St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary - News Releases News Release 2005 Summer Institute Discusses the Church's Relationship with Culture

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Crestwood, NY—St Vladimir’s Seminary successfully concluded its annual summer institute devoted to the theme "The Church and Culture." Topics throughout the weeklong event were colorful and varied, ranging from lectures and discussions about the Church's engagement with politics, popular culture, technology, and film to insights into the ways that the second century Church Fathers and Old Testament prophets confronted and perceived the world.

Several guest faculty members enhanced this year's program with their expertise and fresh perspectives. The seminary was grateful for the participation of two keynote lecturers, Hieromonk Irinej Dobrijevic, consultant to the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and Dr Albert Raboteau, professor of religion at Princeton University. Other esteemed guests who spoke during the course of the week were His Grace, Bishop Savas of Troas, chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and Dr Aristotle Papanikolaou, assistant professor of theology at Fordham University. Bishop Savas also presided and preached at the Divine Liturgy of the Feast of St John the Baptist, on the closing day.

The six-day forum, from June 19-24 attracted nearly fifty participants who each followed one of two tracks: pastoral practice or liturgical music. Participants in both tracks kept a busy schedule each day—worshiping, eating meals together, attending lectures, participating in discussions, and using the seminary's library resources. Dr Peter Bouteneff, who organized this year's program, commented that the topical theme, the top-notch faculty, and the high-caliber participants, all conspired to make this an especially vibrant and fascinating week.

The liturgical music track, coordinated by full-time institute faculty members Mr Mark Bailey, Ms Helen Erickson, and Dn Kevin Smith, offered practical training as well as theological reflection in many areas of liturgical music. Participants in the liturgical music track—divided into beginning and advanced groups—studied conducting, the eight tones, composition, vocal techniques for church reading, and church rubrics. Participants in the liturgical music track were responsible for all the liturgical services during the institute, both reading and singing responses.