May 3, 2012
Jordanville, NY: A Seminar on Practical Aspects of Parish Life Was Held in Holy Trinity Seminary

During the Autumnal Pastoral Conference, which took place at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville in October, 2011, a roundtable discussion was organized, at which clergy of the Eastern American Diocese spoke with the seminarians and answered all of their questions. It was decided that similar meetings would be held in the future. Accordingly, the talk given by Archpriest George Zelenin (rector of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Paterson, NJ) on March 14 and April 25 of this year can be seen as a continuation of this worthy undertaking.

Fr. George, a 1994 graduate of Holy Trinity Seminary, talked to seminarians from the 1st, 4th, and 5th years about the process through which a seminary graduate goes after ordination and assignment to a parish. Addressing students’ hearts, Fr. George pointed out the difference between the service of a clergyman and that of any other profession. Fr. George touched upon the psychological and practical aspects of a clergyman's growth into the parish family, and introduced the statistic forms which assist in the monitoring of the dynamics of parish life. He covered such important topics as the conducting of parish council meetings, the importance of knowledge of civil law, and divorce procedures. The topics discussed during this seminar supplemented materials of the classes on Pastoral Theology and Canon Law.

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