St Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College

St Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College

St Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College is an Eastern Orthodox Christian seminary located in Redfern, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is a full-member institution of the Sydney College of Divinity, a federation of theological schools each operated by different Christian denominations. It is the only accredited Orthodox tertiary institution of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. St Andrew's is an institution of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. The current Dean is Archbishop Stylianos (Harkianakis) of Australia.

Archbishop Stylianos proposed the establishment of a theological college during the fourth clergy-laity congress in 1981. The delegates adopted his resolution for this urgent proposal and building, administrative and academic committees were formed.

There was need for a theological school that would be primarily dedicated to theological study in co-operation with other theological colleges. It was hoped that a centre of theological reflection and ecumenical dialogue would be created, offering the Orthodox world-view and perspective with great scriptural commentaries, the writings of the Greek Fathers, the Orthodox liturgy, iconography and spirituality.

The college opened in 1986 with Archbishop Stylianos as the inaugural dean. He continues in that role at present, as well as being a lecturer in systematic theology.

Priestly vocations

The four-year program of study (encompassing the three-year Bachelor of Theology degree as well as a fourth year of Honours or studies in Pastoral Theology and Practice) is the principal means of training bilingual clergy for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. As such, admission is limited to those who aspire to the clergy or male students who are seeking to actively serve within the Archdiocese.

Degree programs

St Andrew's currently offers the following accredited programs: Bachelor of Theology (with an honours program available), Master of Arts, Master of Theology, and a Basic Unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) in Aged Care. Honours programs for the Master of Arts, Master of Theology, and doctoral programs can be undertaken through the Sydney College of Divinity.

History prior to opening

• 1930s: Metropolitan Timotheos of Australia and New Zealand contemplates possibility of establishing theological institution.
• 1950s: Ordinations of clergy take place in Australasia. Metropolitan Theophylactos of Australia and New Zealand considers possibility of establishing an ecclesiastical seminary.
• 1959: Archbishop Ezekiel of Australia gives thought to establishing an ecclesiastical seminary. Appoints a committee for the St Andrew's War Memorial Theological College Fund, which receives a donation from Sir Arthur George and Michael Papsalis; however, nothing comes of this, as it is out of the reach of the Greek Orthodox in Australia at that time, and the donation is used to cover ongoing operating costs.
• 1975: Archbishop Stylianos of Australia, on arrival in Australia, focuses on establishing a tertiary theological college.
• 1981 Jan: At the Fourth Clergy-Laity Congress, Sydney, Archbishop Stylianos requests and gains support for the beginning of a theological college.
• 1982: During the official visit to Australia of Constantine Karamanlis, president of Greece, Archbishop Stylianos asked help to establish a church seminary. Karamanlis asks for a feasibility study to be done by the end of his visit. However, the Speaker of the House, A Kaklamanis, ignored, then rejected the letter on the grounds that the Church should care for ecclesiastical education, not the government. In response, Archbishop Stylianos decided to reenergise the St Andrew's Brotherhood, so that all clergy, making annual donations, would set an example for the laity.
• 1984 May: Archbishop Stylianos appoints an interim committee to consider and suggest ways of beginning the college, and to prepare the curriculum.
• 1984 Dec: On receipt of the report of the interim committee, three committees are established (building, administrative and academic).
• 1985: Archbishop Stylianos sends letter to 1000 friends and acquaintances asking for a $1000 donation. From this correspondnece $350,000 was raised and this allowed the Archdiocese to make a deposit on a property in Caringbah for the financial benefit of the Theological College.

With enough academically qualified and already-lecturing Orthodox, Sir Arthur George signed an agreement at the 5th Clergy-Laity conference (Brisbane) to provide the funds for the first stage of development. The donation of $250,000 was used to renovate and modify buildings at the Archdiocese by creating lecture rooms, dormitories for interstate students, an office, a library, and a common room.

History since opening

• 1986 Feb: College opens. Metropolitan Maximos of Stavropoulis (Dean of Halki) and Premier Neville Wran (NSW) are present. Tuition is conducted for residential male students only. No fee is charged, and (by agreement) no wage is paid to the lecturers. The Bachelor of Theology is a four-year degree, in line with equivalent degrees in Greece.
• 1987 (early): The first edition of Phronema, the annual theological review of the College, is published under the editorship of Dr Guy Freeland.
• 1995: Bp Seraphim becomes new Sub-Dean of St Andrew's replacing the Reverend Deacon Dr John Chryssavgis who later served as Dean of Holy Cross.
• 1996 Nov: His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople visits the College as part of the Sydney itinerary of his inaugural visit to Australia.
• 1990s (late): College changes structure of Bachelor of Theology degree to a three-year degree (in line with equivalent degrees in Australia) with a compulsory fourth year of honours or alternative postgraduate work in pastoral theology and practice.
• 2001 Jun: St Andrew's Orthodox Press established to produce The Greek-Australian Vema, the newspaper of the Archdiocese, with the long-term view of publishing works of the faculty.
• 2004 Jan: St Andrew's begins to offer two intensive course units every semester for all members of the public, towards the fulfillment of any one of three postgraduate awards accredited through the Sydney College of Divinity: Graduate Certificate (after four units, the equivalent of one semester's full-time study); Graduate Diploma (after 8 units); and Masters of Arts (after 12 units).
• 2005 Feb: School of Byzantine Music established under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and St Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College.

May: St Andrew's Orthodox Press employs Publishing Director.

• 2006 Feb: College celebrates its 20th anniversary with an alumni reunion, official dinner, and the celebration of the Divine Liturgy by Archbishop Stylianos along with assistant bishops and ordained alumni.
• 2008 Apr: Book launch of "The Infallibility of the Church in Orthodox Theology" (ATF Press / St Andrew's Orthodox Press) written originally in Greek as a doctoral dissertation by Archimandrite Stylianos Harkianakis (1965) for the University of Athens and now translated into English by Philip Kariatlis.

Influence

As the sole Orthodox theological college of its kind in the southern hemisphere, St. Andrew's has taught not only the clergy of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, but also a notable number from other jurisdictions in Australia, particularly from the Serbian Orthodox Church in Australia and New Zealand.

Phronema

Phronema is the academic journal of the College. It has been published annually since the inception of the College. Phronema presents articles and book reviews from Orthodox and non-Orthodox academics on a wide variety of theologically-related topics.

• See the home page of Phronema on the SAGOTC homepage.

Faculty

Current

• Archbishop Stylianos (Harkianakis) of Australia
  • Dean of St Andrew's, 1986–present
  • Full-time professor of Systematic Theology, 1986–present
• Bishop Seraphim (Ginis) of Apollonias
  • Sub-Dean of St Andrew's, 1995–present
  • Full-time lecturer in Liturgical Studies and Canon Law, 1991–present
• James Athanasou, editor of Phronema, 1995–present
  • Honorary lecturer in Christian Education, 1999–present
• The Revd Doru Costache
  • Full-time lecturer in Patristic Studies, 2005–present
• The Revd John El Karaan
  • Full-time lecturer in Old Testament Studies, 2008–present
• Guy Freeland
  • Honorary lecturer in Liturgical Studies (Church Symbolism and Iconography) and Hermeneutics, 1986–present
  • Editor of Phronema, 1986-1994
• The Revd Alan Galt
  • Part-time lecturer in Pastoral Theology and Practice, 1990–2001; 2003–present
• Anastasios Kalogerakis
  • Undergraduate student of St Andrew's, 1996-1999
  • Registrar, 2000–present
• Philip Kariatlis
  • Undergraduate student of St Andrew's, 1991-1994
  • Registrar, 1995-1999
  • Academic secretary, 2000–present
  • Full-time lecturer in Systematic Theology, 2000–present
• The Very Revd Archimandrite Sophronios (Konidaris)
  • Undergraduate student of St Andrew's, 1998-2001
  • Chaplain, 2005–present
• Dimitri Kepreotes
  • Undergraduate student of St Andrew's, 1988-1991
  • Registrar, 1992-1994.
  • Part-time lecturer in Christian Education, 2001–present
  • Part-time lecturer in Modern Greek and Canon Law, 2005–present
  • Publishing Director of St Andrew's Orthodox Press, 2005–present
• The Revd Gerasimos Koutsouras
  • Part-time lecturer in Byzantine Music, 2003–present
  • Part-time lecturer in Church History, 2005–present.
  • Part-time lecturer in Modern Greek, 2005-2007.
• John Lee
  • Appointed Lecturer in Department of Greek, University of Sydney, in 1973 and retired as Senior Lecturer in 2001 during which time students of St Andrew's studied New Testament Greek under his lectureship (1986–1999)
  • Honorary lecturer of Advanced New Testament Greek, St Andrew's, 1999–present
  • Chairman, Committee on the Translation of Liturgical Texts, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, 1990–present
• The Revd John McSweeney
  • Sessional lecturer in New Testament Studies, 1999–present
• Ken Parry
  • Sessional lecturer in Church History, 2002–present
• The Very Revd Steven Scoutas
  • Honorary lecturer in Church History, 1995-2001
  • Honorary lecturer in Pastoral Theology and Practice, 2002–present
• The Revd Constantine Varipatis
  • Honorary Lecturer in Pastoral Theology and Practice, 2004–present
• Chris Harvey
  • Librarian, 1997–present

Former

• Fr Themistocles (Adamopoulo) (monk), Lecturer in Biblical Studies, Early Church History and Biblical Hebrew, 1986-1999
• Vasilios Adrahtas, Lecturer in Patristics and Missiology, 2002-2004
• Stavros Agoroudis, Librarian, 1995-1996
• Julie Anthony, Lecturer in Modern Greek, 1986-1992
• Antonios Aristodemou, Instructor in Byzantine Music, 1986-2000
• Francis Charleton, Librarian, 1987-1989.
• The Revd Anastasios Bozikis, Lecturer in Patristics, 1997-2001
• The Revd John Chryssavgis, Sub-Dean, Lecturer in Church History and Patristics, 1986-1995
• The Very Revd Miltiades Chryssavgis, Lecturer in Liturgics, Byzantine Music and Pastoral Theology, 1986-1995
• Crystal Condous, Honorary Librarian, 1986
• The Revd Paul Connors, Registrar and Lecturer in Church History, 1988-1990
• Dimitri Conomos, Visiting Professor of Byzantine Music, 1986-1987
• Chris Forbes, Lecturer in Early Church History, 1999
• Archimandrite Joseph (Harkiolakis), Lecturer in Modern Greek and Liturgics, 1987-1990
• The Revd Clement Hill, Lecturer in Homiletics, 1996-2000
• Anne Hocking, Librarian, 1989-1995
• Vasilios Istavridis, Visiting Professor of Church History, 1992
• Alexandros Kariotoglou, Lecturer in Patristics, Missiology and Hermeneutics, 2002-2004
• Vivenne Keely, Lecturer in Early Church History, 2000-2001
• Markos Orphanos, Visiting Professor of Patristics, 1995-2002
• Vrasidas Karalis, Lecturer in Church History, 1995-2003
• Archimandrite Leonidas, Lecturer in Canon Law, 1986-1992
• Francis Livesey, Registrar and Lecturer in Church History, 1987
• Niki Papadopoulos, Lecturer in Modern Greek, 1993-1994
• The Revd Geoffrey Peterson, Lecturer in Pastoral Theology, 1987-1989
• The Revd Gabriel Popescu, Lecturer in Pastoral Theology, 1986-2001
• Basilios Psilacos, Instructor in Byzantine Music, 2001-2002
• Harry Simmons, Lecturer in Church History and Orthodox Spirituality, 1986-1987
• The Very Revd George Vassiliadis, Lecturer in Canon Law, Patristics and Modern Greek, 1993-2005
• Jacob Yiacoumi, Lecturer in Systematic Theology and Patristics, 1996
• Asterios Zouriakas, Instructor in Byzantine Music, 2004

External links

• St Andrew's Greek Orthodox Theological College official website
• Sydney College of Divinity
• School of Byzantine Music (under the auspices of the college)

Other sources

• The Vema
  • Bilingual booklet in March 2006 of the Vema, Η Θεολογικη Σχολη του Αποστολου Ανδρεου.