Alexei D. Krindatch (akrindatch@aol.com) Research Coordinator, Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America The Study of Educational Institutions Offering Programs in Orthodox Theology in the United States Theological formation is the gradual and often painful discovery of Godʹs incomprehensibility. You can be competent in many things, but you cannot be competent in God. (Henri J.M. Nouwen) Contents: Introduction: the Study of US Educational Institutions Offering Programs in Orthodox Theology. p. 2 I. Overview of Orthodox Theological Schools in the United States: Jurisdictional Affiliation, Location, Duration of Existence and Constituencies of Their Students p. 3 II. Forms of Education Offered by US Orthodox Theological Schools and Problem of Their Accreditation p. 8 III. Educational Programs and Degrees Offered by US Orthodox Theological Schools p. 13 IV. Students and Faculty Members in US Orthodox Theological Schools p. 18 V. (Some) Criteria for Assessing US Orthodox Theological Schools and Programs p. 24 VI. Is There Anything "Special" about the Schools Participating in the Study? p. 28 VII. Next Steps: Unanswered Questions That Need to Be Addressed p. 35 Appendix A. Survey instrument: questionnaire used in the study p. 37 Appendix B. Full contact information for US theological schools p. 41 Appendix C. Questionnaires completed by the schools participating in the study p. 43 Appendix D. Full answers of the schools to the questions: p. 76 "List courses designed to meet specific jurisdictional requirements of academic content or pastoral praxis;" "List specific liturgical or pastoral courses offered, e.g., courses in Liturgical or Pastoral Praxis or Theology; or any specifically liturgical or pastoral content offered as units within other courses." 1
Introduction: the Study of US Educational Institutions Offering Programs in Orthodox Theology. The need to strengthen the work and cooperation of American Orthodox theological schools should be among most urgent concerns of the Orthodox Church in the United States. To preach the Gospel, to pursue evangelization and to promote Orthodox faith in non Orthodox mainstream America will require the guidance of excellent pastors and lay leaders the persons with strong leadership skills and sound knowledge of Orthodox theology. The current situation in the area of advanced Orthodox theological education in the United States is far from ideal. First, there are no uniform standards and commonly accepted norms for different levels of Orthodox theological education offered by various US based institutions of Orthodox theological learning. 1 Second, only few of US Orthodox theological schools are either properly accredited by Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada or work in formal partnership with established American theological educational institutions. As a result, the degrees awarded by US Orthodox theological schools may not always be seen as ʺvalidʺ and recognized by other institutions of higher learning. Third, most of the American Orthodox theological schools are small and have limited educational resources. Yet, despite situation of being ʺspread thin and apart,ʺ there is very little (if at all) cooperation and collaboration among US centers of Orthodox theological learning. The study of institutions offering programs in Orthodox theology in the United States was initiated by the Committee for Theological Education of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States (His Grace, Bishop Ilia (Katre), Chairman). The study was conducted via a survey of twelve US based centers of Orthodox theological education. The questionnaire was designed by Bishop Michael (Orthodox Church in America). Data were gathered in the fall of 2013. The obtained information was analyzed, additional data gathered and the final report prepared in October of 2014 by Alexei Krindatch, research coordinator for the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the 1 As an example, earning the degree of Bachelor of Theology requires 3 years of full-time studying at Christ the Saviour Seminary (Carpatho-Russian Diocese), 4 years of full-time studying at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology (Serbian Orthodox Church) and 5 years of full-time studying at Holy Trinity Seminary (ROCOR). 2
United States of America. The survey instrument used in the study is provided in Appendix A. The original questionnaires completed by the schools and centers participating in the study are provided in Appendix C. As noted, additional information was obtained and some original data updated in September of 2014 in the process or report preparation. Therefore, the final report covers somewhat wider range of subjects than original survey examined and some figures (such as student numbers) may differ from what original questionnaires contain. I. Overview of Orthodox Theological Schools 2 in the United States: Jurisdictional Affiliation, Location, Duration of Existence and Constituencies of Their Students At the time of the study (fall 2013), the Committee for Theological Education of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops identified twelve Orthodox Theological Schools operating in the United States. The list of these schools, their locations and jurisdictional affiliation is provided in Tab. 1. Full contact information for each school including name of top administrative officials, mailing address, phone number, email address and web sites are provided in Appendix B. Tab. 1 Orthodox Theological Schools in the United States: Overview Name of the School Jurisdictional City/Town State affiliation (*) Antiochian House of Studies AOCA Bergenfield (**) NJ St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology AOCA Elk Grove (**) CA Christ the Saviour Seminary Carpatho-Russian Johnstown PA Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology GOA Brookline MA St. Herman's Theological Seminary OCA Kodiak AK St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary OCA South Canaan PA St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary OCA Crestwood NY Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary ROCOR Jordanville NY Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America ROCOR Kirkwood (**) MO Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology Serbian Libertyville IL St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary UOC South Bound Brook NJ Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute Does not apply (***) Berkeley CA (*): AOCA - Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese; Carpatho-Russian - American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese; GOA- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; OCA - Orthodox Church in America; ROCOR - Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia; UOC - Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. (**): These schools operate on a "distance learning" model. Accordingly, their locations are shown as their mailing addresses. (***): Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute is under spiritual jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch. 2 From now on we will use single term "Orthodox Theological Schools" with regard to all US institutions of higher education offering programs in Orthodox theology that participated in our study. 3
Tab. 1 allows for three observations. First, it shows that most of American Orthodox jurisdictions (seven out of ten) currently have their ʺownʺ theological schools. Only the Romanian Archdiocese, the Bulgarian, and the Albanian dioceses are not present in Tab. 1. Second, Tab. 1 also indicates that nearly all US Orthodox schools providing advanced theological education operate under auspices of one of the American Orthodox jurisdictions. Only the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute (Berkeley, CA) can be seen as an independent school that is not affiliated with any of jurisdictions. Third, geographically, American Orthodox theological schools are heavily ʺshiftedʺ towards the Eastern seaboard. Out of twelve schools in Tab. 1, only two are situated in the Midwest (St. Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology and Pastoral School of the ROCORʹs Diocese of Chicago) and only three are located in the Western part of the country (Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute, St. Hermanʹs Theological Seminary, St. Athansius Academy). Tab. 2 on the next page shows the year of foundation of each school. Clearly, in terms of duration of their existence nearly all American Orthodox theological schools can be seen as ʺestablishedʺ institutions. With the exception of relatively recently (2005) founded Pastoral School of the ROCORʹs Diocese of Chicago, all of them have been operating for at least three decades. Three oldest schools, founded prior to WWII, are Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (1937), St. Tikhonʹs Orthodox Theological Seminary (1938) and St. Vladimirʹs Orthodox Theological Seminary (1938). 4
Tab. 2 Orthodox Theological Schools in the United States: Year of Foundation Name of the School Jurisdictional affiliation (*) Year founded Antiochian House of Studies AOCA 1980 St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology AOCA 1976 Christ the Saviour Seminary Carpatho-Russian 1940 Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology GOA 1937 St. Herman's Theological Seminary OCA 1973 St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary OCA 1938 St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary OCA 1938 Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary ROCOR 1948 Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America ROCOR 2005 Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology Serbian 1986 St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary UOC 1976 Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute Does not apply (**) 1981 (*): AOCA - Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese; Carpatho-Russian - American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese; GOA - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; OCA - Orthodox Church in America; ROCOR - Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia; UOC - Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. (**): Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute is under spiritual jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch. We noted earlier that almost all Orthodox theological schools are affiliated with one of American Orthodox church jurisdictions. Does this mean that they provide theological training mostly to ʺtheir peopleʺ (i.e. to the members of the jurisdiction to which a school belongs)? Or, do they serve the wider pan Orthodox community? In short, the question is: how wide and diverse are the constituencies of the students that American Orthodox theological schools work with? To explore this subject the survey asked: ʺBriefly describe the constituency or constituencies served by your institution and by your students and graduates.ʺ The answers of the schools are provided in Tab. 3 on the next page. Based on their responses, all schools can be divided in three categories by the type and diversity of the constituencies of their students. 5
Tab. 3 Orthodox Theological Schools in the United States: Type of the Constituency Served Name of the School Antiochian House of Studies St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology Christ the Saviour Seminary Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology St. Herman's Theological Seminary St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute Briefly describe the constituency or constituencies served by your institution and by your students and graduates Persons who graduated from non Orthodox Seminaries, non Orthodox clergy, others who wanted to study Orthodox Theology but were unable, for a multitude of reasons, to study at seminary. This is a Pan Orthodox Program at all three levels, St. Stephen, Diploma, Masters and Doctoral levels. Laity is our primary focus through our Correspondence Program and prisoner students through our prisoner education program. Our primary student base in the United States. And because of the internet, we now have students across the nation and have had students from Canada and over seas. Parishes of the American Carpatho Russian Orthodox Diocese Ecumenical Patriarchate, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of America, various other Orthodox jurisdictions We serve the Diocese of Alaska (OCA) The Faithful of Parishes and Dioceses of Various Orthodox Churches in North America and throughout the world that make up the Body of Christ; Missionary Organizations; Religious and Secular Service Organizations; Nonprofit Organizations; Military Service Organizations, Institutions of Higher Education; Institutions of Primary and Secondary Education; Private Sector/ Propriety Organizations All the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches. We have students from all the different bodies, coming both from the US and from overseas. We primarily serve the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia but we also train seminarians from other canonical Orthodox jurisdictions who return to their respective jurisdictions upon the completion of their studies at the seminary. Orthodox pastoral students who are candidates for ordination in the Diocese of Chicago and Mid America or in any canonical jurisdiction. Lay persons who wish to serve their parish as catechists, church school teachers or lay workers. Graduates serve in parish communities large and small both in the United States and abroad. No response to this question Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Brazil and South America, Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Diaspora We are part of a consortium of schools and institutes our students come from various schools and programs. 6
The first category includes the schools with according to their statements strong emphasis on the work with the wide pan Orthodox (or even non Orthodox) community. Antiochian House of Studies, St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology, St. Tikhonʹs and St. Vladimirʹs Orthodox Theological Seminaries and Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute belong to this category. The second category is comprised of the schools with exactly opposite approach: these are the schools that work primarily (or exclusively) with their ʺflock.ʺ Christ the Saviour Seminary, St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary and St. Hermanʹs Orthodox Seminary fell into this category. The third category includes three schools: Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Holy Trinity Seminary and Pastoral School of ROCORʹs Diocese of Chicago. These are the schools that focus on the work with the students from their respective jurisdictions, but, at the same time try to the extent possible to serve to the needs of the other jurisdictions as well. This three categories classification is based on how the schools described themselves. Tab. 4 on the next page allows to compare schoolsʹ self descriptions with the actual composition of their students. For each school, it shows percentage (%) of the students from a jurisdiction to which a school belongs. One can see that the offered classification seems to be fairly accurate and confirmed by the actual composition of the student body in each school. There was, however, one case of a discrepancy between how a school described its constituency and current breakdown of the students. Tab. 4 shows that nearly three quarters of the students in St. Tikhonʹs seminary are OCA members. However, in follow up phone conversation, the dean of St. Tikhonʹs mentioned that this academic year was somewhat ʺunusualʺ because of a very strong influx of the first year OCA students that ʺshiftedʺ significantly composition of the whole student body towards being less diverse and more ʺOCA oriented.ʺ 7
Data in Tab. 4 also suggest that St. Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology should be added to the last third category of the schools that focus on the work with the students from their respective jurisdictions, but, at the same time try to the extent possible to serve to the needs of the other jurisdictions. Tab. 4 Orthodox Theological Schools in the United States: Jurisdictional (Church) Affiliation of Antiochian House of Studies Name of the School St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology the Students (Fall 2014) Jurisdictional affiliation (*) AOCA AOCA Jurisdictional affiliation of the students 50% - Antiochian Archdiocese, 50% - other jurisdictions Significant diversity: only 3% are members of Antiochian Archdiocese, while 86% are non-orthodox students Christ the Saviour Seminary Carpatho- Russian 100% - Carpatho-Russian diocese Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology GOA 70% - GOA, 30% - other jurisdictions St. Herman's Theological Seminary OCA 100% - OCA (mostly, diocese of Alaska) St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary OCA 72% - OCA, 28% - other jurisdictions St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary OCA 35% - OCA, 65% - other jurisdictions and Oriental Orthodox Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary ROCOR 67% - ROCOR, 33% - other jurisdictions Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America ROCOR 60% - ROCOR, 40% - other jurisdictions Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology Serbian 70% - Serbian Orthodox, 30% - other jurisdictions St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary UOC 89% - UOC of USA, 11% - other jurisdictions Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute Does not apply Significant diversity (including non- (**) Orthodox students) (*): AOCA - Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese; Carpatho-Russian - American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese; GOA- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; OCA - Orthodox Church in America; ROCOR - Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia; UOC - Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. (**): Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute is under spiritual jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch. II. Forms of Education Offered by US Orthodox Theological Schools and Problem of Their Accreditation We know from the practical experience that a significant number of persons who serve Orthodox Church in some professional capacity (either as ordained clergy or as lay Church workers) began their theological education usually at an older age, that is after years of education and work in other fields. From anecdotal information, it appears also that the number of these ʺlate vocationʺ Church workers is growing. 8
It is safe to assume that it would be very difficult (or simply impossible) for many ʺlate vocationʺ candidates to pursue advanced Orthodox theological education as full time residential students. Indeed, many of them need to physically stay with their families, raise children and keep full time ʺsecularʺ jobs, while studying Orthodox theology and preparing themselves for Church related work. Further, in some instances, persons who need more in depth Orthodox theological knowledge are already ordained and serve as Orthodox clergy in the local parishes. Attending seminary as full time residential students would be difficult for them as well. Finally, some persons decide to obtain advanced Orthodox theological education without intention to change their professional careers. Clearly, under all these circumstances, having the option to complete certain theological study programs via ʺdistance learning (or correspondence)ʺ model is not simply desirable, but crucial. To examine this issue the questionnaire asked the schools participating in our study: ʺDo you offer Orthodox theological education on exclusively residential basis, through distance learning or both?ʺ The answers of the schools are summarized in Tab. 5 on the next page. Six out of twelve schools currently offer their educational programs only or primarily on a full time ʺresidential basis.ʺ These are Christ the Saviour Seminary, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, St.Tikhonʹs and St. Hermanʹs Theological Seminary, St. Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology and Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute. To the contrary, three schools exist to provide specifically ʺdistance learningʺ education and do not have capacities or facilities for full time residential studies. 3 These are Antiochian House of Studies, St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology and Pastoral School of the ROCORʹs Diocese of Chicago. Further, in their mission statements (these will be examined later in this report) these schools emphasized that their main goal is to provide an Orthodox theological education to those seeking to serve the Church, but who are unable to attend a residential school. 3 We should note, however, that the Antiochian House of Studies and Pastoral School of the ROCOR's Diocese of Chicago include in their curricula as a component (either optional or required) some forms of annual short-term residential studies and seminars. 9
Tab. 5 Orthodox Theological Schools in the United States: Forms of Education Offered (Residential Basis and/or Distance Learning) Name of the School Jurisdictional affiliation (*) Residential Basis: yes or no Distance Learning: yes or no Antiochian House of Studies AOCA No (**) Yes St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology AOCA No Yes Christ the Saviour Seminary Carpatho-Russian Yes No Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology GOA Yes No St. Herman's Theological Seminary OCA Yes No St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary OCA Yes No St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary OCA Yes (***) Yes (***) Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary ROCOR Yes (***) Yes (***) Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America ROCOR No (**) Yes Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology Serbian Yes No St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary UOC Yes (***) Yes (***) Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute Does not apply Yes No (*): AOCA - Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese; Carpatho-Russian - American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese; GOA- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; OCA - Orthodox Church in America; ROCOR - Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia; UOC - Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. (**): These schools offer their programs mostly through distance learning model, but they also offer (or require) certain period of annual residency; (***): Depending on program: some offered through distance learning and some are on a residential basis; Finally, three schools (St.Vladimirʹs, St. Sophia and Holy Trinity seminaries) offer their programs via both ʺresidentialʺ and ʺdistance learningʺ models. However, it should be noted that typically only some programs are offered by these schools via ʺdistance learning,ʺ while others require full time residential studies. More specifically, in St. Vladimirʹs seminary, the M.Div., Th.M and MA programs are designed to be fully residential, while Dr.Min. program can be completed by distance learning (with additional week long residential components). In St. Sophia seminary, M.Div. and Master of Ministry programs require full time residential learning, while MA in Applied Orthodox Studies and Youth Ministry Certificate Program are offered via distance learning. In the case of Holy Trinity seminary, B.Th.., Certificate of Theological Music and Certificate in Pastoral Studies Programs are offered on a residential basis, while Certificate of Theological Studies Program is completed through distance learning only. We will examine full range of various programs offered by each school in one of the following chapters. 10
To conclude, data in Tab. 5 tell us that presently certain variety of choices exist on American Orthodox theological education ʺmarketʺ in terms of either full time residential or distance learning options for the studies. What we donʹt know, however, is: to what extent does ʺdemandʺ matches ʺsupplyʺ in the case of each of the two educational models? whether there are any particular educational programs related to Orthodox theology that should be designed and offered either on ʺresidentialʺ or ʺdistance learningʺ basis or both? As noted in the introductory section of the report, one of the difficult issues faced by some of US Orthodox theological schools is the question of their proper academic accreditation or to be more precise the lack thereof. As a result, the certificates, diplomas and degrees awarded by these schools may not always be seen as fully ʺvalidʺ and recognized by other institutions of higher learning. The subject of accreditation was not included in the original survey. However, in follow up phone interviews we examined this question and obtained comprehensive picture of the level and type of accreditation of each of the twelve schools. The summary of this information is presented in Tab. 6 on the next page. Based on the data in Tab. 6, US Orthodox theological schools can be divided into four ʺtiersʺ by the level of their accreditation. The first ʺtop tierʺ includes the three seminaries that are fully accredited and recognized by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS). These are Holy Cross, St. Vladimirʹs, and St. Tikhonʹs Orthodox theological seminaries. In short, accreditation and recognition by ATS means that these schools: provide sound theological education in accordance with requirements, norms and standards expected from other (non Orthodox) American theological schools that award such degrees as B.Th., M.Div., Th.M., S.T.M., etc. have sufficient educational resources (especially, in terms of quantity, quality and diversity in faculty members) to train the students on their own (i.e. without formal partnership with other schools). 11
Tab. 6 Orthodox Theological Schools in the United States: Type and Level of Accreditation Name of the School (Program) Antiochian House of Studies Jurisdictional affiliation (*) AOCA Accreditation MA degree is granted through/by Balamand University (Republic of Lebanon) D.Min. degree is granted through/by Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, which is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology AOCA None Christ the Saviour Seminary Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology St. Herman's Theological Seminary St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute Carpatho- Russian GOA OCA OCA OCA ROCOR ROCOR Serbian UOC Does not apply (**) The right to award B.Th. degree was granted by the Department of Education of the State of Pennsylvania Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The state of Alaska recognizes certificates granted by St. Herman's Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The right to award B.Th. degree was granted by the New York state board of regents and state commissioner of education The state of Illinois recognizes diplomas granted by this Pastoral School The state of Illinois recognizes Bachelor of Divinity degree granted by St. Sava No accreditation. Seminary is provisionally licensed with the state of New York MA degree is granted through/by Graduate Theological Union, which is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (*): AOCA - Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese; Carpatho-Russian - American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese; GOA- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; OCA - Orthodox Church in America; ROCOR - Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia; UOC - Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. (**): Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute is under spiritual jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch. 12
The second ʺtierʺ is composed of the Orthodox theological schools that are not fully ʺself sufficientʺ in terms of educational resources and faculty members and, therefore, offer their programs and degrees via formal partnership with some larger (either Orthodox or non Orthodox) theological schools. Typically, these reputable partner schools also act as ʺdegree grantingʺ and accredited institutions. Two American Orthodox schools operate on this model: Antiochian House of Studies 4 and Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute. The third ʺtierʺ includes the schools that are licensed and whose certificates and diplomas are recognized by the Boards or Departments of education of the states where these schools are located. These are Christ the Saviour, St. Hermanʹs, Holy Trinity seminaries, St. Sava Serbian School of Orthodox Theology and Pastoral School of ROCORʹs Diocese of Chicago. Finally, in the last ʺtierʺ are two schools that presently exist without any formal accreditation: St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology and St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Seminary. 5 III. Educational Programs and Degrees Offered by US Orthodox Theological Schools This chapter is very central for the study report. On the following pages we will review the range, levels and types of programs offered by twelve US Orthodox theological schools participating in the study. Two preliminary remarks should be made. First, when looking at the programs, diplomas and degrees offered by each school, one should keep in mind what was discussed in the previous chapter, namely, that: a) Some of these programs are offered exclusively via distance learning (correspondence) model, while the others require full time residential presence of the students. b) Various US Orthodox theological schools have different types and levels of academic accreditation and, therefore, their degrees and diplomas may not always be uniformly recognized as ʺvalidʺ by the mainstream American academic standards. 4 In the case of Antiochian House of Studies, its MA degree is awarded through Balamand University (Lebanon) which may be not universally recognized in the United States 5 Although St. Sophia Seminary is "provisionally licensed" by the state of New York. 13
The second remark concerns the ʺnatureʺ of these twelve schools. Out of twelve, ten can be described although, to varied degrees as ʺpastoralʺ schools. That is, many of their students pursue theological studies with the intention to become qualified for practical church work either in ordained or nonordained capacity. But two schools are different in this regard: the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute and St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology. The Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute (it offers the Master of Arts in Orthodox Studies) sees itself as a purely academic school. When completing the survey, the representative of the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute wrote: ʺWe are strictly academic. These documents (i.e. questionnaire) are geared to seminaries/orthodox theological schools we do not fit into this mold.ʺ As for St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology, it should rather be seen as a ministry or a service of the Orthodox Church than as a ʺschoolʺ in the traditional sense of this word. St. Athanasiusʹ mission is rather unique: it provides a basic Orthodox theological knowledge to prisoners. 6 Further, about 50% of St. Athanasius students are non Orthodox. The website of St. Athanasius Academy states: ʺThe mission of St. Athanasius Academy is to prepare and communicate materials on the Orthodox Christian faith in English for both Orthodox and non Orthodox people particularly the laity. Thus, our goals are three fold: 1. To be a valuable and helpful teaching ministry of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North American and a service to all; 2. To help all Christians learn more about the history, teachings and practice of the Church; 3. To help spread the Spirit of Orthodox Christianity to all Americans.ʺ St. Athanasius also does not have a uniformly structured program. Instead, it offers a variety of courses on various subjects each of which can be completed individually depending on the personal preferences of a student. If a person desires to obtain ʺDiploma in Orthodox Christian Studies,ʺ he/she should complete 12 courses. 6 In addition to 110 current prisoner-students, St. Athanasius also has 10 "regular" correspondent students. 14
A quote from St. Athanasius course catalogue explains how this works: ʺSt. Athanasius Academy offers correspondence and tutorial studies designed to assist interested people gain a basic grasp of the Orthodox faith, through directed individual study. Each course consists of ten lessons and a final examination. Each lesson has a written assignment to be mailed in as its completed. The final examination is sent when the tenth written assignment is returned. Courses in the listing are taken individually by anyone who desire to do so. And when you complete 12 of our courses, you will receive a Diploma from St. Athanasius Academy.ʺ Tab. 7 on the next page summarizes information about all programs offered by twelve American Orthodox theological schools on three levels: non degree, undergraduate and graduate programs. Information provided in Tab. 7 is mostly self explanatory, but four comments could be added. First, out of twelve, only two schools offer doctoral level programs and degrees (Doctor of Ministry): St. Vladimirʹs Seminary and Antiochian House of Studies. Graduate (Masterʹs level) programs are offered by six schools: Antiochian House of Studies, Holy Cross School of Theology, St. Vladimirʹs, St. Tikhonʹs and St. Sophia Seminaries and the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute. Three schools provide only undergraduate training and degrees: Holy Trinity, St. Sava Serbian Theological School and Christ the Saviour Seminary. Finally, three schools offer only non degree programs and diplomas: St. Hermanʹs Theological Seminary, Pastoral School of ROCORʹs Diocese of Chicago and St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology. Second, despite such significant variation in the levels of provided education (non degree, undergraduate or graduate programs) all schools (with exception of above mentioned Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute and St. Athanasius Academy) believe that their training is sufficient for a person to be ordained and serve in priestly capacity in a local parish. 7 7 This subject was not included in original questionnaire, but we explored it in the follow-up phone interviews. 15
Name of the School Antiochian House of Studies St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology Christ the Saviour Seminary Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology St. Herman's Theological Seminary St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid- America Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary Tab. 7 Orthodox Theological Schools in the United States: Educational Programs Offered and Degrees Awarded Jurisdictional affiliation (*) AOCA AOCA Carpatho- Russian GOA OCA OCA OCA ROCOR ROCOR Serbian UOC Non-degree programs St. Stephen's Certificate Program Diploma in Orthodox Christian Studies Licentiate in Theology Certificate in Byzantine Music 1. Reader's Certificate 2. Certificate in Orthodox Theology 1. Certificate of Theological Studies 2. Certificate of Theological Music 3. Certificate in Pastoral Studies 1. Diploma in Pastoral Theology 2. Diploma in Orthodox Studies Youth Ministry Certificate Program Undergraduate programs Bachelor of Theology Bachelor of Theology Bachelor of Divinity Graduate programs 1. Master of Arts in Applied Orthodox Theology 2. Doctor of Ministry 1. Master of Divinity 2. Master of Theological Studies 3. Master of Theology Master of Divinity 1. Master of Divinity 2. Master of Theology 3. Master of Arts 4. Doctor of Ministry 1. Master of Divinity: a. General Track b. Priestly Study Track 2. Master of Ministry 3. Master of Arts in Applied Orthodox Studies Patriarch Athenagoras Does not apply Master of Arts Orthodox Institute (**) (*): AOCA - Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese; Carpatho-Russian - American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese; GOA- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; OCA - Orthodox Church in America; ROCOR - Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia; UOC - Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. (**): Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute is under spiritual jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch. 16
Third, many of the programs offered by these twelve schools are similar (at least by the title) to each other: Bachelor of Theology, Master of Divinity, Master of Theology. Yet, Tab. 7 also shows at least three educational programs that are rather unique, while being also very important for the Orthodox Church. These three programs are: ʺCertificate of Theological Musicʺ run by the Holy Trinity Seminary, the ʺYouth Ministry Certificate Programʺ administered by St. Sophia Seminary, and the Certificate in Byzantine Music from Holy Cross. The last comment concerns the subject that was previously mentioned: the lack of uniformity and commonly accepted standards in how various schools define and administer their ʺundergraduateʺ and ʺgraduateʺ programs. That is, various schools have quite different requirements for earning the same degree. For instance, to obtain Bachelorʹs degree, a person would need to study full time three years at Christ the Saviour Seminary, four years at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology and five years at Holy Trinity Seminary. Tab. 7 provides general overview of the programs offered and degrees awarded by twelve US Orthodox Theological schools. In order to obtain more specific and in depth information on the particular courses taught at each school, the survey also asked two more specific questions: ʺList courses designed to meet specific jurisdictional requirements of academic content or pastoral praxis;ʺ ʺList specific liturgical or pastoral courses offered, e.g., courses in Liturgical or Pastoral Praxis or Theology; or any specifically liturgical or pastoral content offered as units within other courses.ʺ Full answers of each school to these questions are provided in Appendix D. 17
IV. Students and Faculty Members in US Orthodox Theological Schools How large is the ʺstudent populationʺ studying in various US Orthodox theological schools and enrolled in various programs offered by these schools? Tab. 8 provides detailed answer to this question for the fall semester of 2014. 8 The programs and students shown in Tab. 8 in italic letters denote ʺdistance learningʺ programs and students. Three major observations can be made from the data in Tab. 8. First, 770 persons total are presently enrolled in various educational programs offered by the twelve US Orthodox theological schools. Second, out of this number, 398 persons (52%) are ʺdistance learningʺ students, while 372 persons (48%) are full time ʺresidential students.ʺ Third, out of all students studying in all US Orthodox theological schools, 439 (57%) are in various non degree programs, 60 (8%) are enrolled in the undergraduate (Bachelorʹs level) programs and 271 (35%) pursue graduate (Masterʹs or Doctoral) studies. Tab. 8 Orthodox Theological Schools in the United States: Their Educational Programs and Number of Students in Each Program (Fall 2014) Programs and Students Shown in Italic Letters Indicate "Distance Learning" Programs and Students Name of the School Antiochian House of Studies St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology Christ the Saviour Seminary Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology St. Herman's Theological Seminary St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary Jurisdictional affiliation (*) AOCA AOCA Carpatho- Russian GOA OCA Non-degree programs (number of students) St. Stephen's Certificate Program (200) Diploma in Orthodox Christian Studies (120) Licentiate in Theology (0) Certificate in Byzantine Music (5****) 1. Reader's Certificate (0) 2. Certificate in Orthodox Theology (12) Undergraduate programs (number of students) Bachelor of Theology (6) Graduate programs (number of students) 1. Master of Arts in Applied Orthodox Theology (20) 2. Doctor of Ministry (12) 1. Master of Divinity (76) 2. Master of Theological Studies (6) 3. Master of Theology (20) OCA Master of Divinity (32) 8 When looking at the figures in Tab. 8, one also should keep in mind that the number of students in each school and in each may vary significantly from year to year and even from semester to semester. 18
Name of the School St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid- America Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute Total of students for all schools Jurisdictional affiliation (*) OCA ROCOR ROCOR Serbian UOC Does not apply (**) Non-degree programs (number of students) 1. Certificate of Theological Studies (23) 2. Certificate of Theological Music (19***) 3. Certificate in Pastoral Studies (4) 1. Diploma in Pastoral Theology (40) 2. Diploma in Orthodox Studies (18) Youth Ministry Certificate Program (3) 439 (including 346 in "distance learning" model) Undergraduate programs (number of students) Bachelor of Theology (24) Bachelor of Divinity (30) 60 Graduate programs (number of students) 1. Master of Divinity (40) 2. Master of Theology (11) 3. Master of Arts (26) 4. Doctor of Ministry (11) 1. Master of Divinity: a. General Track (3) b. Priestly Study Track (3) 2. Master of Ministry (0) 3. Master of Arts in Applied Orthodox Studies (9) Master of Arts (2) 271 (including 52 in "distance learning" model) (*): AOCA - Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese; Carpatho-Russian - American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese; GOA- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; OCA - Orthodox Church in America; ROCOR - Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia; UOC - Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. (**): Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute is under spiritual jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch. (***): This is summer program. Therefore, data in the table refer to summer of 2014. (****): In fact, 12 students total are enrolled in Certificate of Byzantine Music program at Holy Cross. However, 7 of them are also enrolled in various other graduate programs and, therefore, they are "counted" under "graduate programs" column. Given the ʺpastoralʺ nature of most American Orthodox theological schools, it would be feasible to assume that male students comprise majority of the persons enrolled in these schools. Tab. 9 on the next page shows that this is true. In summary, out of 790 students studying in all US Orthodox theological schools, only 92 (or 12%) are female. The proportion of female students, however, varies significantly from school to school. Indeed, there are no female students at all at St. Sava Theological School, Christ the Saviour and St. Sophia Seminaries. On the opposite end is Antiochian House of Studies, where as many as 20% of the students are female. 19
Tab.9 Orthodox Theological Schools in the United States: Number of Male and Female Students Enrolled in Non-Degree, Graduate and Undergraduate Programs (Fall 2014) Name of the School Jurisdiction (*) Male in Nondegree Students Number of Students Enrolled (Fall 2014) Male Under- Graduate Students Female Under- Graduate Students Male Graduate Students Female Graduate Students Female Nondegree Students Antiochian House of Studies AOCA 160 40 26 6 St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology AOCA 117 3 Christ the Saviour Seminary Carpatho- Russian 6 Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology GOA 4 1 106 (***) 9 (***) St. Herman's Theological Seminary OCA 10 2 St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary OCA 31 1 St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary OCA 78 (***) 12 (***) Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary ROCOR 33 13 24 Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America ROCOR 54 4 Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology Serbian 30 St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary UOC 3 15 Patriarch Athenagoras Does not Orthodox Institute apply (**) 1 1 TOTAL of students for all schools 381 63 60 0 257 29 (*): AOCA - Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese; Carpatho-Russian - American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese; GOA- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; OCA - Orthodox Church in America; ROCOR - Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia; UOC - Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. (**): Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute is under spiritual jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch. (***): the total number of graduate students shown in this table for St. Vladimir's Seminary and Holy Cross School of Theology exceeds number of students enrolled in these schools' particular programs as indicated in Tab. 8. This is because of the reason that a number of St. Vladimir's (2) and Holy Cross (13) graduate students are not enrolled in any particular program, but simply take selected graduate-level courses. The survey also examined the composition of faculty in each of the schools participating in the study. More specifically, the questionnaire asked each school to provide the names, ranks and degrees of all faculty members listing separately full time and part time (or adjunct) teachers. Full answers of each school to this question (i.e. the names of all faculty members) are in Appendix C. 20
Tab. 10 summarizes the answers of the schools to the question about their faculty members. It shows that presently all American Orthodox schools combined have 156 persons teaching in these schools. Out of this number, 58 (37%) are full time faculty and 98 (63%) are part time or adjunct faculty. The school with the largest faculty body (both in terms of full time and all teachers combined) is Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. St. Vladimirʹs and St. Tikhonʹs seminaries follow Holy Cross by the number of all faculty members. Tab. 10 Orthodox Theological Schools in the United States: Number of Full-Time and Part-Time/Adjunct Faculty Members Name of the School Jurisdictional affiliation (*) Full-Time Faculty (have doctoral degrees) Part-Time Faculty (have doctoral degrees) Antiochian House of Studies AOCA 1 (1) 15 (14) St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology AOCA 1 (0) 0 (0) Christ the Saviour Seminary Carpatho-Russian 4 (1) 4 (0) Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology GOA 12 (12) 10 (5) St. Herman's Theological Seminary OCA 5 (2) 2 (0) St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary OCA 7 (6) 13 (3) St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary OCA 6 (6) 15 (11) Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary ROCOR 7 (2) 7 (3) Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago and Mid-America ROCOR 2 (2) 9 (4) Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology Serbian 8 (6) 8 (6) St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary UOC 2 (1) 11 (6) Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute Does not apply (*) 3 (2) 4 (1) TOTAL in all schools: 58 (41) 98 (53) (*): AOCA - Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese; Carpatho-Russian - American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese; GOA- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; OCA - Orthodox Church in America; ROCOR - Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia; UOC - Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA. (**): Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute is under spiritual jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch. Tab. 10 also indicates that overall the persons teaching in US Orthodox theological schools are well educated and qualified. Indeed, out of total 156 faculty members, 94 (60%) have doctoral degrees (Ph.D. or D.Min). Among full time faculties, proportion of those holding doctorates is even higher: 71% (i.e. 41 out of 58). 21
The top three US Orthodox theological schools where more than three quarters of all faculty members have doctoral degrees are: Antiochian House of Studies (94% of faculties have doctoral degrees), St. Vladimirʹs Seminary (84%) and Holy Cross School of Theology (77%). Survey data also reveals the strength of the presence of Orthodox clergy (versus non ordained lay persons) among the faculty members in various schools. See Fig. 1 on the next page. Overall, 65% of all faculty members in twelve US Orthodox theological schools are ordained Orthodox clergy. The top three schools where at least three quarters of faculties are ordained are: Antiochian House of Studies (94% are ordained), St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Seminary (83%) and Christ the Saviour Seminary (75%). On the opposite end are two ʺleast clericalʺ schools: St. Athanasius Academy (no ordained faculty members) and Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute (29%). This fits well with the ʺdifferent (compared to other ten) natureʺ of these two schools the fact that was discussed at the beginning of chapter III. 22
Fig. 1 Orthodox Theological Schools in the United States: Percentage (%) of Faculty Members (Full- and Part-time Combined) who Are Ordained Orthodox Clergy 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Faculties in all schools combined 65% Antiochian House of Studies 94% St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary 83% Christ the Saviour Seminary 75% St. Hermanʹs Theological Seminary 71% St. Sava Serbian Orthodox School of Theology 62% St. Tikhonʹs Orthodox Theological Seminary 60% Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology 59% Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary 57% Pastoral School of ROCORʹs Diocese of Chicago 55% St. Vladimirʹs Orthodox Theological Seminary 52% Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute 29% St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology 0% 23
V. (Some) Criteria for Assessing US Orthodox Theological Schools and Programs It is beyond the scope of this study to judge or evaluate various educational programs offered by the US Orthodox theological schools or to ʺrankʺ them. In fact, direct comparisons of these schools are in many respects very difficult, because they serve different constituencies (mostly their ʺown peopleʺ or, on the contrary, wide pan Orthodox community), have somewhat different emphasis (ʺproducingʺ either more parish clergy, or lay church workers or simply providing general theological education), operate in different contexts and use different models of education (distance learning versus full time residency). Further, it is also quite possible that some of these schools may offer very strong educational programs in certain areas, but are not so good in other areas. Having said this, we, yet, would suggest three criteria that any educational institution can consider as desirable ʺbenchmarksʺ to strive for. The first criteria is accreditation by the various national or regional accrediting bodies (e.g., the Association of Teological Schools, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, etc.). We discussed this subject in chapter II. In summary and to re iterate, twelve theological schools participating in the study can be divided into four ʺtiersʺ by the level and ʺsoundnessʺ of their accreditation. The first top tier includes three seminaries that are accredited and recognized by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS). These are Holy Cross, St. Vladimirʹs and St. Tikhonʹs Orthodox theological seminaries. In short, accreditation and recognition by ATS means that these schools: provide sound theological education in accordance with requirements, norms and standards expected from the other (non Orthodox) American theological schools that award such degrees as B.Th., M.Div., Th.M., S.T.M., etc. have sufficient educational resources (especially, in terms of quantity, quality and diversity in faculty members) to train the students on their own (i.e. without formal partnership with the other schools). 24