His Eminence Nicolae, Metropolitan of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas, participated on May 18, 2019 at the Commencement Ceremonies of the Class of 2019 of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theology Seminary in New York. The festivities began with a Te Deum service for thanksgiving in the chapel of the institution, presided over by His Beatitude Tikhon, Archbishop of Washington and Metropolitan of All America and Canada of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), and was attended by hierarchs, honorary guests, members of the board of directors, professors, and students of the Seminary. The festivities took place in the Metropolitan Philip Saliba Auditorium where the graduates were given their diplomas by the hierarchs of their jurisdiction. During the ceremony, His Eminence Nicolae handed the Master of Theology diploma to the theologian Alexandru Popovici, spiritual son of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas.

“Our Metropolia acquires a graduate of this renowned Seminary, a graduate whom we wish deeply involved in serving our Church in the United States of America. We congratulate Alexandru and entreat God to continue to strengthen him on his mission from this time forward,” said His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicolae.

Alexandru Popovici began the Master of Arts study program of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theology Seminary in 2014, with a scholarship from the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas, a program he graduated in 2016 with the thesis titled Scientology: A Growing New “Faith,” written under the guidance of the Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, President of the Seminary. From July 2016 until May 2019, Alexandru Popovici worked as Director of Web Services for the Seminary. In 2018, he began the Master of Theology program which he completed this year, with the thesis Hosea 1–3: A Theology of Forgiveness, written under the supervision of the Rev. Dr. Eugen J. Pentiuc. On May 21, 2019, Alexandru Popovici was appointed by the administration of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theology Seminary as the Director of Recruitment and Academic Advisor.

Father Chad Hatfield pointed out that “the good collaboration of our institution with the Romanian Orthodox Church, both in the United States and in Romania, is evidenced by the high-caliber Romanian students graduating from our programs of study. Alexandru Popovici will continue his professional activity in our seminary and the vocational one within the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas. Another graduate of ours from 2016, Bogdan Neacşiu, is already active in the Romanian Patriarchate.”

His Beatitude Tikhon thanked His Eminence Nicolae for attending the 77th graduation ceremony of the Seminary, noting that His Eminence’s presence at this event was both an honor and a joy.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to study at and work for this famous theological establishment. Presently, Saint Vladimir’s Seminary is the theological institution where most jurisdictions in the United States of America—and not only—send their best candidates to receive preparation for the priesthood, advanced academic research, or to hold different positions within their respective dioceses. This is due not only to the rich eighty-year-old history of the institution and its outstanding teachers such as Fathers George Florovsky, John Meyendorff, or Alexander Schmemann, but also to the direction and perspective assumed by the current administration that has begun implementing Vision 2020, a new program to form and educate students, so that they are very well prepared academically and vocationally to serve the Orthodox Church and to respond to the various contemporary challenges she faces. I thank His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicolae and Father Chad Hatfield for the care and love they have shown me over the years,” said Alexandru Popovici.

Together with His Eminence Nicolae, attending the event were Protosyngellos Vincentiu Temirov and Hierodeacon Serafim Paduraru from St. Demetrius the New Romanian Orthodox Monastery, Middletown, NY, as well as faithful from the Romanian parishes of Saint Nicholas, Queens, New York and the Life-Giving Fountain, Long Valley, New Jersey.