Phillip Dage
Home Parish: St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral, Detroit, MI
Seminary: St. Tikhon’s Seminary
Year & Program: 3rd year M.Div.
Phillip Dage joined the Orthodox Church in 2000. Along with his mom, dad, and brother, Phillip received the Sacrament of Holy Chrismation at Ss. Peter and Paul, OCA Cathedral in Detroit, MI. Phillip continues to be a member at SSPP, where he was tonsured a Reader in May of 2021. Following an extended
mission trip to Guatemala in 2017, Phillip was inspired to offer his life more fully in service to the Holy Orthodox Church. After working as a high school economics professor for a couple years, Phillip began his studies at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in the fall of 2021. God willing, he will graduate with a Master of Divinity in the spring of 2024.
Jarrod Huffman
Home Parish:
Seminary: St. Vladimir’s Seminary
Year & Program: 1st year M.Div.
Coming Soon
Andrew Prather
Home Parish: St. Nicholas Mission, Pella, IA
Seminary: St. Vladimir’s Seminary
Year & Program: 4th year M.Div.
Home Parish: St. Nicholas Mission, Pella, IA
Seminary: St. Vladimir’s Seminary
Year & Program: 4th year M.Div.
Andrew grew up United Methodist in the Des Moines, Iowa metro area. He attended Central College in Pella, Iowa, double majoring in Religion and Computer Science. While at Central, he discovered the Orthodox Church and started attending St. Nicholas Mission. He became a catechumen in 2010 and was chrismated in 2012. After college, he worked for 9 years in Healthcare IT, specializing in PACs. In late 2019, he felt a call to leave his home of 14 years, for seminary at St. Vladimir’s, enrolling in the Master of Arts program in the fall of 2020. He transferred to the Master of Divinity program in December 2020. Andrew is engaged to Amber Bennett of St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church (OCA), Poulsbo, WA.
Jared Ries
Home Parish: St. Innocent Church Olmsted, OH
Seminary: St. Vladimir’s Seminary
Year & Program: 3rdd year M.Div.
Jared was born in Kentucky before moving to Cleveland, Ohio at a young age. He was raised Protestant before converting to Orthodoxy with his family in 2008, when he was 10 years old. At his home parish of St. Innocent in Olmsted Township, OH, Jared served as parish sacristan for 4 years. He attended Cleveland State University, attaining a BA in Psychology. Jared was then
in the field of social work for 2 years, where he worked in mental health case management, servicing individuals with severe mental health diagnoses. When the time came for him to consider options for graduate study, Jared felt called to seminary and the possibility of vocational service to the Church. He enrolled in St. Vladimir’s Master of Divinity program, starting his seminary journey in the Fall of 2021.
Constantine Sarsama
Home Parish: St. Matthew Church, Green Bay, WI
Seminary: St. Tikhon’s Seminary
Year & Program: 1st year M.Div.
Coming Soon
Cole Schlafer
Home Parish: St. Nicholas Church, Mentor, OH
Seminary: St. Tikhon’s Seminary
Year & Program: 1st year M. Div.
Coming Soon
Cuthbert Schreder
Home Parish: Holy Myrrhbearers Chapel, St. Cloud, MN
Seminary: St. Tikhon’s Seminary
Year & Program: 1st year M. Div.
Coming Soon
Paisios Winsler
Home Parish: St. Paul the Apostle Church, Dayton, OH
Seminary: St. Vladimir’s Seminary
Year & Program: 2nd year M.Div.
Paisios is a member of St. Paul the Apostle Orthodox Church in Dayton, OH, currently living on campus at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. In the past, he has served as a pastor in Protestant churches, a Christian Studies educator in a secondary school, as deacon-in-charge for an Anglican mission in a nursing home, and as deacon/priest-candidate in an Anglican parish. More recently, Paisios has worked as a software engineer, but after completing a diaconate course of study with Fr. Silviu Bunta and following the counsel of his spiritual father, he and his wife agreed to pursue seminary studies. As of 2022, Paisios has been married to Sophia for 13 years and they have two daughters, Canice and Zenaida. He is enrolled in the Master of Divinity program at SVS and hopes to graduate in 2025.
Deacon John York
Home Parish: Christ the Savior Church, Chicago, IL
Seminary: St. Tikhon’s Seminary
Year & Program: 3rd year M.Div.
Jonathan and Karina originally met as students at Duke University, where they completed their undergraduate education. After graduation, Jonathan moved to Chicago, IL where he completed a graduate degree in New Testament at the University of Chicago, and Karina moved to Atlanta, GA, where she earned a degree in nursing from Emory University. Around that time, Jonathan’s studies in early Christianity led him to begin attending Christ the Savior Orthodox Church in Chicago, and he was received into the Church on Lazarus Saturday, 2016. Karina was Chrismated the following year on the Eve of Theophany. Upon finishing their respective graduate programs, Jonathan and Karina were married at Christ the Savior parish in 2018.
Jonathan worked for four years as the Assistant to the Dean of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Chicago, where he gained a broad experience in ecclesial and pastoral work – from helping couples plan their weddings, to filing baptism paperwork, to handling the day-to-day affairs of the Cathedral. Karina worked as a pediatric nurse at Shriner’s Hospital for Children. The Yorks were also increasingly active in the life of their parish: serving on parish council, supporting the parish’s outreach ministries, and serving in the altar.
In the Fall of 2021, the York family left their home in Chicago and moved to South Canaan, Pennsylvania to begin their time at St Tikhon’s Seminary, where Jonathan is expected to graduate in 2024. Jonathan and Karina have two young daughters: Genevieve and Emilia, who ensure their home never has a dull moment.
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The process for applying is simple, but very personal. Begin by praying, then speak with your parish priest today about your desire to attend seminary. If it is blessed, he will bring your desire to the bishop at an appropriate time and the Lord will take care of the rest.