St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary - News Releases

News Release
Faculty Retreat on "The Good Pastor"

From June 8-10, seminary faculty gathered in a retreat on the SVS campus to consider how better to train pastors for the Church. This study was part of the seminary's strategic plan, "SVS 2010," which mandates renewed and transformational reflection on how we train pastors.

The faculty were assisted in their task by several invited guests from among seminary trustees and local pastors. His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of South Canaan provided archpastoral perspectives which also reflected his association with St Tikhon's Seminary and especially with its monastic community.

Also on hand were trustees Jaroslav Pelikan, Anne Glynn Mackoul, and Dn Peter Danilchick (who served as facilitator), SVS alumni Fr Michael Ellias, Fr Michael Massouh, Fr Gregory Safchuck, Fr Michael Westerberg, and Fr Steven Belonick, who oversees the seminary's recruitment, alumni relations and outreach efforts, and serves in the seminary chapel.

Retreatants were stimulated by reflections from among the faculty and guests, and further discussed theses ideas in smaller groups. The retreat was concerned with identifying a vision for what constitutes a good pastor. But refining that vision leads naturally to asking how the seminary seeks to foster the qualities of good pastorship, and how to measure the results of these efforts. In other words, how do we train good pastors, and how will we know whether we are succeeding?

Participants deliberated together, ate together, and prayed together in the seminary chapel. Seeing the retreat as an occasion to explore all aspects of the seminary as a community of formation, they sought to listen, to reflect, and to contribute in constructive ways. Discussions centered on the respective place of curriculum, chapel life, community life, internships and parish assignments in the formation of students, with an openness to review and redesign. The retreat will be followed up by the seminary community, especially the faculty and trustees, in ways that will be visible in the coming school year and beyond.