Crestwood, NY—Each July 15 St Vladimir’s Seminary commemorates its patron, St Vladimir, the tenth century Kievan prince who baptized the Rus into the Orthodox Christian faith, thus establishing the Orthodox Church in Russia. Nineteen thirty-eight, the year of the seminary’s founding, marked the 950th anniversary of the baptism of Kievan Rus. Therefore the seminary’s founders were inspired to name the school after St Vladimir.

In a sermon given at the festal Divine Liturgy, Rev Dr Alexander Rentel, assistant professor of canon law and Byzantine studies, reminded the community that in choosing St Vladimir as patron, our founders were not looking backward to a period of Russian history, but rather expressing solidarity with his missionary deeds. Just as St Vladimir planted the seed of the Church in a new land, our founders knew that the seminary’s mission would be to do the same in America. Fr Rentel compared this to the parable of the mustard seed in Matthew. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed—it is the tiniest of seeds but grows up into the greatest of shrubs. He pointed out that our existence as Orthodox Christians in America today stands upon the missionary efforts of those who, like St Vladimir, planted the seeds of the Kingdom throughout the history of the Church. We are called to do the same in our time.

The seminary fulfills this mission in many ways, particularly in training the next generation of Orthodox leaders, and—through its press—being the largest publisher of Orthodox books in the English language.

As the seminary’s patronal feast day is a reminder of its missionary calling, it is also fitting that this day has been selected for an annual panikhida for the V Rev Dr John Meyendorff, dean of St Vladimir’s Seminary from 1984–1992, who embodied these ideals. Before the twelve-year panikhida, which was held immediately following the Divine Liturgy on July 15, Dean John Erickson spoke of Fr Meyendorff’s memorable character, especially his deep concern as a theologian for the future of Orthodoxy in America, and his zeal for engaging the world in his theology.