A Seminarian's Journey

Semester End!

2011-12-14T13:25:00.003-05:00

Well, it has been awhile since I have updated this blog, but having just handed in my final paper today (emailed it actually) and taken my last final exams yesterday I thought I would give a quick update.

I am officially done with my first semester of seminary. I am confident that I did well in all my classes - Glory to God!

The semester went relatively well. The academic side of things was busy but not too intense. Though, I am extremely happy to have Biblical Greek behind me. As far as the other courses go I feel fortunate to have had a year of similar studies at the Orthodox Pastoral School just prior to coming to seminary which gave me a leg up on some. The biggest difficulty with seminary up to this point is adjusting to new environments as well dealing with my own deficiencies as a person, and unfortunately enduring financial concerns. My wife and I are still trying to figure out how to pay for everything but in trust in God's mercy help us find a way.

An observation about this semesters experience - When I came to seminary this past summer I thought I would be joining up with a group of like minded individuals. However, even at seminary where we all proudly proclaim the Orthodox Faith there are a multitude of opinions and personalities that require a bit of struggle in order to control passions. There have been ample opportunities this semester to exercise humility, patience, and silence. However, I failed the majority of the time to recognize these moments of testing.

My failures were made very evident to me when reading a book my wife recently purchased for me a couple of weeks ago - The Sayings of Desert Fathers - The Alphabetical Collection. St. Anthony the Great is listed first among the fathers. On the first page of his sayings Abba Pambo asked Abba Anthony 'What ought I do do? and the old man said to him, 'Do not trust your own righteousness, do not worry about the past, but control your tongue and your stomach.' When reading this I was stuck at how far I am from actually practicing this simple wisdom and felt I could not go on reading the book until I practiced just this one piece of advice. So with the help of God I will strive to work on this both with my family and at seminary in the coming Semester.

The upcoming semester looks to be very busy especially with the added church attendance for Great Lent. I will betaking a second semester of Early Church History and Dogmatics, Choir (Lord help me to learn to sing), Church Slavonic, Synoptic Gospels, Ethics, and an abundance of Liturgical Practicums. So there will be very little rest for the weary. I will definitely need the next few weeks to recharge my batteries. Please pray for me an my family as we make a very quick trip back to Arizona to visit our family.

May All you have a very blessed preparation for the celebration of our Lord's Nativity!

Seminarian Michael

25th Anniversary of Holy Cross Monastery

2011-10-06T19:57:00.001-04:00

My recent visit to Holy Cross Monastery!

Parish Assignment & A Miracle Icon

2011-09-21T21:02:00.004-04:00

Its been a few weeks since my last update. I have been busy adjusting to the class load and getting involved in the seminary life. I have been recently assigned by the seminary dean to attend St. John the Baptist Cathedral (ROCOR) in Mayfield, PA on the weekends. This is a great way for me to stay connected to parish life and to be able to continue to celebrate on the Old Calendar.

This past weekend we had a visit from the Myrrh Streaming Iveron Icon of Hawaii where I was blessed to assist in the altar. You can see more photos HERE.

Western Culture after Christendom!

2011-09-08T14:25:00.002-04:00

I had the opportunity to attend an impromptu lecture by Hugo Tristram Engelhardt Jr. M.D. Ph.D. after liturgy this morning here at St. Tikhon's. It was a very good presentation and I recommend anyone in the Eastern PA area go to one of his talks that will be held through the weekend(see flyer). His talk was focused on the decline of Western Christianity which was replaced my reason then by Secular humanism.

Dr. Engelhardt holds doctorates in philosophy and medicine and currently is
professor of philosophy at Rice University and professor emeritus of
medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. He formerly held the Rosemary
Kennedy chair of the philosophy of medicine at the Kennedy Institute
Center for Bioethics at Georgetown University.

In addition, he is senior editor of the Journal of Medicine and
Philosophy, Christian Bioethics, the Philosophy and Medicine book
series, and the Philosophical Studies in Contemporary Culture book
series. Among the books he has written are The Foundations of Bioethics,
The Foundations of Christian Bioethics, Global Bioethics, and Bioethics
and Secular Humanism: The Search for a Common Morality. Last year Ana
Smith Iltis and Mark J. Cherry edited At the Roots of Christian
Bioethics, a collection of essays on the thought of Dr. Engelhardt.

Dr. Engelhardt also is a tonsured Reader, member of the
Medical/Ethics Commission of the Orthodox Church in America, and adjunct
professor of bioethics and philosophy at St. Herman Seminary.

http://doepa.org/news_110712_1.html

Week One

2011-09-06T14:53:00.002-04:00

Orientation week was a good experience. I meet a lot of great guys who I will be spending the next three years with and God willing they will become lifelong friends. I also was blessed to have taken part in our seminarian retreat that offered some inspirational talks by several guests speakers. The most memorable of which was Fr. Chrysostomos of Mount Athos and St. Anthony Monastery in Arizona. He was a very peaceful man and offered us great spiritual insight to our life in preparation for ordination.

Classes officially kicked off today and I will be quite the busy bee this academic year but I have some amazing guys to go through it with! This years entering class is very much the Pan-Orthodox mix. My lastes coun t which might be slightly off has 5 ROCOR , 2 Serbian, 2 Ukrainian, 3 OCA (1 from the ROEA), 1 Antiochian, and 1 GOA students. Glory to God!!

Here we go!

2011-08-28T19:26:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow morning I will attend the Divine Liturgy commemorating the Beheading of St. John the Baptist (New Calendar) after which I will begin a week long seminary orientation and retreat. The days are going to be long but I look forward to meeting all the seminaries and getting acquainted with the expectations of the seminary. Thursday I will reiceive a blessing from Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia to wear a cassock as a reminder of humility. Please keep me in your prayers as well as my family who will be quite neglected over this next week.

Byzantine, Texas: An interview with the creator of "Good Guys Wear B...

2011-08-26T15:00:00.000-04:00

Byzantine, Texas: An interview with the creator of "Good Guys Wear B...: Fr. John A. Peck serves at St. George Orthodox Church in Prescott, AZ and is already well known as the administrator of the " Preachers Inst...

ROCOR is Moving In!

2011-08-24T20:44:00.003-04:00

I registered for classes today and have orientation starting next week. I have found out the roughly half of the incoming class at St. Tikhon's will be coming out of ROCOR. I did not know this before hand and it is a pleasnt surprise. Says a lot about the current OCA-ROCOR relationship.

Also, we will have the Mitered Archpriest John Sorochka (seen in the photo with Fr Alexander Atty and Bishop George of Mayfield) of the nearby ROCOR cathedral teaching a liturgics class for us Old Style Calendar folks. I am scheduled for 21 credits this first semester. In addition to the schedule of services it looks like I will keep very busy. Glory to God for all things!

Confession Experience

2011-08-22T09:54:00.004-04:00

Had a strange and wonderful blessing yesterday at Church. I went to a random priest at the monastery for confession, as I do not have a new regular confessor yet. This priest had a line for confession which seemed odd because there are multiple confessors at the monastery but he was the only one that had a line. I went up to make my confession and the priest was able to tell me everyone of the sins I was about to confess before I even said a word, I just acknowledged that I did in fact commit these sins. He asked me if I repent of these sins and gave me absolution. I had a tear and was in awe. He knew the exacts things that I intended to confess! Amazing! Not sure if that experience was too surreal for me to go back to him for confession again, though I think I might. I will pray about it.

Practicing Orthodoxy in our Daily Lives

2011-08-22T09:52:00.000-04:00

From Mother Pelagia of Lesna Convent

Prayers are said morning and evening, either
together as a family or individually.
A blessing (grace, we called it) is said by the
head of the family before a meal, and a prayer of thanks afterwards.
On entering a room where there is an icon,
cross yourself before it and say a brief prayer.
When leaving one's dwelling, make the sign of
the cross over the door and pray for its protection.
On seeing a priest, abbot or abbess, or even
when phoning them or writing to them, always ask their blessing.
Before going to bed, make the sign of the cross
over it and pray for protection during sleep.
When you hear of anyone's death, immediately
say a prayer for their eternal memory.
If discussing or planning the future say, "As
God wills."
If you offend or hurt anyone, say as soon as
possible, "Forgive me," always trying to take the blame
yourself.
If something turns out well, say "Praise
be (to God)."
If something turns out badly, if there is pain,
sickness or any kind of trouble, say "Praise be to God for all
things," since God is all good and, though we might not
understand the purpose of these things, undoubtedly they have been
permitted by God.
If you begin some task, say, "God help
me," or if someone else' working: "May God help you,"
(How sad that this expression is so perverted in the modem
exclamation "God help you!")
Cross yourself and say a brief prayer before
even the shortest journey by car.
For a longer and more difficult journey, ask a
priest to sing a Moleben
(Paraklesis),
failing that, at home say the troparion and kontakion for a journey.
If there is a possibility of future trouble of
any kind, either for yourself or for someone you care for, say an
Akathist to the Mother of God.
When you receive a blessing after prayer,
always remember to thank God; if it is a small thing, you may add a
prayer of thanksgiving to your daily prayers or make an offering.
For matters of greater import, ask the priest to serve the
Thanksgiving Moleben. But NEVER neglect to give thanks.

Asking for Help

2011-08-19T14:36:00.002-04:00

My new settings have posed some problems with regard to lack resources. I am completely unfamiliar with my new surroundings and I know absolutely no one out in this area. However, I have met numerous seminarians and their families who have been very gracious in welcoming us. I am not one to test test new friendships by asking favors and help. Furthermore, I have always been a very proud person and usually don't ask my family and friends for help. Rather I would find a way to do things my self. Unfortunately this pridefulness has been brought to the fore early on during this journey for I have had no option but to ask new acquaintances for assistance due to the circumstance of not being able to do things on my own. I guess I have been concerned with burdening others with my concerns. However, The Apostle Paul tells us "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." (Gal 6:2). So why am I afraid of bearing my burdens with others? I have come to the realization that the assistance of others indeed is necessary and should not be look upon as a sign of my own weakness. Instead my weakness lays in the fact that I am full of pride and afraid to taint my own self-image by showing vulnerablitliy.

Lord I call upon you daily and ask for your mercy, please also give me the strength to ask others for assistance and mercy as well.

Lord Jesus Christ Have Mercy on Me, a Sinner!

Adjusting to Change & ROCOR-OCA News

2011-08-16T09:09:00.006-04:00

Coming from a ROCOR parish and leaving to attend an OCA seminary presented some concerns for me. First was the calendar change from the Old to the New and then there is also the various differences in liturgical celebration and forms of piety. The later has been of minimal consequence due to the monastic setting which the seminary is located, however, there are noticeable differences that I will become acquainted with.

The Calendar on the other hand is going to take some getting use to but for at least the next three years it will become a part of my way of life. I still intend on celebrating the Church feast days on the Old Calender at one of the local ROCOR parishes when possible. With that said I am very happy to be here at St. Tikhon's and the jurisdictional differences while apparent are not insurmountable. To my joy, the first week I was here at the seminary ROCOR's Bishop George of Mayfield concelebrated with OCA's Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia. This was the first occasion of such an event in almost 70 years. Not only did they concelebrate together but they did so on the New Calendar feast of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, which lays to rest my reservations of following the New calendar for several years. Glory to God! For more information and pictures of this historic event see below.

Source: http://stots.edu/news.html

In an unprecedented expression of unity, the Bishops of Philadelphia (OCA) and Mayfield (ROCOR) concelebrated the Vigil and the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of St Tikhon of Zadonsk. The celebration took place at St Tikhon’s Monastery on Friday and Saturday, August 12-13. His Grace Bishop Tikhon, of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, was pleased to welcome His Grace, Bishop George of Mayfield, and a group of clergy and lay people from the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. In addition, the Monastery was blessed by the presence of the miracle working Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God.

This celebration is the first time a hierarch from the Church Abroad has celebrated the Liturgy at the monastery church in almost 70 years. This comes in the wake of the historic concelebration between the Primate of the OCA , His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah and the First Hierarch of ROCOR, His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion on May 24th, in New York City.

Bishop Tikhon and Bishop George have met numerous times in the preceding months. As mentioned in a previous announcement Bishop George has been friends with the current dean of the seminary Fr. Alexander Atty for many years so it comes as no surprise that he recently expressed interest in attending the Monastery’s Patronal Feast day.

In the community meal that directly followed the service His Grace Bishop Tikhon announced that he and Bishop George having been working closely together on the Committee for Monastic Communities, one of the official committees of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America.

By the prayers of the Most Holy Mother God and those of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, may God continue to guide all our respective hierarchs as they continue on a national level to strive for the unity demonstrated today!

Vigil Photos

Liturgy Photos

Jordanville Journal: A wake-up call to future (and current) seminarians...

2011-08-13T18:37:00.000-04:00

Jordanville Journal: A wake-up call to future (and current) seminarians...: "Fr. Alexander Antchoutine of Holy Virgin Protection parish in Glen Cove, New York, gave an excellent interview for the ROCOR Fund for Assis..."

Pics of St. Tikhon's Feastday - Kursk Root Icon Visitation

2011-08-13T08:54:00.001-04:00

Here are a few photos of the visitation of the Kursk Root Icon visitation to St. Tikhon's Monastery during its feast day vigil.

The Vigil was attended by OCA Bishop Tikhon and ROCOR Bishop George of Mayfield.

Kursk Root Icon to Visit for St. Tikhon's Day

2011-08-12T11:13:00.000-04:00

With the blessing of Metropolitan Hilarion, Archpriest Serge Lukianov will visit our Monastery with the Miracle-working Kursk Root Icon on August 12th and 13th for the Vigil and Liturgy of our Patronal Feast Day for St. Tikhon. We invite everyone to come to pray before our Lady with us and to join us for Liturgy at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday the 13th and to a festive Trapeza which will follow after the Liturgy. Vigil on the 12th will begin at 4:00 p.m.

Made it to PA!

2011-08-10T12:40:00.001-04:00

The family and I made it to Pennsylvania this past weekend. I have to say it was quite a journey. Six days and 2600 miles in a vehicle with 3 little kids that had a stomach virus and two dogs is not the greatest way to travel but with God's help we made it through. The trip from Arizona certainly provided ample opportunities for exercising patience and humility of which I of course failed, but I am glad that we were able to spend this time together as a family. No doubt we saw ourselves at our worst, yet we came out all the more stronger.

The moving truck was a few days late to arrive so we spent a couple days in an empty home. The house is a nice place built in the 1920's but it is far different then the home we moved from in Arizona and will take some getting use to. When the moving truck arrived it was to big to get into this small town in Pennsylvania so I had to rent another truck and take several trips of unloading the moving truck (I got some much needed help from a couple of seminarians). My back is very sore but Glory to God we are doing well.

Suffering & Sacrifice

2011-07-29T01:01:00.000-04:00

This will be my last post prior to leaving for Pennsylvania. We are still packing up the house in anticipation of the moving truck coming this Saturday. We will then be leaving after Sunday liturgy were my family and I will receive Holy Communion with our parish family for the last time. We will be on the road for about a week and once I get internet service at our residence I will continue my reflections and documentation of events on my journey.

As the official moving day now nears I have been reflecting about my life, my past sins, my unworthiness before God, and about suffering. This was spurred on by my reading of "The meaning of Suffering and Strife and Reconciliation" by Archimandrate Seraphim Aleksiev. The author writes that earthly sufferings are blessings from God that assist in redirecting our thoughts and needs to Him and it also shows God's love for us, because His punishments are indeed for our own salvation.

In the book there is a description of an event in the life of St. Ephraim the Syrian in which he was imprisoned with a band of thieves, having been mistaken to be a thief himself. He prayed all night in the cell, asking God why he had done this to him. He had eventually fallen asleep and the answer came to him in his dreams. God had revealed how he was put in jail for the carelessness he exhibited the night before when he had forgotten to shut the gate of the poor widow's house whom had fed him, and because he had not shut the gate the poor widow's only cow, with which she had fed St. Ephraim, had escaped. Afterward St.Ephraim praised God for revealing why he had chastised him.

Now, if this great Saint suffered much for a sin that he committed unknowingly but I who have committed countless sins both knowingly and unknowingly have been able to live a relatively easy life. Sure I have had my share of issues and moments of despair but nothing compared to others. I wonder why? Why do I, an unworthy sinner, who lived as if God did not exist for many years feel compelled to attend seminary? Why has God allowed such an unworthy person to be accepted for this opportunity? I feel perhaps that seminary may be my chastisement. "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." (Heb 12:6) Thus, there must be a great deal of suffering in store for me in the future (at least I feel there must). Indeed, my family and I will certainly be required to sacrifice much and alter our lifestyles by leaving our extended families behind. Additionally, we will be in a financial black hole as we still do not know exactly how we will be able to fully support ourselves.

The prospects for a fancy free experience at seminary are not good, but I look forward to the opportunity for me and my family to patiently endure our time of sacrifice as did Job and with the humility of King David for ultimately; "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." (1 Cor 13:13)

O God, cleanse me, a sinner, for I have never done anything good in Thy sight; deliver me from the evil I one, and may Thy will be in me, that I may open my unworthy mouth without condemnation, and praise Thy holy Name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Family Good Byes

2011-07-25T22:04:00.000-04:00

Over this past weekend my family and I took a trip out to visit our parents and siblings in our hometown. we have always lived within a days drive of our family but with the upcoming move to Pennsylvania we will be a distance that will make spontaneous visits near impossible. During this visit I was asked many questions about why I am going to seminary and what I hope to do afterward. Most of my family really did not understand my call to leave my job and go to seminary without any real source of income or guarantee of priesthood. Of course, the fact that I am the only Orthodox Christian in the family let alone the only practicing Christian places me in an entirely different worldview altogether. Despite the barrage of questions and raised eyebrows I managed to get through he weekend unscathed which is all I can hope for from a family get together. Ultimately, My children were able to spend some time with their grandparents and cousins before we head out this coming weekend which was the main point of this visit.

During the visit I also got to go through a lot of old pictures of my family. Interestingly, my great grandparents immigrated from Przemesyl, Poland and settled in Western Pennsylvania. I saw old photos of them and my grandparents for the first time. I still have many relatives that live in that area though I don't know them personally. If time permits I might try to look them up on my trip to out new residence in Waymart, PA.

This past weekend ended rather fast though the good byes seemed to last an eternity. I am not really an emotional person so I was rather unfazed my the tears that came from my family who in all likelihood saw us for the last time for at least thee years. I must admit that seeing my family cry did pull at the heart a little but I am only too happy to start my seminary eduction and share moments with my wife and children and other seminarians who are on similar paths.

For now the next steps on our journey is packing boxes!

Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy

2011-07-19T00:52:00.000-04:00

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick had a terrific podcast on Ancient Faith Radio titled Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy. He basically did a brief but thorough overview of the various religions particularly other Christian groups showing how they differed from Orthodoxy . He recently released a book by the same title as the podcast Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: Exploring Belief Systems Through the Lens of the Ancient Christian Faith and I hope to be getting a copy real soon. Fr, Andrew is currently offering am opportunity for a free autographed copy of the book, to see me details go here.

F., Andrew Stephen Damick is a graduate of St. Tikhon's Theological Seminary and is still not far from the seminary serving an Antiochian parish in Emmaus, PA. I hope that our paths might soon cross in the future as I begin my journey at St. Tikhon's this Fall.

In Christ,
Michael L.

Spritual Director & Parish Family

2011-07-15T16:29:00.000-04:00

I officially have completed my last day of employment here in Arizona and I now have two weeks to get my house packed up and loose ends tight down before we journey off to Pennsylvania. As I approach closer to departure on this new journey so many thoughts and feelings are going through my head. I can't help but be both excited and sad. Of course I am excited and ready to begin my seminary education despite the hard work and financial hardships that are in the future for me and my family, but I am equally saddened at the thought of leaving my current parish family.

I have been blessed to be apart of a small but great parish here in Phoenix, AZ. My current parish priest and confessor has been more than patient with me and my family over last couple of years and his daughters are the God mothers to my two daughters. The fact that we will be leaving these wonderful people is emotionally difficult. They have help us in so many ways. First by witnessing to us the Christian virtues and helping us grow in faith. They have assisted u with our children and teaching them. I have even had a very active parishioner tutor me in Russian on her own time when I needed assistance for the Pastoral School. So it is really difficult to put into words how we have been nourished in this parish.

This past feast day vigil (Feast of St. Peter & Paul) I was reflecting back on my time in the parish and all the wonderful events that have taken place here. My entire family was baptized & chrismated here. We have been able to venerate miracle working icons (The Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God of the Sign and the The Myrrh Streaming Iveron Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos from Hawaii). We have experienced the blessedness of Orthodox Pascha for the first time and received the sacraments of confession and communion quite frequently. So it is no wonder that our departure is somewhat bittersweet. We are now leaving the confines of the safety of our Parish family and heading into the unknown. We are leaving behind our Spiritual confessor, one that has listened to our sins over and over again each week and guided us without judgement. Thus, we now leave this trusted confessor and will need to find a new one that will provide us the healing grace of confession. This brings up more concerns and questions. Will our new confessor understand our spiritual infirmities? Will he be pastoral and patient? Or perhaps he might be very strict and by the book (no saying this is a bad thing).

Spiritual Confessors or directors do not have the advantage of say a medical doctor that could look at our past medical records and understand were we have been and what we have overcome in order to heal us. The relationship between penitent and confessor is bonded in trust. It a kin to a relationship of Father and Child. Fr. Alexey Young writes:

Spiritual direction is not about commanding and obeying, but leading and following. Thus, all Orthodox spiritual father must not be on some kind of "power trip," nor is he wanting to be a "guru" with many disciples. He will never ask a spiritual child to violate his own conscience or the laws of God and the Church in any slightest degree. No true spiritual father runs behind his flock driving them with a prod or whip. He unhesitatingly and even vigorously leads, and his spiritual children follow. It is a bond of mutual love and respect, "a living bond between two living souls, one more experienced than the other, one capable of showing the way because he has already begun to travel it, the other willing to trust and follow .... The spiritual father does not coerce, he does not give orders; rather, be takes the spiritual child by the hand and leads the way, gently but firmly.'' [1]

This excerpt conveys the type of relationship that I feel I am losing and with my current pastor and hope and pray that God will send me a confident director as I journey through seminary.

Spritual Discernment & Personality/Pschology Exams

2011-07-13T12:58:00.000-04:00

From the Blog Second Terrace the quote below is listed as one of the 10 "dumb ideas that somehow survived modernization".

4. The displacement of spiritual discernment by "professional evaluation." I'm sure you've heard of this: bishops and priests and seminarians subjected to MMPI-2's, MBTI's, NEO-PI's, even Rorschach's and TAT's. Doesn't this bother you? Diakrisis is supposed to trump any information gathered from these inventories. The only criteria for a man's worthiness for the episcopacy, presbytery or diaconate are the spiritual and moral demands listed in Scripture and Tradition, not by secular culture or by a psychological culture that doesn't even believe in the existence of the soul. And if psychologists are incompetent to judge bishops, so also -- even more so -- is the corporate cultus. And yes, I mean "cult."

For the entire list visit below

http://janotec.typepad.com/terrace/2011/07/dumb-ideas-that-somehow-survive-modernization.html#tp

Book review - Elder Thaddeus

2011-07-09T14:27:00.000-04:00

Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives:
The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
by Ana Smiljanic

In 2002 Elder Thaddeus reposed, leaving behind a large collection of his teachings, preserved by his faithful spiritual children. His life, teachings, and spiritual conversations are here presented for the first time in English.

Compiled by the St Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, translated by Ana Similjanic, paperback, 212 pps.

-----------------------------------------------------

I recently finished this book a couple of months ago and found it very rewarding. This book captures the life of Elder Thaddeus and offers his teachings which are very practical. Throughout the book this elder counsels all that come to him to keep guard of their thoughts and fight against the temptations of the the world so that peace can reign in their hearts. Elder Thaddeus is far from adhering to New Age teachings that often teach about power of thoughts and the Law of Attraction. Instead he tells that suffering in life is necessary for salvation and that God provides all good things. However, Elder Thaddeus does teach that we as individuals can choose that type of thoughts we dwell on and it is up to us to vanquish all negative thoughts.

Elder Thaddeus also reminds us that we should not be overly concerned with cares and burdens of this life, rather we should place these burdens at the feet of the Lord.

Here are a few memorable sayings from the book.

"We must bear everything patiently and forgive all. If we have good thoughts and desires, these thoughts will give us peace and joy in this life and even more so in eternity. Then we will see that there is no death, that the Lord has vanquished death, and that He has given us eternal life."

"Joy is thankfulness, and when we are joyful, that is the best expression of thanks we can offer the Lord, Who delivers us from sorrow and sin."

"Our life depends on the kind of thoughts we nurture. If our thoughts are peaceful, calm, meek, and kind, then that is what our life is like. If our attention is turned to the circumstances in which we live, we are drawn into a whirlpool of thoughts and can have neither peace nor tranquility."

"To be sad for your departed relatives is not Christian. This is the lot of those who do not know God. We should rather pray to the Lord to forgive them their sins and do good deeds in their memory."

"Here on earth there is nothing that can give us inner peace. For neither riches, nor glory, nor honor, nor position, nor family, nor neighbors can give us unshakeable inner peace. There is only one giver of life, peace and joy – God."

-- Elder Thaddeus.

2011-07-08T21:09:00.000-04:00

Several months ago Patriarch Kirill of Moscow made some very insightful comments about educating seminarians and preparing potential clergy for ministry; something I will keep at the fore of my mind as I journey through seminary.

We must prepare and educate neither slaves nor rebels, but free and, at the same time, responsible people. Freedom does not mean a lack of discipline. Freedom must primarily be an internal freedom, a freedom in Christ. We must be convinced that all restrictions and burdens placed by sacred ministers are accepted by them consciously and voluntarily. This recognition of the voluntary acceptance of the burden of the Cross must be a characteristic of every priest since, the taking up of the Cross is inherent in the very desire to be a priest.

Discipline must first of all be self-discipline, and obedience to the hierarchy must not be motivated by fear but by a firm and conscious adherence to tradition as a preservation of the Divinely established structure of the Church. This canonical discipline and obedience is not something dreamed up by the present hierarchy. This is a principle from the Lord Himself. It lies in the foundation of Church life and every priest must understand this clearly. Every seminarian must understand this before his ordination, that he is entering upon a path of obedience.
Source: American Orthodox Institute, Preachers Institute, and Mystagogy.

Why St.Tikhon's?

2011-07-06T18:12:00.000-04:00

I was asked on another blog that I had kept why I am going to St. Tikhon's instead of finishing out my education with the Orthodox Pastoral School. I thought I would share my decision here as well.

The basic reason I am going to seminary is because I have wanted to do so for quite sometime but life circumstances have not allow for it. I enrolled in the Orthodox Pastoral School as a substitute for a seminary education. I have nothing but good things to say about the Pastoral School and its staff (one of which wrote me a recommendation letter to St. Tikhon's), however, I do wish acquire a master's level degree in order to gain employment in the future (I have given serious thought to chaplaincy work). Unfortunately, as good as the Pastoral School is I can not attain a degree there, thus, I am off to St. Tikhon's.

Why St. Tikhon's and not any of the other seminaries? I am a member of ROCOR and it would make sense that I go to Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville for a theological education. However, that program only offers an undergraduate education which would not help me in my pursuit of chaplaincy. Holy Cross is probably a great school but I personally would have felt out of place going to a Greek Orthodox seminary after haveing spent time in Slavic style orthodox parishes. Thus, it came down to St. Vlad's and St. Tikhons. St. Valdimirs is a very respectable theological seminary known for its academics. I, however, am more interested in the more pastoral approach at St. Tikhon's. Also, St. Tikhon's has a good relationship with the ROCOR parishes in the NE Pennsylvania area not to mention that it is the best value in tuition amongst the Orthodox seminaries in America.

Here is a video that moved me toward St. Tikhon's. It is a little dated as there is now a new dean but still very inspiring.

St. Tikhon's Seminary 2009 Promotional Video from St. Tikhon's Seminary on Vimeo.

Acceptence to St. Tikhon's Theological Seminary

2011-07-04T23:36:00.000-04:00

This blog will be used for me to journal my thoughts and to document and reflect on the events that will occur in the course of my time in seminary.

I found out that I was accepted to the seminary just a couple of weeks ago. It has been a rather fast paced turn of events. I made my mind up to apply to seminary after this past Pascha. Within 6 weeks I received a blessing from my Parish Priest which led to a recommendation from my diocesan Bishop, I prepared my admission packet, and went through the medical physical required. Shortly thereafter I was accepted. So from the time of Pascha to the Sunday of All Saints my life has taken a new path and journey.

While these events happened rather suddenly I have certainly been contemplating and dare I say" discerning a vocation". I have had hopes of attending seminary for several years now but never really thought that it would be feasible for a man with a family to walk away from everything and go to school. However, an understanding wife, faith in God, and a wish to serve the Church has lead me to this point.

Lord Jesus Christ, though I am unworthy, grant me the grace to respond to thy will alone and not mine. Do Thou bless me, do Thou have mercy on me, and guide me on my journey through seminary. Amen