Pastoral School to Accept Applications for Spring 2017 Semester

The Pastoral School of the Diocese of Chicago & Mid-America is committed to making high quality Orthodox theological education as accessible to as many interested students as possible. Based on this commitment we have made it possible for students to study either full time or part time in our seminary, have instituted summer courses, and accept applicants in both the fall and spring semesters.

Applications for admission for the spring semester are due February 1, 2017. Classes begin February 13, 2017. Applications forms can be found here:

APPLICATION FORM

Please contact me with questions.

Fr. Gregory

End of Year Giving - Please Remember the Pastoral School

Potential Graduation Symposium - Call for Submissions + Help Needed

Please note that we are working on creating a small symposium on Sunday, June 25, 2017 after Liturgy at the Diocesan Cathedral. This symposium would include a presentation from an honored guest, one of our graduating students, as well as one of our instructors.

1. This is a call for submissions for the June 25 symposium from:
• Graduating Seniors
• Pastoral School Instructors
• Deadline for submissions is June 1, 2017 to fr.gregory.joyce@orthodoxtheologicalschool.org
• Papers should be approximately 15 pages in length using Turabian style
• Oral presentations should be approximately 20 minutes in length with 10 minutes for questions
• A round table will be held following the presentations to allow for further discussion
  
2. If you would like to help with the symposium please contact me. A little assistance would go a long way to making this an event that we, as a school, can be thankful to have sponsored.

Graduating seniors will be expected to attend the symposium. The pubic will be welcome. Presentations will be available after the symposium as audio and video files.

Fr. Gregory

Update to Academic Calendar

Please note that there has been an update to this year's academic calendar. The graduation weekend has been moved from June 10-11 to June 24-25 and changed from "tentative" to "confirmed". You can find the updated schedule HERE.

Please contact me with questions or concerns.

Fr. Gregory

Pastoral School Cafe Press Store

We would like to call your attention to the fact that we have a Cafe Press store in the Pastoral School. You can buy our famous coffee mugs and more by clicking HERE.

At this time of year, as we prepare to exchange gifts in remembrance of the Magi who brought gifts to our newly born Savior, please consider a gift from the Cafe Press store that will be both unique for the person who receives it and benefit the Pastoral School.

Fr. Gregory

Pastoral School to Provide Comprehensive Seminary Instruction in Spanish

With the blessing of Archbishop Peter of Chicago & Mid-America, President of the Pastoral School, and Bishop John of Caracas and South America, the Pastoral school is pleased to announce that beginning in February 2017 the Spanish Language Sector of the Pastoral School will begin instruction in the only comprehensive Spanish Language Orthodox Christian seminary in the world. More information can be found HERE.

Those who would like to donate to support this effort may visit HERE.

We ask your prayerful and material support for the success of this new missionary educational endeavor, designed to provide greatly needed Orthodox clergymen for the Spanish speaking world.

Fr. Gregory

Potential Senior Practicum - Translation of St. Athanasius Divine Service

Although the practicum is closely linked with the student's parish, there are sometimes students that cannot manage to connect the practicum to the parish in this way. If you are in such a situation, and you are able to translate from Church Slavonic to English, please contact me. The service to Holy Hierarch Athanasius (Volhovskyy) of Poltava needs to be translated into English and this would be a fully acceptable practicum. If you are interested please contact me privately.

Fr. Gregory

Potential Senior Thesis - Liturgy of St. James

There are several manuscripts that have recently become available of the Liturgy of St. James, Brother of the Lord. An interesting senior thesis would be to compare and contrast these manuscripts and to then continue the work of Phillip von Gardner, who first prepared this service in Church Slavonic for use in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. If you are interested in this project please contact me privately.

Fr. Gregory

Faculty Input: Best Student Submissions

This is an official call for submissions by our faculty. We are asking you to submit via email to me the best student deliverables from the cycle of first exam/projects which have been completed by now. All submissions will be published here on the Dean's List and shared on Facebook. Thank you for your attention to this important request. Fr. Gregory

Election Day - Theological Discussion

Opportunity to Visit Ukraine

The Pastoral School is pleased to announce that we have an opportunity for students, faculty or staff who do not speak Russian. One of the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (MP) is a friend of our school and has asked if we could provide an English conversation partner for 3 or 4 weeks per year. The reason this person can not speak Russian is that this makes it too “dangerous” - that English will not be used, but rather Russian. If someone does not speak Russian then the hierarch and the conversation partner will have to work things out in English. This is a great opportunity to acquaint oneself with church life in and visit the holy places of Ukraine. Those interesting in finding out more should contact me as soon as possible. We hope that we will establish a working relationship with this hierarch and his diocese that will allow for future opportunities of this sort, so if you can't do it this year, but you would be interested in the future, please let me know that as well.

Fr. Gregory

Faculty Input: Beginning of the Nativity Fast

This is an official call for submissions by our faculty. We are asking you to submit here or via email to me a one-paragraph essay: "The beginning of the Nativity Fast". Please provide your input not later than 11/15/16. All submissions will be published here on the Dean's List and shared on Facebook. 

Fr. Gregory

Student Input: Meeting of the Lord

This is an official call for submissions by our students. We are asking you to submit here or via email to me a one-paragraph essay: "What the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord Means to Me". Please provide your input not later than 12/1/16. All submissions will be published here on the Dean's List and shared on Facebook. 

Fr. Gregory

PSDCMA "Homecoming" is January 2, 2017 and Annually on that Date Thereafter

With the blessing of Archbishop Peter all Pastoral School alumni and students are welcome and encouraged to join His Eminence on Monday, January 2, 2017 at the Diocesan Cathedral of the Protection of the Mother of God in Des Plaines, IL for the annual commemoration of the Patron Saint of our Pastoral School, St. John of Kronstadt. Please save the date for now and begin to make travel plans. Evening Services will be on January 1 and the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy on January 2. Exact times of the Divine Services will be announced as the time for the feast approaches.

Fr. Gregory

Is there such a thing as "Orthodox Parish Management"?

Please find at the link below an outstanding paper from this summer's Non-Profit Small Business/Parish Management course. This paper was written by Deacon Arsenios Blain, and nominated by one of the guest lecturers of the course, Deacon Vladimir Pyrozhenko, Ph.D. We welcome discussion of the paper here and encourage our faculty and students to submit their best academic work for inclusion in this venue!

http://www.orthodoxtheologicalschool.org/pdf/deanslistblog/OrthodoxParishManagement.pdf

Fr. Gregory

Academic Schedule 2016-17

Please find the complete academic schedule for 2017-17 at this link:

http://www.orthodoxtheologicalschool.org/pdf/deanslistblog/2016-17academiccalendar.pdf

If changes are made to this calendar those changes will be posted here.

May the Lord grant a spiritually and academically profitable year to all students and faculty of our school!

Fr. Gregory

Annual Fund Kickoff on PSDCMA Facebook Page