St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary

Seekers are finding the Orthodox Church. Many parishes are regularly working with dozens of catechumens at a time. We need more people to help teach them the Faith. Become a certified lay catechist and church growth director! ➡️ Enroll Today: buff.ly/ronvfcM

"Whatever [has happened] during the forty days of Great Lent...the result—if we are yet the least bit alive—will be the same every year: we go up to Jerusalem with Jesus, like His very first disciples, amazed and afraid!" —Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko, The Lenten Spring

"Son of God, as the only everlasting one, save us. For the days of man and woman are like the flower of the grass..."l —St. Romanos the Melodist, Hymns of Repentance ➡️ Receive Great Lent Meditations and the daily Scripture readings: buff.ly/NA4CHSW

Join the next installment in the online Homiletics Masterclass Series: Crafting the Homily: buff.ly/eoyBanP Space in the inaugural Homiletics Masterclass sold out, so secure your spot in this course today!

"Great Lent...is a time in which we respond with humility and gratitude towards the compassion God shows to us and also aim to express that compassion in our dealings with others." —Priest John D. Jones, Moved by Compassion: Exploring the Core of Orthodox Christian Life

@LukeMcClung2 @UOJ_America Hi Luke, we have multiple women instructors in this program. We could only feature so many teachers on this graphic, but we will be highlighting others soon. A full list of guest instructors is listed at the bottom of this page: online.svots.edu/catechist-chur…

@UOJ_America @stvlads Yeah look at that, no women guest speakers. Idk what all Paul meant exactly in his letters but I see it fairly literally in this East.

YONKERS, NY — As interest in the Orthodox Christian faith continues to rise across the continent, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (@stvlads) is launching a new catechist certification program aimed at equipping lay leaders to meet growing parish needs. Some estimates suggest that tens of thousands of people will be received into the Church this Pascha, underscoring the urgency of forming trained educators and church workers.

“‘We know that the greater the love, the greater the sufferings of the soul,’said Staretz Silouan…” —St. Sophrony, On Prayer: Reflections of a Modern Saint ➡️ Sign up to receive Great Lent Meditations: buff.ly/NA4CHSW

By some estimates, tens of thousands of people will be received into the Orthodox Church in North America this Pascha alone! Become a certified lay catechist or church growth director: buff.ly/ronvfcM

"Obedience is the only way to return to man’s original state. St. John of the Ladder says that 'the former fervor can return only through the same door through which it was lost.'” —Hrisostom Ciuciu, Obedience: The Mystery of Living in Christ ➡️ Sign up: buff.ly/NA4CHSW

"In describing His coming Passion, Christ uses words which allude to the basis of our life in the Church right now: the cup which He is to drink and the baptism with which He is to be baptized..." ➡️ Sign up to receive Great Lent Meditations: buff.ly/NA4CHSW

"Death is far closer to us than we imagine—not just a distant event at the conclusion of our earthly existence, but a present reality that is going on continually around us and within us..." ➡️ Receive Great Lent Meditations: buff.ly/NA4CHSW

Study vocal technique with Photini Downie Robinson at this year's Summer Music Institute! June 22–23, 2026. ➡️ Register Today: svots.edu/Summer-Music-I…

📚 They’re back! • The Ministry of the Church—buff.ly/HbOXKmZ • The Parables—buff.ly/21jIqre • On the Edge of the World—buff.ly/cAWpic9 • New Testament Introduction, Vol. III—buff.ly/SU0Dnbo • Light in the Darkness—buff.ly/WLv8anp

"Dearer to God is the person who stands in humility because he is deficient in what is required, than the person who considers that he is doing a favor to God because of the abundance of his deeds..." —St. Isaac of Nineveh, Headings on Spiritual Knowledge buff.ly/NA4CHSW

A truly joyous Feast of Annunciation! His Grace Bishop Andrei of Cleveland of the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America presided & ordained seminarians Dn Daniel Werner and Benjamin Franks. May God grant many years to newly ordained Fr Daniel & Dn Benjamin and their families!

"Do not define the good derived from fasting only in terms of abstaining from food. For true fasting is being a stranger to vice..." —St. Basil the Great, First Homily on Fasting, as found in On Fasting and Feasts ➡️ Sign up for Great Lent Meditations: buff.ly/NA4CHSW

"I have need of your help, just as Peter being tempest-tossed on the sea (Mt. 14:30); walking on the sea of life, I am thrown into its depths, and I fall before you in supplication..." ➡️ Receive Great Lent Meditations: buff.ly/NA4CHSW

Today is the beginning of our salvation, the revelation of the eternal mystery! The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin as Gabriel announces the coming of Grace. Together with him let us cry to the Theotokos: Hail, O Full of Grace, the Lord is with You! Blessed Feast!

Memory Eternal: Praying at the Graves of Orthodox Luminaries buff.ly/bvyl63P

We are now deep into Great Lent—pressing on toward Pascha. If your Lenten reading has slowed, or you’re looking to refocus, this SVS Press Lenten Set offers guidance for the rest of the journey. Save 30% compared to purchasing each book individually. buff.ly/8JXp5sU