SVOTS fall event to help seminarians graduate without tuition debt
Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary [SVOTS] will host its Fall Benefit and Theological Convocation November 1-2, 2018 in order to continue offering fully-paid tuition to current and prospective seminarians.
Since 2012, SVOTS has offered fully-paid tuition to seminarians through its matching grants program. The seminary shoulders 75% of the cost to make this happen, if a seminarian can obtain 25% of the cost of tuition through their home parish, diocese, or other Church source.
“No future leader of the Church should take on the demands of ministry while also worrying about what they owe the seminary,” said Pradeep Hatcher, SVOTS Director of Communications. “But, unfortunately, many seminarians face launching themselves into loan debt to pay for their theological education and formation, sometimes on top of student loan debts they carry from undergraduate or other graduate studies.”
Through the Fall Benefit, the Seminary has set a goal of raising at least $200,000.00 in order to keep offering fully-paid tuition to seminarians each year, so that these students can graduate from SVOTS free of tuition debt.
The two-day Fall Benefit and Theological Convocation opens on Thursday, November 1, with the celebration of the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in the seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel at 9:00 a.m. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, will preside. A reception will follow. At 6:00 p.m., the Fall Gala Dinner will be held at Surf Club on the Sound, New Rochelle, NY. Tickets for the dinner may be ordered online.
“The two-day celebration is multi-faceted,” Pradeep added. “It is a fundraising benefit, a celebration of the local Feast of the Reception of Saint Vladimir’s Relics to the seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel, a celebration of 40 years of ordained ministry for Archpriest Chad Hatfield, President of SVOTS, and a theological convocation.
The Theological Convocation—titled ‘Theological Education in the Twenty-First Century,’ will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, November 2. Among the special guests and speakers, in addition to Metropolitan Tikhon, will be Archimandrite Gerasim [Eliel], Priest Vasily Fisher, Priest George L. Parsenios, Dr. Vigen Guroian, and Dr. Ionuţ-Alexandru Tudorie.
All events, with the exception of Thursday’s Gala Dinner, are free and open to the public.