In recent weeks a priest and two deacons were ordained from the ranks of seminarians at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Additionally, two Malankara Orthodox seminarians were tonsured as subdeacons. Glory be to God!
The latest round of seminarian ordinations began on campus, at the Seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel, on March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation. The community celebrated a truly joyous feast, as His Grace Bishop Andrei of Cleveland of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America (OCA) presided over the Vesperal Divine Liturgy and the ordinations of Dn. Daniel Werner to the Holy Priesthood and Benjamin Franks to the Holy Diaconate.
The Rev. Daniel Werner
The newly ordained Fr. Daniel Werner is a third-year seminarian (M.Div. Program) from the Orthodox Church in America (OCA)’s Diocese of the South. Dn. Benjamin, also from the Diocese of the South, is in his second year of studies in the M.Div. Program.
The Rev. Dn. Benjamin Franks
During his homily, Bishop Andrei spoke of the mystery of the Annunciation to the Theotokos in words also befitting the mystery of holy ordination.
“As St. John Chrysostom teaches, God does not compel but draws by love. And here, on Annunciation, with this good news we see this divine gentleness. God awaits the free response of a human heart.”
Bishop Andrei continued, “And so the question for us today is simple. When we respond as the Holy Mother Mary did, will we allow God to enter into the hidden places of our lives, not with fear, but with trust? For her simple and eternal yes—”Behold, the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to Your word”—this simple “yes” becomes the doorway of salvation.”
Along with His Grace, the Seminary warmly welcomed several distinguished guests who attended the festal services, among them Archpriest Marcus Burch (Class of ’97), Chancellor of the Diocese of the South; Archpriest Justin Patterson (’05), Project Manager of the Departments of the Orthodox Church in America and rector of St. Athanasius Church, Nicholasville, KY; Archpriest Volodymyr Zablotskyy, rector of Holy Trinity Parish, Yonkers, NY; and Archpriest Eric Tosi (’96), rector of St. Gregory the Theologian Church, Wappinger Falls, NY.
The Seminary celebrated the ordination of another new deacon on Holy Thursday, April 9. His Eminence Metropolitan Saba, Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, ordained second-year seminarian (M.Div. Program) Darius Sabau, with the name Moses. The ordination of Dn. Moses took place at St. Anthony Orthodox Church in Bergenfield, NJ.
The Rev. Dn. Moses (Darius) Sabau is a seminarian of the Antiochian Archdiocese. Pictured here with fellow seminarian the Rev. Dn. John Whiteside (left).
On March 27 two seminarians from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC), Mathew Jacob and Joseph (Akin) Sunny, were tonsured as subdeacons together at St. Stephen's Orthodox Church in Franklin Square, NY. Both Subdeacons Mathew and Joseph are third-year seminarians in the M.Div. program, and are from the MOSC’s Northeast American Diocese. His Grace Metropolitan Zachariah Mar Nicholovos, a trustee of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, presided over the ordinations.
Subdeacons Joseph (front, left of center) and Mathew (front, right of center) were tonsured together with Subdn. Joel Kurian (front, center) of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Pictured with them are seminarians and alumni from St. Vladimir’s and St. Tikhon’s seminaries
May God grant all the newly ordained and their families many years!
More Recent Ordination Announcements:
