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On Wednesday, January 30, and Thursday, January 31, 2025, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon visited St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, NY, to celebrate the Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs, the altar feast of the seminary chapel.
On the eve of the Feast, His Beatitude presided at the Festal Vigil. The seminary mixed and male choirs sang the responses, led by Dn. Harrison Russin and Mr. Zach Mandel. In the morning, His Beatitude presided at the celebration of the hierarchical Divine Liturgy. Concelebrating with His Beatitude were His Grace Irinej, Bishop of Washington-New York and the Eastern America Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Archpriest Alessandro Margheritino, Acting Chancellor and Secretary of the Orthodox Church in America, Archpriest Alexander Rentel, Rector of Three Hierarchs Chapel, and numerous faculty, visiting, and student clergy.
Before the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude tonsured seminarian John Rexford a reader and ordained him to the subdiaconate. The homily was offered by Archpriest Alexander Rentel. During the liturgy, His Beatitude ordained third year seminarian Dn. Justin Taylor to the priesthood and second year seminarian Subdeacon John Rexford to the diaconate. After liturgy, following the blessing of the kolyva, His Beatitude greeted all those present in the joy of the feast and offered words of congratulations and encouragement to the newly-ordained priest and deacon. His Beatitude stressed that ordination is a gift that is a gift of God. “It is not something we earn, but something we are given. And truly, ordination is the proverbial gift that keeps on giving: we receive ordination so that we can share, through our ministry, the abundant gifts of the grace of God.”
Read the full text of His Beatitude’s remarks
Fr. Alexander Rentel then welcomed the hierarchs on behalf of the seminary community, and Bishop Irinej offered thanks for his recent visits to the seminary.
That evening, the festivities continued with the 42nd Annual Fr. Alexander Schmemann Lecture and Mid-Year Commencement. This year’s keynote presentation, “Heaven to Earth, Earth to Heaven: Neoplatonic Theology and the Art of Byzantine Churches,” was delivered by Dr. Henry Maguire, Emeritus Professor of the History of Art at Johns Hopkins University. Before the presentation, Dr. Maguire was presented with an honorary doctorate by Dr. Ionut-Alexandru Todorie, Interim President and Academic Dean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary. Following the lecture, degrees were conferred upon three graduating students; Archpriest Alessandro Magheritino (D.Min.), Deacon Habib McGee (M.Div.), and Mr. Christopher Abdelehad (M.A.).
