Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary (russian: Свято-Тихоновская духовная семинария) is an

Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

located in

South Canaan Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania South Canaan is a second-class township in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The township's population was 1,768 at the time of the 2010 United States Census. South Canaan is home to Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary and t ...

. It is one of three seminaries operated by the

Orthodox Church in America The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian church based in North America. The OCA is partly recognized as Autocephaly, autocephalous and consists of more than 700 parishes, missions, commun ...

, the others being

St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) is an Eastern Orthodox seminary in Yonkers, New York. It is chartered under the State University of New York and accredited by the Association of Theological Schools. It is a pan-Eastern Ort ...

Crestwood, Yonkers, New York Crestwood is a neighborhood in Yonkers, New York. Located in northeastern Yonkers, Crestwood is separated by the Bronx River from the village of Tuckahoe. Because the majority of Crestwood is served by the Tuckahoe post office, many residents id ...

, and

St. Herman's Orthodox Theological Seminary Saint Herman’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (russian: Свято-Германовская духовная семинария) is an Orthodox Christian seminary located in Kodiak, Alaska, with a campus in Anchorage. Established as a pastoral s ...

Kodiak, Alaska Kodiak (Alutiiq: , russian: Кадьяк), formerly Paul's Harbor, is the main city and one of seven communities on Kodiak Island in Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska. All commercial transportation between the island's communities and the outside wo ...

. It is named after

Tikhon of Zadonsk Tikhon of Zadonsk (secular name Timofey Savelyevich Sokolov, russian: Тимофей Савельевич Соколов; 1724–1783) was an 18th century Russian Orthodox bishop and spiritual writer whom the Eastern Orthodox Church glorified ( ...

Overview

St. Tikhon's was founded in 1938 as a Pastoral School by resolution of the 6th All-American Sobor of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in North America (North American Metropolia). The Seminary was officially transformed from a Pastoral School into a

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

by the

Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox C ...

of the Metropolia in 1942. In 1967, the Seminary was

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

ed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A formal transfer agreement with Marywood College (now

Marywood University Marywood University is a private Catholic university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Established in 1915 by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Marywood currently enrolls more than 2,800 students in a variety of undergraduate, gradu ...

), in nearby

Scranton Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...

, was articulated and signed in 1975. In 1988, the Seminary was authorized by the

Pennsylvania Department of Education The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with publicly funded preschool, K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed by ...

to award the

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

(M. Div.) degree to its graduates. The first M. Div. degrees were conferred on the graduating class of 1989. In June 2004, the Seminary was granted accreditation by the

Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The associ ...

. In March 2010 the Ministry of Education of

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

formally recognized St. Tikhon's Seminary (STS) as an accredited institution of Higher Education, equal in standing to the schools of theology in the universities of Greece. The Greek Ministry of Education (GME) also affirmed that the Master of Divinity degree conferred by STS is equivalent to the first degree in Theology conferred by the Faculties of Theology in the Universities of

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

and

Thessalonica Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

, and therefore renders the holder eligible to pursue the graduate studies programs or the doctoral programs (Th.D.) in those universities. Moreover, by virtue of Greece's membership in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

(EU), the recognition of STS as an institution of higher theological learning, equal in status with the schools of theology in Greece, also extends to all schools and religious faculties of the universities within the EU's member states. The current dean of the seminary is Archpriest John Parker, who succeeded the Very Rev. Dr. Steven Voytovich, who succeeded the V. Rev.

Alexander Atty Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

, who succeeded Archbishop

Michael Dahulich Michael (Dahulich) is an Orthodox archbishop in the Orthodox Church in America Diocese of New York and New Jersey. He is the former dean of St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania, and serves there as RectorSt. ...

.St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary.
Administration and Staff.
' 04/21/2019.

Publishing

St. Tikhon's Monastery Press (formerly the St. Tikhon's Seminary Press) is a leading publisher of Orthodox service books and other spiritual material.

References

External links

*
St. Tikhon's Bookstore website
* Alexei D. Krindatch.
The Study of Educational Institutions Offering Programs in Orthodox Theology in the United States
'' Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. October 20, 2015. Retrieved: 18 December, 2015. {{authority control Educational institutions established in 1938 Eastern Orthodox seminaries Seminaries and theological colleges in Pennsylvania Orthodox Church in America Eastern Orthodox churches in the United States Eastern Orthodoxy in Pennsylvania Rusyn-American culture in Pennsylvania 1938 establishments in Pennsylvania