The Board of Trustees at St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) met for their fall session on November 7-8, 2024. In addition to their formal meetings, board members attended several meet-and-greet receptions to interact with students, faculty, and staff. The female trustees organized a reception for the women on campus, as well. The trustees also attended the annual campus Community Thanksgiving Dinner, enjoying the opportunity to mingle with seminarian families and share a festive time of fellowship.

The Board of Trustees joined the seminary community for Vespers in Three Hierarchs Chapel before the annual Thanksgiving Dinner (not pictured, Board Chairman His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon (OCA), who arrived the following day)

Faculty and board members serve students and their families, in an annual St Vladimir’s tradition

Seven new trustees were added to the board this fall. His Beatitude, The Most Blessed Tikhon appointed three bishops to join the board: Their Graces, Bishops JOHN (Abdalah), IRINEJ (Dobrijevic), and NIKODHIM (Preston). The newly appointed hierarchs joined His Grace, Metropolitan ZACHARIAH Mar Nikolovos (Poothiyottu), Northeast American Diocese, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, who has served on the board since 2012 and was reappointed as a trustee at this meeting.  Four others were elected by the board at its business meeting on Friday, under His Beatitude’s chairmanship: Dr Randa Anderson, Ms Shoshanna Clark, the Rev. Dn Gabriel Otte, and the Rev. Dn Dr Philip Wagner. These seven joined three trustees who joined or rejoined the board earlier this year: Mr Frank Barrett, Ms Tatiana Hoff, and Mr David Solheim. 

Fall 2024 St Vladimir’s Seminary Board of Trustees meeting in progress

Finally, Dr Frank Cerra stepped off the board after completing twelve years of service—the maximum of four terms allowed in the bylaws—and Dr Nicholas Pandilidis was honored with trustee emeritus status, following his retirement from the board earlier this year. Both of these longtime trustees have earned the hearty thanks and deep respect of their fellow trustees.

At the same meeting, the Rt Rev. Archimandrite Jeremy (Davis) was reelected as executive chair of the board and Dr Ana Iltis and Fr Mihai Faur were reelected as Corporate Secretary and Treasurer, respectively. The board received reports on the work of the seminary and discussed the leadership transition and search process now underway.

Archimandrite Jeremy observed, 

Even in the midst of this transition, the seminary continues to fulfill its essential role of preparing Orthodox Christians for service to Christ and His Church. This is largely due to the faithful and tireless work of Academic Dean and Interim President Dr Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie and all the faculty and staff. Alongside their dedication, the strength of our board gives me great confidence in the future of the seminary. Under His Beatitude’s chairmanship, we have a distinguished group of trustees with a breadth of skills and life experiences and a deep, shared commitment to the seminary’s Christ-centered, student-focused, and education-driven mission. Their love for St Vladimir’s was especially clear on the first day of our meetings, as we sat down for a roundtable discussion with the faculty about the seminary’s future and then engaged with students in small-group Q&A. Each trustee was visibly energized by this opportunity to reconnect with the heart of the seminary, the reason we are all serving on the board. 

All St Vladimir’s Seminary alumni are invited by the Alumni Board to attend a virtual town hall meeting on December 7th at 2:00 p.m. Eastern (11:00 a.m. Pacific). The purpose of this event is:

• For alumni to learn more about what is happening at the seminary from the Academic Dean and Interim President, Dr Alex Tudorie. There will be an opportunity to send in questions ahead of time (see below), as well as to submit questions live;
• To discuss the upcoming Alumni Board elections, and to begin the process of nominations;
• To discuss alumni initiatives for reunions and other events, ways to strengthen the relationship between St Vladimir’s Seminary and its alumni, and offer ideas for upcoming events like the All-American Council Reunion with the new Director of Alumni Relations, Zach Mandell;
• To reconnect, albeit via Zoom, with old friends and classmates. 

For those attending, questions may be submitted on the registration form. If you cannot attend, you may still submit questions via email at alumni@svots.edu; the Town Hall will be recorded so that you can view it at a later date.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP here:

RSVP

We hope to see you there, and we hope that this event is a catalyst for an active and thriving relationship between our alumni, alumni board, and the seminary. Even if you cannot attend, do not hesitate to reach out, about this event and in general. We want to hear from you, growing together in communion, in community, and in our common mission of serving Christ and his Church. Email Zach Mandell, Director of Alumni Relations, any time at zmandell@svots.edu, or call at 914-961-8313 ext. 342.

With faith in Christ and hope in the Resurrection, we share the news of the repose of Matushka Marie Olga Meyendorff (née Mojaïsky), widow of Protopresbyter John Meyendorff (+1992). Marie fell asleep in the Lord in Bethesda, MD, on Sunday, November 24, 2024, at the age of 95. Born in Paris, she grew up in the large Russian community in France in the period between the two World Wars. Her father, Alexis Mojaïsky, was born in Kiev, fought in the White Army after the Bolshevik Revolution, then completed his education as a chemical engineer in France. Her mother Olga (née Weriguine), was born in Yalta (Crimea) and eventually settled in France after escaping from Communist Russia. She was an avid gardener, poet, and produced countless silk-embroidered icons, including the plaschianitsa (epitaphion) at the St Vladimir’s Seminary Chapel.

Marie grew up in various cities in France, moving with her family as her father took different job assignments. She was an active participant in church life, including the Orthodox Youth Movement, which was where she met her future husband. They first met each other by accident on the Paris Metro. After a brief courtship, they were married in January 1950 at the chapel of the Saint Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris. In the following years, Marie gave birth to four children, Paul (1950), Serge (1951), Elizabeth (1955), and Anna (1959). During those years in Paris, her husband John was completing his doctoral studies at the University of Paris (Sorbonne) and teaching at the Saint Sergius Institute.

In the fall of 1959, at the invitation of Father Alexander Schmemann, then Acting Dean of St Vladimir’s Seminary, the newly ordained Father John, Marie, and the four children sailed to America, where Father John took up a teaching position at the seminary. The move was difficult for Marie, as she had to leave behind all her family and friends and did not know the English language. Conditions at the seminary were spartan at the time, and the family of six had to live in a small, two-bedroom apartment on Broadway on the Upper West Side of New York. She learned English quickly, but kept her distinctive French accent to the end of her life.

In 1962, the seminary moved to its present location in the Crestwood section of Yonkers. Here, Marie immersed herself in family and seminary life. She interacted with student and faculty families, often helping with students’ children, and sewing more than one wedding dress for student marriages. During the long summer breaks, the family traveled north to Lake Labelle in Quebec, where they rented and eventually purchased a lakefront cottage. Marie loved to swim, take long hikes in the woods, often guided by only a compass, forage for wild mushrooms, and especially spend time with the seven grandchildren with whom she was eventually blessed. Her time in Labelle was always a welcome relief from the constant hustle and bustle of the seminary and New York.

After Father John’s untimely death in 1992, Marie remained near the seminary, where she faithfully continued to attend the chapel. She remained active as the Director of the Orthodox Christian Adoption Referral Service (OCARS), an organization founded through her initially informal efforts in facilitating adoptions of children for a number of Orthodox families. She was also a member of the Board of Directors for Religious Books for Russia (RBR), a non-profit that aimed to publish and distribute books in Russia before and after the fall of Communism in 1991.

Marie is survived by her brother Michael (Nina) in France, by her children Paul (Peg), Serge, Elizabeth Myers, and Anna Meyendorff, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements for Matushka Marie are as follows:

Tuesday, December 3
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Viewing in St Vladimir’s Seminary Chapel
3:00 PM Panikhida, followed by reception
5:00 PM Funeral Vigil

Wednesday, December 4
9:00 AM Divine Liturgy and concluding rites, followed immediately by internment at Oakland Cemetery, Yonkers, NY.
Luncheon at seminary following internment.

Donations in Matushka Marie’s memory may be sent to St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, 575 Scarsdale Rd, Yonkers, NY 10707.

May the memory of Matushka Marie Meyendorff be eternal! 

Adapted from OCA.org