His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon Visits SVOTS for Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos
His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon Celebrates the Nativity of the Theotokos at St. Vladimir’s Seminary.
On Sunday, September 7, and Monday, September 8, 2025, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon made an archpastoral visit to Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, NY, to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos with the seminary community. This visit marked the first primatial visit of the new academic year.
On Sunday evening, His Beatitude led the celebration of the festal Vigil for the Feast. Concelebrating with him were Archpriest Alexander Rentel, Rector of the Three Hierarchs Chapel, along with members of the faculty and seminary clergy.
The following morning, His Beatitude presided at the hierarchical Divine Liturgy. The responses were beautifully sung by the mixed seminary choir under the direction of Deacon Harrison Basil Russin, Associate Deacon for Residential Life and Assistant Professor of Liturgical Music.
During his homily, His Beatitude encouraged the faithful to follow the example of the Theotokos, saying:
“If we imitate the most holy Theotokos by commending ourselves, and each other, and all our life unto Christ our God, then we will experience the reality of the Incarnation... If we make room in our lives and hearts for Christ, emptying ourselves through the stillness of prayer and the self-forgetfulness of service to others, then we will come to know the truth of the Lord’s words: ‘The kingdom of heaven is within you.’”
During the Anaphora, His Beatitude ordained Subdeacon Daniel Werner, a second-year seminarian, to the holy diaconate. At the conclusion of the Liturgy, he blessed two newly-painted icons for the seminary chapel—one of St. Herman of Alaska and the other of St. Olga of Kwethluk.
Following a festive luncheon, His Beatitude met with seminarians and their families in the auditorium for an open discussion on the spiritual life, the challenges of seminary formation, and the central role of prayer in the life of the Church.
