The OCA Department of Liturgical Music and Translations is pleased to offer a brand new class intended for church choir directors—“Vocal Technique for Choirs.” The full title of the course explains its intent and scope: Teaching Your Choir to Sing Well: Beautifying Worship Through Improved Choral Tone.

This course presents, in accessible, non-technical terms, a physiologically and acoustically based approach to teaching choir members to produce a more beautiful, healthy, and unified choral tone in support of Orthodox worship.

The course consists of nine video sessions, complemented by weekly Zoom sessions with the instructor. Participants will explore the three principal components of the singing voice and learn practical exercises designed to strengthen and develop each one. Particular emphasis will be placed on techniques that choir directors can apply directly in rehearsals with singers of varying levels of experience. The final video will demonstrate these techniques in practice through a vocal warm-up and voice-building session conducted by the instructor with his own Orthodox church choir.

About the Instructor:

Ray Romanos Herman is Director of Music at St. Ephraim Orthodox Mission in Longview, Texas. He holds degrees in Voice Performance and Pedagogy, with specialized training in the science of the singing voice, and has served as a church music director for 30 years.

Tuition: $375

This new class expands the lineup of the Music Department’s popular introductory online courses for the benefit of church singers and conductors. In addition, intermediate- and advanced-level conductors have the opportunity to take private lessons with Dr. Peter Jermihov.

Registration links and costs are as follows:

Vocal Techniques for Choirs (9 weeks) $375
Sight Singing and Ear Training (10 weeks) $450
Basic Conducting Technique (12 weeks) $575
Intermediate and/or Advanced Conducting (8-wk. block) $600 per 8-lesson block

The Conducting Technique course will begin on Monday, September 21, concluding the week of December 14; Vocal Technique and Sight-Singing begin on Monday, September 28 and conclude in early December.

Space is limited and classes tend to fill up very quickly. Please register as soon as possible.

About the Classes

To successfully complete the courses, students are expected to commit at least three to four hours per week on required course work and practice. Information about each course can be found at the end of this announcement.

Each class consists of pre-recorded lessons that students can watch asynchronously on their own schedule, one per week. Every lesson has a homework component, and then each student is expected to meet online with a course instructor for 20-30 minutes—to ask questions and to give the instructor an opportunity to monitor each student’s progress and offer assistance as necessary.

These courses and individual lessons are meeting the needs of church singers and choir directors in the parishes. The positive feedback received includes such comments as

“I can now look at a Tone and pitch it and sing the melody… The tools I learned in the class will help me to continue to grow in my singing abilities.”

“From the point of view of one with only a little, prior musical training, I have found the course-work so far to be amazingly helpful… in an immediate way.  Right off the bat I began improving,… being able to just ‘know’ what note I needed to be reaching for based on what was written on the page.

(Conducting Technique)
“The [conducting] course content was perfect. Always challenging, yet fun! That is what made it so perfect!”

“[The conducting course] actually fulfilled goals I didn’t even know I should have—such as score analysis.”

(Individual Conducting Lessons)
“[Dr. Jermihov] identified and then corrected some bad conducting habits that I had developed over the years.  His attention to detail enables him to quickly diagnose faults and unintentional miscommunications that I was completely unaware of in [my] conducting…”

“[Studying] conducting with Dr Peter Jermihov,… I have grown both as a musician and as a conductor, gaining knowledge and conducting skills…. This would not be possible if it were not for Dr. Jermihov sharing with me his knowledge, experience, and passion for Orthodoxy and Orthodox Church music.”

Our Instructors

Deacon Harrison Russin (St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Yonkers, NY)
Deacon Anthony Stokes (St. Maximus Orthodox Church, Denton, TX)
Protinica Michelle Jannakos (St. Luke Orthodox Church, Palos Hills, IL)
John (Tracey) Edson (St. Nicholas Church, Portland, OR)
James Nicholson (All Saints of America church , Alexandria, VA)
Daniel O’Connor (Holy Apostles Orthodox Church, West Columbia, SC)

Assisting with the conducting class will be:

Raymond Mandell (St. Michael’s Orthodox Church in Irvona, PA, and Nativity of the Theotokos Orthodox Church in Madera, PA)
Anne Schoepp (St. Lawrence Orthodox Church, Felton, CA)

Individual lessons for intermediate- and advanced-level conductors are taught by Dr. Peter Jermihov, a life-long church musician, who has served as a choir director, chanter, teacher, composer and arranger, in a number of parishes in various jurisdictions, including the OCA, ROCOR, the Moscow Patriarchate, and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. His mission as a church musician is to bring beauty and professional competence to Divine Worship.

Jermihov holds the DMA Degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Illinois at Urbana and studied orchestral conducting at the St. Petersburg Conservatory under Ilya Musin. He is founder and artistic director of the Society of Saint Romanos the Melodist, a not-for-profit corporation devoted to the furtherance of Orthodox culture in America. For a more complete description of Dr. Jermihov’s career, please visit www.peterjermihov.com

The Basic Sight-Singing and Ear Training Class

This class is designed specifically with the needs of singers in Orthodox church choirs. The course emphasizes the mastery of basic intervals, scales, and rhythms that are encountered in liturgical hymns. In order to succeed in this course, a person needs to love to sing and be able to ‘carry a tune,’ but doesn’t need to have any prior knowledge of music theory.

The course is taught using the online Google Classroom platform, with weekly face-to-face meetings on Zoom. Topics will include intervals and scales, rhythmic notation, key signatures, and time signatures, using examples from liturgical hymns whenever possible.

If you are thinking of taking this class, please consider whether you have a solid 3 to 4 hours per week (45-50 minutes most weekdays) to devote to this class. The new auditory and vocal skills you will be learning require consistent and extensive practice over the full 10-week period. One learner recently wrote: “I seriously overestimated my ability to devote the necessary time to the weekly exercises.”

The Basic Conducting Technique Class

The class is oriented towards beginner conductors or those who are currently conducting a choir but have not completed a formal conducting course. Topics covered include basic posture and visual communication by means of gestures; giving the pitch; preparing, starting and stopping the sound; elementary beat patterns; relationships of beat patterns to word patterns; beginning score analysis.

Familiarity with musical notation and basic music theory (key signatures, time signatures, intervals) is a prerequisite. All prospective learners will be asked to take a Basic Music Theory Assessment Quiz, to ensure that they have the theory skills to successfully complete the various assignments for this course.

If you are thinking of taking this class, please consider whether you have a solid 3 to 4 hours per week (45-50 minutes most weekdays) to devote to this class. The new physical (kinesthetic) skills you will be learning require consistent and extensive practice over the full 12-week period.

Also, each week has a homework component that involves score study and analysis—an essential skill for a choir director. As one learner reported: “Each week had a different degree of difficulty. One definitely needed time to study and practice. The course was not easy.”

Individual Conducting Lessons – Intermediate and Advanced

Weekly individual conducting lessons (50 minutes per lesson, using Zoom) are available in Blocks of four. A standard course of study consists of 16 lessons; students have the option of signing up and paying for an Initial Two Blocks (8 lessons), with additional 4-week blocks available.

Individualized objectives are determined in consultation with the instructor, and will include a range of topics, from different styles of beating, to conducting recitative and mixed meter, score analysis, and rehearsal preparation. Repertoire studied is determined by agreement and in alignment with individual objectives. Expected practice time: 30-60 minutes per day, 5 days per week.

Intermediate conductors are expected to read music, have a working knowledge of key signatures and staff notation, and be able to hear and accurately discern pitches and intervals; they should be able to sing any given part of a 4-part choral score, and have some experience directing an ensemble or currently hold a conducting position.

Advanced conductors should have completed a music degree—either an undergraduate or graduate degree, or, at the very least, be in their 3rd year of a 4-year music degree program. This presupposes the completion of the standard 2-year sequence of courses in music theory, ear-training, and keyboard harmony. Advanced conductors should have the basic ability to analyze a- score and be able to play a 4-part choral score at the piano (not necessarily at a performance level or tempo). They should have, also, conducting experience with a choral and/or instrumental ensemble.

The “Growing Spaces” grant exists to assist missions that have outgrown their current worship facilities by providing financial support as the mission relocates to a larger facility. The grant is intended to support these missions as their expenses increase, allowing the mission time to grow into and assume the full financial obligation of a larger facility.

Funding from this new initiative is designated exclusively for rent or mortgage expenses. The Growing Spaces Grant is designed to unfold over three years in descending amounts each year. Applications for both immediate awards for communities that have identified / occupied a new facility as well as provisional awards for communities in the process of identifying a new facility will be accepted.

Detailed information and application forms are available online. Applications must be submitted to the Department of Evangelization by September 15, 2026.

All applications must receive approval from the mission’s respective diocesan bishop before submission. Following review by the Department of Evangelization, recommended applicants will be presented to the Metropolitan Council and the Holy Synod of Bishops for final approval. Grants are to be used in the 2027 calendar year.

For additional information, please contact Archpriest Justin Patterson at jpatterson@oca.org.

The Growing Spaces Grant Program is made possible in part due to the generous support of the Stewards of the Orthodox Church in America. Their contributions fund the creation of programs and resources that help parishes, missions, and faithful thrive in ministry.

Eighty-five clergy have now registered for the 2026 Office of Pastoral Life Pastoral Retreat, as priests and bishops from across the Orthodox Church in America prepare to gather September 29–October 2 at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake Conference Center in Mundelein, IL.

The registration deadline is Tuesday, September 1, and clergy who are planning to attend are encouraged to register soon.

This year’s retreat, “The Fields Are Ripe for the Harvest,” will offer clergy several days set apart from the ordinary demands of parish ministry for prayer, fellowship, conversation, and reflection on the work of the Church.

The retreat will feature Mother Christophora, Abbess of Holy Transfiguration Monastery, and Archpriest John Parker, Dean of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, who will lead participants in reflection on the opportunities and challenges of faithful pastoral ministry today.

A highlight of the gathering will be the celebration of the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos on October 1 at the New Gracanica Monastery in Third Lake, IL. The retreat schedule will also include morning and evening prayer, shared meals, time for informal fellowship, workshops, and opportunities for clergy to reconnect with brothers in parish ministry from across the Church.

The Office of Pastoral Life encourages clergy who have not yet registered to join the growing number already planning to attend.

Registration closes Tuesday, September 1, 2026.

For registration, the complete retreat schedule, travel information, and other details, visit the Office of Pastoral Life retreat page.

For additional information, contact the Office of Pastoral Life at director@opl.oca.org.

About the Office of Pastoral Life
The Orthodox Church in America’s Office of Pastoral Life supports the well-being of clergy and their families, the foundation of parish life across North America. Believing the health of the Church is inseparable from the health of her clergy, the Office offers programs that build resilience, connection and pastoral joy. Programs include Thriving in Ministry peer-learning groups, Financial Health Initiatives, quarterly Synaxis Gatherings, Retreats and Clergy Wives Ministry. In partnership with bishops, dioceses, parishes and our generous donors, the Office of Pastoral Life helps create sustainable conditions in which priests, deacons and their families of the Orthodox Church in America can flourish spiritually, vocationally and personally through every season of parish ministry.

From August 14-16, 2026, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon presided at services in Washington, DC, Bethesda, MD, and Berlin, MD, to celebrate services for the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.

On Friday evening, August 14, His Beatitude presided at the Festal Vigil at St. Nicholas Cathedral. Concelebrating with His Beatitude were Archpriest Alessandro Margheritino, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America and Dean of St. Nicholas Cathedral, Archpriest David Bozeman, Secretary of the Orthodox Church in America and Associate Priest of the Cathedral, and Archpriest Valery Shemchuk, Associate Priest. Also serving was Protodeacon Peter Ilchuk.

On Saturday morning, August 15, His Beatitude presided at the celebration of the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at St. Mark Orthodox Church in Bethesda, MD. Concelebrating with His Beatitude were Archpriest Gregory Safchuk, Rector of St. Mark Church and Dean of the Washington Deanery, and Priest Nicholas Roth. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude blessed flowers and herbs in honor of the feast.

Later that day, His Beatitude traveled to Berlin, MD, for the patronal feast of Christ the Savior Orthodox Church. Before Great Vespers on Saturday evening, the parish community gathered for a picnic and lamb roast in honor of the parish feast day and His Beatitude’s archpastoral visit.

On Sunday, August 16, His Beatitude presided at the celebration of the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy for the parish’s patronal feast of the Icon of Christ Not-Made-By-Hands. Concelebrating with His Beatitude were Archpriest Alessandro Margheritino, Archpriest John Parsells, Rector of Christ the Savior Church, Archpriest Joseph Oleynik, Archpriest Gary Breton, and Protodeacon Gregory Moser.

His Beatitude gave the homily where he reflected on the parable of the talents (Matt. 18:23-35) and how we too can easily become like the unforgiving servant. He said, “When someone offends or hurts us by his words or actions, we must not condemn him or become angry, but we must use this as an opportunity to show him the same love and compassion that God has shown us … In this way, we see the humanity of our neighbor, we show compassion and love for him, while humbling ourselves at the same time.”

Read the full text of His Beatitude’s homily

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude congratulated Fr. John on the 20th anniversary of his ordination to the holy priesthood and his 20 years of service at Christ the Savior Church. His Beatitude also congratulated Protodeacon Gregory on the 39th anniversary of his ordination to the holy diaconate.

Christ the Savior Church is currently marking its 26th year. During the visit, His Beatitude saw the growth of the parish community, which is planning to build a larger church on its property.

Following the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude, the clergy, and the faithful gathered for the annual parish photograph. The celebration concluded with a festal meal in honor of the parish feast and His Beatitude’s visit.

These grants are designated exclusively to support the salary and benefits package of a full-time priest and must include contributions to the OCA Pension Plan. The Church Planting Grant Program is designed to cover three years, with continuing funding being offered provisionally in 2028 and 2029 if qualifications continue to be met.

Missions that received earlier grants must apply, providing updates on mission growth, development, and any changes in status or stability. The grant process is competitive, with decisions shaped by multiple factors that aim to support missions in their progression to full parish status.

Detailed information and application forms are available online. Applications must be submitted to the Department of Evangelization by September 15, 2026. Applications that remain incomplete, unresolved, or lacking the required documentation after the submission deadline will be considered late and may be removed from consideration.

All applications must receive approval from the mission’s respective diocesan bishop before submission. Following review by the Department of Evangelization, recommended applicants will be presented to the Metropolitan Council and the Holy Synod of Bishops for final approval. Grants are to be used in the 2027 calendar year.

For additional information, please contact Archpriest Justin Patterson at jpatterson@oca.org.

The Mission Planting Grant Program is made possible in part due to the generous support of the Stewards of the Orthodox Church in America. Their contributions fund the creation of programs and resources that help parishes, missions, and faithful thrive in ministry.

For more than a decade, I have watched priests and clergy wives in the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania discover something essential through Thriving in Ministry: those who serve the Church need trusted companions along the way.

Ministry brings profound joy, but it also carries responsibilities and burdens that are difficult to understand from the outside. Thriving in Ministry gives priests and clergy wives a place to gather regularly with peers for prayer, honest conversation, friendship, and practical wisdom. Over time, these gatherings become genuine communities of trust.

This ministry began in the Diocese of Eastern Pennsylvania with the support and financial commitment of the diocese and the willingness of our clergy and clergy wives to invest in one another. The response has been remarkable. Half of our active parish-assigned priests and approximately one-third of our clergy wives have participated in Thriving in Ministry.

I have witnessed the fruit of these relationships firsthand. They strengthen those who serve, encourage clergy households, and contribute to healthier and more faithful parish life.

With generous support from Lilly Endowment, Thriving in Ministry was able to grow beyond Eastern Pennsylvania and serve clergy and clergy wives throughout the Orthodox Church. Today, 28 active peer groups bring together approximately 156 participants in trusted communities of mutual support.

This growth is something for which we should give thanks. It also presents us with an opportunity and a responsibility. A ministry that has demonstrated its value and now serves the wider Church must increasingly be sustained by the Church itself.

From August 15 through October 15, the Office of Pastoral Life is seeking to raise an additional $60,000 for Thriving in Ministry. Approximately $5,000 sustains one peer group for an entire year. Every gift—from an individual, parish, diocese, or foundation—helps make these relationships available to those who serve Christ and His Church.

The well-being of our clergy and clergy families is not a concern separate from the life of our parishes. When those entrusted with ministry are strengthened, our parishes are strengthened. When clergy are connected rather than isolated, the whole Church benefits.

I invite our hierarchs, dioceses, parishes, clergy, and faithful to help carry Thriving in Ministry forward. Together, we can ensure that priests and clergy wives throughout the Church continue to find the trusted companionship, encouragement, and wisdom they need for faithful and sustainable ministry.

His Eminence Archbishop Mark
Archbishop of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania

To join the Thriving in Ministry Impact Campaign, give today at: opl.oca.org/tim-giving

About the Office of Pastoral Life
The Orthodox Church in America’s Office of Pastoral Life supports the well-being of clergy and their families, the foundation of parish life across North America. Believing the health of the Church is inseparable from the health of her clergy, the Office offers programs that build resilience, connection and pastoral joy. Programs include Thriving in Ministry peer-learning groups, Financial Health Initiatives, quarterly Synaxis Gatherings, Retreats and Clergy Wives Ministry. In partnership with bishops, dioceses, parishes and our generous donors, the Office of Pastoral Life helps create sustainable conditions in which priests, deacons and their families of the Orthodox Church in America can flourish spiritually, vocationally and personally through every season of parish ministry.