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Antiochian Bishops Preside Over Festal Liturgy at St. Vladimir's Seminary

L to R: Bishop Nicholas, Bishop John, Bishop Maxim (Photo: L. Parrott)L to R: Bishop Nicholas, Bishop John, Bishop Maxim (Photo: L. Parrott)"Glory be to Thee Who hast shown us the light!" On Wednesday, January 30, 2013, the booming voice of His Grace The Right Rev. John Abdalah, bishop for the Antiochian Archdiocese's Diocese of Worcester and New England and the longtime editor of The Word magazine, announced the Feast of the Three Great Hierarchs. Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom are the patrons of the St. Vladmir's Seminary (SVOTS) Three Hierarchs Chapel in Yonkers, New York.

The three hierarchs presiding over the Divine Liturgy included Bishop John (SVOTS Class of '84), His Grace The Right Rev. Bishop Nicholas, auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn for the Archdiocese, and His Grace The Right Rev. Maxim, bishop of the Western Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North and South America.

"It was a great joy to welcome the three bishops," said SVOTS Dean The Very Rev. Dr. John Behr. "When we heard the three Antiochian bishops were all simultaneously elected, and subsequently consecrated, we knew it was too good to be true, and we issued an invitation for them to join us on this day. Today we had two of the three who were consecrated help us celebrate our Feast, along with honored guest Bishop Maxim." Added Chancellor/CEO The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, "A patronal feast is always festive but this year having three hierarchs for Three Hierarchs gave us a particular sense of celebration."

Michael Soroka, Th.M. student, reflected afterwards: "We were blessed to commemorate today's feast of the Three Hierarchs with three hierarchs! The hierarchical liturgy can be served in many different ways, and it was wonderful for the seminary community to get just a small taste of this diversity by celebrating today's liturgy according to the practices of the Antiochian Archdiocese."