The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, dean and professor of Patristics of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, arrived in the British Columbia lower mainland on September 14 to present a lecture at Trinity Western University the following Monday, entitled "Patristic Humanism: The Beginning of Christian Paideia."
The weekend preceding the lecture, Fr. John served at Saturday Vespers at the parish of St. John of Shanghai in Vancouver with its Rector, The Rev. Justin Hewlett, and at Sunday Divine Liturgy at the parish of St. Herman of Alaska in Langley, with its Rector, The Very Rev. Lawrence Farley.At both parishes he made himself available afterward for an informal question and answer session with the parishioners. Among other topics, Fr. John addressed the subject of what it means to be human, the focus of his upcoming December book release with St. Vladimir's Seminary Press.
The faithful of both parishes gathered around Fr. John for an extended period of time, asking questions and pondering his challenging answers. Despite the generously lengthy sessions, Fr. John left both communities wanting more, and parishioners expressed the hope that this may be the first of many visits to the area."As one long-time member of St. Herman’s whispered to me mid-way through the session, 'This is great!We have to have him come back again!'" said Fr. Lawrence.
On Monday, September 17, Fr. John presented his lecture as the first of four lectures which will be offered in a series at Trinity Western University titled "Reinvisioning Christian Humanism & Higher Education." The series' goal is "to help Christians and non–Christians understand humanism as a religiously founded concept that has shaped Western views of education and the humanities"; as such, the lectures explore current cultural issues in the light of the humanistic worldview, "as informed by history, literature, theology and philosophy," notes The Humanist Lens website.
"Early Christianity had a very particular and exalted vision of what we are called to be...to aspire to attain the stature of a human being required exercise and growth in all aspects of our existence, a full paideia. This talk will explore the overarching framework of this paideia [=education, child-rearing], and many of the particular aspects of its discipline, to challenge us, today, to become human," explained Trinity Western's introduction to Fr. John's lecture, "Patristic Humanism: The Beginning of Christian Paideia."
Listen to Fr. John's August 2012 Lectures, "Becoming Human," (Eagle River, Alaska):
The 2012-2013 academic year has ushered in an increase in participation in the student-led interest groups at St. Vladimir's Seminary. Created two years ago, the interest groups provide an opportunity for students to pursue common interests and contribute to seminary life in unique ways. One of the groups, the Orthodox Ecology Group, kicked off the academic year on September 18, 2012 with their first meeting, in which they discussed ideas and laid out plans for the coming year.
The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO, serves as the group's faculty representative. He opened the meeting by recalling the commitment of St. Vladimir's Seminary to green initiatives such as the installation of solar panels on campus, and the Seminary's recycling program. He also reflected on the deep connection between Orthodox theology and the inherent value of the created world, a connection that makes ecological awareness a necessity for Orthodox Christians. The Ecology Group is excited to continue the Seminary's commitment to green initiatives, practicing stewardship of the world created by God.
The first project of the Ecology Group will be a clean-up of the lakeside area of the seminary campus, which will be planned for the fall semester. In addition, members of the Ecology Group will investigate ways to reduce waste on campus. Looking ahead to the coming semesters, the Ecology Group would like to sponsor a lecture or symposium on Orthodox Ecology, providing an opportunity for reflection on the role of Christians in caring for the created world. In the recent meeting, the Ecology Group also elected officers for the coming year: Seminarian Jesse Brandow (President), M.A. Student Gabrielle Kushlan (Treasurer), and Seminarian Nicholas Roth (Liaison to Student Council).
In addition to planning the year's activities, members of the Ecology Group have also begun collaborating with the Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration. St. Vladimir's Seminary is a member of the Fellowship, one of the leading Orthodox groups focusing on ecological awareness and stewardship. On September 20, four members from the St. Vladimir's Ecology Student Group met with Professor Alfred Siewers, a member of the Steering Committee for the Fellowship of the Transfiguration, and associate professor of English at Bucknell University. Prof. Siewers discussed ways that the members of the Ecology Group could work together with the Fellowship of the Transfiguration in the coming months.
Dr. Reeves, who was appointed to his position in Academic Year 2011–2012, admits that he “truly inherited a significant responsibility replete with high expectations,” when he was charged with the development of a Music Program that would meet the challenges of church musicians in the 21st century.
“My predecessors—highly skilled in Orthodox liturgical music—left behind a legacy that both encouraged and challenged me,” he said. “St. Vladimir’s recordings and publications of our Church’s rich collection of sacred hymns, responses, and psalms have been essential components not only of the libraries of our local church communities but also of the consciousness of a broader audience seeking a clearer understanding of the meaning of this repertoire.
“My job is to chart the course of the Music Program over the next two years,” he explained, “and I have chosen the following criteria to inform the methods and music instruction here at St. Vladimir’s during that period: 1) the musical needs of the parish 2) the essential technical skills necessary for church musicians to fulfill their sacred music ministry 3) the need to impart knowledge regarding the theological, historical, and contemporary significance of Orthodox liturgical music; and 4) the need for our students to understand the spiritual ramifications of music, both sacred and secular.”
To accomplish some of these goals, Dr. Reeves has injected two major objectives into the Music Program in FY12: Master Classes and public concerts. Both have augmented the classroom instruction and natural learning that takes place as seminarians conduct chapel services and participate in them as choir members.
“The classroom education prepares future clergy and singers in voice, music theory, conducting, and the basic genres of all eight tones [of church music],” he said. “And, the chapel services on campus are exemplary in every liturgical aspect, especially singing.
“But, in order to address the needs of parishes, one must also possess the technical skills required to execute the proper conducting and singing of sacred music,” he continued. “Therefore, for those seminarians wishing to pursue a music ministry, a solid foundation in vocal production, music theory, and conducting is indispensable—such experience must be gained not just in a parish setting, but also by participating in model choral ensembles.”
To that end, two Master Classes under expert leadership were held on campus in FY12: the first under the recently appointed Lecturer in Choral Conducting, Matushka Robin Freeman, and the second under renowned choral conductor and expert in Russian choral music, Vladimir Gorbik. Additionally, Mat. Freeman, along with Hierodeacon Herman (Majkrzak), lecturer in Liturgical Music and director of Chapel Music at the Seminary, also conducted a public concert, “ORIENT: Sacred Song and Image,” in Manhattan, New York, using the exquisitely trained voices of the St. Vladimir’s Seminary Chorale—a group made up of seminarians and alumni, with a few other Orthodox Christian singers adding to the ensemble.
All of the newly designed courses in the “rebirth” of Music Program focus on intensive technical training. Dr. Reeves is teaching “Introduction to Vocal Production,” a remedial voice-training course that introduces students to phonation, rhythm, and pitch recognition; and “Vocal Instruction,” an advanced course that combines group and private lessons and that addresses problems of diction, pedagogy, and vocal technique.
Matushka Freeman, in turn, is teaching both beginning and advanced classes in choral conducting, and relishing the experience. Of her new ventures, she said, “It is a true joy for me to work with the talented, inquisitive, and hard-working musicians at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. The beginning conducting course focuses on acquiring the technical and musical proficiency necessary to build an effective vocabulary of conducting gesture.
“In addition to strengthening their technical conducting skills,” she continued, “advanced conducting students learn how to plan rehearsals and choose repertoire. Church musicians who acquire these skills will leave St. Vladimir’s with a solid foundation that will help them bring out the beauty of Orthodox services in their future ministries.”
Special lecturers in the Music Program address particular liturgical traditions. Mariam Ceena Varghese, as Lecturer in Malayalam, is teaching a 4-semester sequence in the chant language of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. These courses aid the Malankara Orthodox students in their ministry to help serve those who have Malayalam as their first language. Students are introduced to the Malayalam alphabet, pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. Special emphasis is given to reading liturgical texts and increasing the knowledge of liturgical vocabulary. The language is practiced by reading, chanting and singing in the Malankara Orthodox Chapel on the Seminary’s campus, in addition to in-class instruction. The courses also aim to familiarize the students with the eight-mode music system of the West-Syriac Tradition adopted by the Malankara Orthodox Church.
“I am grateful to the Seminary for its commitment to pan-orthodoxy and for providing the atmosphere for the Malankara students to grow in their faith and traditions,” said Ms. Varghese. The Seminary has made this possible by providing the Malankara Chapel, the Malankara Curriculum, and the Malankara Scholarship program.
“The Seminary’s initiative to offer Malayalam as an academic course has helped provide the training necessary to chant and sing in the first language of the majority of the people in the Malankara Orthodox Church,” she noted, “and has enriched services in the chapel.”
The Rev. Charles Baz, as Lecturer in Liturgical Music, is teaching Byzantine Liturgical Chant Theory and subsequent intensive courses in the Arabic language for liturgical use.
“Understanding the theory of Byzantine Psaltika,” said Fr. Baz, “is essential to comprehending and practicing this ancient form of liturgical chant. Students are presented with a thorough survey of the major Byzantine musical scales, how they are incorporated in chant, and how they are interrelated and made distinct by application.
“Although historically this sacred art was introduced relatively late in English in the West (within the last half century),” he added, “it is nevertheless widely spreading across Orthodox churches in the New World, especially in recent years. The Seminary's lifelong goal of engaging the world with Orthodoxy will definitely be more fully realized as it incorporates these and other courses, which are part of the rich and diverse history of the Church.”
As well, Fr. Herman continues to train the chapel choirs (male and mixed voices) and the traveling Men’s Choir—a 21st-century version of the “Octet” that visited parishes on goodwill tours from the 60s through the 90s. In referring to his teaching ministry at the Seminary, he remarked, “It is sometimes said that every seminary instructor believes his own subject to be the most important, and perhaps I am no exception.
“When we read the descriptions of the life of the Age to Come in the Book of Revelation, we see what we are preparing for by striving for salvation: to praise and glorify the All-holy Trinity in song for all eternity,” he explained. “In the chapel, in the classroom, and on the road with the Men's Choir, I strive to convey to my students how solemn and yet joyful is the task of liturgical singing, for it is nothing less than a foretaste of the kingdom of God and an image of the worship of the angels.”
“There is much to accomplish at St. Vladimir’s,” concluded Dr. Reeves. “But, practical experience, technical proficiency, and the rigors of academic life are worthwhile only if they lead us closer to our Lord Jesus Christ. The tools a church musician gains over time are inseparable from sacramental life. Proper preparation for the services not only includes the organizing of musical scores and the sorting out of rubrics, but also the self-emptying of the musician by prayer, fasting, repentance, and forgiveness.
“The spirit exuded by the choir director or chanter can have a strong effect on the choir or congregation,” he acknowledged. “Hence in class, reflections on the emotional experience in services and the spiritual struggle found in them are commonly attached to lectures on liturgical structure, historical style, and repertoire.”
Ann Holod Zinzel knew the certainty of God’s love for her; for this school and its faculty, staff, and students, past and present; and for the entire Church. In turn, she loved God, and this school, and the Church. Today, we express our love for her. She would like that.
We pray now that our Lord will give her a place where there is no more sickness, sighing, or sorrow, but life eternal. We pray now that she joins her friends and fellow workers from St. Vladimir’s Seminary, in the God’s kingdom. May her “word” to us today be engraved in our hearts, and may her memory be eternal. Amen.
—Fr. Steven Belonick, homilist at the Funeral Service, September 13, 2012
On Friday evening, September 14, and Saturday morning, September 15, the faculty, alumni, and students of St. Vladimir's Seminary, along with family members, gathered for funeral services for Ann Holod Zinzel.
"Today we have the opportunity to say farewell to a person who contributed much to this seminary and to this community," said The Very Rev. Steven Belonick in his Friday evening eulogy. Father Steven is the rector of Holy Ghost Russian Orthodox Church in Bridgeport, CT, and the former Campus Chaplain.
"Ann Zinzel was a fixture of this community, part of its history," continued Fr. Belonick. "All of us who have resided at the Seminary; who have worshiped in this holy place; who have learned in these classrooms; and who have walked these hallowed grounds, at one time or another probably ran into Ann Zinzel; probably had a conversation with her; probably heard stories of days gone by from her. Yes, famous theologians, scholars, and pastors have resided, and still reside here. But in this particular community Ann Zinzel was equally well known."
Several divinely ordained "coincidences" marked the timing of Ann's repose. "Ann died on Eve of the Feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, which was 50 years to the day that she began her work at St. Vladimir’s," noted Fr. Steven.
Ann's services also commenced immediately following a festal celebration. In the evening of September 13 and the morning of September 14, the community had gathered in Three Hierarchs' Chapel for an all-night Vigil, followed by a morning Liturgy for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Just a few short hours transpired between the fading of the last strains of "O Lord, Save Thy People" and the start of Ann's services. The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO, presided over the Funeral, with assistance from numerous alumni clergy: Fr. Nicholas Solak, Fr. John Frazier, Fr. Benedict Churchill, Fr. John Hopko, Fr. Eric Tosi, Fr. David Koles, Fr. Basil Summer, Fr. John Jillions, Fr. Noah Bushelli, Fr. Sergius Halvorsen, Fr. Alexander Rentel, Fr. Nicholas Solak, Fr. John Kreta, Fr. Dennis Rhodes and Fr. Steven Belonick.
Continuing in the same spirit of reverence and fond remembrance, His Grace The Rt. Rev. Michael, bishop of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, of the Orthodox Church in America, presided over the Saturday morning Liturgy, as seminary chapel clergy and invited guests concelebrated. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, those gathered celebrated the lite of the Panikhida and then offered the final kiss accompanied by the chanting of the Hymns of Farewell.
At the conclusion of the funeral services, Ann's body was lovingly carried to the waiting hearse by pallbearers, after which she was transported to the cemetery at The Monastery of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, South Canaan, PA, for interment. Following this, the family hosted a mercy meal in Ann's memory for the Seminary community and guests.
The St. Vladimir's Seminary Pro Life Group met on September 12, 2012, to elect officers and discuss plans for the 2012-2013 school year.
Hdn. Fr. Herman (Majkrzak), lecturer in Liturgical Music, warmly welcomed new and experienced students alike, noting that while the group is only in its second year, the Seminary has had a continual presence for many years at the March for Life. Held annually in Washington D.C. on the anniversary of Roe vs Wade, the March protests the Supreme Court decision which effectively legalized abortion in all fifty states. Father Herman noted that abortion is the single greatest genocide perpetrated in human history; the Alan Guttmacher Institute reported in 2008 that there were approximately 42 million abortions performed annually worldwide.
After electing new officers—Dn. Andre Paez for President, Fr. James Stevens as Treasurer, and Seminarian Steve Osburn as Student Liaison, the group laid out an ambitious agenda for the school year.
Plans include:
•Attendance at the March for Life, Friday. January 25, 2013;
•Sponsorship of a public lecture featuring distinguished bioethicist Dr. Tristram Engelhardt, tentatively scheduled for Sunday, January 20, 2013;
•Sponsorship of a Rachel's Vineyard presentation and training on campus—the Vineyard facilitates post-abortion healing and help;
•Management of a booth at Orthodox Education Day, which will include information about SVOTS March for Life involvement, educational brochures and videos, and announcements about Dr. Engelhardt's lecture.
Additionally, the group pledged to continue the diaper and bottle drives for the Good Counsel Homes, which offer a loving family environment in a safe and secure shelter for women in crisis pregnancies. The members also would like to create a SVOTS pro life Facebook page, and are exploring the possibility of hosting of a workshop about end of life issues.
Neither sleet, nor snow, nor tornadoes touching down in Queens near the airport, could keep the St. Vladimir's Seminary delegation from traveling to the Oklahoma City area over the weekend of September 8—10, to visit with the clergy and faithful of St. Elijah Orthodox Christian Church.
“St. Elijah has been home to three priests from different eras of time at SVOTS," explained The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO. "Fr. John Salem is the current pastor and Fr. Jeremy Davis is his assisting priest. Fr. Constantine Nasr is the pastor emeritus and the author of our new SVS Press book, Antony Bashir—Metropolitan & Missionary. This visit provided the first book signing for our new author—and we look forward to other events around the country.”
The St. Vladimir's team, consisting of Fr. Chad, Marketing and Operations Manager for the SVS Press and Bookstore Dn. Gregory Hatrak, and Major Gifts Officer Tim Nieuwsma, arrived late at night after ten hours of travel and storm delays. "Despite the hour, we were met and graciously hosted by Fr. John Salem, the new priest of St. Elijah," noted Nieuwsma. "He insisted on finding a place for us to eat and subsequently treated us to a Saturday midnight tour of their spacious parish campus with beautiful sanctuary and parish hall, extensive Sunday School facility, 'Mom's Day Out' Pre-school, and a fully-equipped gym."
The next morning, Fr. Chad and Dn. Gregory joined the clergy of St. Elijah in serving Matins and the Divine Liturgy, and Fr. Chad offered the homily. The St. Vladimir's visitors were warmly welcomed by the community, which is rooted in one hundred years of history and is still vibrant and growing. St. Elijah emphasizes teaching and outreach, and the seminary guests were able to witness over one hundred Sunday School parish children receive a blessing for the start of the new church year.
In that same spirit of generosity and ministry, the clergy at St. Elijah presented Fr. Chad with a generous gift in support of the seminary's new scholarship initiative to end tuition debt for seminarians.
A key purpose for the visit was the Metropolitan Antony Bashir book signing with the author, Fr. Constantine Nasr. Dn. Gregory managed the event, as a long line of buyers waited patiently for a personally written message. Later that evening, Fr. Constantine and Kh. Sharon hosted the seminary delegation and updated the visitors on the progress of his foundation, which benefits the Palestinian people in his ancestral homeland.
One year ago at a seminary event, faculty members Dr. Nicholas Reeves and Dr. Peter Bouteneff got serious about a longstanding dream: they drew out plans to approach Arvo Pärt—and the seminary’s administration—about an ambitious collaboration. Three months later, they were on a plane to Tallinn with Chancellor/CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, to meet with Arvo and Nora Pärt. That meeting, and the collaboration that it launched, is vividly described by the staff of the International Arvo Pärt Centre, on a page that is now a permanent feature of the Centre’s official website.
As a sign of their goodwill, the Arvo Pärt Centre has given the seminary a set of 18 CD recordings of Pärt’s music, as well as a special anniversary re-issue of Tabula Rasa and the authorized Pärt documentary DVD “24 Preludes for a Fugue” by Dorian Supin. These materials were received and deposited in the Father Georges Florovsky Library by seminary librarian Eleana Silk.
For its part, St Vladimir’s Seminary has begun a series of book donations to the Arvo Pärt Centre’s collection, beginning with its Popular Patristics Series and its Foundations Series both published by the St. Vladimir's Seminary press.
Subsequent meetings with the Pärts have occurred in England and are planned for Tallinn in the coming months. Concert venues are being explored and booked for May 2014; plans continue for lectures, publications, and a filmed documentary. And so the collaboration continues to grow.
Dr. Peter Bouteneff explains, "The Orthodox Christian tradition, in which Arvo Pärt is steeped, carries the essence of his music’s spiritual force. Pärt himself has said, 'If anybody wishes to know my philosophy, then they can read any of the Church Fathers.' Reading the Church Fathers is the life’s work of St. Vladimir’s Seminary. The Arvo Pärt Project is about tracing those connections and making them available to a wide audience."
From September 5—8, The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, dean and professor of Patristics of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, journeyed to the Monastero di Bose in the province of Biella, Italy, to participate in the XX International Ecumenical Conference on Orthodox Spirituality. The monastery at Bose is a traditional community founded in the mid-1960's, and is composed of about eighty men and women from all major Christian traditions. The Orthodox Spirituality conferences have been hosted at Bose since the early 1990's, and have featured a variety of themes from missions to Holy Scripture.
Themed “Man—Custodian of Creation,” this year's conference gathered senior Orthodox theologians, who were joined by Protestant and Catholic brethren from around the world, to participate in a packed schedule of presentations and discussions about today’s pressing ecological concerns.
“It was good to reflect together on all the different aspects of creation and man's role within it,” noted Fr. John, who offered the patristic perspective in his lecture “Nature, Wounded and Healed, in Early Patristic Thought.” Additionally, “as with all conferences, the discussions that went on alongside the formal sessions were just as important, often lasting till late into the night.”
Prior to the conference, the Vatican Insider reported: "In four days of debates open to the public, the speakers will delve into the theological and spiritual dimension of man's relationship with the environment that surrounds him, questioning the values that can inspire us to make responsible decisions in the face of ecological crisis, caused by man himself, that is causing irreversible injury to life on our planet."
The stellar line up of Orthodox speakers included Metropolitan Ioannis (Zizioulas) of Pergamon, Fr. John Chryssavgis of Boston, and Bishop Amvrosij of Gatčina, Rector of the Theological Academy of St. Petersburg. Several Catholic dignitaries and representatives of the Church of England, the World Council of Churches, and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity attended and spoke as well.
“The goodness of creation according to the Bible, the relationship between nature and (the) wound healed, and the history of salvation, the understanding of the relationship between man and creation in the early church fathers...are central to the ideas proposed by John Behr of New York,” wrote the Insider.
Participants also explored a variety of other topics central to the theological understanding of man and the creation, including: monasticism and creation, creation in the Orthodox liturgy, man's relationship to and responsibility for the created world, creation and iconography,and the Church and ecologicalissues.
In his final remarks, Bose's Prior Enzo Bianchi summarized, "The ecological crisis, as Metropolitan Ioannis of Pergamum said, is not only the consequence of individualism, of opulence, of consumerism, but is above all a consequence of a pathology of man’s identity, who risks forgetting who he is and to what he is called. Our conferences, which from the very beginning have had the blessing of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and of the Patriarchate of Moscow, which have always supported and encouraged us, and now also the blessing of the other Orthodox Churches, would like to be an antidote in this direction, a humble possibility of encounter, a seed of hope!"
In his first visit to campus as a hierarch, His Grace The Right Rev. John Abdalah, auxiliary bishop for the Antiochian Archdiocese's Diocese of Worcester and New England, presided over the liturgy for the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos at Three Hierarchs Chapel on campus.
Bishop John received his Master of Divinity degree with the Class of 1984. For 33 years, he served as a priest of the Self-Ruled Antiochian Archdiocese of North America, before being consecrated as Auxiliary of the Diocese of Worcester and New England on December 11, 2011. He also holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in Pastoral Care from Pittsburgh Theological School, a Master's equivalency certificate in Pastoral Counseling from Pittsburgh Pastoral Institute, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts.
As a late summer storm blew through the Westchester County campus, bringing wind and rain that relentlessly pounded the chapel, His Grace calmly and joyfully served alongside other Antiochian and seminary clergy. Afterwards, he joined the community for brunch and then held a special meeting for the Antiochian seminarians and their families.
"We gather today for the first major feast of the New Year and we celebrate a brand new beginning, a new opportunity for saying 'yes' to God," began Bishop John in his homily. "These have been emotional days for me; thirty-eight years ago, I was a new student on campus, away from home for the first time. I can't help but think of those who have gone on to their rest who were once here, and yet God has raised up new people, new faculty and students."
Bishop John encouraged his audience. "People are looking to understand what the Church is about. We should not be ashamed to offer people chances to give, because in giving and loving, we are being like God."
Touching on a topic on the minds of many gathered for the feast, he also noted, "We mourn the loss of Ann Zinzel. I remember how she sat at the end of Fr. Schmemann's desk as he dictated his books to her. She wrote them all out in shorthand and then typed them up! She knew everything about every student and was loyal to all the faculty and students. We ask God to give His reward to His faithful servant."
Concluded Bishop John, "Every day, I use what I learned here. I learned most of all, that we need to take care of each other, we need to hold each other up as the world works against us."
Chancellor/CEO The Rt. Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield greeted Bishop John, noting that it was a joy to have him at the seminary for the first feast of the new liturgical year, and that the community anticipated his return visit for the Feast of the Three Hierarchs in January 2013. Fr. Chad concluded by presenting two seminarians with the 2012 St. Basil the Great Award for Academic Achievement.
It was a trinity of firsts: in the first week of August, The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, dean and professor of Patristics, embarked upon his first trip to Alaska where, as the first presenter, he offered a series of lectures at the Eagle River Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies.
The Institute is held each summer in the beginning of the August Dormition Fast, at the Antiochian Archdiocese's Cathedral in Eagle River, Alaska. Sixteen hours of college level instruction in a variety of Orthodox disciplines are offered, and cover a wide range of themes from theology, history, liturgy, spirituality and Scriptural studies.
Fr. John spoke on the topic "Becoming Human." The first and foundational lecture, "It is Finished: The Cross of Christ," set the tone for the series. His other lectures in the track, titled "For This Were We Created," "Male and Female Created He Them," "The Virgin Mother," and "Glorify God in Your Bodies," also centered on how we may become fully human, as God intended.
"I had a wonderful time," Fr. John says. "Not only did the beauty of their community and worship leave an impression on me, but, of course, the beauty of Alaska did as well. It was truly inspiring to see such a community take their life and learning together so seriously."
Sally Eckert, Eagle River parishioner, attended the conference and reflected afterwards, "Fr. John is an energetic lecturer who helps his audience work with him to explore new territory—and to look more deeply into the riches of the familiar. He engages gently with encouraging humor as a father would his children, and he has much to share that really applies to the way we live from day to day. It is good to have a little taste of what the students at SVOTS receive while they're in class, preparing to serve their parishes. And it was an unexpected joy to receive some of the fruits of the seminary's research and prayer directly! We thank you all for sharing from your community to ours."
Fr. Moses Berry, pastor of Theotokos "Unexpected Joy" Mission in Ash Grove, Missouri (OCA) and one of the founders of the Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black, also participated as a guest lecturer, with a series of addresses titled "Linking Ancient Christianity to the African-American Experience."
During the first week of August, The Very Rev. Fr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO, also journeyed to the northernmost state where he'd lived and ministered prior to coming to St. Vladimir's Seminary. Fr. Chad preached at the Feast Day Liturgy in Holy Resurrection Cathedral, which was filled with pilgrims who'd arrived to participate in the annual St. Herman of Alaska pilgrimage.
Fr. Chad also assisted with the orientation of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) summer mission team who were preparing to participate in a camp program for children and teenagers in historic Ouzinkie and the surrounding area.
Accompanying Fr. Chad, two seminary staff members—IT Director Georgios Kokonas and Plant Manager Rafael Rivera—offered their expertise as they worked on St. Herman Seminary campus improvement projects. Georgios and Rafael even managed to snag some fish, and will be sharing the bounty with faculty and staff on campus on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
"One of the many valuable contacts from this trip to Kodiak was the connection with the delegation from the Czech Lands and Slovakia," recalls Fr. Chad. "There are some excellent proposals with their seminary and missiological center that began when Metropolitan Kristoff visited SVS this past year."
Listen to Fr. John's Eagle River Institute lectures:
