: ‘I’m not really here.’ And yet it is essential to be present. Remember: your role is important, you are not just an accessory to the priest.”

One of the seminarian spouses asked the Metropolitan to share some concrete advice in how to stay grounded: “Of course, praying, fasting, and reading Scripture are some of the ways. But can you suggest something specific? Like a concrete prayer or other measure?”

Metropolitan Tikhon paused in thought for a moment, before he gave a response: “You know what? Go for a walk. Tell your husband to look after the kids for a bit, and take a stroll in the woods or the park. This is also a way to get away from the problem, but it’s a healthy distraction. Consult a therapist. Some look down on seeking counseling, but it can really help. Talk to a friend. And even if you don’t have friends in this town—as clergy families are usually a bit detached from the parishioners, in order to maintain a healthy parish—have some friends to call, establish a network, make a connection.

"I think I understand your question," he continued. "Praying and reading Scripture is good, but when one feels burdened and trapped, then telling yourself ‘I have to do my prayer rule! I have to read the Bible!’ can add more pressure. And yet often you just need an outlet to speak things out. That is why an important part of my vision for the OCA is promoting clergy health—establishing peer groups for priests where they can share their experiences. And of course, talk to your husbands. Encourage each other.”

"At seminary," reflected first-year seminarian spouse Ilaria O'Keefe afterwards, "we are given many opportunities to interact with clergy, including hierarchs of the Church. It is encouraging to see bishops who act as true pastors to their flock. Metropolitan Tikhon's gentleness and humility help make him a kind and approachable minister to the people of North America. Mravalzhamier! Many Years!"

(Text by Olga Kirilchenko; Photos by campus photographer Mary Honoré) 

Shawn Thomas

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

During Holy Week and Bright Week, 2015, St. Vladimir's seminarians Edward Hunter, Lijin Raju, and I had the unbelievable opportunity to travel to Kenya as part of a mission trip sponsored by the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC), and led by Executive Director Fr. Martin Ritsi. As the result of a generous grant, the three of us were able to travel to Kenya without any expenses of our own. The trip was one that we will never forget, as it has left an imprint on all three of our hearts.

Our first week in Kenya was spent in Nairobi at the Orthodox seminary, which is run by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Kenya. We were able to spend the entire week at the seminary, participating in Holy Week services, which the priests served using a mix of English, Greek, and Swahili. One of the days, Archimandrite Philip Mugadizi (a graduate of St. Vladimir's Seminary), told us about the work Archbishop Makarios has done as well as what he hopes to accomplish in the future.

The entire time we were there, the staff and students were exceptionally hospitable and His Eminence always went out of his way to ensure that we were taken care of. The highlight of our Holy Week in Kenya was when we processed from St. George's Cathedral with Christ's tomb on Great and Holy Friday through the impoverished neighborhood of Kibera, one of the largest slums in the world. We processed in the middle of the town, amidst all the chaos, singing the hymn over and over. During his homily, His Eminence said "Jesus has been crucified, But He will resurrect on the third day. Even if you are in the poorest place, Jesus will resurrect here also." What a powerful message for some of the poorest people on earth! It helped to remind us that what we do for "the least of these," we do for Christ Himself.

After Paschal Liturgy, we flew to Turkana, a two-hour flight northwest from Nairobi. The week we spent there was extremely different than Holy Week in Nairobi. Nairobi is a relatively metropolitan area where there are tall buildings, fast food chains, and people dressed in Western clothing. However, the Turkana are a people who wear their traditional tribal clothing and adhere to their customs more closely. We began our week there by traveling to St. John the Baptist Church and celebrating Agape Vespers. The people there, many of whom had traveled well over a day to be there with us, were ecstatic and smiling wide as we came to the parish.

The three of us had prepared lessons for catechists who had come from their villages to learn, so Monday through Wednesday of Bright Week was spent at St. John the Baptist's church working our way through the Nicene Creed and teaching catechesis to the catechists present. The three priests present, Fr. Vladimir, Fr. Moses, and Fr. Zechariah, were our translators as we presented the material. The evenings were spent often playing games with the children and catechists who were at the parish. 

On Thursday, we traveled far into the desert and met under a tree with three villages that came together to hear us preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. About half the villagers who came to hear us were Christian, while the other half were not. Even more predominantly, the men were not Christian, and in cultures such as these, the men decide everything. The priests went to these villages before our arrival to ask our permission to preach to them the Word of God, and they agreed because each time a group from OCMC had come before, rain also came. As can be assumed, in an environment as dry as Turkana, rain is truly a gift from God Himself.

While we preached to the villages gathered under a large tree I had only previously seen in The Lion King, it began to rain. Our God is a God of action! Thus, more than any of our words or theological elucidations, it was the rain that convinced the people there to listen to what we had to say. While we will never know how many of them will end up being baptized because of that day, it is safe to say that we learned what it meant to "sow the seeds of the Word of God," regardless of the turnout, because our Lord works with what He has. As a result of the rain, the tribal leaders asked Fr. Martin to continually bring people back to tell them about his God because every time they came, so did the rain. What a miraculous experience!

At the end of our trip, the three of us told Fr. Martin Ritsi that "...this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience." Fr. Martin then replied, "Why does it have to be 'once-in-a-lifetime'?" It made the three of us stop to reflect. We came to Kenya thinking it would be a rewarding, one-time experience, but all three of us left wanting to do more in Kenya and all around the world to encourage the growth of our Holy Church. While only time will tell what is in store for each one of us, it is apparent that our two weeks in Kenya has shaped us in a way that we had never before imagined.

Our lives are meant to be an embodiment of Matthew 28:16-20. What form that will take is different for each person, but the reality of being ambassadors for Christ is one that we cannot deny as Orthodox Christians. Ed, Lijin, and I hope to return to Kenya one day, to receive a blessing from Archbishop Makarios, to see the smiles of our brother seminarians, to embrace the loving people of Turkana, and to preach the Word of our Lord and Savior to those who have yet to hear it.

Shawn Thomas, author of this article, is a second-year seminarian in the Master of Divinity program. He is from Chicago, IL, and his home parish is St. Peter's Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church. Edward Hunter is a second year Master of Arts student. He hails from Williamsport, PA, and his home parish is The Elevation of the Holy Cross (Orthodox Church in America). Lijin Raju is in her second year of pursuing her Master of Theology degree. Her home city is Dallas, TX, where she attends St. Mary's Orthodox Church (Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church). Read her reflection, "Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall..."

View the presentation on YouTube

Over the course of two Monday evenings, February 15, 2016 and March 21, a unique St. Juliana Society program was hosted in the Bashir Auditorium on campus. Hierodeacon Father Herman (Majkrzak), lecturer in Liturgical Music and director of Chapel Music, presented a two-part series, "Introduction to the Divine Services and the books used in them."

Offering an overview of all the liturgical resources used by clergy and choir directors to assemble services—hymns, prayers, saints' lives, and more—Fr. Herman explained each part of the service, and how each piece contributes to the whole. He also brought copies of all the service books, displaying them on a table in front of the room. As a helpful visual aid, he sketched out the framework of the entire Church calendar, September through August, on the lecture hall's long white board. The chart presented the women with a vivid depiction of both the complexity and the unity present in the liturgical year.

"On archdiocesan websites, you can access the service rubrics for any given day: all hymns, prayers, and other information," noted first year seminarian spouse Mary Honoré . "These are good tools, and yet it can be hard to grasp the whole scope of the church year. Since it's through the services and hymnography that the Faith is transmitted, it's so important for us to understand the big picture. All the women in attendance were taking notes and having 'aha!' moments; regardless of whether we are recent converts or cradle Orthodox Christians, we learned a lot about how this all fits together.

"And on the practical side," Mary added, "as future priest wives we might find ourselves in a position where we need to help to prepare services, so this basic knowledge will help us as we assist our husbands."

Rami Dahdal

I've often wondered if I would ever see the light at the end of the tunnel, which has represented this journey of mine for the past three years at St. Vladimir's. It's been a journey full of joy, new friendships, learning, and achievements...but it's been equally full of sadness, loss, misunderstandings, and defeats.

My time at St. Vladimir's has been like a roller coaster: full of ups and downs with some loops thrown in-between — and I'm not particularly fond of roller coasters, either! But when I muster up the strength to ride one, I realize at the end that it wasn't so bad...and was actually quite fun. In fact, my roller coaster ride at seminary has prepared me for the many more I will (most likely) ride in my ministry — figuratively speaking.

I'm grateful for the diverse and first-hand experiences I've had at St. Vladimir's. Before coming here, I thought Orthodoxy consisted only of things done in my home parish: Byzantine chant, vespers on Saturdays, liturgy on Sunday, and the occasional feast day, celebrated a few times a year.

Instead I heard traditional Russian chant, experienced daily matins and vespers with vigil on Saturdays, raced to my parish assignment on Sundays, and went to another liturgy during the week for a feast day or saint's commemoration—a big adjustment for me, but one, I believe, I needed, because without learning to change and adjust, I would remain stagnant.

I got to see another side of Orthodoxy, and what a sight! The St. Vladimir's "Damascene" and "Cassia" choirs were some of the best I'll ever hear, and the liturgical services are done more fully, at times, so that I could experience how these services were originally celebrated. And, for the most part, we students were the ones responsible for making it all happen.

St. Vladimir's also did a great job of letting me experience the life of a priest. Here, I learned the meaning of the Scripture: "You are not your own" (1 Cor 6:19). Priestly ministry is a life of service to others — period. Here, I was tasked with chapel duty, meal crew, and janitorial duty; with preparation for special events and participation in student council; with attending choir rehearsal and fulfilling parish assignments; with navigating relationships and even volunteering for the Advancement Department, and so forth.

To top off the rigorous schedule, there's Great Lent. As an Antiochian student I traveled three to four times a week to extra services. For Holy Week I visited a different parish everyday.

All this leads me to talk about my best experience while at St. Vladimir's. The summer after my first year, as part of the seminary's M.Div. requirement, I did my chaplaincy internship at Banner Good Samaritan in Phoenix, AZ. I fulfilled 400 hours of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), which included patient visitations and classroom sessions for self-reflection.

It was the best thing I'd done in my three years at St. Vladimir's — hands down.

Why? Because communication will be at the heart of my future ministry, and CPE helped me become a better communicator by helping me recognize where I needed to improve. CPE's also the reason why I have decided to continue down the road of chaplaincy.

Last December I applied for a CPE residency in Wichita, KS, at Wesley Medical Center: Over the winter break I had an interview with Wesley, and a couple weeks later they offered me the position, which I gladly accepted. I begin August 31.

My CPE residency will be a one-year chaplaincy program geared towards helping students learn how to become better communicators. By "communicate," I mean listening. As I've learned from my seminary professor, Dr. Albert Rossi, active listening is "85% of effective counseling."

Following my residency, if God so chooses, I hope to continue chaplaincy work toward CPE certification. I believe chaplaincy is an important ministry to the continuing work of Jesus Christ, one at the front lines of the "Great Commission."

But why did I choose Wichita for CPE training?...because that's where my fiancée, Rebecca, is from. I met Rebecca in the fall of my second year, when she came to St. Vladimir's to visit her best friend. She left after meeting the man she'll spend the rest of her life with. On August 22, 2015, I'll marry THE most amazing woman, and I'll look forward to spending each day with her for the rest of my life.

I'm grateful to St. Vladimir's for providing the moments leading up to this point, to a future that (to me at least) looks bright—like a light at the end of the tunnel.

Rami Dahdal is a third-year seminarian in the M.Div. program. He is from sunny Glendale, AZ, and loves photography and comic books (Batman is his favorite). He has a younger sister and brother, and is an uncle of two beautiful boys, Ace and Jax. His home parish is St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Phoenix, AZ. 

During his seminary years, Rami served as a St. Vladimir's staff photographer, capturing many seminary and church events. These included: the enthronement of Metropolitan Joseph, where his photos were also used for The Word magazine; the Sunday of Orthodoxy during Lent; the St. Vladimir's "Giving Tuesday" fund-raising drive, the community's Thanksgiving celebration, ordinations of classmates, and Orthodox Education Day. 

Rami's looking forward to beginning his chaplaincy program, marrying the beautiful Rebecca Farha, and serving his archdiocese.

Nikita Andrejev

So much of what we do is like chaff that will be burned away on the last day because of its non-essential character. I would venture to say that this Scriptural idea not only concerns the pointless aspects of our lives, such as when we are sitting aimlessly on the couch; it is also a reminder that those of our activities which by the name of it seem "good" or even "Christian" will all-too-easily be obliterated with time unless they possess a concrete foundation in Jesus Christ [cf. I Cor 3.10–15]. What is this foundation, more practically speaking? Perhaps it is a mature theological knowledge of Christ. Perhaps it is a motivation behind our actions which draws its power from the contemplation of the activity of God himself, nothing less, albeit in a small measure. But how can we in any sense be attuned to this divine motivational power if we have only vague and worldly notions concerning goodness, concerning meaningfulness, concerning beauty, concerning the divine?

My intentions in pursuing another cycle of studies in theology at St Vladimir's were perhaps a bit less "practical" than those of many of my fellow classmates. Through the mercy of God, things have already fallen into place concerning my vocation in life—that of iconographer and instructor. On the surface of it, I don't particularly need another degree. But I keep realizing that despite my religious occupation, despite four years of theological education at the Saint Sergius Institute in Paris (not to speak of the earlier years at college pursuing a BA in classics), my attention is seldom focused on Christ and his invisible working in an adequate, focused way. Despite being called men and women of the Church, most of us are still more or less beating around the spiritual bush. What is lacking is the convincing "measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" [Eph 4.13].

This is not to imply that a spiritual maturity will be guaranteed by theological education. At seminary, we are simply working through things, training the muscle which is our mind (as our Dean suggests). We remember that the "mind" is a key term in the anthropology of many of the Fathers. To "hold the mind in check" when stray thoughts attempt to seduce it, but also to train the "mind's eye" to be attentive to the manifestations of the divine Word—this is the path of Christian spiritual progress in a nutshell. What I will primarily take away from my studies at St Vladimir's is the discovery that these two rules apply just as much to the classroom and to readings as to personal ascetic discipline.

Simply put, an active sobriety of the mind is indispensible in the pursuit of theology. As facets of this idea, at St. Vladimir's, I have learned to read authors very closely, with sensitivity towards the original intentions and particular genius of each, to be attentive, on a basic level, to the way a written piece is organized, for example. I have learned to what extent considerations of context and literary style play a part in every single writing of the Church, including the gospels. I have begun to realize just how important a part rhetoric plays in the majority of ancient writings and even in the liturgical art of the Church. What my professors have offered are valuable insights concerning methodology, not ready-made dogmatic formulas for memorization.

My original intention in coming to the Seminary was simply to spend more time with the teachers and teachings of the Church. I come away with something perhaps even more important: cultivating the organ for perceiving these teachings is half the battle. Perhaps with the training of this faculty on all its levels our faith will have the chance of reaching a token of maturity that will be, in some respect at least, impressive.

Nikita Andrejev is a second-year MA Student at St. Vladimir's. He started on the path of icon painting with his father and has been painting and teaching for the past twenty years in the US and Europe. His wife Marrit is Estonian and a free-lance conference interpreter. They have three children and make their permanent home near Tallinn, Estonia, despite frequent travels.

At the beginning of 2015, two of us from St. Vladimir's Seminary joined students from three other Orthodox seminaries, to participate in a home building effort in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Sponsored by the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity, the humanitarian project addressed the ongoing need for housing rehabilitation in the city still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Most of our days were spent working on home construction and rehab, but we also were able to take a trip to see the Ninth Ward, a section of New Orleans that had been especially impacted by the hurricane. A decade after Katrina, there is still a lot of work to be done in rebuilding New Orleans.

This is the second year that IOCC has enlisted a team of seminarians to assist in the building and repair of homes; several students from St. Vladimir's participated in a similar project in 2014. In fact, since 2005, nearly 1,000 volunteers on IOCC Orthodox Action Teams have donated over 33,000 man-hours to repair 193 family homes across the United States damaged by natural disasters.

These past three years, I have been in the classrooms, the library, and the chapel at St. Vladimir's, studying and praying. However, soon it will be time to graduate and leave this behind, and I then will begin to apply the theology I have studied. The home build with IOCC reminded each of us seminarians that the universe is our parish, and that our Church is without borders. If we are to lead, we must first learn how to serve.

A third-year seminarian, Fr. Mark was ordained to the priesthood on the Feast of the Holy Cross this past year at Holy Cross Antiochian Orthodox Church in Linthicum, Maryland. His wife, Kh. Vasilia, is a clinical social worker who works at an outpatient counseling center with youth and their families in the Bronx, NY. They welcomed their first child, daughter Catherine, into this world on November 8, 2014. Father Mark will serve in the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America upon graduation; he is looking forward to fulfilling his vocation through Christian service and ministry.