Saint Tikhon'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

South Canaan Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania South Canaan is a Local government in Pennsylvania#Township, second-class township in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The township's population was 1,768 at the time of the 2010 United States Census. South ...

. It is one of three seminaries operated by 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 ...

, 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 in the United States and ...

in Crestwood, Yonkers, New York, and

St. Herman's Orthodox Theological Seminary Saint Herman’s Orthodox Theological Seminary is an Orthodox Christian seminary located in Kodiak, Alaska, with a campus in Anchorage. Established as a pastoral school in , the seminary now provides a number of educational programs to prepare stu ...

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 ...

. It is named after Tikhon of Zadonsk. St Tikhon Seminary SC

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 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 ...

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 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 ...

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

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

), in nearby

Scranton Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...

, 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 direc ...

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 ...

(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, United States. History The ATS was found ...

. In March 2010 the Ministry of Education of

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

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 ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

and

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

, 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 union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

(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.

Leadership

Rectors

* Kiprian Borisevich (1961-1981) * Herman Swaiko (1981-2002)

Deans

* Archbishop Michael Dahulich (2002-2010) * Alexander Atty (2010-2013) * Igumen Sergius (2013; interim) * Steven Voytovich (2013-2018) * Archpriest John Parker (2018-Present)

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 Monastery Bookstore & Press
{{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