(PICS)
http://directionstoorthodoxy.org/mod/ne ... le_id=7098
About St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary
Overview
St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary is a graduate professional school whose programs are registered by the New York State Education Department. It is accredited nationally by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. The Seminary is located in Crestwood, New York, in suburban Westchester County, close to nature but only thirty minutes by car or train from the rich cultural and educational resources of New York City.
The eleven-acre campus is crowned by the beautiful chapel, dedicated in 1983. Six other multi-purpose buildings house classrooms, faculty offices, a large and well-stocked bookstore, dormitories for men and women students and the refectory. The new Rangos Library and Administration Building, opened in May, 2002, houses the seminary library, administrative and faculty offices, and the main reception office. Thirty on-campus apartments for married students and homes for faculty and staff on or near the campus contribute to a strong sense of community.
Mission and Purpose
St Vladimir's seeks to serve the Orthodox Church through theological education and scholarship. It educates future priests and church leaders and contributes directly to Orthodox theology through the scholarly activities of its faculty.
Already at its establishment in 1938, the seminary was given a two-fold mandate by the leaders of the Orthodox Church: (1) to prepare well educated clergy and other leaders to serve the Orthodox faithful in this country; and (2) to promote study and research in Orthodox theology, history and culture. Now in its second half-century, the seminary is able to explore this mandate as never before.
The seminary has been guided by the teachings of the Orthodox Church, according to which theology is not a field reserved for the clerical few but is rather the living foundation of the life and activity of the entire community of believers. Theological education means not just the training of clergy but also the preparation of men and women for lay vocations in such areas as music, education, administration and mission. In practical terms, this has meant the establishment of diverse programs of study at the seminary, each having its own objectives, methods and techniques but united with the others in a common theological perspective.
The seminary is a center for theological education, but it is also a center for theological research and reflection. Through the effective use of its various resources – library, faculty, publications, auditoriums, and the internet – the seminary has been able to broaden its outreach, bringing the message of Orthodox theology to thousands who otherwise might be untouched by formal theological education.
The seminary has long served as a forum for inter-Orthodox cooperation and unity and also for ecumenical dialogue. This is reflected not only in its student body but also in its faculty and board of trustees. The seminary is convinced that maintenanceof this rich diversity is vital for the fulfillment of its mission.
The seminary is also convinced of the importance of strengthening and deepening the spiritual life of all the members of its community – faculty and staff as well as students. "The theologian is one who prays, and one who prays is truly theologian," said one of the Desert Fathers. As vital to the seminary as its classrooms and library is its chapel, the focus of its life of prayer, for a true center for theological education and reflection must be grounded in prayer. Without this spiritual depth, the seminary's programs and resources would surely fail to achieve the purpose intended for them.
Seminary Life
St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary is officially described as a "graduate professional school" and an "institution of higher learning," yet it is neither narrowly vocational nor only academic. As its name suggests, it is above all an Orthodox theological seminary. All aspects of its life are molded by an understanding of theology which seeks to engage the whole person, shunning that compartmentalization and fragmentation which so often characterize higher education.
One graduate described his program at St Vladimir's as "impossible, but realistic." "Impossible": the heavy demands of course work, chapel services, choir trips, field work, parish visits and work assignments. "Realistic": because active involvement in church life and service is no less demanding. At St Vladimir's the knowledge, skills, and reflexes needed for "real" life are developed in every aspect of seminary life, in the refectory and hallways as well as in the classroom.
Visitors to St Vladimir's are often struck by the sense of common purpose, commitment and endeavor shared by students, faculty and staff alike. This is no accident. Theology in the Orthodox tradition is not simply a task of the mind or an individual matter. It is the life of the mind and heart, body and soul, of persons united in a community of faith. St Vladimir's seeks to live in this tradition, to keep it alive in daily life.
Visitors are also impressed by the richness of the seminary's liturgical life. Daily worship in the chapel, the observance of the Church's fasts and the celebration of her feasts are not mere ornaments added to an otherwise complete program. The very reality of the seminary as a community is grounded upon a common vision expressed in the sacramental life of the Church and experienced in corporate prayer. Without this, seminary life would indeed be impossible.
St Vladimir's, then, is characterized by its sense of unity and community. But this does not mean sterile uniformity. The seminary brings together persons of many different backgrounds and cultures. This can be seen not only in the faculty and Board of Trustees -- which includes bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, the Greek Archdiocese of America, and the Serbian Orthodox Church -- but also in the student body, past and present. Alumni include thirty bishops and over six hundred Orthodox priests of various jurisdictions not only in America but also in Western Europe, Greece, the Middle East, Japan and Africa. Others teach in institutions of higher learning or are engaged in other forms of church service. Non-Orthodox graduates are active in their own communities as competent spokesmen for the position of the Orthodox Church.
Enrollment statistics for the seminary suggest something of the rich diversity of the seminary community: we have men and women students from the United States and Canada, and in a typical year also from Russia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Belarus, the Middle East, Armenia, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, India, and Chile.
St Vladimir's thus reflects both the variety and the potential of the world in which the Orthodox Church lives today. Though the seminary is not large, the scope of its witness and mission is global.