Welcoming the Christ Child: Family Readings for the Nativity Lent, "The Annunciation and Mary Visits Elizabeth," by Elissa Bjeletich, illustrated by Jelena Jeftic (Sebastian Press, 2017).

Welcoming the Christ Child: Family Readings for the Nativity Lent, "Conclusion – Righteous Joseph and A Child is Born in Bethlehem," by Elissa Bjeletich, illustrated by Jelena Jeftic (Sebastian Press, 2017).

The Drought, from The Adventures of a Little Ringtail Complete Series (2015). Anna Larsen Books. Available from the St. Anthony Monastery store.

An Amazing Pilgrimage, from The Adventures of a Little Ringtail Complete Series (2015). Anna Larsen Books. Available from St. Anthony's Monastery Bookstore.

Life in the Shed, from The Adventures of a Little Ringtail Complete Series (2015). Anna Larsen Books. Available from St. Anthony's Monastery Bookstore

71. Book 1: "The Ten Commandments" from The Bible for Young People by Zoe Kanavas (Narthex Press, 2005) (7.28 mins) Book 2: Saint Innocent of Alaska, Apostle and Missionary by Sarah Elizabeth Cowie (Conciliar Press, 2005) chapter 11 (16.48 mins)

Fr. Ted explains that the purpose of our existence is to transfigure ourselves into being more like Christ.

A homily given by His Eminence Metropolitan Sotirios of Canada.

Fr. Ted reminds us that we need to accept God and others and they truly are, not who we expect them to be.

Fr. Ted begins a new series on applying the Orthodox faith to the everyday situations in which we find ourselves.

Fr. Ted explains that the way you can tell whether you are giving out of love is to look at the type of giving that you do.

Fr. Ted shares his Paschal homily.

Fr. Ted calls us to become like the Father who was ready and willing to welcome those who return to the life of the Church, rather than the big brother who was judgmental towards his returning brother.

Fr. Ted discusses what it means to partake of the body of Christ.

Fr. Ted explains the meaning and significance of the Greek Oxi Day.

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos invites us to enter the Great Fast with hope on the Sunday of Forgiveness.

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos talks about the importance of looking only at our own sin as we enter into the Triodion in preparation for the Great Fast.

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos gives the homily on Lazarus Saturday in anticipation of Holy Week.

Questions evangelicals want to ask the Eastern Orthodox, with Fr. Michael Reagan.

Continuing the discussion with Fr. Michael Reagan, about questions evangelicals have for the Orthodox.

The Orthodox Church is seeing an influx of graduates from Evangelical Christian colleges and universities, exploring traditional forms of historic Christianity. In this program Kevin Allen discusses this trend with two graduates of BIOLA University (Jesse Cone and Michael Unruh) who were recently chrismated.

Kevin interviews Robert Meyering, the former moderator of the Calvin Forum, now Orthodox Christian.

Dr. Christine Mangala was raised in India and brought up a devout Hindu. Her family was close to one of India's leading Hindu gurus and teachers. Now an Orthodox Christian writer and teacher, she and Illumined Heart host Kevin Allen speak about whether various aspects of Hindu Yoga are compatible with Christian faith and practice, or whether Yoga should be shunned entirely.

In episode 5, Andrew continues to explore the transformation of our desires and how that relates to addiction. Click HERE for a transcript.

We live in a world of broken reality, of mere facts that exist without the truth of love and communion. The holy icon draws us into communion. Pornography cuts us off from communion. Transcript is available HERE.

St Theophan tells us that “the four weapons of which we have spoken receive their power from the forces and gifts of grace, obtained for us by the blood of Christ.” And the mystery of holy communion “is Christ’s blood itself, and His flesh itself, in which Christ is Himself present as God.” Find the transcript HERE.

How do I deal with toxic shame that seems to close off the avenue back to God. Read the transcript HERE.

Frederica Mathewes-Green

The mystical change of the gifts of bread an wine into the Body and Blood of Christ in the Epiclesis is followed by a series of pre-communion prayers and hymns - given to continually focus us on the grace and unity of the Holy Spirit, for it is He who has been invited to come down upon us and abide in us. The closing prayer of the Epiclesis, which declares the unity of all saints made righteous by faith, is followed by the Megalynarion - the Magnification of Mary, for it was she who by virtue of her humility and purity and the power of the Holy Spirit provided the world with Christ's Body and Blood - the Incarnation itself. The litanies then lead us to the Lord's Prayer, the extolling of God's Holiness (not ours), and then a final declaration of of our own humility and allegiance before we partake of the Mystery of Mysteries. The now thoroughly inadequate Steve and Bill move through this part of the Divine Liturgy "as usual" - with their familiar, winsome klutziness.

The prayers are said, the clergy have commmuned and we finally come to the people's communion. The Eastern Rite Orthodox communion has no counterpart in Western Christian practice, so we discuss the mechanics of taking communion, the unusual "liturgical spoon", the different ways communion has been served over the centuries, and the minor variations of praxis among Orthodox Churches. The communion ends with several prayers that declare what the Church has been teaching, confessing and praying all through the liturgy: we have found the true faith, worshipping the undivided Trinity. Is this triumphalistic arrogance or something more?

In this final program of the series on the Divine Liturgy we discuss the dismissal prayers after communion. These are more than just a formality as they express the summation of all that we have experienced for the past hour or more: God is the lover of mankind. But the Christian's experience of the Eucharist does not end with the final doxology or the Liturgy. In many parishes there are "post communion prayers" that are read as the people come for the closing blessing and antidoron from the priest. These express in prayer the Orthodox experience of the Eucharist and its meaning to us as we commune and "go forth in peace."

In Part 7 of the series we discuss the "practical application" of the dogma of the Trinity. While all "orthodox" Christian churches affirm the dogma of the Trinity virtually none of them can really tell a believer why it is important to our salvation. If we are created in the image of God, then the Trinity is at the core of our being and defines not only God, but the human being and the nature of our salvation in Christ.

Professor David Drillock delivers the 2011 commencement address. Professor Drillock was the first to receive an honorary Doctor of Music degree from St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary.

The Rev. Dr. Sarah Fogg, Director of Pastoral Care at St. John's Riverside Hospital in Yonkers, New York, delivers the commencement address to the SVOTS Class of 2013.

At its commencement exercises on Saturday, May 31, 2014, St. Vladimir's Seminary awarded diplomas in three programs to 21 graduates: four Master of Theology, eight Master of Divinity, and nine Master of Arts degrees. Among the graduates were five priests and one deacon, who will join the ranks of alumni clergy serving the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches in the U.S. and around the world. Archbishop Job (Getcha) gave the commencement address.

This year's commencement address was delivered by The Most Reverend Elia, Metropolitan of Oulu, Orthodox Church of Finland, the first St. Vladimir's Seminary graduate to be consecrated a bishop in Western Europe.

The Very Rev. Dr. John Anthony McGuckin, renowned author of 25 books, several of which are published by SVS Press, presented the keynote address at this year's Education Day at St. Vladimir's Seminary. Fr. John outlined a brief history of St. Cyril, highlighting the point that the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox traditions agree with much of the saint's theology.

The St. Vladimir’s Seminary Octet, under the direction of Hierodeacon Herman (Majkrzak), presented a concert of liturgical music at this year’s Education Day at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. The program included hymns in celebration of saints venerated in both the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches.

Dr. Paul Meyendorff delivers the commencement address at the 2016 graduation at St. Vladimir's Seminary on May 21. Dr. Meyendorff is retiring after 29 years of teaching Liturgical Theology at the seminary.

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 appointment of Archpriest John Behr to the newly established “Father Georges Florovsky Distinguished Professorship of Patristics"; and the bestowal of the St. Macrina Award upon Archpriest Chad Hatfield, Seminary President.

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 of Kentucky, and Protodeacon Peter Danilchick, seminary trustee emeritus and former ExxonMobile executive. Hear the Commencement Exercises in their entirety, which included remarks from His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon and the Commencement Address from Dr. Bradshaw.

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.

Sponsored by the St. Ambrose Society, a student interest group at St. Vladimir's Seminary, this is a lecture by Dr. Ryan Sampson Nash, the Director of the Ohio State University Center for Bioethics.

Using personal experiences, the Bible and teachings of the Church, Dn. Michael discusses the importance of handling our anger appropriately.

Dn. Michael Hyatt begins his look at Chapter 7 of Time and Despondency written by Dr. Nicole Roccas. What are the steps available to us to combat despondency?

Dn. Michael Hyatt begins continues his look at Chapter 7 of Time and Despondency written by Dr. Nicole Roccas. What are the steps available to us to combat despondency? He shares two more in this episode: gratitude and confession/community.

Dn. Michael Hyatt begins continues his look at chapter seven of Time and Despondency written by Dr. Nicole Roccas. What are the steps available to us to combat despondency? He shares the last two in this episode: Labor/Leisure and Humor.

Guilt, shame, and compunction. What role do they all play in the acknowledgement and treatment of our sin? Dn. Michael Hyatt continues going through the book How to Be a Sinner by Dr. Peter Bouteneff.

Padre Nicolás predicó sobre los premios que Dios nos da cuando aguantamos las dificultades. En nuestra fe Dios nos recompensa. Él compartió la historia de San Jacob el santo Ortodoxo indígena de Alaska. (Gálata 3:23-4:5) Fr. Nicholas preached about the prizes that God gives us when we endure the difficulties. In our faith the Lord truly rewards us. He shared the story about San Jacob the Orthodox indigenous saint of Alaska. (Galatians 3:23-4:5)