Thirteen St Vladimir’s Seminary Students & Alumni Ordained

Source: St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary

Since July 2016, thirteen seminarians and alumni from St. Vladimir’s Seminary have been ordained to Holy Orders, among them seven priests, five deacons, and one subdeacon. Six of those ordained are in the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), five are in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA), one is in the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church (MOSC), and one is in the Syriac Orthodox Church in North America (SOC).

“In keeping with our Mission Statement,” noted Archpriest Chad Hatfield, president of the Seminary, “we continue to prepare candidates for ministry as bishops, priests, and deacons, in order to serve the Church. “I am always grateful to God when one of our students or alumni fulfill the mission of our school by answering the call of Christ to Holy Orders,” he said. “And I am grateful as well for the quality of these students and graduates, who hail from a variety of places and represent a multitude of fascinating educational and professional backgrounds. Upon ordination, they each take one more step along the path our Lord has been preparing for them.”

Listing of SVOTS seminarians & alumni ordained July 2016–January 2017

Priest Seth Earl, 3^rd-year M.Div. Seminarian

Jurisdiction: Diocese of the South, Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the OCA, in Three Hierarchs Chapel, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, on the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, 8SEPT16
Priesthood: Ordained by His Grace Alexander, bishop of Dallas and the Diocese of the South, OCA, in St. John the Wonderworker Orthodox Church, Atlanta, GA, on the Feast of St. Gregory of Nyssa, 10JAN17
Current ministry: Seminarian serving at Ss. Peter & Paul Orthodox Church, Jersey City, NJ
Educational and professional background: BA in Religion from Luther Rice College and Seminary; worked at a Law Office and in Refugee Resettlement

Priest Paul Girgis, 3^rd-year M.Div. Seminarian

Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Grace Nicholas, bishop of Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, D.C. and assistant to Metropolitan Joseph, AOCANA, in St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Little Falls, NJ, 3MAY15
Priesthood: Ordained by His Grace Nicholas, bishop of Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, D.C. and assistant to Metropolitan Joseph, AOCANA, in St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church, Bridgeport, CT, 11DEC16
Current ministry: Seminarian serving at St. Mary’s Antiochian Church, Brooklyn, NY
Educational and professional background: Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Washington State University; Project Controls Professional at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Priest Nicholas A. Garklavs, M.Div. 2007 Graduate

Jurisdiction: Diocese of the New York and New Jersey, Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Beatitude Metropolitan Herman, then-primate of the OCA, in Three Hierarchs Chapel, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, on the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, 8SEPT06
Priesthood: by His Eminence Michael, archbishop of New York and the Diocese of New York and New Jersey, OCA, in St. Mary Magdalen Church, New York, NY, 29JAN2017
Current ministry: Current ministry: Acting Rector of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (OCA) in Whitestone, Queens, NY
Educational and professional background: Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Liberal Arts, St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD; Business Associate, The Buckley School, New York, NY

Priest Mircea Geana, M.Div. 2007 Graduate

Jurisdiction: Diocese of the New England, Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Eminence Nikon, archbishop of Boston and the Diocese of New England, at Holy Resurrection Church, Claremont, NHJ, 30NOV15
Priesthood: Ordained by His Eminence Nikon, archbishop of Boston and the Diocese of New England, at Holy Resurrection Church, Claremont, NH, 16OCT16
Current ministry: Attached to Holy Resurrection Church, Claremont, NH
Educational and professional background: Masters of Music Education from Boston Conservatory; Music Teacher, Henneker, NH

Priest Ignatius (Edward) Hunter, M.A. 2016 Graduate

Jurisdiction: Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania, Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Eminence Mark, archbishop of the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania, in Christ the Savior Orthodox Church, Harrisburg, PA, 5JAN17
Priesthood: Ordained by His Eminence Mark, archbishop of the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania, in Holy Cross Orthodox Church, Williamsport, PA, 8JAN17
Current ministry: Attached to Holy Resurrection Cathedral, Wilkes-Barre, PA; living in Napaskiak, AK
Educational and professional background: Bachelor of Arts in Religion, History, and General Economics from Lycoming College, Williamsport, PA; M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, KY; Candidate for Graduate Certificate in Secondary Education for the University of Alaska, Southeast

Priest John Mikitish, M.Div. 2016 Graduate

 Jurisdiction: Diocese of the New England, Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the OCA, in Three Hierarchs Chapel, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, 21MAY2016
Priesthood: Ordained by His Eminence Nikon, archbishop of Boston and the Diocese of New England, OCA, in Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church, New Haven, CT, 13NOV2016
Current ministry: Attached to Church of the Holy Transfiguration, New Haven, CT
Educational and professional background: B.A. in Russian & Eastern European Studies at Yale University; pursuing a Ph.D. in Russian Language and Literature, with a special focus in Medieval Slavic Literature at Yale University

Priest Patrick (Wesley) Pulley, M.A. 2016 Graduate

Jurisdiction: Diocese of the South, Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
Diaconate: Ordained by Archbishop Irénée, on behalf of His Grace Alexander, bishop of the Diocese of the South, OCA, at St. Cyprian of Carthage Mission, Midlothian, VA, 27AUG16
Priesthood: Ordained by Bishop Alexander, bishop of Dallas and the Diocese of the South, at St. Cyprian of Carthage Mission, Midlothian, VA, 24DEC16
Current ministry: Assigned to St. Cyprian of Carthage Mission, Midlothian, VA, as Pastoral Assistant
Educational and professional background: Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Virginia Tech (’97); Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary (’09)

Deacon Isaac (Brandon Solomon) Danevicius, 2^nd-year M.Div. Seminarian

Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Grace Nicholas, bishop of Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, D.C. and assistant to Metropolitan Joseph, AOCANA, in St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Little Falls, NJ, 23OCT16
Current ministry: Seminarian serving at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Little Falls, NJ
Educational and professional background: B.A. in Biblical Studies and Theology from Biola University in 2009; Fifth Grade Teacher at Cair Paravel Latin School in Topeka KS; Shipping Manager for the Institute for Excellence in Writing in Locust Grove, OK.

Deacon Andrew Honoré, 2^nd-year M.Div. Seminarian

Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Grace Nicholas, bishop of Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, D.C. and assistant to Metropolitan Joseph, AOCANA, in St. Stephen the Protomartyr Church, South Plainfield, NJ 16OCT16
Current ministry: Seminarian serving at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Danbury, CT
Educational and professional background: BA Liberal Arts; formerly enlisted in Navy Reserves and currently a commissioned officer in the Navy’s Chaplain Candidate Program; former restaurant owner

Deacon Jeremiah Phillips, 2^nd-year M.Div. Seminarian

Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Grace Nicholas, bishop of Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, D.C. and assistant to Metropolitan Joseph, AOCANA, in St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church, Bridgeport, CT, 11DEC16
Current ministry: Seminarian serving at St. Stephen the Protomartyr Church, South Plainfield, NJ
Educational and professional background:  BA in Graphic Design and Digital Media from California Baptist University in 2009; General Services Department of Provident Savings Bank in Riverside, CA

 Deacon John (Edward) Valadez, 2^nd-year M.Div. Seminarian

Jurisdiction: Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (AOCANA)
Diaconate: Ordained by His Grace Nicholas, bishop of Brooklyn, New York, and Washington, D.C. and assistant to Metropolitan Joseph, AOCANA, 13NOV16, in St. John the Baptist Antiochian Orthodox Church, Levittown, NY
Current ministry: Seminarian serving at St. John the Baptist Antiochian Orthodox Church, Levittown, NY
Educational and professional background: BA of Art History from CSULB; butcher and Associate Team Leader at Whole Foods Market

Deacon Simon (Shiryl) Mathai, M.Div. Graduate 2016

Jurisdiction: Malankara Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church in North America (SOC)
Full Diaconate (M’Shamshono): Ordained by His Eminence Mor Titus Yeldho, 13NOV16, in St. Ephrem Cathedral, Whippany, NJ
Current Ministry: Assists to celebrate liturgy at St. Ephrem Cathedral as well as serves as an advisor for Youth Ministries and a diocesan representative at ecumenical events
Education and Professional Background: Master in Public Health from Drexel University, MBA from Rutgers University; currently serves as a Senior Manager at Pfizer, Inc.

Subdeacon Thomas (Shawn) Thomas, M.Div. Graduate 2016, 1st-year Th.M. Seminarian

Jurisdiction: Northeast American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC)
Sub-Diaconate (Apodyaqno): Ordained by His Grace Metropolitan Zachariah Mar Nicholovos, for the Northeast American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC), 17SEPT16, in St. Gregorios Malankara Orthodox Church, Elmhurst, IL
Current ministry: Assists and accompanies His Grace Metropolitan Zachariah Mar Nicholovos during His Grace’s parish visits to celebrate liturgy, preside over sacraments, and perform diocesan administrative tasks; speaker at different retreats and conferences in both the Northeast American Diocese and the Diocese of South-West America,
Educational and professional background: Bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cell Biology and a minor in Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; worked two years in a laboratory at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago that specializes in Alzheimer’s and dementia research.