Archbishop of Canterbury to deliver Schmemann Lecture and receive honorary doctorate (Jan 30)

The Most Rev. and Rt. Honorable Rowan Williams- Archbishop of Canterbury

On Saturday afternoon, January 30, 2010, The Most Rev. and Rt. Honorable Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury and senior bishop of the worldwide Anglican communion, will deliver the annual Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. The archbishop will speak on the topic “Theology and the Contemplative Calling: The Image of Humanity in the Philokalia.”

St Vladimir’s Seminary will also confer upon the archbishop a Doctorate of Divinity honoris causa, in recognition of his contribution to the academic study of Eastern Orthodox theology and spirituality. The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir’s, was examined for his own doctoral degree at Oxford University by the archbishop, then a professor of theology there.

“Many Orthodox Christians may be unaware of Rowan Williams’s research and contribution to the field of Orthodox theology,” said Father John. “But he was a pioneer in this field, with outstanding breadth and depth. The subject of his own doctoral thesis, for instance, was the work of the great Orthodox theologian Vladimir Lossky, the first academic study of the émigré theologians. He has also written beautifully on the icons of the Theotokos and the Transfiguration, and, most recently, has published a highly regarded volume titled Dostoevsky: Language, Faith and Fiction. In recognition of his outstanding work and contribution to the study of Eastern Christianity, we are very pleased that he has accepted to deliver the 2010 annual Schmemann lecture.”

The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor and CEO of the seminary, likewise noted the import of the upcoming visit. “The archbishop is a patron of The Fellowship of Ss. Alban and Sergius, a society of Eastern and Western Christians that held a major conference on our campus in 2008,” said Father Chad. “And we welcome his presence as a person who supports the continued dialogue of the society’s members.”
The lecture is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m., and will be followed by a Question & Answer session; questions to the archbishop may be written on cards provided to the audience. The lecture is free and open to the public. The lecture also will be simulcast on a closed circuit in two campus venues, besides the main seating in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium of the John G. Family Rangos Building, in order to accommodate the anticipated crowd. There will be reserved seating for dignitaries, media, and invited guests, and public seating on a first-come, first-serve basis. A public reception in the Rangos Building with His Grace will follow the lecture. The seminary is located at 575 Scarsdale Road, in Yonkers, NY. Please visit www.svots.edu or call the seminary events coordinator at 914-961-8313 ext. 351 for further information.

Note: Visitors needing overnight accommodations for the lecture may make their personal reservations by January 5, 2010, at Royal Regency Hotel, 165 Tuckahoe Rd., Yonkers, NY 10710, 914-476-6200. The group code is ST VLAD and the Group Rate is $119.00 per night plus tax.

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