Commencement Exercises held at St. Herman’s Seminary

KODIAK, AK [OCA Communications/ June 10, 2009] — The 36th annual commencement ceremonies at Saint Herman’s Seminary here were held on Sunday, May 31, 2009.

The Rev. John Dunlop, seminary dean, welcomed seminarians, trustees, families, and guests before His Grace, Bishop Benjamin of San Francisco and the West, locum tenens of the Diocese of Alaska, awarded degrees and certificates.

The commencement speaker, the Rev. David Lowell, executive director of San Francisco’s Raphael House, encouraged the seminarians and guests to always do what is right and necessary, even if one is not rewarded for it. He called to mind the sacrificial nature of what it means to be a priest, especially in a village in Alaska.

The seminary’s 2009 graduate, the Rev. Gregory Parker, was suppored by Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Washington, DC, through Outreach Alaska [www.outreachalaska.org], a ministry dedicated to forming a connection between the Church in Alaska and parishes and individual Orthodox Christians in the “Lower 48.” Father Gregory’s wife, Matushka Mary Magdalene, and their sons Gabriel, Alexei, and Leo, rejoiced with him at the celebration. While Matushka’s family is of Yup’ik background from Alaska’s Nushagak region, Father Gregory comes from Cheyenne ancestry in Lame Deer, Montana. Dedicated to serving the Church in Alaska, Father Gregory was recently assigned to Three Saints Church, Old Harbor, on Kodiak Island.

In addition to receiving his diploma, Father Gregory was awarded a Chemical Dependency Counselor I certification to counsel people struggling with substance abuse — a ministry of special importance in Alaska. Substance abuse training — an integral part of the seminary’s curriculum — reflects the holistic nature of the Church’s belief in the healing that is found in Jesus Christ.

Bishop Benjamin also awarded Reader’s certificates to Subdeacon Andre Tepper, Seminarian Ephrim Smith, and newly tonsured Readers Michael Heckman and James Sipary, Jr. Readers play a vital role in the leadership of the Church in Alaska, especially in supporting the spiritual life of the Church in the absence of a priest.

Saint Herman’s Seminary, a pastoral school of the Orthodox Church in America, is dedicated to the training of clergy and lay leadership for the Church in Alaska. In addition to preparing those who may be ordained to the priesthood and diaconate, the seminary trains readers, catechists, religious educators, choir directors, and substance abuse counselors to serve the Diocese’s faithful.

To learn more about the seminary or to view a slideshow of the graduation ceremonies, visit www.sthermanseminary.org.

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