wfn.org | Archbishop of Canterbury to lecture at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary

[Deborah Belonick <deborah@svots.edu>]

[SVS Communications / Yonkers, NY] On Saturday afternoon, January 30,
2010, The Most Rev. and Rt. Honorable Rowan Williams, archbishop of
Canterbury and head of the Church of England, will deliver the annual
Father Alexander Schmemann Memorial Lecture at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox
Theological Seminary. The archbishop will speak on the topic “Theology
and the Contemplative Calling: The Image of Humanity in the
Philokalia.”

St. Vladimir’s Seminary will also confer upon the archbishop a
Doctorate of Divinity honoris causa, in recognition of his
contribution to the academic study of Eastern Orthodox theology and
spirituality. The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr, dean of St. Vladimir’s, was
examined for his own doctoral degree at Oxford University by the
archbishop, then a professor of theology there.

“Many Orthodox Christians may be unaware of Rowan Williams’s research
and contribution to the field of Orthodox theology,” said Father John.
“But he was a pioneer in this field, with outstanding breadth and
depth. The subject of his own doctoral thesis, for instance, was the
work of the great Orthodox theologian Vladimir Lossky, the first
academic study of the émigré theologians. He has also written
beautifully on the icons of the Theotokos and the Transfiguration,
and, most recently, has published a highly regarded volume titled
Dostoevsky: Language, Faith and Fiction. In recognition of his
outstanding work and contribution to the study of Eastern
Christianity, we are very pleased that he has accepted to deliver the
2010 annual Schmemann lecture.”

The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor and CEO of the seminary,
likewise noted the import of the archbishop’s upcoming visit to the
campus. “The archbishop is a patron of The Fellowship of Ss. Alban and
Sergius, a society of Eastern and Western Christians that held a major
conference on our campus in 2008,” said Father Chad. “And we welcome
his presence as a person who supports the continued dialogue of the
society’s members.”

The lecture is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. and is free to the
public. It will be filmed and live streamed on the Web by Anglican TV
Ministries. The seminary is located at 575 Scarsdale Road, in Yonkers,
NY. Please visit www.svots.edu or call the seminary events coordinator
at 914-961-8313 ext. 351 for further information.
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>--

>CONTACT: Deborah Belonick
>Advancement Information Officer
>St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary
>www.svots.edu
>914-961-8313 ext 363
>914-961-4507 FAX
>deborah@svots.edu