In a presentation centering on Christian identity, Archimandrite Zacharias,a monk of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist, Tolleshunt Knights by Maldon, Essex, England, inspired an audience of more than 100 people with what he termed “domestic theology”—that is, “simple things” in church life that bear profound consequences. Father Zacharias, a disciple of Father Sophrony (of blessed memory) who was a disciple of St. Silouan of Mount Athos, emphasized the importance of each Christian becoming a living Temple of God, but in particular, priests.
“Our identity as members of the body of Christ is of far greater importance than any other identity,” he began, “Many tragedies in the Church are due to the fact that we simply are not aware of our identity as members of Christ’s body.”
Father Zacharias noted several ways to acquire “traces of the presence of Christ in our hearts, so that we begin to build the Temple of God”: invoking Jesus’ name incessantly; bearing a humble and contrite spirit; never judging or condemning others; exchanging our lives for God’s life in the Divine Liturgy; and daily hastening to meet the Coming Christ, living eschatalogically and awaiting the Age to Come. “All of these inscribe (that is, circumcise) our hearts with a trace of Jesus," he observed.
He also stressed the greater responsibility of priests, stating that they must “work in secret to fill their hearts with the Holy Spirit, in order to transmit a living word to the souls of the people they meet.” “Priests are not just celebrants of sacraments,” he said. “We are comforters of souls. Our destiny is to give a word to make people understand their identity within the wondrous body of Christ.”
A new fresco of St. Panteleimon donated to St. Vladimir's Seminary by iconographer Kathryn Pritchett Gulov graces the atrium of the John G. Rangos Family Foundation Building. The icon, modeled after a 12th century fresco in the Monastery of St. Panteleimon in the village of Nerezi, Macedonia, was offered to the Seminary as her way of saying "thank you."
In 2010 Kathryn earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design from the University of Michigan. Over the summers of 2009, 2010, and 2011, she attended St. Vladimir's iconography workshops in Applied Iconology, learning the traditional egg tempera Russo-Byzantine method. Recognizing her talent, instructor Protodeacon Nazari Polataiko encouraged her to pursue deeper study in iconography and church arts. With the assistance and recommendations of Dean The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr and Chancellor/CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, Kathryn entered the full time three-year program for iconographers at St. Tikhon's Orthodox University in Moscow, Russia.
"I am extremely grateful to the Seminary for having offered the summer iconography courses," Kathryn reflects. "I would not be where I am today without St. Vladimir's. Protodeacon Nazari helped prepare me for going to school in Russia, where I not only learned about writing an icon but also about the Russian culture and language."
Kathryn is finishing her third year at St. Tikhon's, studying monumental art: frescos, mosaics, and icons. "Apparently I am the first American to attend," she exclaims. "It is very humbling being surrounded by so many exceptionally talented and hard working artists. While here, I also met, fell in love with, and married my husband Pavel Gulov, who is in the same program."
Saint Tikhon's in Moscow and St. Vladimir's plan to collaborate significantly in the next few years. Last October during an extended trip to Russia, Fr. Chad Hatfield and Fr. John Behr met with members of St. Tikhon's faculty to discuss cooperation in the creation of an Institute of Sacred Arts, with the goal of enabling more talented students like Kathryn to excel in their chosen fields.
Nielsen Professor of Late Antiquity and Byzantine Christian History at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Byzantine Christian Studies at Columbia University.
Father John noted that Lossky’s book is “enduringly fascinating,” and that its publication signaled a significant moment in Orthodox Christian theology. He also emphasized the organic and conciliar process of theology, observing that "Our historians, philosophers, liturgists, exegetes, canonists, educationists, pastors and theologians, all have their part to play in making the future of Orthodox thought: but so too do our children even in their lisping faith, as do the aged and uneducated, the liberal and the illiberal, the ethnic and post-ethnic, and the Old Calendarists as well as the New."
The lecture was preceded by an academic convocation at which Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. John Barnet, representing the Seminary's Board of Trustees and faculty, awarded Fr. John a Doctor of Divinity degree honoris causa. In conferring the honor, The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr called Fr. John “one of the most prolific Orthodox theologians alive today.” Professor Barnett, reading the citation stated that his “works on the great Fathers have given us verbal icons, portraying each figure in all the complexity of their humanity and history, allowing us to see God at work in them, and their theology as a living witness of this grace.”
In addition to the standing room only crowd, the lecture was attended by special guests: His Grace David, bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of New York and New England; His Grace Seraphim, former bishop of Sendai, Japan, Orthodox Church in America (OCA); and Helmar Nielson, former member of the Board of Trustees for Union Theological Seminary, New York City. A public reception followed.
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Gospel reading, January 30
Hierarchs of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) presided over the ordinations of two third-year seminarians in a joyous celebration marking The Feast of the Three Great Hierarchs—Ss. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom—patrons of St. Vladimir's Seminary Chapel. His Beatitude The Most Blessed Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America, ordained Alessandro Margheritino to the Holy Diaconate, and His Eminence the Most Rev. Nikon, archbishop of Boston, New England, and the Albanian Archdiocese, ordained Dn. Nicholas Roth to the Holy Priesthood. After the Liturgy, Chapel clergy and visiting priests blessed the administrative buildings, dormitories, and apartments of students, faculty and staff.
"It was a wonderful day, and I was glad to be able to share it with Dn. Alessandro," said the newly-ordained Fr. Nicholas, who has been serving this year at Ss. Peter and Paul in Jersey City. "I am excited about beginning my ministry and look forward to laboring in the vineyard with the support of Mat. Mary."
Prior to his arrival on campus, Fr. Nicholas served as a Captain in the Army. His military years commenced when he enlisted as an infantryman in 2001, and subsequently deployed overseas for three separate assignments: Iraq from 2005–2006, and again from 2007–2008 after being commissioned a Second Lieutenant; then Afghanistan from 2009–2010. An active participant in community life, Fr. Nicholas has served as a sacristan at Three Hierarchs Chapel, a representative on Student Council, and as the liaison to the Council for the St. Herman of Alaska Student Ecology Group.
Deacon Alessandro has been ministering at Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church in New Haven, CT this school year. "St. Vladimir's forms us with theological, liturgical and pastoral training. But no matter how 'prepared' you might feel, when led to the Altar through the Holy Doors, standing before the Holy Gifts for the first time, you feel a great sense of unworthiness. Then you realize more than ever that it is only with God's grace and the prayers of the faithful that you can begin your ministry."
Born and raised in Palermo, Italy, Dn. Alessandro hails from Ohio, where he is a faithful member of St. Gregory of Nyssa Orthodox Church (OCA) in Columbus with rector The Rev. Matthew Moriak. He has served in short-term missions with the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) and the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) in Albania, Kenya, and Louisiana. The president of Student Council, he holds a B.A. in International Relations – Political Science from the University of Palermo, Italy, and is married to Anna, an iconographer originally from Moscow, Russia. Deacon Alessandro and Anna are expecting their first child at the beginning of April.
Metropolitan Tikhon's homily referred to the Gospel reading from Matthew 5. "We have the comfort of knowing that the Lord desires to dwell within us....Not only saints and bishops, but every Christian is called to reveal the light given to us at our baptism and chrismation. We can do this in whatever place we have been planted, with whatever personality we have been given."
Clergy joining Metropolitan Tikhon and Archbishop Nikon included: The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, Dean; The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, Chancellor/CEO; The Very Rev. Dr. John Jillions, OCA Chancellor; The Very Rev. Joseph Lickwar, Ss.Peter and Paul Church, Jersey City, NJ; The Very Rev. Michael Westerberg, Holy Transfiguration Church, New Haven, CT; The Very Rev.Eric Tosi, OCA Secretary; SVOTS Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology The Very Rev. Dr. Harry Pappas; The Very Rev. Marcus Burch, Chancellor (OCA Diocese of the South); SVOTS Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric The Very Rev. Dr. Sergius Halvorsen; SVS Press Editor-in-Chief The Rev. Dr. Benedict Churchill; and The Rev. James Parnell, All Saints Church, Hartford, CT. In addition to ordinand Dn. Nicholas, four deacons participated: Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, The Rev. Dn. Gregory Hatrak, The Rev. Dn. Scott Miller, and The Rev. Dn. Kyle Parrott.
The St. Ambrose Society at St. Vladimir's Seminary sponsored a free, public lecture on February 23, Sunday, 3:30 pm, in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium on campus. “Preaching the Word of the Lord: Being an Orthodox Christian in the Post-Christian Public Square,” was presented by Dr. Herman Tristram Engelhardt, who holds doctorates in Medicine (Tulane University, 1972) and Philosophy (University of Texas, 1969). Dr. Engelhardt's principal research has been in the area of bioethics, and his major contribution to Orthodox ethics is his book, The Foundations of Christian Bioethics. He is presently Professor of Philosophy at Rice University and Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, both in Houston, Texas.
His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, primate of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, paid an informal visit to the seminary campus just on the eve of the Feast of the Three Hierarchs. During his short but impressive stay, he conversed comfortably and easily at an afternoon tea with administrators, faculty, and staff from the seminary, and administrators from the Office of the Chancery of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), including His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the OCA and The Very Rev. Dr. John Jillions, chancellor.
Other guests at the gathering were His Eminence The Most Rev. Nikon, archbishop of Boston, New England, and the Albanian Archdiocese (OCA); His Eminence, Metropolitan John of Korçës, Albania; seminary Trustee Anne Glynn Mackoul; and The Reverend Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos, secretary to His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America. Mrs. Mackoul, who has known Archbishop Anastasios for sixteen years through their work together at the World Council of Churches (WCC), facilitated the visit, at the invitation of the seminary's Dean.
"I was so pleased to be able to help facilitate the invitation to His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios for an informal visit to the seminary," said Mrs. Mackoul. "His Beatitude and I had spoken the previous evening during the celebration sponsored by Fordham University's Orthodox Christian Studies Center on the occasion of his having been awarded an honorary degree and having delivered the annual Orthodoxy in America address and noted that St Vladimir's was 'just a stone's throw' from Fordham. It was wonderful that he was able to find the time to accept this impromptu invitation and a real joy for me to be able to welcome this beloved and venerable Orthodox patriarch again to our campus."
During the conversation Archbishop Anastasios gave attention to two topics—missionary activity and book publishing—with particular zeal.
"It was wonderful to be able to hear more about his rich experience in the missionary field and his thoughts about our task for [evangelization] today," said the Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, seminary Dean. Likewise, seminary Chancellor/CEO, The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, noted the archbishop's "appreciation for our seminarians who have been coming annually on mission trips to Albania."
The archbishop also had a focused conversation with SVS Press & Bookstore personnel about two of his books, as well as the publishing industry and the publications department of the Church in Albania and its distribution system. His Beatitude, who is Emeritus Professor of the History of Religions of the National University of Athens, where he taught for twenty years, has published eight books and more than 150 articles, including an SVS Press volume, Facing the World: Orthodox Christian Essays on Global Concerns.
"We were delighted with his company," said The Rev. Dr. Benedict Churchill, editor-in-chief at SVS Press, who met with the archbishop, along with Marketing and Operations Manager The Rev. Dn. Gregory Hatrak, and SVS Press Production Manager Michael Soroka.
Sold out! Thursday, May 1, 7:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m. concert at The Glicker-Milstein Theatre, in the Diana Center, 3009 Broadway (Sign up for the waiting list)
Eleftherios Eleftheriadis, highly regarded Protopsaltis of St. Nicholas Shrine Church in Flushing, NY, will also present several selections. He has taught two public continuing education course in Byzantine Music at St. Vladimir's. Dr. Peter Bouteneff, associate professor of Systematic Theology, will be a panelist in a discussion which follows the May 1 concert.
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean without leaving his office, St. Vladimir's Assistant Professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric The Rev. Dr. J. Sergius Halvorsen presented a paper at a conference hosted by St. Tikhon's Orthodox University in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1992, the University has hosted an annual theological conference for 24 years and this was Dr. Halvorsen's second year to participate via the internet.
The theme of this year's conference, "Distance Education in Theology: Practice, Problems, and Prospects," fell within Dr. Halvorsen's area of expertise. As one who is familiar with the challenges and benefits of distance learning, he directs the Doctor of Ministry Program at St. Vladimir's, now in its final stages of meeting New York State requirements prior to receiving full authorization.
The professor's paper, offered to the Russian students on January 22, was titled "The inverted classroom: how effective teaching goes beyond content delivery." "Good teaching goes beyond simply giving a lecture," he explained to his virtual Moscow classroom, with the aid of a translator. "The inverted concept is gaining traction as a way of educating, and it works like this: students view videotaped lectures outside of class, while time in class is used for discussion and engagement, rather than passive listening."
The St. Vladimir's professor emphasized that it is critical for seminarians to focus on practical applications throughout their years of theological study. "In the last judgment," he stressed, "Jesus never asks anyone how much do you know, but what did you do?" The Church in Russia, he added, is dealing with staggering numbers of new converts and there is an urgent need for solid theological teaching in the distance learning context. "I'm impressed by the work they are doing at St. Tikhon's in Moscow. Clearly they are laboring to reach out to a vast population of Russians who have received little intentional Christian formation."
Saint Tikhon's Orthodox University and St. Vladimir's plan to collaborate significantly in the next few years. Last October, St. Vladimir's Chancellor/CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield and Dean The Very. Rev. Dr. John Behr met with members of St. Tikhon's faculty to discuss cooperation in the creation of an Institute of Sacred Arts. More information about the Institute is available in the "SVS Strategic Plan 2020," recently approved by the Board of Trustees.
Khouria Frederica Mathewes-Green, popular Orthodox Christian speaker, author, and pro life advocate, made our Seminary's participation in the 41st March for Life in Washington, D.C. very special this year. Not only did she travel with St. Vladimir's Seminary's contingent to the nation's capital for the March—which annually marks the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in all fifty states—but she also gave an informal talk on campus the prior evening, concerning her own history with the pro life movement. She especially addressed members of the St. Ambrose Society, a student-led group that organizes the Seminary's participation in the March, and which is dedicated to promoting awareness about pro life issues from cradle to grave.
"When I was a college student and a feminist in the early '70s, there were no sonograms, and we couldn't view the life in the womb," noted Kh. Frederica in her talk. "We used the phrase 'a glob of tissue' to describe the unborn child; it seemed absurd that people would be sentimental about this."
Then, she said, a pregnant friend showed her a flier chronicling the progress of a growing baby. She was stunned by the hidden beauty and perfection of the tiny life.
"I began to realize that abortion was becoming a big funnel to dispose of the problems caused by promiscuity and unplanned pregnancies—nobody's life had to change because the whole thing could remain a secret. Why had we feminists decided this was okay?" she related.
Khouria Frederica went on to serve with pro life advocacy groups and published numerous books and articles on related topics, including Real Choices: Listening to Women; Looking for Alternatives to Abortion. She continually advocates for awareness of pro life issues within Orthodox Christian circles, drawing from history to illustrate that "Christians stood against infanticide and abortion from the beginning." Although she cites statistics indicating that younger Americans have become more and more pro life (American Grace, 2010), she still believes "there is much to be done in church circles regarding pro life issues."
The formation of a seminarian happens both inside and outside the classroom. Over the course of the 2013–2014 winter break, three St. Vladimir's seminarians participated in the first-ever International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) Seminary Action Team. Together with junior seminarian Sara Staff and middler Tor Vergard Svane, I traveled to New Orleans to join nine other seminarians from five Orthodox theological schools to work as part of an IOCC home-build team, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. The leader of our group, IOCC's Country Representative for the United States, Dan Christopulos, was joined by his co-leader The Very Rev. Paul Wesche, rector of St. Herman's Orthodox Church (Orthodox Church in America) and president of the Minnesota Eastern Orthodox Christian Clergy Association.
Thanks to the generosity of many donors, IOCC was able to offer this great opportunity to seminarians for the minimal cost of $150, which included our flight plus our room and board. In the last few years the organization has provided hands-on opportunities for ministry within the United States, allowing students, professionals, and retirees to work together to help out their most vulnerable neighbors. Subsequent to two major hurricanes, Katrina in 2005 and Ike in 2008, IOCC has mobilized teams of volunteers to help build homes for those displaced by these tragic disasters through their long-term partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
Our team flew to New Orleans in the early evening after the Feast of Theophany, on January 7, and stayed through Sunday afternoon, January 12. After an orientation on Tuesday morning we split into small teams working in different sections of two houses, sheetrocking ceilings and walls for eight hours each day. Most of us had very little experience in construction, and we made our fair share of mistakes measuring walls incorrectly or putting a few screws in the wrong places. However, the Habitat supervisors patiently guided and taught us what we needed to know; they modeled for us an example of forbearance with our inexperience and care for us personally. We will remember their example when we are called upon to show the same spirit in our future ministry with people we will serve in the Church.
After finishing a full day of physical labor, we were allowed time for reflection and prayers in the evenings. In our open discussions on the team, we learned more about the work of IOCC, and how we might further the cause of Christian charity once we leave St. Vladimir's. We also made time to drive around those neighborhoods of New Orleans that were most devastated by the hurricanes. In the Lower Ninth Ward, many of the lots are still empty, and only a few bricks on the ground indicate where houses once stood, while a number of houses are still severally damaged.
One of the most rewarding aspects of our trip was the inter-seminary fellowship. There are very few events which bring seminarians from different schools and different jurisdictions together. Seminarian Sara Staff commented afterwords that "The IOCC home-build mission trip was especially meaningful in that we worked toward a common goal alongside fellow seminarians from across the United States...gaining a new perspective on missions in general. It was very challenging to be reminded that Christ's love is made manifest through His people ministering to the poor. I hope to cultivate and share all that I have learned!"
Added Seminarian Tor Svane, "As a seminarian we learn many things in the classroom, but there is less time to put into practice the love of Christ in a practical manner such as this. Working in New Orleans together in a physical and down-to-earth context brought us together in a way that academic work couldn't have done. Friendships were made and strengthened through our shared labor and our common goal, and I thank God for this opportunity."
