SVOTS – D.Min. Webinar & Other Resources for Home

SVOTS – 21/3/2020

Now is an incredibly important time to remember that. We pray you are well and safe, and we sincerely thank you for your prayers for the Seminary community.

This week I have somber news but also, thankfully, some happier things to share.

Firstly, for the safety of the Seminary and broader community, we have enacted some more safety measures due to the ongoing COVID-19 threat. In short, Seminary classes are now online, Seminarians who are able to are heading home, all chapel services have been suspended, and SVS Press is only taking online and over-the-phone orders (the brick-and-mortar bookstore on campus is closed to walk-in business). Seminary President Fr. Chad Hatfield released a message for the public, which you can watch by clicking the video below.

Now for the happier news: The Seminary has some resources you can take advantage of if you also find yourself stuck at home right now. Click on the headlines below for more info.

Watch Doctors of Ministry in Action Thursday, March 26
Our popular (and free!) Doctor of Ministry Webinar series is back. The latest batch of D.Min. graduates are presenting their final projects to the public. First up is Sarah Byrne-Martelli, D.Min., and her project, “Memory Eternal: A Vision for Orthodox Christian Bereavement.” Next Thursday, from 12pm to 1pm EDT, Sarah will present a one-hour webinar exploring how our faith provides a framework for understanding grief and loss. The new model of ministry proposed is a bereavement group curriculum, based on qualitative research with Orthodox Christians who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Learn more and register here.

SVS Press expands eBook offerings
More and more SVS Press titles are becoming available in Kindle and Nook formats. These are, of course, perfect if you’d like something right now and don’t want to wait for a physical book to ship. Visit the SVS Press Books section on the Press website, click on a title, and scroll down to see whether that book has an eBook format. We’ll have a list of everything available digitally for you soon, but we thought we might as well tell you now—good books to read might well be high on your wish-list at the moment.

Hear recordings of famous Orthodox voices
So many brilliant and renowned theologians and teachers have graced the campus of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary over its 80-year history. We are so pleased that now you can literally hear their voices in lectures and talks that had been in danger of being lost or forgotten. Hundreds of old analog recordings of Fr. Alexander Schmemann, Fr. John Meyendorff, Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, Fr. Thomas Hopko, Sophie Koulomzin, Jaroslav Pelikan, and many, many others are available in a digital, online format you can listen to anywhere, anytime for free. Create a free account here.

Speaking of Fr. Thomas Hopko, whom we remember today (1939–2015), here’s a direct link to his recordings on the digi.svots website. May his memory be eternal!

Be well, and please continue to keep every country and community in your prayers.

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