Crestwood, New York, February 27, 2025
Dr. Tudorie with his wife Denisa, and their two daughters, Sofia and Theodora. Photo: svots.edu
Following an international search process led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon of Washington and All America and Canada, primate of the Orthodox Church in America, St. Vladimir’s Seminary in Crestwood, New York has announced its new president.
The previous president, Fr. Chad Hatfield, announced his retirement last May. According to yesterday’s announcement from the seminary, his successor is Dr. Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie, who served as interim president. He has been appointed for an initial 5-year term, running through June 2030.
“I am confident that [Dr. Tudorie] will bring his many talents to bear in fulfillment of the seminary’s mission of training priests, lay leaders, and scholars for the Church here in North America,” said Met. Tikhon.
The new president has served the seminary as Academic Dean and professor of Church History since 2018. He was recognized by seminarians with the St. Macrina Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2024, and his tenure as interim president showed him to be a more-than-capable administrator as well.
“We have in front of us a freshly laid foundation, built on the bedrock of Christ’s Church and the traditions of our legacy in Crestwood. It is my honor to carry this forward into the future, by our collective prayers,” Dr. Tudorie remarked.
He will formally assume the presidency on July 1, 2025.
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Dr. Tudorie was born and raised in Bucharest. He studied at the University of Bucharest where he earned a B.S., two M.A.s, and two PhDs (one in Orthodox Theology and one in Byzantine History). In addition to his duties as Professor of Church History, Interim President and Academic Dean at St Vladimir’s Seminary, he is also affiliated with the University of Bucharest, where he serves as Doctoral advisor in the field of Cultural Studies at the Interdisciplinary School of Doctoral Studies (ISDS). His areas of academic specialization include Church History, Byzantine and Post-Byzantine History, and the Theological Dialogue between Christian Confessions.
Dr. Tudorie has been married since 2004 to Dr. Denisa-Mihaela Tudorie (née Alexandru). They have two children, Sofia (b. 2011) and Theodora (b. 2016).
The Tudories have been integrally involved in seminary life since their arrival to the U.S. in 2018. The Drs. Tudorie regularly extend gracious hospitality in their home to members of the seminary community as well as to visitors. Denisa has also taken an active role in the St. Juliana Society (on-campus fellowship group for women), hosting gatherings, baby showers for expectant mothers, and festivities for children of the chapel community. Together, they support and assure students as they make their transition to seminary life, cultivating a warm and welcoming place for those who call the seminary their home.
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