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 Orthodox Church) and longtime Seminary Trustee Alex Machaskee. Hear the Commencement Exercises in their entirety, which included remarks from His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon and the Commencement Address from Orthodox Church in America Chancellor Archpriest Alexander Rentel.

St. Vladimir’s Seminary celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA)’s autocephaly Thursday, January 30, 2020. A full-day of events culminated with a passionate, heartfelt 37th Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture delivered by His Eminence, Archbishop Michael (Dahulich). Hear his lecture, "The Gift of Autocephaly," the Mid-Year Commencement Ceremony, and a final reflection from His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon.

Have you ever met a true missionary, ministering to hundreds of people and caring for their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs? SVOTS alumnus Fr Simon Menya (M.Div. '19) is one such inspiring figure. In this conversation with Sarah Werner, Fr Simon describes his upbringing in his wartorn home country of Uganda, his conversion to Orthodoxy, his journey to and through the M.Div. program at St Vladimir's Seminar, and the many facets of his ministry in Uganda as an Orthodox priest and as founder of the Northern Uganda Self-Sufficiency Project (NUSSP). Fr Simon conducts church services daily; translates Orthodox service books and other texts from English into the local language, Luo; and travels to many small towns and villages in his region to visit the sick, celebrate the sacraments, and catechize new inquirers. Last fall, he oversaw the completion of a new church building dedicated to St Catherine and baptized 33 catechumens into the Orthodox Faith. In addition to this prodigious work, he works with NUSSP to organize medical treatment and the building of new clinics; improve local water infrastructure; offer secondary schooling for children; and facilitate opportunities for adults to practice animal husbandry and farming, among other professional skills. Listen now to hear directly from a true missionary and servant of Christ, Fr Simon Menya.

Fr. Evan welcomes His Grace Bishop Athanasios of Kenya to join him and even answer some of the listener questions.

A fascinating hour with Fr. Anthony Perkins who is the rector of St. Mary Protection of the Holy Theotokos parish in Allentown, PA. He is also the Director of Vocations, Associate Academic Dean, and a professor at St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Seminary. He and Fr. Evan talk about Orthodoxy and military service and take a call from an explorer into Orthodoxy who spends part of her time in Italy.

Fr. Evan Armatas begins the new year on the Feast of Theophany and takes a variety of questions including when to read the Bible, what do the Fathers say about dreams, the Septuagint and more. You can now listen to Fr. Evan every Sunday at 7:00pm Central/8:00pm Eastern.

Fr. Nicolaie shares about the interest in St. Anthony the Great expressed by a man at the mission.

Listen to reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie for the Sunday of the Prodigal Son.

The Mission will receive a relic of its patron, St. John the Merciful (Compassionate), and Fr. Nicolaie invites us to discover who we are by asking the least of these who we are.

The dynamis of Theophany is towards new life and communion. We see this in the community, as God is bringing healing to Jacob, while also opposing the flattening (or "alienation of the spirit") that so often happens in modern culture.

a search engine using OCRed text from map imagery across Brooklyn, expanding to all of NYC soon #

they're asking people not to access NYT games or cooking apps until it's over, so give up that Wordle streak #

Fr. Lawrence offers commentary on the Divine Liturgy with a focus today on the Great Litany.

It is a wonderful thing to know the Scriptures well, but there is a drawback: since we know how all the stories end, we can miss the drama inherent in the narrative. For example, In Luke 7:11f we can read about the grief of the widow of Nain, but since we know that her son’s death will end in his resurrection before he can be buried, we can skip too quickly from her sorrow to the happy ending and miss how terrible that grief must have been for her.

Fr. Apostolos talks about the ascetic tradition of the Orthodox faith in light of St. Anthony the Great's feast day.

With the words, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem," the Lord Jesus Christ invites all of us to journey with Him to His Passion. Fr Thomas teaches us that the ransom that Christ freely pays on our behalf saves us from sin and death, but also allows us to freely follow Him.

At the feast of Theophany, the Baptism of Christ, we celebrate much more than a historic event. Fr Thomas teaches us that we participate in the beginning of the re-creation of the world by God in Christ through the Holy Spirit.

As we continue the celebration of Theophany, the baptism of Christ, the Church turns our attention to the grace which is given to us "according to the measure of Christ's gift." Fr Thomas teaches us that Christ fills the universe with Himself so that we also can be by grace what He is by nature.

In John 4, Jesus, the Master Teacher, shares the good news with the Samaritan Woman that He is the Savior of the World, and brings her to a life-changing faith. Fr Thomas shows us how this incredible story is the pattern for sharing our faith in Christ with anyone.

We are to point to Christ and not ourselves as we prepare the way for others to receive Him; we decrease that Christ might be glorified in and through us.

Fr. Christopher is the preacher today and reminds us that it is more than an act of mercy; it is an act of love, to put someone else’s needs before your own.

Fr. Gregory shares a word from Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain and his explanation of Matthew 6:22-23.

Fr. Gregory Hallam says the Feast of the Transfiguration is without doubt a turning point in the gospels.

On this new episode of Ex Libris, the podcast of Ancient Faith Publishing, host Bobby Maddex interviews John Sarantakis, the author of the new AFP children's book Anthony, the Great.

Fr. Wilbur takes us through Psalm 28(29) where the prophetic vision of the worship of the Trinity is made manifest.

Who should decide what is best for a child, the parents or medical professionals and the state?

Today Dr. Rossi reflects on the town of Nazareth in the New Testament and specifically on the life of Christ in that town.

Dr. Albert Rossi interviews seminarian Dn. Simon Menya on his vision for ministry in his home country called "Project Uganda." Dn. Simon is a student at Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, NY.

Dr. Albert Rossi interviews Rev. Dr. Anthony G. Roeber, Professor of Church History at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, on the topic of "Boundaries and Frontiers Within the Church."

Dr. Albert Rossi interview Dr. Alexis Vien, an Orthodox physician who has been working in a New York City hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fr. Lawrence Farley argues that Brittany Maynard took only this life—and not the life to come—into consideration when deciding to commit suicide.

On line discussions about using the common spoon or multiple spoons for the Eucharist during the pandemic has prompted this commentary by Dr. Jeannie Constantinou. Dr. Constantinou has been teaching Biblical Studies and Early Christianity at the University of San Diego since 2002. Previously she taught New Testament at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology from 1998-1999. She has led bible studies, taught and lectured on the Bible and Orthodoxy at parishes, conferences, retreats and seminars for over thirty years. Her Search the Scriptures Live podcast is a popular feature on Ancient Faith Radio.

Turning once again to the testimony of St Anthony the Great, this week’s broadcast examines an incident in the great Father’s life in which the true heights of sobriety of heart are witnessed. Might this feed us in our own moments of struggle in the spiritual life?

In the first sections of the second book of his Life of Moses, St. Gregory of Nyssa instructs that Christians are to "emulate the fortuitous birth of Moses"—but how can this be done? Is not birth outside the realm of a person's control? In examining the manner in which St. Gregory exposes "birth" as the constant making of choices by the free human creature, we discover the rich manner in which the saint finds spiritual significance in the historical moments of Scripture.