Highly influential global scholars and artists took seriously the task of “Rethinking Sacred Arts” at a weekend symposium entitled the same and held on our seminary campus September 16–18, 2016. Participants drew from their respective disciplines and expertise in exploring both historic categories and new ways of thinking about “sacrality” and “art.”    

The symposium, which included a public Panel Discussion on Saturday evening attended by an audience of 75 people, was the first in a series of events planned between Fall 2016 and Spring 2018 by the Seminary, all of which are a part of its Sacred Arts Initiative (SAI) funded by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation. Peter C. Bouteneff, professor of Systematic Theology at the Seminary and director of the SAI, coordinated the symposium, along with Dn. Evan Freeman, seminary alumnus and Ph.D. candidate in the Department of the History of Art at Yale University, Richard Schneider, professor of Iconology and Hermeneutics at the Seminary, and Megan Carlisle Rakowski, a trained archivist and seminary alumna.

“In thinking freshly about what it means to call something ‘sacred,’” noted Dr. Bouteneff, “our symposium participants reflected on the dialogical relationship between God and the human person. It is in the human response to God that we create and partake in objects, spaces, words, and sounds that bring us to the encounter with and praise of God.

“Our symposiasts also spoke appreciatively of the unique contribution that the Orthodox world can offer in reflecting theologically on the material world, on human creativity, and on the coming together of the sacred arts in the context of the Liturgy,” he noted. “Their participation in our chapel services made a great impression on them in that regard.”

Among the prestigious participants, three were within the Orthodox Christian tradition: sacred music composer Fr. Ivan Moody, chairman of the International Society for Orthodox Church Music and currently a researcher at CESEM-Universidade Nova de Lisboa; Vasileios Marinis, associate professor of Christian Art and Architecture at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Divinity School; and George Kordis, iconographer and former professor in Iconography (Theory and Practice) at the University of Athens.

Other participants represented a wide spectrum of confessional beliefs and disciplines and included: Gordon Graham, Henry Luce III Professor of Philosophy and the Arts, Princeton Theological Seminary; Helen C. Evans, Mary and Michael Jaharis Curator for Byzantine Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Annemarie Weyl Carr, University Distinguished Professor of Art History, Southern Methodist University (Emerita); Peter Jeffery, Michael P. Grace Chair in Medieval Studies and Professor of Musicology and Ethnomusicology, Notre Dame University; Margot Fassler, Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Music and Liturgy, University of Notre Dame; Judith Wolfe, senior lecturer in Theology and the Arts, University of St. Andrews, Scotland; and Mary Carruthers, professor of English, New York University (Emerita) and Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.

The next SAI event will be an international conference entitled, “Sounding the Sacred,” May 1–4, 2017, which will continue the work of the Arvo Pärt Project at St. Vladimir’s Seminary.

Listen to the public Panel Discussion here.
See a photo gallery of the symposium, by Mary Honoré, here.

The Amsterdam Center for Orthodox Theology (ACOT) has announced that the Executive Board of Vrije Universiteit (VU) on September 1, 2016, appointed the Very Reverend Dr. John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) and professor of Patristics, to its newly established Metropolitan Kallistos Chair of Orthodox Theology. In this part-time position, Fr. John will visit Amsterdam and work at VU a number of times each year, as he continues his work at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. As a professor at VU, Fr John will also be able to supervise doctoral students.

Father Michael Bakker, director of ACOT, commented on Fr. John’s credentials and teaching gifts, saying, “Besides excellent academic qualifications, Father John Behr brings with him great experience in educating students of diverse backgrounds in an international context. Our students will serve their communities in a pluriform society, and they need to be able to reflect critically on their own faith.

“We have calculated that The Netherlands has about 190 thousand inhabitants with an Orthodox background,” continued Fr. Michael. “Approximately 55 thousand of them belong to the Oriental Orthodox family, for example, Armenians, Copts, Ethiopians.

“In 2015,” Fr. Michael further explained, “the Dutch Minister of Education decided to grant VU a special budget to educate clergy for these growing churches. At the time of Fr. John’s inaugural lecture at VU on Friday, January 13, 2017, details will be provided about ACOT’s Orthodox programs.”

 Professor Wim Janse, dean of the Faculty of Theology at ACOT, added, “A full and dedicated chair in Orthodox theology broadens and enriches our academic horizon.”

Father John received his doctorate in 1995 from the University of Oxford after being supervised by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware. His doctoral work, which examined issues of asceticism and anthropology, focused on Ss. Irenaeus of Lyons and Clement of Alexandria and was published by Oxford University Press (OUP). Father John also founded the Formation of Christian Theology series at St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press (SVS Press), which includes his books The Way to Nicaea and The Nicene Faith; his subsequent book The Mystery of Christ: Life in Death synthesized those studies. More recently Fr. John published a poetic, meditative work entitled Becoming Human: Theological Anthropology in Word and Image, and also a full study of St. Irenaeus: St. Irenaeus of Lyons: Identifying Christianity. He has completed a new edition and translation of Origen’s On First Principles (OUP, 2017), and he currently is working on a new edition and translation of the works of St. Irenaeus of Lyon and on a book on the Gospel of St John.

On Saturday, September 24, 2016, 9 am–2 pm, our Dean, Fr. John Behr, will deliver public lectures on the topic "Finding Christ in the Scriptures," as part of The Bible Symposium and Ecumenical Festival of Our Lady of Walsingham, at The Cathedral of All Saints, 62 S. Swan St., Albany, NY.

LEARN MORE / GET TICKET

CONTACT: The Cathedral Office at 518.465.1342 or office@thechaedralofallsaints.org

On Saturday, September 17, 2016, at 7 p.m., St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary will host a panel discussion titled, “Rethinking Sacred Arts.” The event, which is open to the public, will feature 11 renowned international scholars and artists, drawing on their expertise in the study, practice, and interpretation of the visual arts, music, rhetoric, and aesthetics.

The panel discussion will top off a weekend-long “Sacred Arts Symposium,” which is the first in a series of events planned between Fall 2016 and Spring 2018 by the Seminary, all of which are a part of the Seminary’s Sacred Arts Initiative (SAI). These SAI events are funded by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, and are designed to explore the Seminary’s contribution to the study and practice of the Sacred Arts.

The prestigious panel will be made up of Fr. Ivan Moody, Universidade Nova de Lisboa; Gordon Graham, Princeton Theological Seminary; Helen Evans, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Vasileios Marinis, Yale Divinity School; George Kordis, University of Athens; Christina Maranci, Tufts University; Annemarie Weyl Carr, Southern Methodist University (Emerita); Peter Jeffery and Margot Fassler, University of Notre Dame; Judith Wolfe, St. Andrews, Scotland; and Mary Carruthers, New York University (Emerita). Peter C. Bouteneff, professor of Systematic Theology at St. Vladimir’s and director of the SAI, will introduce the discussion.

The event will be held in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium of the John G. Rangos Family Building on the seminary campus. Admission is free.

Download the flyer.

Visit our #GivingTuesday resource page and access tools you'll need to help us spread the word!

Meet St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s #GivingTuesday Partner 2016: IEIRA, an online, virtual university in Guatemala, which gives hope and a future to children at Hogar Rafael and San Miguel del Lago, Orthodox Christian orphanages. The university was founded by Igumeni Madre Inés, abbess of the Orthodox Monastery of the Holy Trinity (Monasterio Ortodoxo de la Santa Trinidad) in Guatemala.

Madre Inés realized that children who had to leave these orphanages under her care at age 18 (in accordance with the civil law) needed higher education to prepare them to be productive citizens in society. So, with the blessing of Metropolitan Archbishop Antonio Chedraoui and the academic cooperation of the University of Balamand (specifically related to courses in Holy Scripture), she founded IEIRA, which offers these children hope and a future. The new online university is made by an international core team of 22 committed members and about 50 international professors preparing the online courses  as eBooks.

Learn more: visit the websites of Hogar Rafael Ayau and San Miguel del Lago, and of Friends of the Hogar Rafael Ayau.

An incoming class of 38 students brings our Seminary’s total student count for Academic Year 2016–2017 to 77. Our amazingly diverse student body represents 13 Eastern Orthodox and 5 Oriental Orthodox churches. Most seminarians are from the USA, but they also hail from Australia, Canada, Albania, Finland, Serbia, Sweden, Lebanon, Greece, Israel, Germany, Uganda, and New Zealand.

“From its inception,” said Archpriest Chad Hatfield, CEO of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, “our school has made incarnate its vision for Orthodox Christian unity in North America by accepting seminarians from all Eastern and Oriental Orthodox jurisdictions.

“It also has accepted Orthodox students from around the globe, and non-Orthodox students who want to take advantage of the unique coursework it offers,” he continued, “and this year, our student body especially illustrates the vision of the Seminary’s founders.”

Students will be studying in four degree programs: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts, Master of Theology, and Doctor of Ministry. Thirty-seven students are enrolled in the ordination track Master of Divinity program, and 20 are enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program, which focuses on applied pastoral practice. All new students attended Orientation during the weekend of August 26–28, and new and returning students attended an Opening Molieben service on Friday, August 26. Fall semester classes began Monday, August 29.

Read about some of our new students here!

The Very Reverend Dr. Eugen J. Pentiuc, associate dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, and teacher of Scripture at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, has just completed his research work at École Biblique et Archéologique Française (EBAF) in Jerusalem.

For four summers (2010, 2013, 2015, 2016), Fr. Eugen has been working assiduously on his contribution—the Book of Hosea—to the first digital Study Bible, launched in 2008 and titled “La Bible en ses traditions” (B.E.S.T.) / “The Bible in Its Traditions.”  By the end of 2016, Fr. Eugen’s work will be embedded into a pre-designed template on the official B.E.S.T website (www.bibest.org).

The Very Reverend Chad Hatfield, CEO of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, remarked, "This significant project reflects the high energy and biblical scholarship that Fr. Eugene’s students admire and his peers respect.”

B.E.S.T. continues a long tradition of EBAF, which created the first Study Bible, La Bible de Jerusalem (1956), also known as The New Jerusalem Bible. The new digital Study Bible offers the modern reader a fresh scriptural translation based on the Greek (Septuagint), Hebrew (Masoretic), Syriac (Peshitta), and Latin (Vulgate) texts, accompanied by a wide array of study notes, which are divided into three sections: text, context, and reception. The translation covers various interpretive aspects: from textual, lexical, and literary notes to Jewish and Christian patristic and liturgical commentaries and theological treatises, and further includes modern and secular forms of scriptural usage (e.g., literature, visual arts, music, dance, cinema, and so forth).

The Very Reverend Dr. John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, commented on the B.E.S.T. project saying, “Father Eugen’s wonderful work shows that he is at the cutting edge of scriptural scholarship worldwide, bringing the best of the Orthodox tradition into dialogue with contemporary scholarship. This project is a blessing for all those who want to engage deeply with the Word of God’.”

Father Olivier-Thomas Venard, OP, B.E.S.T. project executive director, also acknowledged Fr. Eugen’s vital contribution, saying, “We owe Fr. Eugen a great debt of gratitude for his excellent work on Hosea.

“Father Eugen’s contribution will be published by Peeters,” he continued, “and we hope and will do all that is possible for it to be ready for presentation at the 2017 annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) in Boston.”

Further commenting on Fr. Pentiuc’s work, Dr. James C. Skedros, dean and Cantonis Professor of Byzantine Studies and Professor of Early Christianity at Holy Cross, noted, “We are very proud of Fr. Eugen’s association with B.E.S.T. As an internationally known Orthodox Biblical scholar, Fr. Eugen’s work on Hosea will not only make an important contribution to biblical scholarship and reception history, but will also bring honor and recognition to Holy Cross and to Orthodox biblical scholarship.”

Invitation by Olivier-Thomas Venard to Holy Cross  and St. Vladimir's Seminary

The Very Reverend Dr. John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS), returned home from a 3-week teaching assignment in Australia with gifts of an Akubra hat, boomerang, and hand-painted icon of St. Athanasius. In turn, he left behind enormously significant “gifts” for local Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christian communities in the Land Down Under.

From June 24–July 10, 2016, Fr. John taught an intensive course in Patristics titled “The School of Alexandria” at St. Athanasius Coptic Theological College (SAC). As well, he served and delivered public lectures in ten parishes affiliated with Greek, Russian, Antiochian, Serbian, and Coptic Orthodox communities; headlined a “Youth in Christ” meeting; led a spiritual retreat for clergy titled, “Life in Christ”; and gave a nationally syndicated interview on ABC Radio’s “The Spirit of Things” program.

Additionally, he delivered a paper at the annual ANZATS (Australian and New Zealand Association of Theological Schools), reporting for the first time in public on the findings from his new edition and translation of and extensive introduction to Origen’s On First Principles (to be published by OUP in December 2017). At the same conference he also participated in book launch of the title, The Life of Repentance and Purity, by Pope Shenouda III, a collaborative publication between St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press (SVS Press) and SAC Press which has become the fastest selling title in SVS Press’s history.

Also included in his schedule were personal meetings with His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos (Harkianakis), primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia and dean and founder of St. Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Theological College, Sydney; and His Eminence, Archbishop Paul (Saliba), metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines. All told, Fr. John spoke to nearly 1,300 people in the metro areas of Sydney and Melbourne.

Father John’s whirlwind teaching engagements were coordinated by two St. Vladimir’s alumni: His Grace Bishop Dr. Suriel, chancellor and dean of SAC and bishop of the Diocese of Melbourne and Affiliated Regions (Coptic Church); and Christine Jabbour Ayoub (M.A. ’03). Both offered high praise and appreciation for Fr. John’s visit.

In the July 10 and July 17, 2016 editions of Epsajee (The Word), a diocesan publication of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Bishop Suriel stated, "Our visiting lecturer, Father John Behr, has returned to New York, leaving behind a legacy of academic rigor in learning, a love of the church fathers, and a genuine commitment to cultivate service and community in our Christian journey.

“Words could not fully capture the impact that Fr. John’s visit and input has had upon students, staff, clergy and others at SAC,” he continued, “And everyone has been challenged by Fr. John’s dedication to lifelong learning, his love of God, and his generosity in sharing his profound knowledge of church history—especially the early church fathers—in a contemporary, eloquent, and engaging manner.”

Father John himself expressed gratitude for the opportunities given to him to renew and strengthen ties between St. Vladimir’s Seminary and a broad base of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christian communities—ties that in part began with a visit to Australia by Dean Emeritus Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko (+2015) in 1997. He especially remarked on burgeoning possibilities for future student exchange, and joint work between the publication houses of SVOTS and SAC.

“I am expecting more Australian students, at the request of Bishop Suriel, to come to our Seminary in New York to be carefully and highly educated in our Master of Arts and Master of Theology Programs,” said Fr. John, “and then to return to SAC as faculty prepared to influence hundreds and hundreds of future students by instruction in sound theology.

“They, along with many other foreign students we’re expecting—Antiochian, Serbian, Greek—will join our American family here at SVOTS,” he said, “continuing our long history of being the place where Orthodox Christians of all ethnic and jurisdictional backgrounds are praying and studying together in unity.

“Moreover,” he added, “SAC Press will also soon begin acting as a distribution center for SVS Press books in Australia, and this amazing arrangement will allow St. Vladimir’s to continue its mission of spreading the Word of God through the written word.”

The ongoing feedback regarding Fr. John’s recent visit to Australia indicates that his positive predictions will bear out. His teaching assistant at SAC for his summer/winter (Australia) course titled, “The School of Alexandria”—which examined the key figures of Origen, St. Athanasius, and St. Cyril and their influence on the development of theological thought—was Abraam Mikhail, an Australian seminarian who is currently studying at SVOTS and who does indeed plan to return to SAC as faculty after earning his degree.

Mr. Mikhail summed up his learning experience by saying, “Father John is very engaging, and his attention to detail makes us focus and think and re-think—or read and re-read—the text. His famous line is: ‘struggle with the text!’ and I would daresay it’s been not only a valuable but also an enjoyable experience.”

As the Aussies would say, “Good on ya, mate!”

View a video of Fr. John speaking at St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church, Kensington, VIC, Australia, at the invitation of Bishop Suriel, on the topic, “Standing by the Cross, Putting on Christ” .

View Fr. John’s full public itinerary in Australia.
View a photo gallery of Fr. John's visit to Australia.

On Monday, January 30, 2017, Dr. Lewis Patsavos, retired professor of Canon Law and director of Field Education at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, will deliver the 34^th Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Lecture, titled: “Reflections of a Canonist: Account of a Teaching Ministry Spanning Four Decades."

Dr. Patsavos earned his Doctorate in Theology from the University of Athens, Greece in 1974, and he subsequently taught at Holy Cross for 40 years. His dual responsibilities of teaching Orthodox Canon Law and directing the school’s Field Education Program enabled him to experience the pastoral nature of the canons contextually in ministerial settings.

Currently, he serves as the Consultant on Canonical Affairs to the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and other Orthodox Jurisdictions in the United States. His commitment to ecumenical dialogue has allowed him to participate for over twenty-five years in the North American Orthodox–Roman Catholic Bilateral Consultation. 

He has edited several volumes of the Greek Orthodox Theological Review, and he has published numerous articles and four books, his latest volume being A Noble Task: Entry into the Clergy in the First Five Centuries (Holy Cross Orthodox Press), which embodies the theory of the canons and patristic texts regarding priesthood and the praxis of ministry. 

The Schmemann Lecture, which is open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium of the John G. Rangos Building. A reception will follow the presentation.

Get a glimpse of Dr. Patsavos, speaking on the Sunday of Orthodoxy 2013, at Ss. and Paul Orthodox Cathedral, Potomac, MD.

Download a flyer to share.

Seminary Trustee Elsie Skvir Nierle fell asleep in the Lord on Sunday, July 17, 2016, just two weeks after her 89th birthday. She had served on St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Board of Trustees from 1994–2005. Upon her retirement from board service, His Beatitude Metropolitan Herman (then president of the Board) and her fellow trustees honored her with the bestowal of the title, “Trustee Emerita.”

“Elsie was an exceptionally generous woman who understood that the every ‘house’ needs a firm foundation,” said Theodore Bazil, senior advisor for Advancement at the Seminary, “and she funded numerous programs and projects for the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) and its seminaries.”

In 2002, Mrs. Skvir Nierle founded the “John and Paraskeva Skvir Chair in Practical Theology” at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, an Academic Chair established in honor of her parents. The Chair was held by the Very Reverend Paul Lazor until his retirement, and currently is held by the Very Reverend Dr. Alexander Rentel.

Additionally, in 1986 she established The Mary Skvir Memorial Scholarship Fund, named in honor of her departed sister; interest income from that scholarship fund is distributed equally between students at St. Vladimir’s Seminary and St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. In 1986, she also established "The Father John Skvir Memorial Pastoral Fellowship Endowment of The Orthodox Church in America.”

In her professional life, Mrs. Skvir Nierle was a practicing nurse, having graduated from the Diploma School of Nursing, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, in 1949. As well, she was a nursing instructor at the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, she served on The Ganister Orthodox Foundation Committee of the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania, a charitable organization that supported the special projects of many Orthodox Christian non-profits, including projects at St. Vladimir’s Seminary.

Mrs. Skvir Nierle was a long-time member of Holy Cross Orthodox Church, Williamsport, PA. Family and friends will be received from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday evening, July 20, at Holy Cross Orthodox Church, 1725 Holy Cross Lane, with a brief memorial service at 7 p.m. The funeral service will be held at the church Thursday morning, July 21,  at 11 a.m., followed by a luncheon at the church social hall. Burial will be at St. Mary's Holy Assumption Orthodox Church Cemetery in Ganister, at 5 p.m. Thursday evening. Arrangements are being made by Crouse Funeral Home, and a full obituary is available on their website: www.crousefuneralhome.com.

Memory Eternal!