“We have a full complement of students in all our programs this year,” said Pdn. Joseph Matusiak, director of Admissions at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, “with 20 new seminarians enrolled in our core Master of Divinity program, 15 new students in our Master of Arts program, and 4 new students in our Master of Theology program.

 “The campus is already buzzing with activity as new students begin Orientation,” noted Pdn. Joseph.

 The 39 new seminarians are joining 28 returning students, twenty of which are continuing their studies in the Master of Divinity program; additionally, 5 part-time students and 10 more students who are finishing their degree program requirements are enrolled. The total student body for Academic Year 2013–2014 equals 83.

New students are following an Orientation schedule Friday, August 23 through Sunday, August 25. Classes for all students will begin on Monday, August 26.

The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, dean, served the opening Molieben for the new students and preached from the Gospel of John, chapter 17, on Jesus’ words, “The hour has now come.”

“The hour has now come,” repeated Fr. John, “Reflect upon these words: Jesus Christ had come to teach the Truth about the Father and the Christ, and the Gospel tells us that knowledge of Christ is eternal life and not just abstract knowledge.

“Also reflect upon the fact that we have just read the same Gospel that is read on Holy Thursday, the time of Christ’s Passion,” he continued. “We also, in this place, are being made ‘one’ through the Passion that we all are about to undergo here, for we are not here just to gain information but to undergo a transfiguration and transformation.”

The Seminary’s Chancellor (CEO), The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, in his opening address quoted Metropolitan Theophilus, who was President of the Seminary when it began in 1938, saying, “ ‘We need educated servants from different cultural backgrounds. Polemic work necessitates preparation.’”

The new class of seminarians represents a range of ecclesial bodies: 9 from the Orthodox Church in America, 6 from the Antiochian Archdiocese, and students from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, Moscow Patriarchate, and Serbian Orthodox Church, among others, as well as Oriental Orthodox students from the Coptic, Malankara, and Armenian churches. The class also includes other interesting demographics: 8 of the 39 students are women; 11 of them are married; and 25 are under the age of thirty.

“This Class, as our 75th anniversary class, is unique,” observed Fr. Chad. “Now is the time not only to look back at our history but also to creatively engage in today's new challenges. We never want to lose sight of the fact that we are a missionary school, and we want our graduates to have a zeal for spreading the Orthodox faith. We need your energy, and your willingness to sacrifice.”

The Rev. Dr. David Mezynski, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, added, "St. Vladimir’s is truly blessed to have so many students living in community with a common goal: to live a life well pleasing to God, a life of acquiring virtue, a life in pursuit of theology—the experience and knowledge of Him.

"They remind me of a statement by St. Niketas Stethatos (paraphrasing Acts 4:32), who wrote, 'And among the disciples of our Lord there was but a single soul and a single heart…'," continued Fr. David. "Through our own ascetic labors we as a community strive to realize this unity by laying down our lives for our brothers and sisters in Christ, so that at the end of their studies our students might go forth across the world to bear witness to our Savior and to guide those entrusted to them in this life of love."

View an Orientation Schedule 2013 

 Photos by John Patrick Nieuwsma

Oxford University Press (OUP) has just released Irenaeus of Lyons: Identifying Christianity, by The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, dean and professor of Patristics at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. This complete study of St. Irenaeus, the first great theologian of the Christian tradition, is set within the milieu of the second century but also references the contemporary world, and is part of OUP's Christian Theology in Context series.

“The issues addressed by St. Irenaeus are very much alive again,” notes Fr. John. In Irenaeus of Lyons, Fr. John outlines how the towering early Christian figure successfully refuted and triumphed over his opponents, thereby establishing a framework for orthodox Christian belief at a critical juncture in the Church’s history.

The new title follows on the heels of Fr. John’s 2011 release, The Case Against Diodore and Theodore—a "ground-breaking" work according to the Oxford publisher—which was a part of its Oxford Early Christian Texts series. Father John is the only author to have published books in three different series with OUP: his title Asceticism and Anthropology in Irenaeus and Clement was published in 2000 as part of the Oxford Early Christian Studies series.

Additionally, the Seminary’s own academic publication house, SVS Press, will soon release Fr. John’s book Becoming Human, which deals with issues of Christian anthropology. In this work, Fr. John asks readers to reflect on questions such as, "Who am I? What am I to become? What is the meaning of my life, and of my death?" The rich, colorful book sets historical and artistic images side by side with meditations about what it means to be human.

RELATED LINKS:

• Order Irenaeus of Lyons
• Read about Becoming Human and other new SVS Press releases
• Read about Fr. John's last OUP release, The Case Against Diodore and Theodore
• Listen to Fr. John's former student Dr. Tracy Gustilo discuss St. Irenaeus on Ancient Faith Radio

At the beginning of the 2014 ecclesiastical year, Professor of Philosophy Dr. Bruce Foltz, an Orthodox Christian and faculty member at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, will offer a free and public lecture at St. Vladimir's Seminary on "The Truth of Nature." The talk will contrast today's post–modern assumptions regarding the environment with the patristic and historic Christian understanding of what it means to care for God's creation. The lecture, to be held in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium in the John G. Rangos Family Foundation Building on the Yonkers campus, will be followed by a question and answer session and a reception in the Rangos Building's atrium.  

His All-Holiness Bartholomew, archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, who received the degree of Doctor of Divinity honoris causa from St. Vladimir’s in 1997, has designated September 1st as a day dedicated to the protection of the environment. As such, the student–led St. Herman's Society for Orthodox Ecology is sponsoring the event, which will also include a tree-planting ceremony at 6 P.M. and the "Akathist in Praise of God's Creation" offered by campus clergy in Three Hierarchs Chapel.

The St. Herman's Society was founded in 2010 to address issues of ecological stewardship. In the 2012–2013 academic year, it organized a cleanup of Crestwood Lake and partnered with the local organization "RiverKeeper" to set up a display about Hudson River environmental concerns.

LINKS

• Download the flyer for "The Truth of Nature"
• "A Hudson River Journey" Exhibit at St. Vladimir's
• Ecology Group Sponsors Crestwood Lake Clean–Up
• Download a PDF flyer of all Fall 2013 events at SVOTS 

The Very Rev. Peter Baktis Ch (COL) USA, a military chaplain and member of St. Vladimir Seminary's Class of 1985 (M.Div.), recently earned the highest degree offered by The Army War College, the senior service school for that branch of the military. His graduation on Friday July 26 marks the first time an Orthodox chaplain has been selected to attend the Army War College and thus receive both a Masters in Strategic Studies plus the certification required for all senior assignments, the Joint Professional Military Education Level 1 (JPMEP1). Out of approximately 100 eligible chaplains, six per year are selected to attend the College.

A priest in the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), Fr. Peter has been assigned as the Command Chaplain for the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM), the first Orthodox chaplain to receive this post. "This is a direct reporting unit to the Department of the Army," noted Fr. Peter. "My responsibilities are to supervise, mentor and coach 37 chaplains assigned to the Command all over the world. I will travel throughout the year to Asia, Europe, and Australia as well as various locations in the United States."

Father Peter will also be the advisor to the Commanding General of INSCOM on all religious matters. In addition to developing and implementing programs to help the soldiers and families throughout the Command, he'll also provide counseling and assistance to those assigned to INSCOM's headquarters in Ft. Belvoir, VA. 

Read about recent SVOTS seminarians and chaplains-in-training here and here.

 The Very Rev. Dr. Steven Voytovich, a licensed professional counselor who spent many years of his career in the field of pastoral care and education, has been named dean of St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary, effective August 18.

He succeeds The Very Rev. Dr. Alexander Atty, who retired for health reasons after serving as dean for the past three years.

Father Steven brings to this position years of experience as a parish priest, an educator, a presenter at seminars and retreats, a contributing writer for various religious publications, and a frequent presenter at OCA events.

His Grace, Bishop Michael, Ph.D., Rector of St. Tikhon's Seminary and Bishop of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, stated, "I am well pleased that Fr. Steven will be joining St. Tikhon's Seminary as our Dean. His pastoral, leadership, academic and work related credentials are superb and we look forward to Fr. Steven moving St. Tikhon's to new heights. On behalf of the board of trustees, faculty, staff and students we welcome him and offer our prayers for his new ministry."

In 2007, Father Steven represented the OCA and was plenary presenter at the Ninth International Congress for Pastoral care and Counseling held in Krzyzowa, Poland. He served as communications and public relations officer from 2004 to 2007. He also represented the OCA at International Congresses held in Accra Ghana in 1999 and Bangalore, India, in 2004.

Father Steven serves as Director of the OCA’s Department of Institutional Chaplaincies, for which he cocreated and coordinated the OCA Seminarian Internship Program.  The Department supports Orthodox Christian men and women serving in institutional chaplaincy roles. From April 2010 until joining Saint Tikhon’s Seminary, he worked as director of Clinical Pastoral Education at Episcopal Health Services, Long Island, NY. During that time, he was attached to Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in New Britain, CT, as a supply priest for the Connecticut Deanery, but continued serving in multiple capacities within the OCA.

Father Steven was ordained to the Holy Diaconate by His Beatitude Metropolitan Theodosius in 1991 and was ordained to the Holy Priesthood by His Grace, Bishop Job, then of the Diocese of New England.

Over the years, he has served as pastor of Three Saints Orthodox Church in Ansonia, CT; Holy Virgin Mary Orthodox Church in Waterbury, CT; St. Alexis Orthodox Church in Clinton, CT.

Father Steven has earned three advanced degrees from St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, NY, including a Doctor of Ministry degree in 1999. His thesis was "Orthodoxy and CPE: Education for Ministry Beyond the Liturgical Setting." He holds two masters degrees from St. Vladimir's, including a Master of Divinity Degree, with Commendation for Thesis, in 1990. His thesis topic: "The Ministry of Those Who Suffer." In 1991, he earned a Master of Arts Degree in Liturgical Music and served as choir director of the St. Vladimir's Seminary octet.

He also earned a Master of Arts Degree in Community Counseling from Fairfield University, in Fairfield, CT, in 2005, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota in 1986.

Father Steven, 50, and his wife, Matushka Cindy, live in Guilford, CT. Matushka Cindy is choir director at Three Saints Church in Ansonia, CT, and is a marketing representative for Stony Creek Urgent Care facilities in Branford and Orange, CT.

Of his appointment as Dean of St. Tikhon's Seminary, Father Steven said: "In accepting this position I look forward to supporting St. Tikhon's mission of providing quality theological education including personal, spiritual, and pastoral formation to those whom God has called to serve His vineyard." 

The entire St. Vladimir's Seminary community congratulates Alumnus The Very Rev. Dr. Steven Voytovich on his new appointment as Dean of St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary. May God grant him many years!

In his first visit to St. Vladimir's Seminary, episcopal Board of Trustees member His Eminence Zachariah Mar Nicholovos, metropolitan of the Northeast American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC), presided over Vespers in the Seminary's St. Thomas Chapel, a space dedicated to the Malankara Orthodox students on campus. Joined by area clergy, Metropolitan Mar Nicholovos was greeted by our Dean and Professor of Patristics The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, who participated in a meeting after the service with His Grace.

"We spoke about ways in which to ensure that the education and formation we provide to Malankara students is of the highest possible level," summarized Fr. John, "and of ways in which we can be of further service to the Malankara church. I look forward to seeing our relationship grow and flourish in the years to come." 

The Catholicos of The East and Malankara Metropolitan His Holiness Baselius Mar Thoma Paulose II appointed Metropolitan Mar Nicholovos to his post following the retirement of His Grace Metropolitan Mathews Mar Barnabas, whose last visit to St. Vladmir's was in October of 2011. The Malankara Church has 90 parishes and congregations in North America. Its ancient, apostolic roots harken back to the churches established by the apostle Thomas, who preached the Gospel in the state of Kerala, India. Also known as the Indian Orthodox Church, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox communion of over 3 million faithful. 

LINKS

• Read about Fr. John's previous visit to India as the guest of the Malankara Orthodox Church
• In Memoriam: His Grace Metropolitan Mathews Mar Barnabas
• Read about Mariam Ceena Varghese, SVOTS lecturer in Malayalam
• Read about the March 16, 2013 ordination of third–year SVOTS M.Div. student Anoop Thomas

View the program for Magnificat

Choirs from two local theological schools representing Eastern and Western Christendom will jointly present an a cappella concert titled “Magnificat: Hymns to the Mother of God from the East and West” on Monday evening, November 25, 2013, 7:30 pm, at St. Jean Baptiste Church, 184 East 76th Street, New York City. The Male Choir from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, of the Orthodox Church in America, will join with a Schola from St. Joseph's Seminary (Dunwoodie) of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, in praise of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, who holds a place of honor in both traditions.

Music selections from the Orthodox tradition for the concert will illustrate the Eastern Church’s feasts dedicated to the Theotokos (Greek for “Mother of God”), while music from the Roman Catholic tradition will include time-honored hymns of laudation to the Virgin Mary, taken from ancient chant and from the classical period up until modern times, such as O Sanctissima by Beethoven (1770–1827) and Ave Maria by Biebl (1906–2001).

Tickets are $25 for general seating, and may be purchased online. Limited tickets will be available at the door one hour prior to the concert.

READ ABOUT:

• the Fall 2012 visit of thirty St. Joseph seminarians and Rector The Rev. Monsignor Peter Vaccari to St. Vladimir's
• the reciprocal dinner hosted for SVOTS faculty on St. Joseph's nearby campus, on December 10, 2012

For more information and to register, visit the College Education Day page.

College Education Day, in honor of former seminary Dean Father Alexander Schmemann, will take place Saturday, October 5, 2013 on our campus. The day will feature both The Rev. Christopher Foley (alumnus, '06), currently rector of Exaltation of Holy Cross Church, High Point, NC, and The Rev. Joel Weir, a graduate of St. Tikhon's Seminary and currently rector of St. Stephen the First Martyr Orthodox Church, Crawfordsville, IN.

Both priests will speak about their transformative spiritual encounters with Fr. Alexander's writings, among them his book, For the Life of the World, which they claim set them upon the path to Orthodox Christianity and deepened their faith in Jesus Christ. The book, translated into at least 12 languages, celebrates its 50th year of publication. The first edition was printed in 1963 by the National Student Christian Federation.

The day is being arranged by Pdn. Joseph Matusiak, director of Admissions and Alumni Relations at St. Vladimir's, who is issuing special invitations to several Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) chapters on college and university campuses across the United States. "In this unique year," said Pdn. Joseph, "our Events Committee decided to dedicate what normally is Orthodox Education Day to the spiritual growth of college and university students.

"Although because of the growing interest in College Education Day we find that we will not be able to accommodate the general public to our campus for this special event, we will be podcasting the two talks by Fr. Christopher and Fr. Joel, and we hope our usual 'Ed Day' patrons will listen in to these moving presentations and keep us in thought and prayer on that day." 

For more information, contact Pdn. Joseph at 914.961.8313 x328, or jmatusiak@svots.edu

Note: This event for college students is replacing Orthodox Education Day this year!

Download a PDF of the "For the Life of the World" Conference here.

Downlod a JPG of the "For the Life of the World" Conference here.

Download a PDF flier of all Fall 2013 Events at SVOTS here.

Email a JPG flier of all Fall 2013 Events at SVOTS here.

The July issue of Wonder, a monthly publication of the Department of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministries of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), features contributions from four St. Vladimir's Seminary alumni authors. The articles, centered around the theme "A Vision of the OCA in the 21st Century," explore the identity and purpose of the Church as it ministers in the unique and challenging environment of the American continent. Alumni authors in the issue include The Very Rev. Michael Koblosh, SVOTS '68, "Orthodoxy Is Not Here By Accident"; The Very Rev. Eric Tosi, SVOTS '96,"Anna and the Church"; Dr. Peter Bouteneff, SVOTS '83 and associate professor of Systematic Theology, "Growing From Our Ethnic Roots";  and Mr. Andrew Boyd, SVOTS '12, "Just the Church."

"Taking inspiration from successful OCA youth magazines from previous decades, the editors of Wonder have a vision," explained Managing Editor and OCA Youth Director Andrew Boyd. "We seek to offer our youth and young adults thought–provoking content from a variety of original sources—professors, bishops, priests, lay–leaders, monastics, and other students. Through this means, we hope to encourage them to critically engage their faith rather than simply being passive bystanders."

The thirty–seven online issues have addressed a wide range of topics, from Christians in the workplace to reflections on the Divine Liturgy. Articles are aimed at stimulating discussion, and are also intended to be used as supportive material for those engaged in campus and young adult ministry. Some of the pieces are complemented by accompanying discussion questions, and are available as downloadable PDFs. To find out more about Wonder, contact Editor Dn. Jason Ketz (SVOTS '12) at wonder@oca.org. 

The Very Rev. Dr. Michael Kovach, the last surviving member of the first graduating class of St. Vladimir's Seminary in 1943, fell asleep in the Lord on Friday morning, July 12, 2013, at Mount Joy Hospice and Community Care, Mount Joy, PA. He was 94 years old.

After his marriage to the former Olga A. Hubiak (+2011), he was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood, going on to serve the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of North America (Metropolia) for 27 years and the Orthodox Church of America for 42 years.  He also spent 26 years on the faculty at Millersville University, having earned his Ph.D. in American History from the University of Pittsburgh. Most recently, he was attached to Christ the Saviour Church, Harrisburg, PA.

Father Michael was commissioned during WWII as a U.S. Army Military Chaplain, as the first Orthodox chaplain in the Army. In 2011, he was honored at the Seminary's annual campus open house, Orthodox Education Day, which that year celebrated the theme, "For God and Country." The day honored Orthodox Christian serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, especially military chaplains.

Services for Fr. Michael will be as follows:

• Sunday, July 14, visitation at Christ the Saviour Church, Harrisburg, PA, from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., at which time the Funeral Service for a Priest will be celebrated
• Monday, July 15, visitation will resume at 8:00 a.m., followed by the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at 9:00 a.m., followed by interment at Saint Tikhon’s Monastery Cemetery, South Canaan, PA.

In lieu of flowers, contributions for the establishment of a religious education fund may be sent to Christ The Saviour Church, 5501 Locust Lane, Harrisburg, PA 17109. More information may be found on the Website of the Orthodox Church in America.