His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon Visits SVOTS for Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos
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 marked the first primatial visit of the new academic year.
On Sunday evening, His Beatitude celebrated the Festal Vigil for the feast. His Beatitude concelebrated with Archpriest Alexander Rentel, Rector of Three Hierarchs Chapel, along with faculty and seminary clergy.
On Monday, His Beatitude presided at the celebration of the hierarchical Divine Liturgy for the Feast. The mixed seminary choir sang the responses led by Deacon Harrison Basil Russin, Associate Deacon for Residential Life and Assistant Professor of Liturgical Music.
His Beatitude delivered the homily where he encouraged the faithful to imitate the life of the Theotokos because “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.’”
Read the full text of His Beatitude’s homily
After the Anaphora, His Beatitude ordained Subdeacon Daniel Werner, a second-year seminarian, to the diaconate. Following the liturgy, His Beatitude blessed two newly-painted icons of St. Herman of Alaska and St. Olga of Kwethluk for the seminary chapel.
After a festive luncheon, His Beatitude met with seminarians and their families in the auditorium to discuss life as seminarians and the importance of prayer.