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August 2013

St Vlad's Expands Byzantine Music Program, Offers Public Course

August 29, 2013

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[SVOTS Communications / Yonkers, NY] “More than a third of our alumni are in jurisdictions that use Byzantine music,” noted The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. “In order to serve the Church and our students preparing for service in these ecclesial settings, we are fortifying our Byzantine music course offerings and chapel music repertoire for the 2013–2014 Academic Year.
 
“We are particularly blessed that Mr. Rassem El Massih has joined our faculty as Lecturer in Liturgical Music,” continued Fr. Chad. “Instructor El Massih is a renowned church musician who will be teaching ‘Introduction to Byzantine Chant.’
 
The Seminary is also offering a 10-week Byzantine music course to the general public on Wednesday evenings, in collaboration with The Axion Estin Foundation of New Rochelle, NY. Eleftherios Eleftheriadis, the highly regarded Protopsaltis of St. Nicholas Shrine Church in Flushing, NY, who previously served on the faculty of the Music School of Thessaloniki, Greece, will introduce students to original texts in Byzantine music notation. (To register, call 914–961–8313 x317, or email 
byzantine@svots.edu.)
 
Bringing two world-renowned Byzantine music instructors to St. Vladimir’s supports the Seminary’s “Bishop Basil Program in Byzantine Liturgical Music,” begun in 2010, when the seminary Board of Trustees presented The Right Rev. Basil (Essey) (alumnus '73) with an honorary doctorate and announced the creation of a program in his name “to ensure the heritage of teaching Byzantine music not only continues at St. Vladimir’s but also evolves.”  Appropriately, His Grace Basil, bishop of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America of the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, will be a featured speaker at the Seminary’s 75th Anniversary Gala Benefit Banquet, Thursday, November 7, 2013.

2014 Pan-Orthodox Liturgical Music Symposium

August 28, 2013

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Call for Presentation Proposals

The 2014 Pan-Orthodox Liturgical Music Symposium

"Orthodox Liturgical Music Composition: Fostering a Living Creative Tradition in the English-Speaking World"

June 12-15, 2014

The 2014 Pan-Orthodox Liturgical Music Symposium, in conjunction with the Department of Music at Northern Kentucky University, invites proposals for symposium presentations in the area of Orthodox music composition and liturgical music, especially those related to the 2014 theme: "Orthodox Liturgical Music Composition: Fostering a Living Creative Tradition in the English-Speaking World"

Possible topics might include, but are not limited to, the following:
• The role of the Orthodox composer in the 21st century
• Creativity as a living Orthodox tradition
• Survey of the work of a 20th/21st century Orthodox composer
• Orthodox aesthetics and contemporary culture
• The current state of Orthodox music in a particular country, region, or ethnic tradition (does not necessarily need to be English-speaking)

The 2014 Pan-Orthodox Liturgical Music Symposium is a four-day event specifically dedicated to singers, conductors, and composers of all Orthodox traditions. The symposium will encourage and explore the current state of Orthodox choral composition in the English-speaking world today. The event will include opportunities for participants to sing newly written choral works, to participate in discussions, to hear presentations, and to attend a very special concert featuring the East/West Festival Choir.

The event will take place on the campus of Northern Kentucky University in the Metropolitan Cincinnati region.

A limited number of proposals will be considered for inclusion on the symposium program. The selection committee will contact those who submitted proposals regarding their status in late January 2014.

• Proposals should include the presentation title, presenter’s name, address, email, affiliation, and abstract of no more than 300 words.
• Proposals should be designed for a 45-minute presentation.
• If accepted, the conference fee for the presenter will be waived.
• Travel to and accommodations during the conference are the responsibility of the presenter.

SEND TO:
Dr. Kurt Sander, Symposium Director
Department of Music – Fine Arts 253
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY 41099

or submit electronically to 
sanderk@nku.edu with “Liturgical Music Symposium” in the subject heading

SUBMISSION DEADLINE is February 3, 2014 (postmark)

The Incarnation of Christ and Salvation

August 23, 3013

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Christ the Savior Cathedral in Miami, FL, recently hosted Dr Christopher Veniamim.  Dr Veniamin is a Professor of Patristics at St Tikhon's Seminary.  You can listen to his talks on the Incarnation of Christ and Salvation on Ancient Faith Radio.

Holy Spirit Church in Venice, FL, Welcomes Pastor

August 13, 2013

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Beginning August 3rd, Fr Stephen Lourie, will serve at Holy Spirit Church in Venice, FL.  Fr Stephen is "on loan" from the Antiochian Archdiocese and will be serving the community for the forseeable future.  For more information on the work being done in Venice, please visit www.hsoc-venice.com.

St. Justin Martyr in FL seeks Youth Director

August 13, 2013

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St Justin Martyr Orthodox Church in Jacksonville, FL, is seeking a new Youth Director.  Please see this job description for more information.

St. Athanasius Breaks Ground in Orchard Neighborhood

Groungbreaking Photos - 08/13/13

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Nicholasville, KY [St. Athanasius Orthodox Church]--  Over 150 people gathered on Saturday, August 10th, for the groundbreaking ceremony at St. Athanasius Orthodox Church's new property in Nicholasville, Kentucky.

“This event has been a long time in coming,” said Fr. Justin Patterson, pastor of St. Athanasius.

For the past 11 years, since its founding as an OCA mission, St. Athanasius has met in a storefront shopping center in Nicholasville.

"Our location has been effective in helping us grow from those early days," Fr. Justin said. "However, the parish always understood, that at some point we would need to develop our own facility to continue and expand the work we are already doing and hope to do in the future. Part of the Orthodox Christian faith is developing a physical space that tells everybody, 'Here we are. This is the Church.'"

His Grace, Bishop Mark (Maymon) of Baltimore presided at the invitation of the locum tenens of the Diocese of the South of the Orthodox Church in America.  During Bishop Mark's remarks, he challenged the faithful of St. Athanasius not to be too enamored with the work of their hands.

"Never forget," His Grace said,"that the church is not stones and mortar. The church is made up of the people of God.”
He encouraged everyone to be “living stones” of the church in Nicholasville.

Local Orthodox Christians from St. Athanasius' sister communities in the Lexington area also attended.  Fr George Wilson of Panagia Pantovasilissa Greek Orthodox Church, Fr. Thomas Gallaway of St. Andrew Antiochian Orthodox Church, and Deacon Jeremiah Davis, attached to Holy Cross Monastery (ROCOR) in West Virginia, served the groundbreaking ceremony with His Grace and the community of St. Athanasius.  State and local officials were also present to congratulate the parish on the groundbreaking.  

The service ended with the burning of the mortgage on the property, which is now paid off in full.  
"Our people worked hard to pay off that debt, to save for building the church, and to engage a good architect," Fr. Justin said.
The building committee and parish council worked with Lexington architect Tom Smith, a parishioner at the local Greek Orthodox church, to develop cost-effective plans that could be implemented in phases to meet the church's growth needs for the next 25 years.

The first phase of construction will be an 8,000sf building with a walk-out basement. Final general contractor selection will take place in September. Second phase will include the final temple and renovating of first phase construction to serve as a parish hall and education facility.  Construction on the first phase is expected to begin in early October.   Updates on the building project can be found on the parish website at 
www.athanasiusoca.org

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Site plan: http://athanasiusoca.org/images/wp-up/2012/12/StAthanasius_Site_121211.jpg

Article on Orthodoxy from Tyler, TX

August 6, 2013

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Please see this link for an article on Orthodoxy from the Longview News Journal.  The article was written about St John of Damascus Church, a Mission of the Diocese of the South, located in Tyler, TX.

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