Holy Synod of Bishops issues statement on OCA seminaries

On Monday, July 20, 2009, the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America issued the following statement on OCA seminaries after meeting via conference call earlier that day.

“The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America blesses and encourages the faculty and boards of each of our seminaries, particularly Saint Vladimir’s and Saint Tikhon’s, to further discussion regarding cooperation and the future of theological education in the OCA.

“The Holy Synod assures the faithful that all three schools, Saint Vladimir’s, Saint Tikhon’s, and Saint Herman’s, will open in the fall as usual, and welcome new students. There are no existing plans to close or merge the schools.”

During their conference call, the members of the Holy Synod also discussed various other issues impacting the life of the Church.

The hierarchs will meet in a special session at the OCA Chancery September 1 to 3, 2009, rather than August 18 to 19, as previously announced.