Alexander Schmemann
Personal Information
Description
Alexander Schmemann was born in 1921 in Tallinn, Estonia, into a family of Russian émigrés. When he was a child his family moved to France, where he was educated in Russian schools and at a French lycee before becoming a student at the University of Paris (1940–1945), where he wrote a thesis on theocracy and the Eastern Roman Empire. In 22 October 1946 Schmemann was ordained to the presbyterate of the Orthodox Church by Vladimir (Tikhonicky). From 1946–51 he taught church history at St. Sergius Institute. He was invited to join the faculty of Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, then in New York City, where he taught from 1951 onwards. When the seminary moved to its present campus in Crestwood, New York in 1962, Father Alexander assumed the post of dean, which he would hold until his death. He also served as adjunct professor at Columbia University, New York University, Union Theological Seminary and General Theological Seminary in New York. Much of his focus at St Vladimir's was on liturgical theology. Source
Books
The Church Year (Celebration of Faith , Vol 2) (Celebration of Faith , Vol 2)
Of water and the spirit
Malidoma Patrice Some was born in a Dagara Village. He was soon to be abducted to a Jesuit school, where he remained for the next fifteen years, being harshly indoctrinated into European ways of thought and worship. The story tells of his return to his people and his hard initiation back into those people, which led to his desire to convey their knowledge to the world. Of Water and the Spirit is the result of that desire; it is a sharing of living African traditions, offered in compassion for those struggling with our contemporary crisis of the spirit.
Our Father
4 halfsisters meet at the sickbed of their domineering and mostly absent father. The 4 women of different generation, background, religion and sexual orientation seem to have nothing more in common than the genes of Stephen Upton. During their stay, however they find out they may need sisterhood more than they would ever thought possible. Elizabeth, the oldest, is succesfull in her career, but one can't say the same thing for her personal life. She remains unmarried, and has only ever been in love with a man out of her reach. Mary, the second daughter, accomplished quite the opposite. She has married multiple times in search for... For what actually? but has only found love in the arms of her last husband, who was killed in an accident. Alex is the 3rd daughter, married with children, she is easily mistaken for a naiv housewife, but there is more to her than one might think. And then there is the young Ronnie, the daughter of the chicana housekeeper who has the upton blue eyes. As time passes the sisters find out they have more in common than a father, or even the horrible secret he has laid upon every one of them...