Seminarian Andrew Benton

Andrew Benton is a first-year seminarian at St. Tikhon’s Seminary and a member of the Class of 2028. He was born in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, and baptized at St. Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Cathedral in Pittsburgh at the age of six, where he grew up singing in the choir, reading, and serving in the altar. He was also active in the Boy Scouts, earning the rank of Eagle Scout in 2010, and enjoyed backpacking, hunting, and playing ultimate frisbee.

Before coming to seminary, Andrew completed his undergraduate studies at Virginia Tech, where he earned a degree in Engineering, met his wife, Paige, and joined the United States Marine Corps upon graduation. During his ten years of active military service, he was stationed in California and Virginia, deployed to the Pacific and the Middle East, and earned graduate degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School. Throughout their travels, Andrew says he and Paige were blessed to experience the beauty and diversity of Orthodoxy through worship, singing, serving, and teaching Sunday School.

Discussing his path to seminary, Andrew says the idea of pursuing the priesthood arose several times throughout his life, beginning in high school. However, he and Paige first began seriously discussing it during one of his deployments, when he witnessed the deep need for Orthodox chaplains. Over the following six years, they prayed, sought guidance from spiritual mentors, and carefully discerned whether this was God's calling for their family. During that time, they also witnessed many service members express interest in, and convert to, Orthodoxy, deepening their desire to minister to the military community. Andrew says they ultimately chose St. Tikhon's because of its clear missionary focus, close connection to the monastery, rich liturgical life, and the recommendation of their spiritual mentors. He also recalls that when they visited in December 2022, an unexpected six inches of snow fell overnight—and his southern wife still loved it.

When asked about their journey to seminary, Andrew says it was nothing short of miraculous. After welcoming their daughter in late 2024 and being accepted into seminary in early 2025, he was unexpectedly delayed in leaving the military. Then, in July 2025, just weeks before orientation, everything came together. In only twenty days, he separated from the military, Paige left her nursing job, they sold their house, and moved their family to Honesdale. As the first semester drew to a close, he says life at St. Tikhon's had proven beautiful and humbling—a joyful struggle of learning, growth, and faith.

When asked what he loves about St. Tikhon’s, Andrew says: