The Father Alexander Schmemann Professor of Liturgical Theology at St. Vladimir's Seminary, Dr. Paul Meyendorff, recently traveled to Antiochian Village in Bolivar, PA, to address the 18th Biennial Clergy Symposium of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph, the Archdiocese's newly elected leader, presided over the gathering, his first as head of the Antiochian Archdiocese. Before beginning his lecture, Dr. Meyendorff congratulated the metropolitan-elect. Metropolitan Joseph was the featured speaker at St. Vladimir's Seminary's community Lenten Retreat in 2008.
Nearly 170 SVOTS alumni have served the Church as priests and hierarchs in the Antiochian Archdiocese. "I loved reconnecting with our many St. Vladimir's alumni attending the Symposium," noted Prof. Meyendorff, "and answering their questions about the Seminary's developments. I especially enjoyed seeing so many of my former students."
Held every other summer, the clergy assemblies are sponsored by the Antiochian House of Studies and feature preeminent scholars, monastics, and clergy speakers from the U.S. and around the world. This year's Symposium focused on the theme of healing; as such, Dr. Meyendorff's talk, "Liturgy and Healing," explored how healing permeates the liturgical life of the Church, beginning with the mysteries of Baptism and the Eucharist.
His Eminence Archbishop Joseph has been elected Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, by the Holy Synod of Antioch, meeting in Balamand, Lebanon on Thursday, July 3, 2014. Since its inception in 1938, St. Vladimir's Seminary has trained nearly 175 clergy from the Antiochian Archdiocese (formerly Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese), with these graduates making up about 16% of its alumni base.
The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, seminary dean, upon hearing the announcement, said, “We are all very delighted to hear this news: ‘AXIOS’!
“His Metropolitan-elect Joseph has visited our campus many times, and we have visited with him on the West Coast often and worked with him on various occasions for the upbuilding of the Church,” Fr. John continued. “Most recently I had the pleasure of speaking at his Parish Life Conference last summer, and we all look forward to serving him in the preparation of his students.”
Seminary Chancellor / CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, who once served as a priest in the Antiochian Archdiocese, noted the importance of the election, saying, “I first met Saidna Joseph at the Archdiocesan Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, many years ago. He came to SVOTS to lead our Community Lenten Retreat in 2008, developing one of his favorite themes: ‘priestly formation.’
“Our seminary has, for over sixty years, formed priests for the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese, and we can now look forward to continued service to the Archdiocese under the leadership of Metropolitan Joseph. ‘AXIOS!’,” he exclaimed.
Metropolitan Joseph was born in Damascus, Syria, in 1950. He was consecrated to the Holy Episcopacy on June 30, 1991, at the St. Mary Cathedral in Damascus, after many years of serving as a deacon and a priest. His Eminence was consecrated with the title “Bishop of Katana in Syria” and served as Patriarchal Assistant and Secretary of the Holy Synod of Antioch. In 1995 he was sent by Patriarch Ignatius to America.
In the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, Bishop Joseph was assigned to the West Coast Chancery by Metropolitan Philip (+2014). After self-rule status was awarded to the Archdiocese, Bishop Joseph was enthroned at St. Nicholas Cathedral by Metropolitan Philip as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles and the West on September 12, 2004. On December 11, 2011, at the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in the Patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand in Lebanon, Patriarch Ignatius elevated Bishop Joseph to the rank of Archbishop, in honor of his many years of service as a bishop both in the Antiochian Archdiocese and in the Patriarchate of Antioch.
Imagine walking in the footsteps of Jesus and his followers. Now imagine uncovering firsthand the very buildings they would have seen and discovering objects they would have used in their daily lives, including domestic wares and implements for fishing.
“Such were the experiences of St. Vladimir’s seminarian Elizabeth Siniscalchi and alumnus Priest Aaron Warwick [M.Div., ’09], both of whom participated in the 2014 season of the Bethsaida Excavations Project,” said Nicolae Roddy, Ph.D., associate professor of Old Testament at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, and co-director of the Bethsaida Project since 1996.
Seminarian Siniscalchi, from West Palm Beach, FL, and Fr. Aaron, pastor at St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church, Wichita, KS, along with Dr. Roddy, also a St. Vladimir’s Seminary alumnus [M.A., ’89], labored in sweltering 100-degree heat over a period of two-weeks in June and July. They participated in the archeological dig to help bring the world of Jesus to greater light.
While Dr. Roddy and Fr. Aaron worked in the "fishing" area, dubbed "Area C," Seminarian Siniscalchi worked in another section on Iron Age in "Area A,Seminarian Elizabeth Siniscalchi works in an Iron Age section in Bethsaida South and West," under the direct supervision of Dr. Sarah Kate Raphael during the first week and under Dr. Carl Savage of Drew University during the second week.
Mentioned more than any other city in the New Testament with the exception of Jerusalem and Capernaum, Bethsaida, which means “House of the Fishermen,” is known from the Gospels as the hometown of the apostles Andrew, Peter, and Philip. St. John Chrysostom knew of a tradition that adds James and John, the sons of Zebedee, to that list of fishermen as well.Dr. Nicolae Roddy (left) in Bethsaida with Fr. Aaron Warwick and Elizabeth Siniscalchi
The Gospels relate that Jesus performed miracles in the environs of Bethsaida, most notably healing a blind man and feeding a multitude of people. Because its citizens failed to discern the meaning of Jesus’ mighty works, the city was cursed, along with nearby Capernaum and Chorazin. Lost to history for roughly seventeen centuries, Bethsaida was rediscovered in 1987; it was found nestled at the foot of the Golan Heights near the northern shore of the large freshwater lake the Bible calls the Sea of Galilee, exactly where the first-century historian Josephus places it.
“A large courtyard-style house full of fishing implements was uncovered during the early years of the dig,” related Dr. Roddy. “This season a wide pavement leading from the Fishermen’s House down toward the mouth of the Jordan River and dating to the time of Jesus was exposed, and I’ve dubbed it the ‘Avenue of the Apostles.’ A large Iron Age city lies beneath, which is being excavated elsewhere on the 20-acre mound.”
“I truly want to praise Elizabeth and Fr. Aaron for their contributions to this dig, not only for their hard work but also for the personal examples that they have set before other volunteers,” Dr. Roddy concluded. “I welcome the participation of other SVOTS students and alumni in seasons to come.”
At Creighton University, Dr. Roddy teaches courses in Hebrew Bible / Old Testament. He is past President of the joint Rocky Mountain / Great Plains Region of the American Academy of Religion (AAR), the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), and American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR).He is also Senior Editor for the Journal for the Orthodox Center for the Advancement of Biblical Studies. In addition, Dr. Roddy is a Faculty Associate for the Goren-Goldstein Center for Judaic Studies at the Faculty of Letters, University of Bucharest, Romania. He has lectured at several universities in Romania and has made additional scholarly presentations in Israel, Rome, Berlin, Vienna, and Amsterdam.
For more information about the Bethsaida Excavation Project, you may contact Dr. Roddy personally: nroddy@creighton.edu.
Traveling from around the United States and Canada, eight members of the 2017 Cohort for the Doctor of Ministry Program from three Orthodox jurisdictions gathered on the Yonkers campus of St. Vladimir's Seminary for a June orientation that launched their D.Min. studies. The packed schedule included in-depth discussions with faculty and fellow students that focused on the framework for the D.Min. program, the nature of Orthodox Christian ministry, and the immense challenges facing priests and lay leaders today. Cohort members shared the campus with the deacons-in-training who were attending their liturgical practicum.
The orientation sessions were led by The Very Rev. Dr. Joseph Purpura, Dr. Gayle Woloschak, The Very Rev. Dr. John Jillions, The Rev. Dr. Nicholas Solak, SVOTS Dean The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, and The Rev. Dr. Sergius Halvorsen. Reflecting on the orientation, D.Min. Program Director Fr. Sergius remarked, "Of course, some of our discussion was focused on the nuts and bolts of the program. However, the most valuable outcome was for the students and faculty to begin to form a community of teachers and learners. A doctoral program like this is an amazing opportunity to focus on truly pressing questions, and the more that we support one another academically and spiritually, the better chance that our work will be of benefit to those we are called to serve.
"After all the work that was required to bring this program to this point," concluded Fr. Sergius, "it was such an inspiration to meet the first cohort. They are a wonderful group and I am so privileged to work with them."
For four days at the start of summer, deacons and potential deacons converged once again on the campus of St. Vladimir's Seminary for intense liturgical training, during the 8th Annual Diaconal Liturgical Practicum. Held in conjunction with the Orthodox Church in America's (OCA) Diaconal Vocations Program (DVP), the Practicum is highly recommended by the OCA's Holy Synod of Bishops.
Workshops led by DVP Director Archdeacon Kirill Sokolov, along with seminary professors, provided participants with both practical instruction in serving and also knowledge of the Church's history, liturgy, and priestly orders. At the Practicum's conclusion, participants reflected on the significance of the program.
Luke (Pierce) Scantlin of All Saints of North America Mission, Alexandria, Virginia:
"The Practicum was a great experience. I liked how we not only learned about the practical aspects of serving the Divine Liturgy and the reasons behind it, but also the lectures on liturgical theology, and the voice training. The reinforcement of having daily services to practice all that we were learning or trying to work on, whether in the altar, chanting the hours, or singing in the choir, helped immensely in putting our training into action.
Although the Practicum was for three intense but short days, I still feel like I made some good relationships with other men that I will keep in touch with, even though they are on the other side of the country.
Two thoughts from the instructors that have stayed with me. The John and Paraskeva Skvir Lecturer in Practical Theology, The Very Rev. Dr. Alexander Rentel, said that 'when we are doing liturgy it is the highest calling for a human being.' Seminary Dean The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr noted that 'as deacons (church members), we need to show people that their suffering is Christ's suffering.'"
Reader Ovidiu Vatamanu of St. Mary Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, Cleveland, Ohio:
"First, I really appreciate the intense schedule of the Diaconal Program, 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.! The schedule is similar to a deacon's work, with a lot of sacrifices, spreading Christian love in the Church, at one's day job, at home, and in the community.
Second I would like to acknowledge Archdeacon Kirill's commitment and vision for this program, and his efforts to make it successful.
St. Vladimir's Seminary has very great professors who motivated us, analyzing different cases for us in the Practicum, spreading the word of God. These professors include the Dean, Fr. John; Fr. Alexander Rentel, Fr. Sergius, Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, and the OCA's Chancellor, Fr. John Jillions.
Lastly, I want to emphasize the 'Christian family' feeling of working together as Jesus Christ's servants. It was very impressive how people with such different backgrounds came together from all over the U.S. in order to learn how to be servers of God."
The Very Rev. Macarius Targonsky, a 1955 alumnus of St. Vladimir's Seminary, reposed in the Lord Wednesday, June 25, 2014, at Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, Alaska. He was 84 years old. Services were held on June 30 and July 1, with The Right Rev. David (Mahaffey), bishop of Sitka and Alaska, and other diocesan clergy presiding, and he was buried in the Holy Assumption Orthodox Church Cemetery in Kenai.
Father Macarius was born Sept. 4, 1929 in Meriden, CT. In 1952, he earned his Bachelor's Degree at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, WV, where he was a member and secretary of the Phi Alpha Theta Society. He studied at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary where he earned a diploma, and then completed his studies by graduating from Columbia University and earning a Master of Divinity Degree at St. Vladimir's Seminary, writing his thesis on the preaching of St. John Chrysostom.
"Mr. Targonsky has a real literary talent, as well as a keen understanding of the ideal of the Christian pastor and preacher," wrote St. Vladimir's Professor of Dogmatics Dr. Serge Verhovskoy, Fr. Macarius' thesis evaluator.
Years later, Fr. Macarius made a donation to the Seminary. In his letter he stated, "I hereby with the enclosed check...offer my gift to my spiritual 'mother,' St. Vladimir's Seminary, because from 'her' I had received excellent spiritual training, and am now what and who I am because of her."
Chancellor/CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield has lived and traveled in Alaska. "I remember Fr. Macarius from my own days in Alaska and Kodiak, where he served at Holy Resurrection Church. He was known as a faithful priest and the father of several adopted children that drew him close to St. Herman." Added fellow alumnus Theodore Bazil, senior advisor for Advancement at the Seminary "Fr. Macarius was a good man, and one we will never forget."
After his ordination at New York's Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral by Metropolitan Leonty, Fr. Macarius served for six years in Pennsylvania, at Holy Trinity Church, Wilkes-Barre and St. Mary's Orthodox Church in Osceola Mills, before he and Matushka Marie moved to Alaska to serve at Holy Resurrection Cathedral in Kodiak.
During the years Father and Matushka Marie lived Kodiak, he assisted in the transfer of St. Herman of Alaska's holy relics from Spruce Island to Kodiak, and then hosted the hierarchs, priests and faithful at St. Herman's canonization on August 9, 1970.
Father Macarius briefly left Alaska to fulfill short-term assignments in Buffalo, NY and Kenosha, WI, returning to serve at the Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church in Kenai, and the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord Church in Ninilchik. For the last five years of his life, he was attached to Holy Assumption.
Father was preceded in death by his parents, Helen and Macarii Targonsky, son, Nicholas, 10 brothers and sisters and a grandson, Cecil Demidoff. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Matushka Yvette Marie Tagonsky of Kenai; daughters and sons-in-law, Nina and Rick Weatherly of Modesto, CA, Evdokia (Dunya) and Ron Aho of Kenai; sons and daughters-in-law, Alexander and Nancy Targonsky of Seward, and Dimitri and Annette Targonsky of AK; numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren; and a sister, Lottie Cepanewski of Meriden, CT.
Dr. Elizabeth Theokritoff will present a free, public lecture titled “Cosmic Liturgy and the Problems of Human ‘Priesthood’ ” on Sunday, August 31, 2014, 7 p.m., at the seminary. Sponsored by the St. Herman’s Society for Orthodox Ecology, the lecture will be preceded by a tree-planting ceremony on the campus grounds at 6 p.m., and an Akathist service in Three Hierarchs Chapel, beginning at 6:15 p.m. The lecture itself will be held in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium of the John G. Rangos Family Building, and a public reception will follow.
“The lecture will consider the importance of the metaphors that we choose, and will suggest that some of the energy expended in defining man’s place in creation—as king, priest, or steward, for example—might be better spent in deepening our theological understanding of the material creation in which God has placed us,” explained Dr. Theokritoff. “Metaphors such as ‘priest of creation’ are often over-used, and can obscure rather than illuminate the traditional understanding of God’s creation.”
Dr. Theokritoff studied at Somerville and Wolfson Colleges, Oxford, and earned a doctorate in liturgical theology under the supervision of The Most Rev. Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia. She has served as visiting lecturer at the Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies in Cambridge and as visiting Orthodox Tutor at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Switzerland. She is co-editor of the Cambridge Companion to Orthodox Christian Theology and author of Living in God’s Creation: Orthodox Perspectives on Ecology (SVS Press).
The Rt. Rev. Alexander (Golitzin), bishop of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese, Orthodox Church in America (OCA), will present the second annual Father John Meyendorff Memorial Lecture, 7 p.m., Sunday, September 14, 2014, at the seminary. His Grace has chosen the topic: "Force Your Mind to Descend into the Heart": Some Resemblances between Byzantine Hesychasm and Merkavah Mysticism.”
Raised at Saint Innocent Church, Tarzana, CA, Bishop Alexander received a Bachelor of Arts degree in of Diokleia. During this time, he also spent two years in Greece, including one year at Simonos Petras Monastery on Mount Athos. After receiving his D.Phil. degree in 1980, he returned to the U.S., was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood, and for 22 years, beginning in 1989, he taught in the Theology Department at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, while attached to Ss. Cyril and Methodius Orthodox Church.
The free, public lecture will be held in The Metropolitan Philip Auditorium, located on the top floor of The John G. Rangos Family Building. A reception will follow.
This year's theme for the seminary's annual campus open house, Orthodox Education Day 2014, will be "Do Books Still Matter? A Celebration of Orthodox Christian Publications." “Ed Day” will be held Saturday, October 4 and will pay tribute to the importance of Orthodox Christian authors, illustrators, and publishing houses throughout the world.
Nine Orthodox Christian publishers will display their books and wares:
The celebration of Divine Liturgy in Three Hierarchs Chapel at 9:00 a.m. will begin the day. The Most Blessed Tikhon, archbishop of Washington and Metropolitan of All America and Canada, Orthodox Church in America (OCA) will concelebrate with His Grace Bishop John of Naro-Fominsk, Moscow Patriarchate, His Grace Bishop Saba of the Georgian Apostolic Orthodox Church in North America, and Archbishop Melchisedek of the Archdiocese of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, together with seminary clergy. Antiphonal choirs will be directed by Dr. David Drillock, the seminary’s emeritus Professor of Liturgical Music and editor of several SVS Press music books, and Hdn. Herman (Majkrzak), current lecturer in Liturgical Music and director of Chapel Music.
The dean of the seminary, The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, author of academic, popular, and spiritual works, will present the keynote: “From Scroll to Book to Net: The Web of Knowledge.” The seminary’s own publishing house, St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press (SVS Press), will receive special recognition on its 50th Anniversary Year; many other Orthodox Christian publishers will be invited onto campus to mark the occasion by exhibiting book displays. Additionally, there will be workshops for children and adults, and a variety of ethnic foods and desserts.
During a panel discussion held in The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wednesday evening, June 11, a neuroscientist, an architect, and a theologian explored links between human perception, space, and sound, in tribute to famed Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. Their intriguing conversation was part of the Spark series at the museum, hosted by Julie Burstein, Peabody Award–winning creator of National Public Radio’s Studio 360, and was a collaborative effort between the museum and the Arvo Pärt Project at St. Vladimir’s Seminary.
The Spark series explores vital ideas and issues through the lens of the museum’s collections and programs, and the panel discussion, entitled “Spirit in Sound and Space: A Conversation Inspired by Arvo Pärt,” followed an acclaimed performance of Pärt’s Kanon Pokajanen (“Canon of Repentance”) by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir at the museum’s Temple of Dendur the previous week. Spark panelists—typically experts in wide-ranging disciplines such as theater, film, politics, literature, science, pop culture, music, religion, and so forth—cross the boundaries of their own subject matter to engage in fresh conversations.
Wednesday night’s eclectic panel included Robert Zatorre of the Montreal Neurological Institute, Steven Holl of Steven Holl Architects, and Peter Bouteneff, associate professor of Systematic Theology at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, all of whom are also capable musicians.Dr. Zatorre explained how music engages the primal “reward system” planted deep within the human brain and how humans use the same portion of the brain to navigate spatial configurations and to understand intervals of musical sounds. Mr. Holl described how he has not only created spaces for music but also has designed structures based on musical patterns and scores. Dr. Bouteneff talked about the thread of spirituality—rooted in the Orthodox Christian tradition that Mr. Pärt embraces—that grounds the composer’s masterpieces and weaves unapologetically throughout them.
Enthusiastic audience reaction to the conversation evidenced the popularity of Mr. Pärt’s distinctive music, which received rave reviews in late May and early June when he and his wife, Nora, visited New York City for the first time since 1984 to attend performances of his works in Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall and the Temple of Dendur at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“This panel was a transition from the ‘concert phase’ to the ‘academic phase’ of the Arvo Pärt Project,” said Dr. Bouteneff, co-director of the project with colleague and seminary faculty member Dr. Nicholas Reeves. “Our next endeavors will include publication of my upcoming book Arvo Pärt: Out of Silence (SVS Press 2014) and, hopefully, biennial conferences with performance components.”
