Russian Orthodox Metropolitan at Nashotah House

Last updated on: October 30, 2012 at 6:17 pm by Fr. Joseph Huneycutt

Russian Orthodox Metropolitan at Nashotah House 2012-10-30T18:17:00-05:00 Fr. Joseph Huneycutt

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Seminary, opened in 1842, is regarded a most conservative from among theological schools of the Anglican tradition. It was founded by the leaders of ‘The Oxford Movement,’ who strived to revive the Catholic tradition, and has become the centre of High Church Anglicanism in the USA …

His Holiness Tikhon, Patriarch of All Russia, visited the Nashotah House Seminary when he served as bishop in the United States. He was honoured the degree of doctor honoris causa on Bishop Charles Grafton’s initiative.

On October 26, Metropolitan Hilarion took part in the Nashotah House academic gathering, at which he was honoured the degree of doctor honoris causa. In his address, Metropolitan Hilarion said:

“Allow me to express my joy at being within the walls of the Nashotah House Seminary, a renowned theological educational institution, one of the oldest on the American continent and one of the leading in the Anglican world. Established one hundred and seventy years ago, the seminary has educated many Anglican clergymen and laymen who have served in various communities of the Anglican Communion.

A characteristic feature of the seminary has always been its striving after a healthy conservatism, its desire to preserve and develop the best in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. Nowadays, the word “conservatism” has acquired a negative shade of meaning. Yet, “Tradition” (gr. paradosis, lat. traditio) is one of the key notions of Christian theology, indicating the succession in passing on the church Truth from generation to generation – from Christ and the apostles to the present day. Christian Church cannot but be traditional and, therefore, conservative, in a positive sense of the word. Concern for preserving theological and moral Tradition intact and pure has always been one of the key features of Christian Church.

Theological schools have a special duty to preserve and further the church Tradition and to educate the young generation in the spirit of faithfulness to the teaching of Christ and the apostles. In the era when moral principles of society have been shaken under the influence of secular and liberal ideology, Christian conservatism and traditionalism are especially needed. Under the circumstances, the responsibilities of theological seminaries increase greatly.

Unfortunately, there are such tendencies within modern Anglicanism and Protestantism that cannot but worry us, Orthodox Christians. Many communities have embarked on the path of dissolving Christian theological and moral teaching and adapting it to the modern liberal standards. This tendency has also affected the Episcopal Church in the USA which used to maintain productive dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church for many years. Unfortunately, we had to suspend the dialogue for the reasons that are well known and do not need to be mentioned at this distinguished gathering. We will be prepared to resume the dialogue provided the reasons which have led to its suspension are eliminated. And we believe that our dialogue has a future, if the Episcopal Church embarks again on the path of protecting traditional Christian values, including the moral ones. Under the present circumstances, we have to limit our contacts and maintain relations only with those representatives of the Episcopal Church who value the common Christian Tradition and try to preserve it.

We regard, and not without reason, your theological school as one such representative. The Nashotah House Seminary has always endeavored to protect Christian doctrine from corrosion and distortion. Contributing to its endeavours was the seminary’s interest in the spiritual heritage of the Orthodox Church which carefully preserves the common Christian Tradition. It is not fortuitous that in 1905 the Seminary honoured Bishop Tikhon (Belavin) with the degree of Doctor of Divinity honoris causa. Bishop Tikhon later became the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia now is glorified as a saint. The seminary has not lost its interest in Orthodoxy; an agreement signed with St Vladimir’s Seminary in New York in 2009 testifies to this.

I have accepted the invitation to deliver a lecture at Nashotah House with great pleasure, bearing in mind that the seminary has always played a remarkable part in educating young people in the best traditions of Anglo-Catholicism, and that it has a special status in the structure of the Episcopal Church and shows particular interest in Orthodoxy.”

Source
H/T – Byzantine TX

Uncategorized

Previous Post

October 29, 2012

Somewhere in the Kingdom (Pt 2)

Next Post

October 31, 2012 Now, a word about the election ...

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month November 2016 October 2016 August 2016 May 2016 April 2016 January 2016 September 2015 August 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "Here am I! Send me"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jeremiah Ezekiel Isaiah Moses