Saint Herman’s Orthodox Theological Seminary is an Orthodox Christian

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

located in

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

, with a campus in

Anchorage Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolita ...

. Established as a pastoral school in , the seminary now provides a number of educational programs to prepare students for work in the Orthodox Church, as readers,

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

directors, church school teachers, and

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

History

With the closing of the Russian school at

Unalaska The City of Unalaska (; ) is the main population center in the Aleutian Islands. The city is in the Aleutians West Census Area, a regional component of the Unorganized Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Unalaska is located on Unalaska Isl ...

in 1917, the Church in Alaska lost its ability to provide formal training for church workers and clergy. In time the lack of an institution to provide education locally was felt by the Diocese of Alaska as the shortage of trained people increased. To correct this situation, in September 1972, the diocese approved a proposal by the

Archpriest The ecclesiastical title of archpriest or archpresbyter belongs to certain priests with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches and may be somewhat analogo ...

Joseph P. Kreta to establish a pastoral school, which was the only practical way of solving this problem. With the approval of the proposal by the diocesan council, the first semester of classes began on February 1, 1973. The classes were conducted in leased facilities at the Wildwood Station near Kenai, Alaska. This first class began with fourteen students. In August 1973, the

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

State Department of

Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

recognized St. Herman’s Pastoral School as a diploma-granting institution. The search for a permanent campus led to the procuring property in Kodiak, near the Church of the Holy Resurrection. In 1974, all classes were moved to the new facilities. In February 1975, St. Herman’s was recognized 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 ...

of the

Orthodox Church in America The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian church based in North America. The OCA consists of more than 700 parishes, missions, communities, monasteries and institutions in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In ...

as a theological school within its seminary system. Then in 1976, the Holy Synod approved the renaming of St. Herman’s as a Theological Seminary. The seminary was subsequently authorized under the Alaska ordinances to grant degrees of Bachelor of Sacred Theology and Associate of Arts in Theological Studies. A continuing program is in place to keep pace with the growth of the student body and to maintain and rehabilitate the buildings on the campus. Recently, classes in advanced studies have been conducted at an Anchorage campus. Since the creation of the seminary, over 90% of the student body has been composed of indigenous Alaskans—Aleut, Athabascan, Thligit and Yupiq villagers—coming to study at Saint Herman's from all over rural Alaska.

Programs

St. Herman’s Seminary offers a four-year program of theological, liturgical, patristics, and Biblical studies in a progression of one year programs. A one-year program is offered to prepare students to serve as readers and singers. This year is followed by a year of further Biblical studies, Church history and doctrine for teachers and catechists. As a

diaconate A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Catholi ...

program, the third year continues with classes in higher level theology and liturgical experience, and includes training in substance abuse counseling with a certification. A fourth year

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

ly formation program places emphasis on pastoral ministry and theological education and includes

mentor Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

ing in

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

and

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

ministry and in parish life and administration. All classes are held at the Kodiak campus.

External links

Official website
{{coord, 57.7895, -152.3997, type:edu_region:US-AK, display=title Eastern Orthodox seminaries Orthodox Church in America Seminaries and theological colleges in Alaska Eastern Orthodox churches in the United States Eastern Orthodoxy in Alaska Educational institutions established in 1972 Education in Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska Education in Anchorage, Alaska Buildings and structures in Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska 1972 establishments in Alaska