"The knowledge of the cross is concealed in the suffering of the cross." -St. Isaac the Syrian

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." -St. Paul

We bow down before the cross of our Lord at this joyous feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross because of what Christ accomplished on this wood. The victory has been won. We have been healed from the sinful affliction of the soul. Death has been swallowed up in this victory. What was ultimately killed on the Cross was not so much Christ as it was death itself, for Life could not be killed. Death was the result of the sinful condition: "For the wages of sin is death," St. Paul reminds us. What is so joyous about this feast is that we remember and enter into the salvation that Christ has offered unto us. This is why we have all manner of names for the Cross that we sing at this feast:

Glory of the faithful, confirmation of sufferers, protection of the righteous, salvation of the saints, wounder and driver away of demons, invincible banner of godliness, gate of paradise, strength and protection of the faithful, beauty and might of the Church, invincible weapon of peace, sign of true joy, power of righteous men, majesty of priests, rod of strength, weapon of peace, physician of the sick, resurrection of the dead, hope of Christians, guide of those gone astray, haven of the storm-tossed, victory in warfare, firm foundation of the Earth, life-giving tree, support of the faithful, glory of angels, undefiled wood, marvelous wonder…

As we can see, we focus on many aspects of the Cross during this feast.

One particular dimension of the Cross is that it is the "confirmation of sufferers." We glorify the Cross of our Lord for it is through the suffering of Christ's voluntary passion that our own suffering in this life makes sense. We refer all of our life to God in praise and thanksgiving. This means the good as well as the bad. This is what St. Paul means when he says, "God forbid that I glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal. 6:14). It is through our own taking up the Cross that we become co-sufferers with Christ.

We say in the hymns, "through the Cross joy has come into all the world." Do we believe this? This is the joy of the Cross. What the evil one means for harm transforms into the very place where death and sin are destroyed. This is why "the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing." Then the Cross makes no sense. Why, if God wanted to manifest His power, why would He not deliver Christ from having to endure the scourging and torturous death on the Cross? The power of God was made more manifest through the death of Christ on that Tree of Life - for through it, death has been killed. Mankind has been set free from sin and death. The hymns say, "the passions of the passionless God has destroyed the passions of the condemned," and "today the death that came to mankind through the eating of the tree, is made of no effect through the Cross."

It is through the transformation of suffering that the power of God is made manifest. Then one is totally free from the results of the sickness of sin: "...but for us who are being saved, it (the Cross) is the power of God." This is what St. Isaac means when he says that the "knowledge of the Cross is concealed in the suffering of the Cross." Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad for this life-giving wood of the Cross, upon which Christ was killed for us men and for our salvation in order to be resurrected and bring life to the fallen!

Father Christopher Foley (SVOTS '06) is the rector and founding priest of Holy Cross Orthodox Mission, Greensboro, North Carolina. Established in 2006 from a small group of faithful in the Greensboro area, Holy Cross has grown to serve over 100 faithful of diverse backgrounds. 

This article was originally published on September 13, 2011.

(No classes, all students on campus)

(MDiv / MA / ThM; no classes, all students on campus)

(No classes, all students on campus)

*Registration has ended for this event. 
For questions, please email musicinstitute@svots.edu

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced musician, enhance your craft and immerse yourself in hymns from the Slavic, Byzantine, Coptic, and Georgian chant traditions this June, at the 2021 St. Vladimir’s Seminary Summer Music Institute. The online event, themed “Unity in the Church through Song,” will take place June 2-5, 2021 and will be hosted by the Seminary’s Institute of Sacred Arts (ISA).

Join an incredible lineup of musical instructors including Anthony J. Maglione, Vladimir Morosan, John Michael Boyer, Tynan Davis, and Benedict and Talia Sheehan—to name but a few. Conference participants will also enjoy exclusive presentations by colleagues pioneering in Orthodox sacred music including keynote lectures, panel discussions, and special pop-up presentations. Lectures and panel discussions will also allow time for Q&A.

“Recent times have left many of us wounded by isolation, division, and fear. Now more than ever we need to understand each other and care for each other,” said ISA Director Dr. Peter Bouteneff. “What better way to express that understanding and care than to immerse ourselves in each other’s different traditions of church singing?”

The Summer Music Institute aims to celebrate and explore the diversity of musical cultures in Orthodoxy and improve our technique as choir singers, directors, and composers. The Institute will provide the unique experience of learning hymns from four chant traditions—Slavic, Byzantine, Coptic, and Georgian—first hand. Led by a team of experts and technicians, you will be given the tools to analyze, understand, and faithfully JOIN IN the songs of our brothers and sisters across the world.

“The Summer Music Institute celebrates the unique capability of music to create unity out of diversity—harmony out of cacophony—by using songs, singers, and teachers from outside our respective traditions to help us become better artists in our own crafts,” said Talia Sheehan. Sheehan, a vocalist, music educator, and conductor, is teaming up with the ISA to put on the event with co-organizers Bouteneff and Dr. Harrison Russin, the Seminary’s director of music. 

Experienced participants will enjoy masterclasses with detailed coaching and feedback in their choice of three disciplines from gifted pedagogues. Beginners will also enjoy a series of masterclass presentations designed for those just starting out in church music. Built like a “boot camp” for new choir directors and singers, the program will offer a quick but thorough introduction to all the necessary skills—musical, liturgical, and interpersonal—they need to succeed as a new church musician.

The Summer Music Institute will kick off Wednesday evening, June 2, with a keynote address by Dr. David Drillock, St. Vladimir’s professor of liturgical music, emeritus. 

Click here to learn more, view bios of instructors and keynote speakers, and see the event schedule.

• (Update: 13 December 2021)

Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary has begun concluding its special year of celebration in honor of former dean and renowned theologian Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann (September 13, 1921–December 13, 1983). The year 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of Fr. Alexander's birth.

On December 13, 2021, the date of Fr. Alexander's remembrance in the Church, the Seminary released another powerful, timeless message resurrected from archived recordings of Schmemann. In it, Fr. Alexander speaks of two fundamental reductions of Christianity, which endure in our day, that obscure what is "horribly difficult"—but truly life-giving—about following Jesus Christ.

The "Year of Schmemann" celebrations kicked off Tuesday, January 26, 2021 with the release of an unearthed recording of Schmemann (embedded below). His words, captured decades ago—on a recording that had recently come into the Seminary's possession—are anything but dated. They are further proof that Fr. Alexander remains "A Voice for Our Time."

Celebrations continued Saturday, January 30, 2021 with The 38th Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture. The online event coincided with the release of the book, A Voice for Our Time: Radio Liberty Talks, Vol. 1, featuring an English translation of Schmemann’s broadcasts into the Soviet Union. New York Times bestselling author Rod Dreher, who wrote the foreword for the book, delivered this year’s lecture. The second volume from St. Vladimir's Seminary (SVS) Press is forthcoming.

On March 17, 2021 St. Vladimir's launched the new podcast, Schmemann Speaks, featuring the words and wisdom of Fr. Alexander from the archives of the Seminary. Listen to the latest episodes below, or subscribe and download Schmemann Speaks on your favorite platforms (Spotify, iTunes, Google Music, and more to come).

May the memory of Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann be eternal! 

A lot of people have been talking about the new book, Science and the Christian Faith (SVS Press), since its release in January. Later this month, have a chat with the author of the popular book himself, Fr. Christopher C. Knight, as he tackles the question, “are science and Christianity in conflict?”

Join The Rev. Dr. Christopher C. Knight and SVS Press Foundations Series Editor Dr. Peter C. Bouteneff online Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. EST for the virtual book launch of Science and the Christian Faith: A Guide for the Perplexed. They’ll host a discussion about the book and its implications for Christians.

• Click HERE to buy your copy of Science and the Christian Faith

There is no cost to attend the webinar, but you must sign up before the registration period ends February 22 at 11 p.m.  

About the Author
Christopher C. Knight holds a Ph.D. in astrophysics and serves as a priest of the Orthodox Church. He is a senior research associate of the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge, England.

About the Foundations Series
Testifying to the faith and creativity of the Orthodox Christian Church, the Foundations Series draws upon the riches of its tradition to address the modern world. The series’ survey texts are suitable both for preliminary inquiry and deeper investigation, in the classroom and for personal study. Foundations Series Editor Dr. Peter C. Bouteneff is an internationally recognized professor of Orthodox theology who teaches at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, NY.

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Registration to attend the Virtual Book Launch of Science and the Christian Faith is now closed. A recording of the event is available here.