Twenty-two graduates from Saint Vladimir’s Seminary have “gone forth” (Matthew 28:19) to serve the Church as priests, deacons, and lay ministers—including choral conductors, scholars, and hospital chaplains.  At Commencement Exercises held on Saturday, May 19, 2012, the seminary awarded diplomas in three programs: two Masters of Theology, 16 Masters of Divinity, and four Masters of Arts degrees were conferred. Graduates represented a broad range of ecclesial jurisdictions and included both Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christians; 13 of the graduates were from the Orthodox Church in America (OCA).  Additionally, 12 of the 22 graduates already had been ordained to Holy Orders.

His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, who is President of the Seminary and Chair of the Board of Trustees, opened the Commencement Exercises and conferred degrees upon the graduates. In his closing remarks, he encouraged the senior class to “bear the Good News with joy,” to “practice asceticism with a smile,” and to “remember always that you bear the responsibility for building up the Church and the seminary.”

His Grace, the Right Rev. Dr. Alexander [Golitzin], newly ordained Bishop of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese (OCA), and a seminary alumnus and former adjunct faculty member at Saint Vladimir’s, delivered the Commencement Address to the Class of 2012. He spoke on the theme of priesthood, distinguishing between the sacramental and royal priesthoods. Bishop Alexander noted that an ordained clergyman has the “peculiar” role to “occupy the place of the High Priest [Jesus Christ]...and to offer himself up and give himself back to his people, his flock, as food and drink.” Similarly, he said, lay scholars of theology have the duty to present Christ to the broader world by becoming “‘iconographers for the intellect’...constructing images of Christ that will reveal and make Him present to others.”

Class Valedictorian was Igumen Gerasim [Eliel], who earned triple honors during his tenure as a seminarian: magna cum laude academic standing; commendation for contribution to community life; and commendation for his Master’s thesis, titled, “Russian Icons in a Native Church: Conflict in Culture in Western Alaska.” Second-year seminarian Harrison Basil Russin was Salutatorian. The Valedictorian and Salutatorian are selected by the faculty on the basis of their excellent performance in all aspects of seminary life, including academic work, participation in chapel services, and completion of community service assignments. The “Saint Basil Award for Academic Achievement” was presented to The Rev. Dn. Jason Ketz, who also graduated magna cum laude.

Also present at the Commencement Exercises were visiting hierarchs, His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania; His Grace, Bishop Michael of New York and New York and New Jersey; and His Eminence, Archbishop Mor Titus Teldho, Patriarchal Vicar of the Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in North America.

Read the entire story and view photo galleries on seminary web site.

The Orthodox Christian Fellowship [OCF] is accepting applications for the position of advisor to its Student Advisory Board [SAB].

The volunteer position requires a motivated person interested in serving the Church as a coach, mentor, and facilitator of the determined and passionate group of college students who serve on OCF’s Student Advisory Board. The advisor has the vital responsibility of enabling OCF to continue its ever growing and critical ministry to college students.

“Being given the opportunity to work with college students has been one of the greatest blessings of my ministry to the Church, as they more often than not have advised me more than I have advised them,” said Natalie Kapeluck-Nixon, current advisor, who has worked with college students for years.

Candidates may download the job description posted at www.ocf.net. Applications may be sent to Jennifer Nahas, OCF Executive Director, at Jennifer@ocf.net. A cover letter should accompany the application, highlighting the applicant’s educational, ministerial, and other work history; any relevant general and campus ministry experiences; and vision of Orthodox campus ministry and what motivates him or her to seek the position. Applications must be postmarked or e-mailed by June 15, 2012.

For further information, please contact the OCF office at 800-919-1623 or info@ocf.net.

In related news, OCF also announced that Katerina Rallis has been named 2012-2013 SAB chairperson. A student at Elmhurst College, Elmhurst, IL and veteran of OCF’s college conferences, Katerine has served as the SAB’s Great Lakes Regional representative. She succeeds Zena Debs, who recently graduated from the University of Connecticut.

Orthodox Christian Fellowship is the official campus ministry of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America. For additional information visit its web site at www.ocf.net.

Fifteen seminary students at Saint Tikhon’s Seminary here completed their Field Education requirements by visiting and ministering to the men who live in a Maximum Secure Mental Health facility.  This is a place where mentally ill criminals will spend the rest of their lives.

Archpriest John Kowalczyk oversees the Field Education program at the seminary.  A vital part of this program is the prison ministry in which Father John ministers 15 hours per week.  Each semester, he takes a group of seminary students to visit these men on a weekly basis.  It is an incredible ministry of presence and of love.

On May 8, 2012, these students received their certificates of completion.  Priest Stephen Powley, Assistant Director of Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry, flew in from Colorado to assist with this ceremony.  The Dean of the seminary, Archpriest Alexander Atty, warmly welcomed Father Stephen and expressed his total support of OCPM and the prison field education program.  Father Stephen thanked these students for their willingness to step out of their comfort zone to work in this prison.  He presented each student with a book used in prison ministry and two Icons.

Father Stephen reflected on that day:  “On Tuesday morning, Father John took me into that prison.  I had the chance to visit with many of the men that he and the students minister to each week.  As we met with those men, the impact of Father John’s ministry there became so very obvious.  Man after man broke into a big smile as they saw Father John approaching them.  They expressed their joy and called him by name.  His love for each of them was so incredible to witness.  Most people think of prison ministry as someone bringing Christ to those in prison.  Father John comes to visit Jesus in prison; he sees Christ in every one of them.  I believe he looks at them and sees what they could become in Christ, not judging them for their sins.  I know the lives and ministries of these future Orthodox priests have been impacted greatly; their lives will never be the same.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Father Stephen gave a power-point presentation to students and their families and members of the seminary faculty.  The theme was two-fold:  “Stepping out of your comfort zone” and “Orthodoxy in a hostile world”.  The presentation was very well received.  He challenged those present to be willing “to step out of their comfort zones and reach out to the unlovable of our society in the very midst of this hostile world we live in.”

Afterward, Father Stephen said: “Many of the students talked with me after this presentation.  Each one seemed like a Divine Appointment as we talked privately together.  I could sense the wonderful impact on both them and me.  I have no doubts that these future priests will truly make a difference in this world for the Glory of God.  As our Lord did, they also will be bringing the Gospel to the sick and needy of our society.”

Father Stephen continued:  “On Thursday morning I had a breakfast discussion with several students and then left for the airport with Father John.  We took time to process some of what had taken place during my visit there.  This turned out to be perhaps one of the most important trips I have taken for OCPM.  It was an opportunity to touch the lives and ministries of many future Orthodox priests and to have my own life touched by them.  This wonderful Field Education program is exactly what OCPM is all about.  I am so very thankful for Father John and these seminary students.  I am certain that as these men of God begin to serve parishes across the United States, they will also be reaching out to those who are in prison and those who are in desperate need of help.  I hope that OCPM will be a part of Saint Tikhon’s Seminary each and every year.”

A gallery of photos may be viewed here.

Information on the work of Orthodox Christian Prison Ministry may be found on their website.

Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary is pleased to announce it has received a $40,000 special planning grant from the Henry Luce Foundation that will assist the seminary in laying the groundwork for a collaborative project with the famed Orthodox Christian Estonian composer, Arvo Pärt.  The seminary envisions the “Arvo Pärt Project” as including a unique concert and lecture venture as well as publications about the composer’s life and works. The Program Director for Theology at Luce Foundation, Lynn Szwaja, recommended the funding of the project and informed the seminary of the Foundation’s support in a letter dated May 1, 2012.

Chancellor/CEO of the seminary, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, acknowledged the Luce grant with gratitude, saying, “Our seminary has been shifting and rebuilding our musical program, including special events, over the last few years. We have achieved amazing things and learned much in the process. Now, with this generous grant from the Henry Luce Foundation we are well on our way to fulfilling our dream of special ventures centered around the life and work of Arvo Pärt.”

Pärt is one of the world’s most celebrated and performed living composers, and his uniquely developed musical genre, known as tintinnabulation, has proved itself universally compelling; it has extended beyond the circles of classical music and has included admirers in the pop and rock music worlds. Moreover, there exists an inextricable connection between Pärt’s musical methodology and his inner creative impulse—with Orthodox Christian spirituality at its core—and it is this connection that Saint Vladimir’s Seminary will explore and promulgate as it develops the project.

The project was initiated by two faculty members of Saint Vladimir’s: Dr. Peter C. Bouteneff, associate professor of Systematic Theology, and Dr. Nicholas Reeves, assistant professor of Liturgical Music. Both have been meeting personally with Pärt and his wife and manager, Nora, to develop the project.

Remarking on the inspiration for the project, Dr. Bouteneff said, “On the one hand, this collaboration makes such perfect sense. Yet the fact that it is actually happening, that Arvo Pärt has welcomed us with enthusiasm, feels like a miracle, and it is a profound honor to the seminary.”

Dr. Reeves spoke further about the development of the project, noting, “Many concert goers know Arvo Pärt‘s music, and some realize a connection between his works and the spiritual life while others sense instinctively an otherworldly character inherent in his compositions.

“This project with Arvo Pärt seeks to make clearer for all admirers of these pieces their religious and, many times, Orthodox underpinnings, which remain virtually unknown to the general public,” he concluded.

Both professors expressed their gratitude to the Luce Foundation, with Dr. Bouteneff saying, “The Luce Foundation’s support of theological education is some of the most creative and finely-tuned in the landscape of philanthropy. With this grant they have helped put us squarely on the road to a project of far-reaching significance and of great beauty.”

Further details about the Arvo Pärt project will be posted regularly on the seminary’s web site.

Holy Dormition of the Mother of God here provided the setting for the Spring Session of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America May 7-10, 2012.

In addition to reviewing a variety of matters affecting the life of the Church, the hierarchs participated in the daily cycle of services at the monastery, including the Divine Liturgy, which provided an essential spiritual dimension to their undertakings. They also visited the Ascension of the Lord Monastery, Clinton, MI, and the Vatra, the headquarters of the OCA’s Romanian Episcopate, Grass Lake, MI.

His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, presided at the opening Divine Liturgy and the sessions. In his address to his fellow hierarchs, he offered a comprehensive overview of his activities and ministries. The members of the Holy Synod also approved his travel schedule, as presented.

Highlights of the session include the following.

• In his report to the Holy Synod, Archpriest John Jillions, Chancellor, reviewed his work at the Chancery, spoke of the good working relationship he maintains with Metropolitan Jonah, and cited the professionalism of the other officers and members of the Chancery staff. He summarized the work of a number of committees and updated the hierarchs on a number of other current issues.
• Archpriest Eric G. Tosi, Secretary, updated the hierarchs on staff changes and the development of job descriptions for department chairs. He also reported on the Orthodox Health Plan.
• In her comprehensive report, Ms. Melanie Ringa, Treasurer, noted that a surplus was realized at the conclusion of the first quarter of 2012. She also reported that, with the approval of the Metropolitan Council, a bequest has been used to pay down the Honesdale National Bank loan. Further, she updated the hierarchs with regard to an estate that had been left to the OCA.
• Archpriest Leonid Kishkovsky of the Department of External Affairs updated the hierarchs on a number of recent developments throughout the Orthodox world. In related news, the members of the Holy Synod appointed His Grace, Bishop Alexander of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese chair of the Department of External Affairs.
• In other episcopal appointments, the hierarchs confirmed His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel as Chair of the Holy Synod Canonical Commission and the Holy Synod Canonization Commission.
• In response to questions presented by Father Tosi concerning the Procedures for Petitioning for Ordination and the logistics of conducting psychological evaluations, the members of the Holy Synod reaffirmed that all candidates for ordination — as well as clergy wishing to transfer into the OCA — must undergo the approved battery of psychological evaluations. They further recommended that any Bishop who does not have direct access to the services offered at the seminaries should retain the services of a local psychologist. Each Bishop is also encouraged to solicit mental health professionals to assist in interpreting test results.
• The hierarchs requested that the OCA Clergy Guidelines and Policies, Standards and Procedures for Sexual Misconduct be translated into Spanish, Russian and French.
• With regard to OCA clergy being placed “on loan” to serve in other jurisdictions, the hierarchs reaffirmed their previous decision that, especially in long-term cases, this should be discouraged.



• Protodeacon Peter Danilchick and Eric Namee, members of the Secretariat of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in North and Cental America, offered a presentation on the Assembly’s work. They emphasized the importance of inter-Orthodox efforts on the grass roots level while fielding a number of questions ranging from organizational concerns to the endorsement of Orthodox military chaplains. In a related matter, Thaddeus Wojcik, OCA General Counsel, offered comments on the Assembly’s articles of incorporation and by-laws.
• In response to questions of a pastoral nature vis-à-vis non-Chalcedonian Christians, the members of the Holy Synod reaffirmed that they are received into the Church through the sacraments of Confession and Communion. However, should they later return to their own Church, they no longer would be admitted to communion in the Orthodox Church.
• Protocols associated with the Sacred Antimensia were reviewed. The hierarchs reaffirmed that Antimensia should contain relics of martyrs, although relics of Holy Confessors are acceptable. Antimensia may be replaced by a new bishop, who may also update them by placing his signature under that of the previous bishop.
• In response to a proposal of Metropolitan Jonah, diocesan bishops with five years’ tenure will be elevated to the dignity of Archbishop. Hence, His Grace, Bishop Nikon; His Grace, Bishop TIkhon; His Grace, Bishop Benjamin; and His Grace, Bishop Alejo were congratulated on their elevations. Statements will be issued to their respective dioceses concerning this decision.
• The hierarchs formally noted that Sunday, May 6, 2012 marked the 10th anniversary of the late Bishop Innocent [Gula]. May his memory be eternal!

Each diocesan hierarch offered a report on the life of his respective diocese. In closed sessions, the hierarchs addressed a number of legal and related matters.

The members of the Holy Synod expressed their deep gratitude to Archbishop Nathaniel for his hospitality in hosting the meeting and to Abbess Gabriella and the nuns of Holy Dormition Monastery. His Grace, Bishop Ireneu, the monks of Holy Ascension Monastery, and the Vatra staff also were thanked for hosting the hierarchs’ visits.

In addition to those hierarchs noted above, other bishops participating in the Holy Synod Spring Session included His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania; His Grace, Bishop Melchisedek of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania; His Grace, Bishop Michael of New York and New York and New Jersey; His Grace, Bishop Matthias of Chicago and the Midwest; His Grace, Bishop Mark, Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore; and His Grace, Bishop Irénée Auxiliary Bishop of Quebec City and Administrator of the Archdiocese of Canada.

A gallery of photos may be accessed here.

Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Chorale delivered a stunning performance of sacred music in the heart of Manhattan on Monday evening, May 7, 2012.  With artistic execution and prayerful potency, the singers filled the warm and inviting space of Saint Malachy’s Chapel with a sound fitting for heaven—and needful on earth.

Through a multi-media presentation titled “Orient: Sacred Song and Image,” the chorale combined word and image to create an evangelical message that proved to be both spiritually powerful and aesthetically absorbing.  The performance employed a variety of iconographic projections and liturgical compositions from the Orthodox Christian tradition, seamlessly matched to create a joyous yet profound experience for concert goers, who listened in rapt attention to the 22-voice chorus and expressed their appreciation to the chorale with a long lasting and standing ovation.

Matushka Robin Freeman, a staff member in the Advancement Office at the seminary who holds a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, created the concert format and conducted in its premiere at IU’s Jacobs School of Music in 2010.  She served as one of the concert conductors for the New York City premiere, along with Hierodeacon Herman, lecturer in Liturgical Music and Chapel Choir Director at the seminary.

Seminary Chancellor and CEO, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, served as Master of Ceremonies for the evening, and in keeping with concert’s theme, he delivered a homily about the Resurrection of Christ, near the conclusion of the program.  Following Father Chad’s homily, the producer of the concert, Dr. Nicholas Reeves, assistant professor of Liturgical Music at the seminary, expressed his profound gratitude to Father Richard Baker, rector of Saint Malachy’s Chapel (The Actors’ Chapel), and to his parishioners for their generous “gift of space” for the concert venue.  The evening concluded with the entire audience joyously singing the traditional Paschal hymn to the Mother of God, “The Angel Cried.”

View a video clip of the concert here and read the full story here.

Photo credit: Vadim Arslanov