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Prayers to the Saints - Part 1: What is a Saint?

In the first of a series on prayers to the saints, we begin to discuss how the Orthodox Church connects the dots of many aspects of what it means to be "in Christ" and a member of "the body of Christ." Are we worshipping the saints in prayer? Does Scripture forbid prayer to the dead? Can the living communicate with the dead? What is true prayer? These and many more issues will be discussed in light of Scripture over the next four programs.




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Prayers to the Saints - Part 4: State of the Dead, cont'd.

In the final program of the series on "Prayer to the Saints" we continue the discussion of the state of the departed from the Scriptures. In many enigmatic passages we find the foundations for why the Church affirms the "Communion of the Saints" as including both those "in Christ" on earth and the "departed in Christ." Within these passages we find the rationale for believing that those who have gone before us do stand before the throne of God and intercede on our behalf because of our prayers to them.




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The Creeds and the Sacramental Life - Part 3

In part three, we discuss the importance of the Creedal statements of the early Church. Are the dogmatic formulations of Trinity and Christology philosophical minor details for scholars or are they the very foundation of how we define EVERYTHING. Are Creeds divisive, intolerant and pointless or are they the basis for real unity in Truth?




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The Creeds and the Sacramental Life - Part 4

In Part 4 we continue the discussion of the Creeds and the 7 Ecumenical Councils. In a broad survey of the first eight centuries we discuss why the Councils called and the specific issues the 7 Councils dealt with. Then we ask, "What practical application do the ancient Councils have for modern Christians?"




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The Creed, Trinity, Incarnation, and the One Church Part 5

In part 5 of the series we continue the discussion of the importance of the Creeds, Christology and the incarnation of God in establishing the nature of the Church as the body of Christ. In this program we talk with Father John McCuen, a former Episcopal priest, about the nature of the "one, holy and apostolic Church" confessed in the Nicene Creed. Is it invisible? Is it "spiritual"? Is there still "one Church"?




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The Trinity, Incarnation and Nature of the Church- Part 6

We continue the discussion of the nature of the Church and the self understanding of the Orthodox Church as being the "one true Church". How does this concept fit within the modern concepts of the "mystical" or "invisible Church"? We also discuss the early Christological heresies and how they relate to the modern concepts of the Church.




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Understanding The Virgin Mary - Part 1

In the next three programs we deal with the Perpetual Virginity of Mary. This series is taken from our live broadcasts at KPXQ 1360 in Phoenix, AZ.




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Understanding The Virgin Mary - Part 2

In this program we continue the discussion of the Church's teachings regarding the perpetual virginity of Mary. This program was from originally broadcast live in December 2004 on KPXQ in Phoenix, AZ




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Understanding The Virgin Mary - Part 3

This is the final program of the three-part series on Mary from our audio archives of our live program on KPXQ Phoenix. In this program we discuss several misconceptions about Mary and her place within the Christian Church through the ages.




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Meet the New Director of Liturgical Music!

Fr. Chad Hatfield introduces us to Alla Generalow, the new Director of Liturgical Music at St. Vladimir's.




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The Manhattan Declaration

Fr. Chad discusses The Manhattan Declaration, "a call of Christian conscience" that he helped produce, and defends Orthodox participation in such cultural manifestos.




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The Causal Principle of Freedom

Professor Christos Yannaras addresses St. Vladimir's Seminary upon receiving an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.




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Musical Instruments of the Bible

Dr. Yelena Kolyada speaks at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary on "Musical Instruments of the Bible."




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Conversion of the Heart

This is the first of four Lenten meditations delivered by Archpriest Chad Hatfield at the seminary's annual Pure Week retreat.




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Life in the Kingdom

This is the second of four Lenten meditations delivered by Archpriest Chad Hatfield at the seminary's annual Pure Week retreat.




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Extending the Kingdom

This is the third of four Lenten meditations delivered by Archpriest Chad Hatfield at the seminary's annual Pure Week retreat.




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Women Disciples of the Lord: Part Two

Mat. Juliana Schmemann, the widow of Fr. Alexander Schmemann, former dean of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, delivers a speech via video titled "The Joy to Serve."




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Women Disciples of the Lord: Part Three

Dr. Kyriaki Karidoyanes Fitzgerald, an Orthodox theologian, pastoral counselor, and licensed psychologist, delivers a speech titled "Eve, Mary, and Us."




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Women Disciples of the Lord: Part Four

Dr. Mary Ford, Assistant Professor of New Testament at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Seminary, delivers a speech titled "Light from the Past on Vocations Today."




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Life in the Ranks of the Clergy

Fr. Chad Hatfield, Chancellor of St. Vladimir's Seminary, speaks at the school's Diaconal Formation Workshop.




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Listen, Witness, and Weep: What Can the Church Offer Service Men and Women?

Dr. Stephen Muse speaks at the St. Vladimir’s Seminary 2011 Orthodox Education Day.




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Meeting the Crucified Christ in Sierra Leone

There is no "Missionary's Handbook" for post-war countries such as Sierra Leone. But Orthodox Christian missionary Fr. Themi (Adamopoulo) is writing one from scratch as he meets the challenge of spreading the Good News in West Africa.




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Reading the Fathers Today

The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, Dean of St. Vladimir'’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, delivers the annual Father Georges Florovsky Lecture, Friday, September 21, 2012, on the seminary campus. Father John's presentation, titled "“Reading the Fathers Today,"” addresses the meaning of “theology” and its study within an academic context.




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Constantine, Eusebius, and the Future of Christianity

Princeton University's Philip and Beulah Rollins Professor of History Emeritus Dr. Peter Brown presented the 30th Annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture to a standing room only crowd in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium of the John G. Rangos Family Building at St. Vladimir's Seminary.




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The Truth of Nature

Dr. Bruce Foltz, a professor of Environmental Philosophy at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, delivers a talk titled “The Truth of Nature.” The occasion for this lecture was the ecclesiastical new year, which St. Vlad’s marked by gathering to offer praise and thanksgiving to God the Creator and to contemplate the many gifts He has bestowed.




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Ecclesiology and Nationalism in the Postmodern Era

Bobby Maddex interviews Dr. Paul Meyendorff, the Alexander Schmemann Professor of Liturgical Theology and the editor of the St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly journal, about a 2012 conference on Orthodox ecclesiology and nationalism that took place at the Volos Academy for Theological Studies, the papers from which have just been published in St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly.




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On the Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church

Fr. John McGuckin, professor of church history at Union Seminary, delivers the 2014 Fr. Alexander Schmemann Lecture.




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Archimandrite Zacharias Speaks about “Domestic Theology”

In a presentation centering on Christian identity, Archimandrite Zacharias, a monk of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist, Tolleshunt Knights by Maldon, Essex, England, inspired an audience of more than 100 people with what he termed "domestic theology," that is, "simple things, in Church life that bear profound consequences. Father Zacharias, a disciple of Father Sophrony (of blessed memory) who was a disciple of St. Silouan of Mount Athos, emphasized the importance of each Christian becoming a living temple of God, but in particular, priests.




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Preaching the Word of the Lord

Professor Herman Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., a professor of ethics at Rice and emeritus professor of medicine at Baylor University, delivers the St. Ambrose Society lecture on "Preaching the Word of the Lord: Being an Orthodox Christian in a Post-Christian Public Square.” The outline for Dr. Engelhardt's speech is attached here as a PDF.




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The Call of God: Part 1

Here is the first of Archpriest John Behr's four meditative talks to St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary's community during the first two days of Great Lent on the topics "Our Response to the Call of God," "Holding Our Tongue," and "Holding Our Mind." Father John, the Dean of St. Vladimir's, was this year's leader of the rigorous annual retreat that marks the beginning of the Great Fast for seminarians, faculty, and staff at St. Vladimir's.




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The Call of God: Part 2

Here is the second of Archpriest John Behr's four meditative talks to St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary's community during the first two days of Great Lent on the topics "Our Response to the Call of God," "Holding Our Tongue," and "Holding Our Mind." Father John, the Dean of St. Vladimir's, was this year's leader of the rigorous annual retreat that marks the beginning of the Great Fast for seminarians, faculty, and staff at St. Vladimir's




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The Call of God: Part 3

Here is the third of Archpriest John Behr's four meditative talks to St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary's community during the first two days of Great Lent on the topics "Our Response to the Call of God," "Holding Our Tongue," and "Holding Our Mind." Father John, the Dean of St. Vladimir's, was this year's leader of the rigorous annual retreat that marks the beginning of the Great Fast for seminarians, faculty, and staff at St. Vladimir's.




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The Call of God: Part 4

Here is the fourth of Archpriest John Behr's four meditative talks to St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary's community during the first two days of Great Lent on the topics "Our Response to the Call of God," "Holding Our Tongue," and "Holding Our Mind." Father John, the Dean of St. Vladimir's, was this year's leader of the rigorous annual retreat that marks the beginning of the Great Fast for seminarians, faculty, and staff at St. Vladimir's.




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Cosmic Liturgy and the Problems of Human Priesthood

One of the most important theologians working in the Orthodox Church today, Dr. Elizabeth Theokritoff recently lectured at St. Vladimir's Seminary on theological images describing human personhood and our role in creation.




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Force Your Mind to Descend into the Heart

Bishop Alexander of the Bulgarian Diocese of the OCA gave the Second Annual Meyendorff Lecture at SVOTS on September 14, 2014. The title of his lecture was "Force Your Mind to Descend into the Heart: Some Resemblances between Byzantine Hesychasm and Merkavah Mysticism."




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Primacy in Preparation for the 2016 Great and Holy Council

Well-known theologian, composer, and author Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, Chairman of the Department of External Relations for the Moscow Patriarchate, delivered an academic address at St. Vlad's on November 8, 2014, on the topic of primacy in preparation for the 2016 Great and Holy Council. He was also given an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree.




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Theology as a Hope for the Future of the Church

On Friday, September 11, 2015, the Board of Trustees and Faculty of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary bestowed a Doctor of Divinity degree, honoris causa, upon His Holiness Irinej (Gavrilovic), Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci, and Patriarch of Serbia.




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Third Annual Father John Meyendorff Memorial Lecture

Dr. Predrag Matejić, the curator of the Hilandar Collection at Ohio State University, delivers the third annual Fr. John Meyendorff Memorial Lecture. Metropolitan Tikhon of the OCA and Metropolitan Joseph of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese were also given honorary doctor of divinity degrees at the convocation.




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Our Common Father: Saint Cyril

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.




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Women Disciples of the Lord: Part Five

Orthodox author, speaker, and AFR podcast host Frederica Mathewes-Green delivers a speech titled "Confessions of a Freelance Writer: Discerning God's Will in an Unpredictable Vocation."




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From Scroll to Book to Net: The Web of Knowledge

Dean The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, author of academic, popular, and spiritual works, presented the keynote address at this year's Education Day at St. Vladimir's Seminary. Fr. John highlighted the symbiotic relationship between Christianity and books, and described how the development of the internet has changed the way people read.




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The 33rd Annual Schmemann Lecture

The 33rd Annual Schmemann Lecture at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary featured a talk by Archdeacon John Chryssavgis titled "Toward the Great and Holy Council: Retrieving a Culture of Conciliarity and Communion." The seminary also granted two honorary doctorates at the convocation. Archdeacon John received the degree Doctor of Divinity and Charles Ajalat received the degree Doctor of Canon Law.




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The Life of Repentance and Purity

The Very Rev. Fr. Dr. John Behr, the Dean of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Dr. Bishop Anba Suriel of the Coptic Diocese of Melbourne, Dean of St. Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Theological College, Australia, and the Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Athanasius K. Farag, Dean of Pope Shenouda III Coptic Orthodox Theological Seminary, speak at the book launch of the new SVS Press book by Pope Shenouda The Life of Repentance and Purity.




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Bringing People to God: Mission in the Orthodox Church

This is one of three lectures that Fr. Chad Hatfield delivered at the Parish Life Conference of the Antiochian Diocese of Los Angeles and the West, held in Phoenix, Arizona, June 28-July 3, 2016.




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As for Me and My House We Will Serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15): Part One

This is two of three lectures that Fr. Chad Hatfield delivered at the Parish Life Conference of the Antiochian Diocese of Los Angeles and the West, held in Phoenix, Arizona, June 28-July 3, 2016.




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As for Me and My House We Will Serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15): Part Two

This is the final of three lectures that Fr. Chad Hatfield delivered at the Parish Life Conference of the Antiochian Diocese of Los Angeles and the West, held in Phoenix, Arizona, June 28-July 3, 2016.




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Women Disciples of the Lord: Part One

From June 17-19, 2011, St. Vladimir's Seminary hosted a conference titled "Women Disciples of the Lord." The conference lectures will be posted here in biweekly installments. First up is the keynote address delivered by the Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, Dean of St. Vladimir's Seminary. The title is "Male and Female He Created Them."




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The Mystery of Mary: The Mother of God in the Orthodox Christian Tradition

This is a lecture from St. Vladimir's Seminary's annual Orthodox Education Day event, held this year on October 1, 2016. The speaker is Dr. Mary B. Cunningham, lecturer in Historical Theology in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Nottingham, England.




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The Hope of the Hopeless: The HOPE Project

This is a lecture from St. Vladimir's Seminary's annual Orthodox Education Day event, held this year on October 1, 2016. The speakers are the Sisters of All Saints Greek Orthodox Monastery, Long Island, New York.




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The Past, Present, and Future of Orthodox Music

Father Ivan Moody—prolific composer, sought after conductor, editor of sacred music, and author and lecturer—speaks on "The Past, Present, and Future of Orthodox Music" in this public conversation. He touches upon everything from deciphering early musical notation written on papyri to creating fresh repertoire in sacred music, and from the “monophony and polyphony wars” in church history to the therapeutic function of music in contemporary church and society.