New Orthodox studies program forming in San Francisco

Saints Cyril and Athanasius of Alexandria Institute for Orthodox Studies
San Francisco, CA

Mission

The San Francisco Orthodox Theological Institute serves and supports the Orthodox Church by fostering theological education, scholarship, worship and prayer. Promoting the acquisition of higher learning and scholarship in the context of traditional Orthodox life, practice and thought, it offers a venue for foundational and higher study in theological, historical, liturgical and practical areas of Orthodox Christianity.

Goals and Aims

The Institute, as a new venture of the Orthodox Church in western North America, will be a centre for higher learning in Orthodox Christianity, fostering and supporting the life of the Church and its mission in the world. It aims to accomplish these goals through a threefold pattern of (1) educating those in the Church, including both laypeople and clergy; (2) educating those outside of the Church, who have an interest in her life, history, theology and heritage—in particular students, enquirers, and researchers; and (3) making Orthodox theology, history and practice more widely known through the dissemination of scholarly publications, conferences, and regional activities.

As a centre for higher education, the Institute approaches its topics with the intensity, rigour, and engagement customary to under- and post-graduate learning, providing this culture of academic excellence in the context of traditional Orthodox life and practice. Students of the Institute study for under- and post-graduate level certificates and diplomas, together with higher-level study, in an environment that encourages the study of Orthodoxy in engagement with an Orthodox approach to higher learning, emphasizing the relationship of critical study and analysis to the lived traditions of ecclesiology, worship, ascesis and spirituality.

How Are We Different - And How Do We Compare?

The aim of our Institute is to offer the staging ground, structure and expertise for furthering Orthodox studies in the Western regions of North America through in-depth certificate and diploma programs, seminars and symposia, conferences and research contexts - organized through our central offices in San Francisco, but regionalized so as to enable study and activities closer to home throughout the region.

The Sts. Cyril and Athanasius Institute does not aim to be a seminary, and our primary aim is not the training up of future clergy; thus we aim to complement, rather than in any way duplicate, the aims and functions of the Orthodox seminaries in the USA: Holy Trinity Seminary, Jordanville; Holy Cross Seminary, Boston; St. Vladimir's Seminary, New York; St. Tikhon's Seminary, Pennsylvania; and St. Herman's Seminary, Alaska. Nor does the Institute seek to offer a chiefly on-line course of study in Orthodox theology, such as is offered by the very fine Orthodox Pastoral School, centered in Chicago. Our hope is to complement these institutions by fostering additional advancement in Orthodox study throughout our region, which will help advance the cause of Orthodox education and lead new students to take up studies of differing types across these institutions.

Do I need to be in San Francisco to Study at the Institute?

While the Institute will be headed from San Francisco, it will aim to reach out to the broad community of Orthodox throughout Western North America, as well as the whole of the United States through Regional Centers.

The Institute's Chief Center: San Francisco

The Institute is beginning its operations from its main center in San Francisco, California. Using the Bay Area as a hub that sits conveniently at the heart of many western American Orthodox communities, our diploma study days and on-site teaching will begin here, allowing participants and students from a wide geography surrounding the region to take part in our Certificate Program of studies, and other courses.

As the Certificate in Orthodox Studies is a program taught by a blended learning environment of monthly intensive study days, combined with robust distance-learning elements, you can participate in this in-depth program via our San Francisco center as long as you are able to travel to the city for the modular study days themselves, which are offered once per month. You do not need to attend the one-day intensive sessions every month, and the full scope of eight modules and a Summer School can be taken either over one or two years, as your schedule and travel opportunities permit. The remainder of your studies can be accomplished via distance learning elements, parish interaction in your home city or town, etc.