Summertime, and the living’s easy?

Ascension is the unofficial beginning of Summer here at Jordanville. Last Thursday, I went to a fellow-seminarian’s house for some very tasty burgers, accompanied by the Brazilian national cocktail, the caipirinha.

Summertime at Jordanville is relatively relaxing for the seminarian who choses to stay. The major downside is that it can be quite lonely; most choose to go home or go traveling. This adds to another predicament: the odds of being assigned to a general obedience (altar, kitchen, kliros, etc.) go up astronomically. This week, I was assigned to serve in the altar, sing on kliros, and read for lunch and dinner in the refectory. My trip to Canada saved me from kitchen duty. And there is of course work for the bookstore, which is a relatively light schedule of four hours a day.

On top of all this, we have to prepare for the biggest feast in the Monastery: Pentecost, which in the Orthodox tradition is a three-day event. Many pilgrims will show up, which means that we have to make sure the place looks spic-and-span. Instead of posting on this blog, I should probably be getting some sleep!

Of course, despite the sometime difficulty of being assigned to do some task, it’s all part of life at the Monastery, which adds to the overall experience of being a seminarian. And there‘s still opportunity to relax and enjoy the Summer. One is free to come at go at will during vacation time, which leaves ample opportunity for ambling. Orthodox youth events such as the Boston Ball (this coming Friday) and St. Seraphim‘s Camp (July/August) also give the seminarian a chance to meet many other Orthodox young people.

There’s all that. And then there‘s just lying on the hammock…

Oh, Canada!

One of the perks of being a seminarian is that you get the opportunity to meet many interesting and wonderful people. Jordanville is located in upstate New York, making most of Orthodoxy on the eastern seaboard very accessible by motor vehicle. I took one such road trip last weekend to Ottawa, Ontario, the Canadian capital.

I got invited up to Ottawa for the weekend by two friends I met at the St. Herman's Conference, which last December was held here at Jordanville. On Friday, my traveling buddy drove all the way from Buffalo to pick me up at the Monastery; we then drove up into the upper reaches of the mysterious North.

Canada, contrary to popular belief, is not just “America's Hat,” but has a distinct culture and history, of which I and my Buffaloan (Buffaloite? Buffalovian?) friend have no clue. But we clearly could tell it was a foreign country by being stopped at the border checkpoint and mercilessly interrogated.

Guard: “So, what is your purpose for coming into Canada?”
My Friend: “We're here to see two girls, our friends.”
Guard: “And how did you meet these girls?”
Friend: “At a church event.”
Guard: “How would you Americans meet two Canadian girls at a church event?”
Friend: “We're in the same church!”
Guard: “I'm in a big denomination myself, and I don't go around meeting Americans!”

Things did not bode well. The border guard ordered us into the customs office. After careful questioning, we were determined not to be crazy American terrorists bent on destroying beaver dams. Our passports recovered, we arrived without further incident in Ottawa, receiving a warm welcome. Later that night, we got a short tour of downtown Ottawa, including the ByWard Market and a ludicrous number of stairs (and bear puns).

The next morning, we set out on a magical mystery tour of various architecturally significant buildings in the city, thanks to the Doors Open weekend. Our first stop was a mosque down the street from the parish. I have never been in a mosque before, so I had no idea what to expect. Upon entering (and taking off my shoes), I was struck by the bare interior of the mosque. Underneath the white dome, the walls of the mosque were whitewashed. There were no chairs or pews, but a simple carpet, and a seat in the front for the imam to give his sermons. It was as if someone had taken an Orthodox church, stripped it of all decoration and the iconostasis, and painted the walls white. (This is not without precedent.) The complete lack of decoration is in order for the worshipping Muslim to completely submit himself to an absolutely transcendent (and un-incarnate) Allah.

The next stop was the Christ the Savior Bukowinian Orthodox Church, under the Patriarch of Constantinople. We spent our time in the car wondering what a Bukowinian was; the kind priest explained that Bukovina was a part of the former Austro-Hungarian empire now split between Romania and Ukraine. We of course felt much more home at this church than at the mosque. (“I can feel the blagodat coming back to me!”) Our last stop was Rideau Hall, the residence of the Governor-General, who acts as the Queen's representative. It was as expected: beautiful, and quite regal. I was very excited to see one of Glenn Gould's pianos (not the famous CD 318, but another of his Steinways) in one of the great halls of the mansion.

After coming back to our friends’ house, we were treated to some delicious souvlaki barbecued by the paterfamilias (who also happens to be pater of the church). We played some games with the sisters and their little brother, and then prepared for the Vigil. Coming from Jordanville, I am always surprised (or is it relieved?) by the shortness of parish vigils.

After the Sunday liturgy, we wrapped up the weekend in the early afternoon. We reluctantly said good-bye to our Canadian friends, but look forward to our next visit. In the meantime, I will be praying for the fate of the Ottawa parish of the Protection of the Mother of God, which is going through some legal trouble. I am very thankful to our Canadian friends up north and their family for hosting us Americans this weekend! The experience was anything but unbearable.

School's. Out. For. Summer.

Christ is Risen!

Many apologies for the very long delay in posting. It has been a very busy semester. So much has happened over the past few months and weeks that it would take a while to catch up. To make things short, I'm rather sad that the school year has finally come to an end, and am looking forward to the next installment of seminary life.

Last Sunday, we had our graduation. This year's graduating class was quite large for Jordanville: seven in all received the medallions proudly showing their status as having successfully run the gauntlet of seminary life. Quite a few more also received recognition for their academic efforts.

The real fun, however, came in the evening, at a party hosted by one of the graduates. The centerpiece was a roasting lamb, freshly killed by the man himself.

“It's winking at me,” said somebody looking at the spit.

A good time was had by all, but at the dawning of the day, I realized that I would be spending a long, hot, and lonely two weeks in the dormitory: many had already high-tailed it out of town.

Right now, I'm writing in one of the only places on site that has internet access: the attic computer lab. The unique properties of this drafty attic make it impossible to heat in the Winter or cool in the Summer, making it an additional test of endurance for seminarians who want to Skype their girlfriends. I recommend bringing a space heater and a portable fan for the former and latter cases.

But the heat and humidity are yet foretastes for my upcoming Summer plans. Yes, I am returning to Hawaii for a good portion (seven weeks) of my vacation. Afterwards, I will be in San Francisco, before briefly coming back to Jordanville before the last leg of my travels: the Holy Land.

O Lord and Master of my Life…

To-talanton, to-talanton, to-talan-talan-talanton…

I awoke at five in the morning to the sounds of the mallet hitting the semandron, that ancient instrument used to rouse monks to prayer. The potent sound of wood against wood is a call to prayer: a call to rouse oneself in preparation for the long prayers during the first week of Great Lent.

At Jordanville, we begin the season of fasting with fervor, making a good beginning to the forty days leading up to the Resurrection of our Lord. During the first week everything is focused on the church. There are no classes or obediences. We eat only one meal a day, made simply, without oil. The services are long and filled with readings from the fathers, and punctuated often with the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, which encapsulates the Lenten spirit:

O Lord and Master of my life, a spirit of idleness, despondency, ambition, and idle talking give me not.
But rather a spirit of chastity, humble-mindedness, patience, and love bestow upon me Thy servant.
Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my failings and not condemn my brother; for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The first week is when a seminarian can find the time to experience all the divine services of the day. The cycle of services begins with Midnight Office at 5am (5:30am on Monday), followed by Matins, the Hours, and Vespers. There is a short break between the First and Third Hours. For the Lenten services, the choir is divided in two, and sing on the left and right klirosi of the church. At most of the services part of the Psalter is read; during the weeks of Lent the entire Psalter is read twice. Archimandrite Luke, our Abbot, comes out during each of the services and reads from such spiritual works as the Ladder of St. John of Sinai and the Lausaic History. On Wednesday and Friday, we augment Vespers with the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. After Vespers, which ends around 1pm, we have lunch—the only meal of the day—which consists of boiled potatoes, vegetables, and fruit. We rest until 6pm, when we have Great Compline with the Great Canon of Repentance by St. Andrew of Crete. After this we retire in preparation for the next day, though some seminarians (myself included) go to the kitchen to relieve our hunger with a little bread.

The tradition here is for all in the community, including monastics and seminarians, to commune on Saturday morning. Although Holy Communion is given on Wednesday and Friday because of the Presanctified Liturgy, we do not usually communicate until the end of the week, making all five days a preparation. On Friday evening, we say instead of the Great Canon the Three Canons for Holy Communion, and all go to confession.  On Saturday morning, we read the Canon and Prayers for Holy Communion. Through receiving the precious Body and Blood of Christ, we are then prepared for the rest of the Lent, refocusing on spiritual life and refraining from unnecessary activities, like this blog. So, this will in all likelihood be the last post before Pascha. May you have a blessed Lent. Pray for us.

Inter-Seminarian Hijinks

This past weekend, a group of us went to St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary, near New York City, for a meeting of the Orthodox Inter-Seminary Movement, or OISM. For those of you who do not know about “St. Vlad's,” it is considered the flagship seminary of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). It has a reputation for excellent academics, among other things. OISM was formed by seminarians from different Orthodox jurisdictions, who, while sharing the same Orthodox faith, are connected to different Orthodox hierarchies due to an unfortunate historical development. The idea is that by getting together and becoming united in fellowship we can overcome various issues which separate us. There is also beer involved, in moderate amounts.

We set out from Jordanville in the middle of a snowstorm. Thankfully, the storm was very much localized, and the atmosphere cleared about an hour out of the monastery; the snowstorm only added half-an-hour to our ETA. On the way, I watched “Batman Begins” with one of my classmates. We got there, ate a hearty dinner, and settled down a bit. I was very happy to see some people I haven't seen in a while, including Abbot Gerasim, formerly of St. Herman's Monastery in Platina, who is studying at SVS.

I managed to get my own room for the night, and discovered to my delight that there was a wifi connection in the dormitory. The room itself was also quite comfortable.

That night, several of us took a short trip to Manhattan, where it was quite cold and windy, and I, hatless and hapless, strode toward Times Square rubbing my ears. Times Square itself reminded me of the time when I was in Shibuya, the ultra-hip section of Tokyo. Giant telescreens, some of which captured us on video, towered over us. Although I am prone to being distracted by shiny objects, Times Square did not take hold over me, and we soon went back to the train station.

The next day, we had liturgy in the chapel, and then a brunch featuring ham (meat!) and potatoes. Then, we had a tour of the monastery. Fr. Killian, our tour-guide, showed us around:

Fr. Killian: And there we have rooms for the single female students, an area we affectionately call the Feminary.

After the tour, we got to get french pastries from the ritzy bakery in the neighborhood, before attending a lecture by one of the professors at the seminary. Next we had an official OISM meeting (done [more-or-less] according to Robert) and chose new officials, which included one of my classmates. Then we Jordanvillians went home, due to the fact that it was a Saturday night and the Metropolitan of the Czech Lands and Slovakia was at the monastery.

The next OISM meeting will be in the Fall at Jordanville. I am looking forward to meeting all those great OISM people here!

Still Alive

It's been a rather busy second semester, but here's a brief news update:

• Although it's been nearly a month, I still have very fond memories of my time in San Francisco. It proved to be a very satisfying two weeks, and I hope to come back to see my friends once again.
• This Saturday, we first-years will be going to St. Nektarios Monastery in Roscoe, NY. St. Nektarios is one of Elder Ephraim's monasteries, so I'm very much looking forward to making a pilgrimage.
• Next weekend, I am also going to St. Vladimir's Seminary for a meeting of the Orthodox Inter-Seminary Movement. This is my first OISM event, and I will of course be covering it in this blog. ("What's OISM?" you may ask. Well, dear reader, that will have to wait until the update!)
• I also have been writing articles for the Seminary website. My last update was on our patronal feast-day (and my semi-namesday) of the Three Holy Hierarchs.

More to come!

New Semester!

It's the middle of the second week, so it's a little odd to have a “New Semester” post right now. But since I was preoccupied during the first week with not setting myself on fire in the altar, I haven't had much time to do anything productive in regards to this blog. Today our Russian teacher is snowed in, which means we don't have class until 10, thus giving me opportunity for this post.

Besides, the final class schedule was not actually finalized until yesterday. The new schedule switches around the classes a little bit, allowing us a little more study time before lunch. Last semester it was six hours; now it is eight. Unlike most universities, here at Jordanville we don't have electives, and it's pretty hard to change the schedule to please everyone. For example, Mondays last semester was free in the mornings for me, because I didn't have to take the scheduled English classes. Now that Church Slavonic and Russian start at 8, my fellow classmates have to now get used to my groggy face.

Patristic Anthropology was shifted to the afternoons (thus giving us two more hours before lunch) which means that more students can take the class. We first years are now joined by the fifth years, which should make the questions more interesting.

Meanwhile, we are stuck in the middle of a on-again, off-again snowstorm, and I am not-so-eagerly awaiting the day when I'm assigned to shovel snow.