Come, O faithful, let us work zealously for the Master; for he distributes wealth to his servants.

Let each of us, according to his or her ability increase the talent of grace:

let one be adorned in wisdom through good works; let another celebrate a service in splendor.

Ihe one distributes his wealth to the poor; the other communicates the word to those untaught.

Thus we shall increase what has been entrusted to us, and, as faithful stewards of grace, we shall be accounted worthy of the Master’s joy.

Make us worthy of this, Christ our God, in your love for mankind.

As more and more people attend and thoughtfully follow the services of Holy Week, many are struck by the incomparably rich hymnography, often sung in unique and evocative melodies. Many of us have favorite hymns, which we greet as friends when they come along each year. There are the landmark hymns of the Bridegroom services, repeated for several nights running. There are, of course, the unforgettable moments of Holy Thursday: “Of Thy Mystical Supper!” The Twelve Gospels! Then Friday: the Burial Shroud! The Lamentations!… Then Saturday and the victorious Prokeimenon! These are like lanterns, lighting our way forward in an otherwise dark terrain.

One of my own favorites is a humbler little hymn (blink and you’ve missed it for the year) sung with the Aposticha at Matins and Vespers on Holy Tuesday. [They hymn’s text is at the beginning of this post.] Why do we sing such a hymn during Holy Week? Let’s spend a minute examining its liturgical context before looking at it more closely.

By the time we sing this hymn, we have entered squarely into the journey to Christ’s life-giving Passion. We have traveled six weeks of Great Lent. We have celebrated the victorious entry of Our Lord into Jerusalem (a bitter victory: Jesus knowingly enters the city where he is to be betrayed and slain). We have heard him preaching with increased intensity against civil and religious hypocrisy and injustice. But as we follow Jesus’s journey, we also direct attention at ourselves. As we Orthodox always do in our penitential hymnography (for example, in the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete), we apply all that hypocrisy, all the examples of pride, lust, murderous intent, to our own lives as we live them. It is not a pretty picture. So we ask God’s forgiveness and beg him to help us to become better human beings.

During Holy Week, this sort of penitence is brought to a high level of intensity, a dosage that we cannot sustain for long. But here we are pushed to our limits, because Our Lord himself, the King of Glory, who made the heavens and the earth, is on his way to being betrayed, abandoned, and slaughtered. Matters do not get any more serious than that. We have to make sure we are paying full attention.

That is why, at the Bridegroom services, usually celebrated on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday evenings of Holy Week, we pray for several things surrounding the theme of bring ourselves into realization of who we are and what is happening:

• We ask God to “illumine the vesture of our souls,” to purify us, to give us appropriate clothing in order to celebrate properly the Feast of Feasts.
• We remind our own selves to be wakeful and watchful, rouse ourselves out of our slumber, to penetrate the usual half-awake state of our minds and hearts.
• We contemplate scriptural images as lessons or as inspiration. The common theme to all these services is that of the Bridegroom (Christ) who comes in the middle of the night and finds some who are prepared, others for whom it is now too late. But on different evenings we sing about the withered fig tree, the betrayal of Judas, and – as a positive image – the repentant harlot who wipes Jesus’s feet with her tears and hair.

It is within this broader context, then, that we come to that Holy Tuesday hymn, in which we urge each other to do the particular work that God has given us to do. Let’s look through it to see what it is saying, and why people may be attracted to it.

• We goad each other to work zealously. Don’t almost do something, or just thing about doing it, or do it in a half-baked way. Do it, and do it well for the sake of God.
• Notice that God gives the wedding garment. God gives the talent. Without this initial gift, we have nothing, we are nothing. But once we realize that God has filled our otherwise empty vessels, it is very much up to us to take up that gift and to act on it.
• When God distributes his gifts, he is not using a cookie cutter to form identical little shapes. He is not drawing a uniform pattern for us to imitate like robots. We are different from each other; we do not strive to conform to a single model, even if sometimes the image of a virtuous person in the Church’s Tradition seems frustratingly uniform. In iconography and spiritual literature (depending on where we’re looking) we might find a preponderance of monks, bishops, and virgins. But if we look closer, we find a message applicable to school teachers, social workers, bankers, moms, dads, writers, sanitation workers – people from all walks of life and different talents.
• When it begins enumerating tasks, our hymn encourages us to “do good work” – whatever our station of life, whatever our vocation. Then it identifies specific vocations – but let us take note how these are both particular and universal in character.
• One “celebrates a service in splendor.” (When I was sacristan during my student days at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, I watched as Fr. Paul Lazor, the consummate liturgical celebrant, made a large and meaningful sign of the cross over himself during that line.) Although this verse does carry a particular, clerical meaning, doesn’t it also pertain to our corporate celebration of the liturgy? All of us celebrate the liturgy in splendor when we participate meaningfully in it. Going still further, can this not also pertain to any way in which we – whether lay or ordained – as “priests” offer the world to God, making our whole life a creative service of splendor?
• In the Divine Liturgy we pray for “those who remember the poor.” Is helping the poor, then, something that someone else always does? No. Although we recognize realistically that not everyone is called to make his or her whole life a service to the poor, none of us is off the hook in the basic, universal, Christ-imitating vocation of ministry to the poor, solidarity with the outcast, speaking out against injustice.
• While teaching the Word applies in a particular way to teachers and catechists, don’t we all impart knowledge and wisdom – both explicitly and implicitly Christian Truth – in our various vocations (not least those of us who are parents or godparents)?

Wherever we are, whatever we do, whatever our station in life our task is to build upon what we have been given. First, of course, we have to identify the gift, and that is not always simple. But by understanding the gift and recalling that it indeed comes from God himself, we can build on it. The gospels tell us that wasting our talents is one of the things that seriously displeases God. But we pray that, if we recognize and work with our gifts, we will be “deemed worthy of the Master’s joy,” a joy that is beyond anything that we can imagine.

-

Peter Bouteneff (SVOTS ’90) teaches courses in ancient and modern theology and spirituality at St Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary, where he is Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of Institutional Assessment.

On December 18, 2015, the Daytona Beach News-JournalOnline published a story, "Hospital chaplains a source of calm, assurance for patients and staff," in which alumnus Joshua Schooping (M.Div. 2014, M.Th. 2015) was featured. Reporter Jim Haug noted that the work of hospital chaplains is both "delicate and demanding," and added that the chaplain residency program of which Joshua is a participant, is a first for Florida Hospital DeLand, a member of the Adventist Health System.

Reflected the SVOTS alumnus in the article, "There’s a lot of grace that goes along with it....Really, I think the goal is to build relationships, rather than fix a problem. We talk to people on whatever level they're at. We meet them where they are."

Read the full story

Our M.Div. program, with its CPE component, prepares you for ministry to the sick, injured, and dying. Learn more!

Remember: you are bread." During my time at St. Vladimir's Seminary, Fr. Chad Hatfield closed a lenten reflection with this exhortation. I only understood his words after seminary when I experienced the hunger of the crowds that surround Christ. As an SVS alumnus, I work in Guatemala where thousands of Maya Indians have converted to the Orthodox Church. Every day feels like the feeding of the five thousand. People cry out for nourishment from Christ—for comfort and support, for teaching, for healthcare—and then they look to me in their hunger. So I offer myself as bread to the people of Guatemala, nourishing them in their times of need.

The first moment of need came immediately after I arrived in Guatemala in April of 2015. After touching down, I received word that Fr. Antonio Patá—one of the six Guatemalan priests—had fallen gravely ill. Only one year before, the people had lost Fr. Andres Girón who guided them into Orthodoxy. Now I arrived in Guatemala right as a new wave of sorrow fell upon the mission. Exhausted from my own transition to a foreign culture, I felt like I was empty and had only crumbs to offer to the people. So I prayed to God to multiply my small offering of solidarity as I accompanied the priests and spent time in the parishes.

Our sorrow deepened on July 19th when Fr. Antonio passed away. Thousands gathered to mourn and these people often were drawn to me because they could tell I came from abroad (few Guatemalans stand over six feet tall!). During the wake, one person clung to me and cried into my shoulder. Another collapsed on the floor in front of me, wailing, "Fr. Andres left us and now Fr. Antonio too!" What could I offer to them? When I stood before the crowds to preach at the wake, I described how parishes throughout the world had answered our requests for prayer: in Egypt, Japan, the USA, and more. "You are not alone in the Church," I said to them. My own words helped me realize how God was multiplying what I offered in Guatemala. My presence meant more to the people than just myself. The people were drawn to me because I had become a symbol of the mystery of the entire Church, a visual testimony of our fellowship in Christ. That mystery of Christ was the bread that nourished these crowds when I spoke.

After the funeral, I shifted my energies towards teaching. Initially, I spent time in the parishes in the coastal areas of Guatemala, giving catechetical talks and leading reader's services. In September, however, I moved to the mountainous areas to live in a village called Aguacate. Here I mentor a group of pre-seminarians, leading them in daily services, giving talks on liturgics and theology, and preparing Spanish resources. These printed resources are powerful because they reach so many communities, not only in Guatemala but even in other countries. When I prepared new books for Vespers and Matins, I received requests for copies from people in North American and even Europe. It is amazing to see how God multiplies our offerings!

Finally, the need for healthcare has shaped my time in Guatemala. During the summer, I translated for two mission teams that assisted with medical clinics here. In Aguacate I continue to translate for visiting doctors and health care professionals who volunteer in our clinic. I also teach English to the local woman who will become the clinic administrator. We need someone who can translate directly from English to Chuj (the local Maya language) and she agreed to take this role. Local people like the clinic administrator will be further examples of the feeding of the five thousand. I humbly offer them what I can, and they will multiply that offering in their own lives as they nourish thousands of others throughout Guatemala.

​"Remember," Fr. Chad says, "you are bread." God calls each of us to see the world's hunger for Him, whether in Guatemala or another country. He calls us to become the nourishment that the world seeks. Although we usually offer mere crumbs, God multiplies what we give and spreads His nourishing bread throughout the earth.

Download Jesse's latest project, a Spanish prayer book that includes daily vespers, daily matins (greatly shortened because of pastoral concerns), a few selected hymns, personal prayers for various occasions, and a preparation for confession.
Digital Version
Print Version

​To follow news from the mission in Guatemala, you can "like" Jesse's missionary page.  Jesse works in Guatemala through the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC), the pan-Orthodox missions organization endorsed by the Assembly of Bishops. To learn more, visit www.OCMC.org.

In late October of 2015, Matushka Amy Bozeman returned to St. Vladimir's to present a mini workshop on "Expectations and Self-Care." She and Fr. David (SVOTS 2012) serve St. Nektarios Orthodox Mission in Waxahachie, TX, founded in 2012. Their mission was recently awarded a planting grant by the Orthodox Church in America.

As an experienced labor and delivery nurse, an educator, a mother, a doula, a writer and editor, Mat. Amy wears many hats, but she explains that she "spends a lot of time thinking on her role as a new Matushka." As such, she graciously opened up a slot in her busy itinerary to be interviewed for Svots.edu about what St. Vladimir's has meant and continues to mean to her and Fr. David, and what advice she would offer to today's seminarians and their wives.

Mat. Amy, how did you first respond to seminary upon arrival?

Before Fr. David and I went to seminary, a good friend who had gone to SVS before us, had given us the great advice of "Don't have any expectations of your seminary experience!" I've learned that many of our disappointments in life are often related to our own failed expectations, so our difficulties can be of our own making. It seems that people post-SVS tend to either romanticize or vilify their seminary experiences; this is often based on how their expectations were fulfilled, either positively or negatively. Often one's experiences are formed by one's expectations and whether they succeed or fail. So abandoning unrealistic expectations before seminary was great advice and something I really tried to do.

What adjustments did you make while you were here?

What worked for our situation was to set aside expectations of the school and people, and be open to what God had for us. St. Vladimir's is first and foremost a school—an academic institution—and we tried to remember that while experiencing a lot of grace and meeting many amazing people in the process. What was really difficult was meeting so many wonderful people and not having enough time to hang out with them! (Laughter)

I quickly realized that I wasn't going to be able to get in on everything that was going on. Having a full time night job as a labor and delivery nurse during our first year was often hard because I felt like I was missing out on the community life. Living in a tiny apartment and working so much, combined with so many expectations of SVS community life, led me to feeling very dissapointed at the time.

Our second year improved when I made some job schedule adjustments and we were able to move up to Lakeside apartments. More importantly, I started to really listen to some wise counsel from my father confessor: I allowed myself to miss things and gave myself permission not to participate in everything. Good boundaries also became very important—which became such a valuable life lesson for me. I now realize all these life lessons we learned at SVS are so, so important in parish life!

Ultimately, our whole family loved the time at seminary. It's not the property or buildings that make the seminary, it's the amazing people. There's so much joy, sorrow, frustration, etc., contained in those three years. My husband says it was the "best three years of his life." My husband felt very inspired at St. Vladimir's. The time is very compressed and you're being very intentional, living more in the present, and our relationships and friendships during those years continue on today.

Tell us about life after seminary!

In a brand new mission parish, I quickly realized that while a priest's job is very specific, the Matushka's role is non-specific, and is individualized. All Matushki are different and are able to contribute to the parish in different ways. I've learned that I will always need to be flexible as our parish grows, especially because our mission plans to do a lot! Really, our parish wants my presence—they want me around. I feel very loved! The difficulty lies in my work schedule. I can't always be there, so again, setting expectations and boundaries are still playing a big role in our lives. I also have mourned the loss of anonymity, since once you are a priest's wife you really lose that. Your last chance to "worship anonymously" is at seminary. That can be difficult to adjust to for not only the Matushka, but also the priest's children.

The last three years have found me adjusting my work schedule and commute so that it works not only for my family and our finances but also for our parish community. It is a big balancing act! Communication of expectations with the parish is vital and if I hadn't worked through these things at seminary, I wouldn't have been as prepared.

What boundaries have you needed, now that you are serving in a parish?

Father David and I are careful about discussing church issues in our home and Fr. David tells me about problems only on a "need to know" basis. He leaves out the parish council details! (Laughter) And I've learned an invaluable response to the numerous questions our parishioners ask: "Ask Father!"

In parish life you don't have all the resources that you have at seminary, such as all the close friendships and wisdom. If asked, I always encourage seminarians to nourish their relationships while here and after graduation, because they will often need these friends and the seminary network long after leaving!

“Orthodox Christianity is for everyone because Orthodox Christianity is simply Christ in His fullness,” says Fr. James Bozeman (SVOTS 2012) of St. James Orthodox Church in Beaufort, SC. “One of the great hurdles that we contemporary Orthodox Christians have to overcome is any mindset other than the fact that Christ is ‘the one thing needful,’ applicable and needed by everyone.  Orthodox Christianity is the reality that meets that need.”

It was with this rather obvious conviction that St. James Mission was planted in 2012 with the desire to bring Christ in His fullness to South Carolina’s “low country.”  And thanks in part to the support provided by the Orthodox Church in America’s Planting Grant program, Fr. James and his flock are doing just that.

“We served our first liturgy in Beaufort in July 2012, and since that time we have grown from an initial six committed individuals to a group that is repeatedly filling our small rented building at Sunday Divine Liturgy,” says Fr. James.  “Earlier this year, with the assistance of the Diocese of the South, we were able to purchase a beautiful two-acre piece of property, and we are now in the process of selecting an architect and working to design our future church building.”

Meanwhile, the mission is experiencing membership growth in the form of Orthodox Christians who have moved into the area and new converts to the faith.

“The process of growth always seems slower than we would desire it to be,” adds Fr. James.  “But God has been gracious to draw into His net those who are genuinely seeking Him and hoping to work out their salvation.”

Among the parish’s ministries are a summer program for enquirers and a Wednesday evening study group that currently is studying the Book of Psalms.

“We open our doors to those who are curious during our annual St. James festival, and we encourage one another to invite family and friends to services,” says Fr. James, who adds that “some of our parishioners excel at this!”

Sometimes, Fr. James explains, “it is difficult to be the ‘new church’ in such a venerable and historic town.

“The Baptist Church just down the street from our current location is over 200 years old, while the local Anglican congregation celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2012,” says Fr. James.  “Inspired by this, our mission has two desires—that we, too, may someday enjoy our 300th anniversary, and that over the next 297 years, through Christ, we might work to make complete all that is lacking in those who are seeking Him in His fullness.  The Planting Grant is key to making this happen here in Beaufort!

“Am I convinced that Jesus Christ is for everyone and is the way I live this life like the rich sound of a cymbal that cuts through the static and noise that the world offers, drawing men toward Christ?” Fr. James asks.  “Our hope at St. James Mission is to resonate with the sort of sound that proclaims Christ in all of His grace, love and power.”

Read the story about St. James Mission by Fr. John Matusiak, in Oca.org

A television documentary produced and aired in Lebanon in October 2015, marked the 35th anniversary of the enthronement of His Eminence the Most Reverend Elias (Audi) of Beirut, metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Beirut, Lebanon, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East. Metropolitan Elias graduated from St. Vladimir's in 1969, and served for a time as rector of the Virgin Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church in Yonkers, NY, before returning to Lebanon to take the post of Assistant Dean at the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology, University of Balamand in Lebanon.

In more recent years, Metropolitan Elias has represented the Church of Antioch in meetings of the Council of Middle East Churches and the World Council of Churches. He has also chaired the Joint Dialogue Committee between the Vatican and the World Council of Churches.

View the documentary (in Arabic)

The following is a tribute to alumnus Bishop Suriel, Ph.D., of the Holy Diocese of Melbourne, Victoria, Tasmania, ACT, South Australia, Western Australia, New Zealand and All Oceania. It was first published in the 2014 Annual Report, The Far Reach of St. Vladimir's Seminary, which featured those who have benefitted from the Seminary's ministries and people. The article is by Ralph Toss, Former General Counsel to His Grace, and Reader in the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of New York and New England.

Just a few words sum up His Grace Bishop Suriel: He’s there for you.

The focus, sacrifice, and love His Grace demonstrates in making these words come true are beyond comprehension, because he’s there for you while performing his duties as diocesan bishop, while working on his Masters and Ph.D. degrees, while doing ecumenical work, while fighting for Egypt’s Coptic minority, and while doing missionary work in Fiji, Pakistan, and Tonga. Despite his heavy commitments, and in all circumstances, he’s there for each sheep of his flock.

I first met Bishop Suriel at a youth retreat in 1998. This towering young bishop had nary a grey hair in his beard and spoke with an Aussie accent. Bishop Suriel reminded us Western youth that the Church was a relevant organism that could feed us spiritually. He had an obvious love for Christ and us, and needless to say—we fell in love with him.

When Bishop Suriel was appointed as day-to-day administrator of the Archdiocese of North America, how lucky I was to live just a few miles away! At that time, my father was sick, and His Grace visited numerous times, as if my father were his own. During the last few months of my dad’s life, and in the midst of His Grace’s studies, he was still there for us: pacing hospital hallways at all hours, and praying with us, crying with us, and interceding on our behalf up to the moment of my father’s death.

He’s been there for countless others. He’s flown back from dozens of international meetings to be with his children, hurt in heart-wrenching accidents or approaching the end of their earthly journeys. He’s been there at weddings, baptisms, engagements, graduations, barbeques, and festivals. He’s been there—in long black robes and black dress shoes, after neatly folding his panagia and putting it aside—to grab a tennis racket and beat us, dressed in shorts and sneakers, at a game. He’s been there to guide meetings and strategy sessions seeking to make the Church relevant to God’s people.

Following St. Paul’s command, His Grace “rejoices with those who rejoice, and mourns with those who mourn” (Rom 12:15). Because he’s been there for me, I am where I am. And the Church is where it is. We, collectively, couldn’t have gotten here without his being there: obeying God’s voice and loving God’s flock.

Watch a YouTube video of Bishop Suriel’s homily, “The Power of Prayer,” as he speaks of persecuted Coptic Orthodox Christians in Egypt.
Read about the ties between St. Vladimir's and St. Athanasius Theological Coptic Orthodox College in Australia.
Read about Coptic seminarian Abraam Mikhail.

In early September, 2015, Dr. Bradley Nassif (SVOTS 1985) delivered the opening address at the third International Consultation of Orthodox and Evangelical theologians. The topic of his paper was, “The Gospel in Eastern Orthodox Perspective.” Dr. Nassif focused on how the Church conceived and expressed the gospel in the age of the Ecumenical Councils (325-787 AD). 

As guests of His Beatitude Archbishop Leo of Karelia and All Finland and the Evangelical Alliance of Finland (SEA), Dr. Nassif and 62 other Orthodox and Evangelical leaders gathered September 1-5, 2015 at the Sofia Cultural Centre, Helsinki, for a Consultation sponsored by the Lausanne-Orthodox Initiative. The goal of the Initiative is to work towards better understanding between Orthodox and Evangelical communities, and to strive for healing where wounds exist. Representing Christian communities from twenty-five different countries, attendees at the consultation discussed the theme ‘The Gospel as Good News," examining the common understanding of the meaning and purpose of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, how this is communicated today, and its implications for community transformation and pastoral ministry.

In 2013 Professor Nassif was the keynote speaker for the first Consultation. His address, titled “Tradition, Catholicity and the Mind of the Church,” was included in the newly published book The Mission of God: Studies in Orthodox and Evangelical Mission (Regnum Press, 2015), edited by Dr. Mark Oxbrow of the Mission Center at Oxford University.

Most recently, Dr. Nassif edited a collection of essays in honor of Fr. Paul Tarazi, professor emeritus at St. Vladimir’s, titled, Festschrift in Honor of Professor Paul Nadim Tarazi, Vol. 2: Studies in the New Testament (Peter Lang, 2015). Contributors included Archbishop Demitrios Trakatellis, Archbishop Athanasius Yvetic, Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, and others. 

Professor Nassif also recently received a $50,000 annual grant given by the Kullis Foundation. The goal of the grant is to promote an annual Orthodox Speaker’s Series at North Park University in Chicago, where Dr. Nassif serves as Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies. The conference, which is free of charge, is designed to strengthen the practical life of Orthodox pastors, leaders and parishioners of local churches.

The inaugural conference lecture will be given by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware on Saturday, March 5, 2016, at North Park University, with the proposed topic of “The Unchanging Gospel in an Ever-changing Culture.” Father John Behr, St. Vladimir's Dean, Dr. Edith Humphrey of Pittsburgh Seminary, and Dr. Marcus Plested of Marquette University, will be respondents. Future series will continue to focus on the centrality of the Gospel in Orthodox life and thought.

Seminary Alumnus the Reverend Dr. John Tavlarides (D.Min., '96) fell asleep in the Lord on September 21, 2015. The entire seminary community expresses our condolences to his wife, Presbytera Harriet, and his family.

Father John was the Presiding Priest Emeritus of Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Washington, D.C., where he faithfully served for nearly six decades. He graduated from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1953, and was ordained to the priesthood shortly after.

Father John pursued graduate theological studies at several notable institutions, including General Theological Seminary in New York, New York, and The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Father John served the faithful of Saint Sophia Cathedral as an assistant priest from 1956-1960, and then subsequently led the community as Cathedral Dean from 1960-2011.

Seminary Alumnus Archpriest Thomas Succarotte (M.Div. '78) fell asleep in the Lord on August 8, 2015. The entire seminary community expresses its condolences to his wife, Matushka Tanya, his son Mark, and his extended family.

Father Thomas served as rector of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin Church in Madison, Illinois from 1979 until his retirement in 2010. In addition to his pastoral duties, he served as Dean of the St. Louis Orthodox Deanery.  He also acted as the police chaplain for the cities of  Madison, Granite City, and Pontoon Beach, and for the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, State Police, FBI, and ATF.

Memory Eternal!