Mission Choir sings in Syracuse, NY

On Sunday, May 22nd, the St. Tikhon's Mission Choir visited Ss. Peter and Paul Church in Syracuse, NY.

A century ago, when St. Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow was the sole Orthodox bishop of North America, he founded St. Tikhon’s Monastery in the hope that the monastic community in rustic Pennsylvania would serve as a “base of operation” for the missionary efforts of the Orthodox Church on the entire North American continent. His vision was that a pastoral school would be established in South Canaan to train priests to become good pastors of the Orthodox faithful living on this continent. To a large measure, the Seminary that stands today is the fulfillment of the holy Patriarch’s vision and a realization of his dream.

Over the decades, the Seminary’s abiding relationship with the Monastery has become a part of the very ethos of our school, reflecting not only our understanding of Christian spiritual life, but also our approach to the challenge of professional theological education and formation of future pastors of the Church. Forming the oldest Orthodox monastic community in the New World, the Monastery is truly at the heart of the inner nurturing of the theological vocations of the students and the faculty of the Seminary, who together share the unique opportunity of teaching and learning Orthodox theology in the framework of their daily experience of a rich spiritual and liturgical tradition.

Bearing the name of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, the eighteenth century hierarch known not only for his spiritual and theological writings, but also for his momentous labors in educating the clergy of his diocese, and fashioned in accord with the vision of St. Tikhon of Moscow, St. Tikhon’s Seminary makes focus on the spiritual aspect of pastoral formation its distinctive hallmark in the training of seminarians. Many, in fact, have called attention to the reputation of St. Tikhon’s as a “pastoral school.” Our faculty and students labor hard to successfully live up to the distinctiveness of that reputation.

At St. Tikhon’s, you will be challenged, first and foremost, to grow in living faith, to nurture a personal and conscious relationship with God, and to form lasting and deep attitudes and habits of personal and community prayer. It is prayer that will sustain you and your flock throughout your life. Much of your time at the Seminary, indeed, will be filled with prayer ”“ both as private prayer, and as liturgical celebration we share in common. From this life of prayer, personal qualities needful for priesthood will be able to grow and develop: depth of soul, discipline of mind and thought, courage of heart and breadth of spirit. Through further course work in the theological disciplines, especially in pastoral praxis, you will be able to appropriate for yourself an integrated image of the priest as theologian, a person of prayer and theological reflection, engaged in active ministry to God and fellow man.

In welcoming you to our religious learning and teaching community, I invite you to join us in the journey that begins with humble prayer on the lips of frail human “vessels of clay” … and will culminate in the glorious chords of angelic hosts and redeemed humanity together praising the Lord when He comes again to usher in “the never ending day.” To Him be all glory unto the ages of ages!