Jordanville, New York, April 17, 2018
Photo: hts.edu Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, New York, an institution of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, will begin offering an accredited Master of Divinity degree in the 2018-2019 academic year. The announcement was made on the seminary website yesterday.
“On this glorious day, I am delighted to announce that Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, New York, will, by the grace of God the Holy Trinity and the approval of the New York State Board of Regents, begin a new Master of Divinity degree in Fall 2018,” writes Archpriest Alexander Webster, the seminary dean.
The school was founded in 1948 by Archbishop Vitaly (Maximenko) under the auspices of Holy Trinity Monastery, with which it maintains a symbiotic relationship and which offers seminarians a rich liturgical life and prayer life. The seminary faculty has included some of the most important names in American Orthodox history: Archbishop Averky (Taushev) of Syracuse, Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky, I. M. Andreev, Archimandrite Konstantin (Zaitsev), and others.
The seminary Board of Trustees approved the decision on April 10, culminating a process that had begun in 2015. Graduates of the seminary had previously received a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology.
As Fr. Alexander explains: “The Master of Divinity degree (M.Div.) is the standard graduate professional degree for clergy in North America. It entails a rigorous, advanced, comprehensive, full-time three-year course of study in the various theological and pastoral fields for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree.” He also notes that the Jordanville program will include field education, “where seminarians can learn how to apply their theological knowledge and newly acquired pastoral skills in practical ministry settings including parishes, college campus ministry, prison ministry, humanitarian service, evangelism, and public moral witness.”
The seminary also expects to be able to offer full scholarships, including tuition and books, to as many as ten entering M.Div. students in Fall 2018.
For more information on the life of the seminary and how to apply, see the Holy Trinity Seminary website.
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