Voices From St Vladimir's Seminary

At its Commencement Ceremonies Saturday, May 18, 2019 St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) conferred degrees upon twenty-two graduates, including fourteen Master of Divinity, three Master of Arts, and five Master of Theology students. The Seminary also awarded two honorary doctorates, one to His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East (Syriac Or...

The 36th Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Lecture at St. Vladimir's Seminary proved to be an insightful tribute to Fr. Alexander’s memory. On Wednesday, January 30, 2019, guest lecturer Dr. David Fagerberg, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame and author of the recently released Liturgy outside Liturgy: The Liturgical Theology of Fr. Alexander Schmemann (Chora Books, 2018), took...

At Orthodox Education Day (OED) on October 6, 2018, former SVS Press director Ted Bazil and St Vladimir's Seminary Professor Emeritus David Drillock offered a fantastic look back and wonderful stories from the fifty-year history of SVS Press and Orthodox Education Day.

On its return to Orthodox Education Day at St. Vladimir's Seminary October 6, 2018, the Boston Byzantine Choir, directed by Charles R. Marge, delivered a beautiful performance at Three Hierarchs Chapel in celebration of the choir's own 25th anniversary.

St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVOTS) celebrated two milestones at the 2018 edition of Orthodox Education Day (OED) on Saturday, October 6: fifty years of OED and fifty years of St. Vladimir’s Seminary (SVS) Press. The day included several highlights befitting the historic celebration, including a passionate call to spread the Gospel as individuals in addition to supporting Orthodox evangelistic enterpr...

The 2018 Commencement at St. Vladimir's Seminary, held May 19, was truly a blessed occasion. In addition to graduating 20 students from the Class of 2018, the seminary also awarded honorary doctorates to three distinguished figures for their contributions to the Orthodox Church: composer Mitered Archpriest Sergei Glagolev, Dr. David Bradshaw, chair of the Department of Philosophy at the University...

Rome-based Catholic filmmaker Robert Duncan took part in a special, public screening of his documentary Faces Among Icons on April 29, 2018 at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, followed by a panel discussion about the renewal of Orthodoxy in Russia. Duncan was joined on the panel by Seminary President Archpriest Chad Hatfield and third-year Seminarian Priest Christopher Moore. Hear the panel discussion in...

Priest Anthony Roeber, Ph. D., professor of Church History at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, presented four Lenten talks to the entire seminary community on February 19–20, 2018, as they gathered in Three Hierarchs Chapel for worship and reflection to mark the beginning of the season of Great Lent. Father Anthony based his talks on the “Great Farewell Discourse” of our Lord Jesus Ch...

Priest Anthony Roeber, Ph. D., professor of Church History at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, presented four Lenten talks to the entire seminary community on February 19–20, 2018, as they gathered in Three Hierarchs Chapel for worship and reflection to mark the beginning of the season of Great Lent. Father Anthony based his talks on the “Great Farewell Discourse” of our Lord Jesus Ch...

Priest Anthony Roeber, Ph. D., professor of Church History at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, presented four Lenten talks to the entire seminary community on February 19–20, 2018, as they gathered in Three Hierarchs Chapel for worship and reflection to mark the beginning of the season of Great Lent. Father Anthony based his talks on the “Great Farewell Discourse” of our Lord Jesus Ch...

Priest Anthony Roeber, Ph. D., professor of Church History at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, presented four Lenten talks to the entire seminary community on February 19–20, 2018, as they gathered in Three Hierarchs Chapel for worship and reflection to mark the beginning of the season of Great Lent. Father Anthony based his talks on the “Great Farewell Discourse” of our Lord Jesus Ch...

On the Feast of the Three Hierarchs Tuesday, January 30, 2017, St. Vladimir's Seminary hosted a marvelous evening program featuring the 35th Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Lecture. Seminary alumnus Dr. Scott Kenworthy presented the Schmemann Lecture, entitled, “St. Tikhon of Moscow (1865–1925) and the Orthodox Church in North America and Revolutionary Russia.” Dr. Kenworthy described St. Tikhon...

Archpriest Chad Hatfield, the Chancellor of St. Vladimir's Seminary, delivers the homily at the school's Great and Holy Friday service.

Archpriest Michael Oleksa delivered a powerful, enlightening, and heart-felt message on the campus of St. Vladimir's Seminary Saturday, September 1, 2018, as part of the Seminary's celebration of the Ecclesiastical New Year. The distinguished alumnus and author beautifully weaved the history of the Alaskan Mission and the work of St. Herman and others into the present, as the Orthodox Church conti...

"Mama Maggie" Gobran, a Coptic Christian who has been called the “Mother Teresa of Cairo,” speaks at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary on October 21, 2016.

On January 30, 2017, Dr. Lewis Patsavos delivered the 34th Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture on the topic Reflections of a Canonist. He urged a holistic approach to the study of the church canons and a living application of them in the 21st century.

During Missions Weekend 2017, held at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary October 20–21, Metropolitan Ambrosios (Zographos) of the Orthodox Metropolis of Korea, laid a patristic foundation for missionary work by Orthodox Christians, using 16 principles from the writings of St. John Chrysostom. His fascinating and uplifting talk was titled, “St. John Chrysostom’s Constitution for Christian...

Dr. Christine Chaillot speaks about the relations between the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches. She gave her talk on Orthodox Education Day, held at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Saturday, October 7, 2017. Referring to her latest work, The Dialogue between Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches, Dr. Chaillot explains the initial dispute that split the two ch...

St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary held its annual open house, Orthodox Education Day, Saturday, October 7, 2017. This year’s timely theme was “Modern Martyrs: Christians of the Middle East and North Africa.” In his keynote address titled, “Dying, and Behold, We Live: Martyrdom in the New Testament,” biblical scholar the Reverend Dr. George Parsenios, Associate Professor of New Testament...

Dr. Alice-Mary Talbot presented the 4​th annual Father John Meyendorff Memorial Lectu​re at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary on Friday, September 15​, 2017.​ ​Her presentation, titled, Varieties of Monastic Experience in Byzantium, 800–1453, opened a window into Byzantine monasticism that revealed a culture as rich and diverse as the personalities of the monks and nuns who embraced it....

St. Vladimir's Seminary's 75th Commencement, held May 20, 2017, included several distinguishing moments: granting degrees to 16 graduates in three academic programs; remarks to graduates by His Beatitude the Most Blessed Tikhon, of the Orthodox Church in America; the commencement address by His Grace the Right Reverend John of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America; the app...

On February 27–28, 2017, Priest David Mezynski, associate dean for Student Affairs at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, presented four lenten reflections during the two days of intensive liturgical services that annually mark the beginning of Great Lent for the seminary community. Using a story-telling format and employing a variety of sayings from the desert monastics, Father David fo...

On February 27–28, 2017, Priest David Mezynski, associate dean for Student Affairs at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, presented four lenten reflections during the two days of intensive liturgical services that annually mark the beginning of Great Lent for the seminary community. Using a story-telling format and employing a variety of sayings from the desert monastics, Father David fo...

On February 27–28, 2017, Priest David Mezynski, associate dean for Student Affairs at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, presented four lenten reflections during the two days of intensive liturgical services that annually mark the beginning of Great Lent for the seminary community. Using a story-telling format and employing a variety of sayings from the desert monastics, Father David fo...

On Sunday, March 5, 2017, Archpriest Chad Hatfield, president of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, was guest homilist during the Great Vespers service celebrating the Sunday of Orthodoxy, at Holy Ghost Russian Orthodox Church, Bridgeport, Connecticut—whose rector is Archpriest Steven J. Belonick, seminary alumnus (M.Div. ’77). The parish hosted the event, which was sponsored by the New England Clergy Assoc...