New York, February 27, 2026
Photo: oca.org
St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) and the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University jointly commemorated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Protopresbyter John Meyendorff (February 17, 1926 – July 22, 1992) with a two-day tribute held February 6 and 7.
Fr. John, regarded by some as one of the most influential Orthodox theologians of the twentieth century, served as professor and later dean at St. Vladimir’s and simultaneously held a professorship in Byzantine history at Fordham. His scholarly work encompassed Byzantine theology, Orthodox ecclesiology, and ecumenical dialogue.
The tribute was organized by SVOTS Dean Dr. Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie and Dr. George Demacopoulos, holder of the Fr. John Meyendorff & Patterson Family Chair of Orthodox Christian Studies at Fordham, SVOTS reports.
SVOTS Dean Dr. Ionuț-Alexandru Tudorie. Photo: svots.edu
The first day at St. Vladimir’s featured reflections from former students and family members, preceded by a panikhida at Three Hierarchs Chapel. His Grace Bishop Irinej of Washington-New York and Eastern America of the Serbian Orthodox Church recalled Fr. John’s lectures as delivered with “such piercing perception as though he had come to know the historic person of whom he spoke.”
Dr. Paul Meyendorff, the seminary’s Fr. Alexander Schmemann Professor of Liturgical Theology Emeritus and Fr. John’s son, shared that his father’s last words before his repose were simply, “The Eucharist”—which he described as a summation of his father’s entire theological vision. Dr. Anna Meyendorff and Dr. Vera Shevzov (M.Div. ‘86) of Smith College also offered reflections.
The second day consisted of an academic symposium, “Orthodoxy, Byzantium, and the Rise of Russia Revisited,” at Fordham’s Rose Hill Campus. Scholars from Harvard, Albany, Hellenic College Holy Cross, and Fordham presented papers alongside Dr. Tudorie, whose own talk addressed Fr. John’s contributions to the study of St. Gregory Palamas and his role in the granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church in America.
Recordings from both days are available on the YouTube channels of St. Vladimir’s Seminary and the Orthodox Christian Studies Center.
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