Listen to Fr. John's presentation, "Orthodox Theological Education in the Twenty-First Century."

Seminary Dean The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr recently traveled to Vree University (VU) in Amsterdam, Netherlands to participate in the colloquium "Orthodox Diaspora: a Place in–between—a Place of Encounter—a Place for Theology." Hosted by the Amsterdam Centre for Eastern Orthodox Theology, the gathering of scholars explored themes in the newly released title Introducing Eastern Orthodox Theology, by The Rev. Dr. Andrew Louth. Father Andrew, professor of Patristic and Byzantine Studies at Durham University, England, is currently visiting professor at VU University Amsterdam and a member of the Dutch Centre for Patristic Research (CPO). He also authored the SVS Press book Greek East and Latin West and is the general editor for SVS Press's The Church in History series.

From Holland Fr. John then journeyed to Cairo, Egypt, as the guest of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria, to participate in the  "Theological and Ecclesiastical Institutes Seminar," which was called by His Holiness to explore a diverse range of topics, including: the role of monasteries in theological education; the spiritual formation of theological students; methods and means of instruction; and the history of religious institutions in the Coptic tradition. Held at the Anaphora Institute, a retreat and training center near the desert road between Cairo and Alexandria, the seminar featured talks by eminent Coptic bishops, clergy, and scholars. Father John presented the topic, "Orthodox Theological Education in the Twenty-First Century."

"It's been a joy to be able to participate in summer conferences this year in Italy, Amsterdam, and Cairo," noted Fr. John. "I have been engaged on a scholarly level in each venue, certainly, but beyond that, participating in each conference has allowed me to represent St. Vladimir's Seminary. I have been reminded once again of the impact the Seminary continues to have in Orthodox communities abroad." 

Deacons and diaconal candidates gathered from states like Colorado and Kentucky for four concentrated days of training during the 7th Annual Diaconal Practicum at St. Vladimir's Seminary. Led by Archdeacon Kirill Sokolov, director of the Diaconal Vocations Program for the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), the workshop offered instruction on a broad range of liturgical celebrations, and dealt with matters both sublime (how to serve with a bishop) and practical (how to speak and vocalize).

Throughout the year, Archdeacon Kirill works with other mentors at the parish and diocesan level to encourage and train diaconal and late vocations students. In his workshops, he is able to draw from his own experience as an assistant to the metropolitan in hierarchical liturgies at church–wide celebrations and as an archdeacon serving regularly at the Diocese of the West's Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco. A former SVOTS employee and lecturer in Liturgics, the Archdeacon now works as Director of Technology at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, CA.

effective vocal production so that the deacons could serve beautifully, intelligibly and with conviction." Regarding his session on public speaking, Fr. Sergius noted that "as an ordained minister of the Church, there will be occasions when deacons will be called upon to speak about our Christian faith, and to preach the Gospel. Possessing basic rhetorical skills will help them to engage these opportunities with confidence and with effectiveness."

On the final day of the practicum, His Grace The Rt. Rev. Michael, bishop of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey (OCA), presided at Wednesday's liturgy, and afterwards addressed attendees. He told the workshop participants that deacons through the history of the Church have been known for exercising a variety of spiritual gifts: St. Stephen was called to witness with his martyrdom, St. Philip was a great evangelist. "Bring your talents to bear—you will feel drained and
strained but our Lord did too," emphasized His Grace. "Take the gifts God has given you and give them back to Him. When you serve, serve piously; learn the services and love them. But it's not all about liturgical pomp and circumstance; deacons have pioneered hospitals and schools and prison ministry too."

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On June 14, the Rector of the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary, Metropolitan Antony (Borispolsky), and the Chancellor/CEO of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, reached a cooperative agreement between their two theological schools. The agreement offers opportunities for student and teacher exchanges; sharing educational models; development and execution of joint research projects; co-sponsored symposia, conferences, and seminars; and co-publication of educational and scholarly materials. 

Signing the agreement on behalf of the Ukrainian seminary were Pro-rector Archpriest Sergy Jushchik, Pro-rector Vladimir Burega, and Secretary Archpriest Rostislav Snigirev; Fr. Chad was the signatory on behalf of St. Vladimir’s. Accompanying Fr. Chad was the Secretary of the Archdiocese of Canada of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), Protodeacon Nazari Polataiko.

Following the official signing ceremony, representatives from each seminary exchanged scholarly publications published by their respective schools.—from the Website of Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary

The following day, Fr. Chad was received by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Volodymyr of Kyiv and All Ukraine, at his residence at the Kyiv-Caves Lavra of the Holy Dormition. During the meeting, Fr. Chad informed Metropolitan Volodymyr of the agreement between St. Vladimir’s Seminary and the Kyiv Academy and shared his hope that it will prove beneficial to both schools. In response, Metropolitan Volodymyr emphasized the importance of such cooperative initiatives which, until recent times, would have been impossible. Also in attendance were His Eminence, Archbishop Alexander of Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi and Protodeacon Nazari.—from the Website of the Orthodox Church in America

Read about St. Vladimir’s other discussions and cooperative efforts with St. Athanasius Coptic Orthodox College, Donvale, Victoria, Australia; the Faculty of Orthodox Theology at University of Bucharest, Romania; and the Faculty of Theology at the University of Belgrade, Serbia.

Pastoral Theology, and seminary alumnus  The Rev. Dr. Nicholas J. Solak ('02), rector of Holy Trinity Church, Stroudsburg, PA.  Featuring interactive conversation, the workshop focused on interpersonal (rather than group) conflict resolution skills.

"We had a lively discussion about a variety of issues our attendees are dealing with at work and in their personal lives, such as negotiating day to day expectations of the workplace and home and discerning the presence of God even amidst the conflicts of life," noted Fr. Nicholas. 

Reflecting upon the workshop, Dr. Rossi said, "Workshop participants especially resonated with the focus on Christ as the 'resolver' of our conflicts. Christ does for us what we cannot do by ourselves."

Clergy participating in St. Vladimir's Seminary's programs will receive credit from the Department of Continuing Education of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA).

In the first week of June, St. Vladimir's Seminary hosted the 84th North American Orthodox–Catholic Theological Consultation, the oldest official dialogue between the two Churches in the modern era. The bi-annual dialogue is jointly sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and South America.

Since its establishment in 1965, the Consultation has now issued more than 20 agreed statements on various topics. All these texts are now available on the USCCB Website.

The Very Rev. John Erickson, former dean of St. Vladimir's, and Dr. Paul Meyendorff, professor of Liturgical Theology at the Seminary, are members of the group and participated in the meeting. "During our discussions," said Professor Meyendorff, "we focused on the role of the laity in the life of the Church, as well as on the contentious question of priestly celibacy." 

St. Vladimir's Chancellor/CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield recently participated in an interfaith conference in Washington, D.C., which addressed common concerns related to religious freedom. "Many Faiths – One America" was the theme, and prior to his own presentation, Fr. Chad was asked to speak to several media outlets, including Religious News Service and Catholic News Service.

C–Span and EWTN covered the entire event. Go here to view the presentations of panelists representing Islam, the Sikh–American community, the African–American Pentecostal churches, and the Orthodox Jewish faith, along with SVOTS' Chancellor; Fr. Chad's segment begins at 44:45.

Photos: James O'Gara Photography

Listen to podcasts of the Poverty Conference in the Voices from St. Vladimir’s section of Ancient Faith Radio

In keeping with its mission to serve Christ through theological research and its vision to be a premier center for Orthodox Christian scholarship, St. Vladimir’s Seminary brought together a diverse group of thoughtful and dynamic presenters at its Conference on Poverty last week. Speakers and panelists explored a variety of spiritual, socio-economic, legal, political, and cultural factors that can cause and cure impoverished conditions, and provided incisive discourse about wealth and scarcity, and money and morality.

“It is so very important to take a fresh look at the poverty questions: to challenge the status quo, to listen to diverse opinions, to gather and hear one another, and to strive to improve where we have failed,” noted seminary Chancellor/CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, as he introduced the conference. “We are here to look at the human cost of poverty.” Father Chad organized the event, which was co-hosted with the Acton Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to “integrating Judeo-Christian truths with free market principles.”

The conference was offered as a tribute to Dn. John Zarras, seminary alumnus (M.Div. '06) and trustee, and president of St. Vladimir's Seminary Foundation, who fell asleep in the Lord in 2012. Dn. John himself had hoped to organize the conference on poverty, and in anticipation of it had selected Dr. Jay W. Richards as its keynote speaker.

Dr. Richards, a Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute and author of Money, Greed, and God, indeed fulfilled Dn. John’s wish by opening the conference with a presentation titled “How to Alleviate Widespread Poverty.” In his talk, he outlined 10 necessary socio-economic conditions that he believes help create wealth and ameliorate poverty. He also emphasized, “Christians should take it as a non-negotiable tenet that we are supposed to be concerned about the poor: God cares and we should too. When we encounter those in need, we are encountering the Lord Himself.”

Other speakers included:

·            Michael Matheson Miller, a Research Fellow at Acton Institute and Director of PovertyCure, who spoke about human trafficking and human rights violations, and about small-to-medium enterprises as a solution to poverty, in his talk “From Aid to Enterprise” ; and 

·            The Rev. Dr. Philip LeMasters, professor of Religion and Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Religion, McMurry University, and a St. Vladimir’s Seminary trustee, who presented a view from the church fathers about poverty in his lecture “Fasting and the Poor,” in which he encouraged Christians to embrace a more moderate lifestyle as a means of loving God and neighbor, and as a path to spiritual healing and purification. 

A concluding presentation entitled “What Is Social Justice in the Orthodox Christian Context?” sparked lively discussion among participants, and was led by a panel of Orthodox Christians:

·            Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos, seminary alumnus, Three Hierarchs Chapel member, and coordinator of St. Vladimir's 2020 strategic plan, who also is Associate General Secretary for Faith and Order and Interfaith Relations of the National Council of Churches of Christ, USA; 

·            Seminary Trustee Dr. Nicholas Pandelidis, a physician with a special interest in the nexus between health care and poverty;

·             Subdeacon Paul Abernathy, director of FOCUS (Fellowship of Orthodox Christians United to Serve) Pittsburgh, with a special interest in urban outreach and Orthodox Christian dialogue with the spiritual tradition of African-Americans; and

·             John Couretas, Acton Institute’s Director of Communications and member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Grand Rapids, MI.

Listen to podcasts of the Poverty Conference in the Voices from St. Vladimir’s section of Ancient Faith Radio

Seminary Dean and Professor of Patristics The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr traveled to Castel Gandolfo, Italy to participate in a conference hosted by the John Templeton Foundation titled, "The Role of Life in Death." Father John, who had originally suggested the topic for the gathering, was invited to chair the three-day symposium, which had been organized for the purpose of "convening preeminent thinkers and ensuring the representation of all major viewpoints" on the theme.

Templeton's Humble Approach Initiative has hosted invitation–only workshops such as this one since 1998, annually sponsoring a small group of scholars and scientists to meet and focus on a particular theme within an interdisciplinary framework. This particular symposium assembled an eminent list of participants, including physician and philosopher Dr. Jeffrey Bishop, who spoke at St. Vladimir's Seminary in March and is widely recognized for his work in medical ethics in the field of death and dying.

"We expect to identify key research themes in the sciences, philosophy, and theology that will lead to new scholarly collaborations," wrote Chair and President John M. Templeton, Jr., M.D., during the planning stages of the symposium. "Our wider objective is to contribute both to professional and public understanding of the often unexpected ways in which the broad domains of science and religion can inform each other."

The John Templeton Foundation is a philanthropic trust which funds research across academic disciplines; its purpose is to examine a broad range of philosophical questions and examine various quests for the purpose and meaning of life. Father John serves on the Board of Advisors for the Foundation and participated in a "Humble Approach Initiative" conference held in Denmark in August of 2011. 

See Fr. John Behr's own work on the topic: The Mystery of Christ: Life in Death.

The Arvo Pärt Project (APP) at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary is seeking a 20–40 hour per week fundraising professional to explore and secure donations for a high–profile, short-term project, developed by SVOTS faculty members Dr. Nicholas Reeves and Dr. Peter Bouteneff. Together with seminary Chancellor/CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, they held an initial meeting with famed Estonian Orthodox composer Arvo Pärt in December 2011 at the International Arvo Pärt Centre near Tallinn, Estonia, which resulted in plans for a lasting collaboration between the center and St. Vladimir's, comprised of several components, including a concert and lecture series and a series of publications. 

Arvo Pärt, whose works rank him as the 3rd-most performed living composer globally, is an Orthodox Christian of Estonian nationality - See more at: http://www.svots.edu/headlines/st-vladimir%E2%80%99s-offers-public-evening-course-arvo-p%C3%A4rt#sthash.aZJUkHuf.dpufSince 2011 faculty from St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary and Pärt have been collaborating on a project that seeks to define the nexus between the composer's spiritual ground and his creative artistry, particularly his use of Eastern Christian spirituality. Both Pärt and the seminary share a common faith and spiritual heritage in the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition. 

The fundraising professional's responsibilities will include:

• Finding new donors and follow up on existing prospects, while creating and implementing fundraising strategies with the assistance of the existing APP team and under the direction of the team leader;
• Written, phone, and face–to–face contact with prospects to secure donations and pledges (ability to travel required); and
• The ability to hit the ground running and work within the tight time–frame of the project.

Read the job description and find contact information on the SVOTS Employment Opportunities page.

Read the feedback from workshop participants

In a weeklong program that started on Memorial Day, Iconographer Khouria Erin Kimmett of The Annunciation Press led the inaugural summer program at St. Vladimir's, a six–day iconography workshop for college students. Collegians started the week as both novice iconographers and experienced students who had studied under Erin previously. Each participant completed an 8" x 10" icon of their choosing, while closely following the guidelines and principles as explained by the instructor. The students walked through the time–tested steps of icon-painting—from layering paint on gessoed boards, to adding intense color to the saintly figures, to goldleafing halos. As the week progressed, brilliant images emerged from their formerly plain wooden boards.

"This group was a joy to work with," noted Erin. "Each one was a serious and committed Orthodox Christian. Their hearts were in the task, and they understood the meaning behind what they were doing. They were focused and prayerful, and it was a wonderful week."

In addition to working on icons for hours each day, the artistically–inclined group of collegians toured the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and visited the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral afterwards, and also gathered for evening presentations with The Rev. Dn. Evan Freeman (alumnus and Yale University doctoral student) and Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, St. Vladimir's director of Admissions and Alumni Relations. The class wrapped up the week by joining the community at St. Vladimir's for Sunday's Divine Liturgy in Three Hierarchs Chapel, in which Chancellor/CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield blessed the completed icons.

Evan and Protodeacon Joseph's talks were phenomenal, and Khouria's as well." (Read more student feedback here.)

Erin Kimmett is a graduate of Wichita State University, where she earned a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. She has designed and produced curriculum materials for the Orthodox Christian Education Commission as well as the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. A trained Byzantine iconographer, Erin works from her home studio for 8–10 hours a day, creating icons for Orthodox churches across the country. She also owns and manages The Annunciation Press. Erin is married to The Very Rev. Joseph Kimmett, pastor of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Norwood, MA, and is the mother of Nicholas and Zachary. 

• Read about the 2012 SVOTS iconography workshop
• Order books about iconography from SVS Press