Sergei Sergeievich Verhovskoy

Sergei Sergeievich Verhovskoy (1907-1986)

and

Olga Sergeievna Verhovskoy (born Chetverikova) (1906-1978)

Verhovskoy may be spelt Verkhovskoy, Verhovskiy, Verhovsky.

Sergei may be spelt Sergius, Sergios, Sergiy, Serge, Sergé, Sergey.

In the following text, the recollections of the Protopresbyter John Meyendorff, of his son Dr. Paul Meyendorff, and of the Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko are used.

Early life of Sergei Sergeievich Verhovskoy

On 5 July, 1907, Sergei Sergeievich Verhovskoy was born at the Sharka Manor (“Sharka” is related to “Sharko”, and it is a Tatar indicator of nobility) in Kostroma Governorate of the Russian Empire.

The city of Kostroma is about 340 km (211 mi) northeast of Moscow, with Yaroslavl resting about 85 km (53 mi) to the southwest, and between the 2 cities. Kostroma is a city (settled since well before the 12th century), even in the time of the Rurikids, is situated at the confluence of the Kostroma River with the Volga River, on the north side of the Volga.

Some say that he was born in Sarzha, but this place is in Kazakhstan. The spelling of the family name, with the “oy” ending is an archaic spelling which gives an indication both of the antiquity of the family and of the nobility of the family.

Sergei Sergeievich was the third child of this part of a family of hereditary nobles of Kostroma. His older sisters were Elena Sergeievna (Zakharova) Verhovskaya and Tatiana Sergeievna (Belousow) Verhovskaya. He and they were all raised in the traditional manner of an Orthodox Christian family.

Sergei’s father was Sergei Vladimirovich Verhovskoy, one of 12 children of Vladimir Mikhailovich and Emilia Romanovna Verhovskoy. Sergei Vladimirovich worked as an engineer for the Department of Roads and Railways in the Ministry of Communications.

Sergei Sergeievich’s mother was Vera Alexandrovna Volkov. Her father, Alexander Volkov, had served as a Senator of the Russian imperial government.

Sergei Sergeievich received part of his primary education in Kostroma.

However, because of their status as a family of hereditary nobles and land-owners, upon the Bolshevik Revolution of October/November, 1917, their lives began to be in grave danger.

In 1920, Sergei Nikolaievich Verhovskoy, with his wife and children made their way south to Crimea, where they were evacuated to Constantinople along with the army of General Pyotr N Wrangel. He was the head of the anti-Soviet resistance in the post-revolution Civil War, known as the White Army of the White Movement.

In 1921, they moved to Czechoslovakia. There, Sergei Sergeievich completed his primary education, and he received his secondary education in Prague.

Higher education

Sergei Sergeievich continued his studies at the University of Bratislava in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), and later at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, from which he graduated.

In all these places, he lived in the milieu of the émigré intelligentsia, which strove to preserve its Russian identity following the upheaval in its native land. This intellectual tradition brought from Russia nevertheless implied an openness to European culture and education.

During these years, he developed a deep interest in theology through his involvement with the Russian Student Christian Movement.

Early life of Olga Sergeievna Chetverikova

Olga Sergeievna Chetverikov was the daughter of Archpriest Sergei Chetverikov.

He had graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy with the degree of Candidate of Theology (Ph.D.), and he was the author of a book about Saint Paisy Velichkovsky, “The Moldovan Starets Paisiy Velichkovsky”. He wrote also about the Elder Ambrose of Optina, and another about the Optina Monastery.

In 1896, he had married Elena Stratonikovna Iakovleva, and they received from the Lord 7 children (one did not survive infancy).

He was then ordained, and he served in a parish in Chernigov, as a catechetical teacher in Saratov, and then for 12 years as a chaplain at the Poltava Petrovsky Cadet Corps. Following the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, when they were being evacuated from the academy, he and 4 children were moved away through Crimea in 1920. Elena and 2 children remained behind because of illness, and they were never able to be reunited (although they maintained correspondence). Father Sergei served for some time in parishes in Serbia (Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenians) and Czechoslovakia, where he served in Bratislava until he was transferred with his children to Paris, France, in 1928.

Father Sergei Chetverikov had been the long-time chaplain of the Russian Students Christian Movement.

On 29 April, 1947, he fell asleep in the Lord after monastic tonsure as the Hieroschemamonk Sergei (Chetverikov) at the Pochaev Monastery following World War II. He reposed in Christ in Bratislava.

Marriage, 1931

In 1931, in Paris, Sergei Sergeievich Verhovskoy was married to Olga Sergeievna Chetverikova.

From the Lord Sergei and Olga received 3 daughters.

Theological education, 1932

From 1932 to 1936, Sergei studied at the Saint Sergius Theological Institute (“l’Institut Saint-Serge”) in Paris, France.

According to the Protopresbyter John Meyendorff, as a student at the Saint Sergius Theological Institute from 1932-36, Sergei S Verhovskoy developed his particular identity as a theologian, an identity that would remain with him all his life. Under the strong influence of Father Georges Florovsky, he adopted a very critical attitude towards the “sophiology” of the Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov (at that time the dean and intellectually the dominant figure at the Saint Sergius Institute). He developed an equally critical stance towards other trends, particularly the existentialism of Nikolai Berdyaev, which were popular amongst the Russian intellectual emigration in Paris. He was suspicious also of the writings of Kasian (Bezobrazov) (bishop in 1947) and Anton V Kartashev.

At the conclusion of his studies at the Saint Sergius Institute in 1936, Sergei Sergeievich defended his thesis, which dealt with “The Theory of Ideas in F A Staudenmeyer” and it was later published in “Pravoslavnaya Mysl” (“La Pensée Russe”, “Russian Thought”, vol. 7 (1949), pp. 32 ff).

From 1937 to 1941, he was the secretary of the Russian Student Christian Movement (RSCM or RSHD).

Serge Verhovskoy’s dogmatic and moral theology backgrounds were formed to some extent by the "back to the Fathers" movement which had begun in Russia in the 19th century. This movement sought to return Orthodox Christian understanding of theological subjects and theological education to the foundation of the Church Fathers. An early exponent of this movement was [Metropolitan Antony (Khrapovitsky), and a later promoter was the Archpriest John Romanides. This movement sought to encourage traditional Orthodox Christian living and teaching on the basis of the Holy Scriptures and on the basis of the interpretation of the Scriptures by these Fathers, and by the various Sacred Councils of the undivided Church.

Serge’s systematic yet critical mind was constantly seeking theological concepts and formulations that without reservation could be called “true” : not merely in a philosophical sense, or as a result of historical research, but “true” as God's revelation.

Together with this agonising concern for truth, Serge Verhovskoy was also a moral perfectionist. Seeking an incarnation of the Faith which was not merely “ritual”, he visualised Christian ethics, together with doctrinal truth, as the absolute demand of authentic Christianity.

Occasionally, Serge Verhovskoy was criticised and accused of being a “naive realist”, or as a “Protestant”, because his Scripture-oriented thought, with its heavily moral overtones, at times bordered on what may be called fundamentalism. He always fought back, however, with such conviction, with such authentic desire to convince, with such obvious love both for the truth itself and for his interlocutors, that his impact upon his many friends and students was unmistakable. Some of his young students of that time in Paris always remembered the interminable weekly sessions in Paris of the “Brotherhood of Christ the Saviour”, of which Sergei S Verhovskoy was the chairman. At these sessions he read and discussed Saint Paul with both wit and conviction, and he tirelessly called for a wholesome and serious acceptance of the New Testament message by Orthodox Christian theologians. Innumerable students of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary have had the same perception of him.

Service as a teacher and a writer

From 1944 to 1952, Serge Verhovskoy taught Moral Theology, Christian Ethics. the History of Philosophy (ancient and mediæval), and Dogmatic Theology at the Saint Sergius Theological Institute. He also began writing, and he produced 2 papers : “On the Names of God”, and “Theological Issues Related to the Dogma of Chalcedon”.

At the same time, from 1945 to 1952, besides his involvement with the Brotherhood of Christ the Saviour, he also served as a Member from the Laity of the Diocesan Council of the Russian Exarchate of the Patriarch of Constantinople.

1945 at Institut Saint-Serge, Paris

Transfer to the USA, Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, 1952

In 1952, at the invitation of Saint Vladimir’s Theological Seminary in New York City, New York Serge Verhovskoy made the voyage to New York in the USA by ship, along with his wife and their daughters.

At Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, he served as the professor of dogmatic, moral, and comparative theology. The Dean of the seminary at that time was the Archpriest Georges Florovsky (he had been given the deanship in 1949), and the seminary was located in Manhattan, in rented facilities of the Union Theological Seminary (at 537, West 121st Street, New York 27, NY (at Broadway), in the Morningside Neighbourhood).

Upon his arrival at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, the first challenge for Sergei Sergeievich was linguistic, since he had to improve his English in order to lecture. This he did, not with great perfection, but with great zeal, which reflected his complete dedication to the young, missionary community of American Orthodox Christianity.

In 1954, Sergei Sergeievich participated as a consultant in the 2nd Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Evanston, Illinois.

He continued his writing, first in Russian and then later English. He published “Bog i Chelovek” (“God and Man”) in 1955 through the Chekhov Publishing Company. With that company, he also edited in 1955 a collective volume, “Pravoslavie v zhizni” (“Orthodoxy in Life”). Following is an excerpt from this book :

 ‘The Distinction Between the Created and the Uncreated Names of God’
 
 A particular form of the revelation of God in a word is the revelation of God in the Divine Names. 
 A Name of God, as a human word, is, of course, created. (It is, therefore, possible to use it 
 senselessly or ‘in vain’.  The identification of a Name of God, as a [created] word, with God Himself 
 is a heresy which was condemned by the Russian Holy Synod in the twentieth century.) But God Himself 
 can dwell and act in it.
 
 The Divine aspect of a Divine Name is, as it were, a Divine ‘self-definition’ or a thought 
 of God about Himself.  The presence of a divine principle in the Divine Names follows from 
 the whole attitude of the Old Testament toward Them.  The Name of God is Holy, and God sanctifies 
 Himself in His Name (Leviticus 22:32).  Men can offend the Name of God by their sins (Amos 2:7). 
 God acts for the sake of His Name (Ezekiel 39:7, 25). The [uncreated] Name of God is one, great 
 and eternal, as is God Himself (Psalms 9:2, 135:13, Zechariah 14:9).  God acts through His Name 
 (Psalms 54:1).  If there were nothing Divine in the Name of God, how would it be possible for us 
 to bless, praise and love it, worship and serve it, rejoice in it and be persecuted for its sake ? 
 Finally it is striking that God reveals His Names (e.g. Exodus 3:13-14, 6:3). It follows that 
 they express the genuine Divine reality.  
 
 God is near to a man in His Names (Psalms 76:1). The presence of God is equivalent to the 
 presence of the Name of God. The Name of God dwells in the whole earth and especially in 
 the Holy Land, in Israel, in Jerusalem, in the temple and in individuals.  The Jews loved 
 to give their children names in which there was a Divine Name (Ishmael, John, Joachim, 
 Jesus, etc.).
 
 There are about one hundred Divine Names in the Old Testament.  Each of them has its own meaning. 
 It is possible to include into Them the entire theology of the Old Testament.  The Divine Name is 
 ‘wonderful’ (Judges 13:17-18) ; it is ‘remembrance of God’ (Exodus 3:15).  God reveals His Name 
 in order for men to know Him (Exodus 6:3, 33:19 ; Jeremiah 23:6).  
 — ‘God and Man : the Doctrine of the Knowledge of God in Terms of Eastern Orthodoxy’, pp. 95-6.

Although he recognised many achievements of historical, linguistic, literary and archaeological research in the study of the Holy Scriptures, he sharply criticised contemporary Biblical studies, especially Bible interpretations, which are carried out on a merely textual basis, without taking into account the context of the liturgical and ascetical life of the Orthodox Christian Church.

He considered himself to be amongst the theologians of the “neo-patristic” trend, such as Vladimir N Lossky, the Archpriest Georges Florovsky and Protopresbyter John Meyendorff. As presented by Professor Verhovskoy, Orthodox dogmatic theology is a synthesis of Biblical teachings as interpreted by the Fathers of the Church, the Ecumenical Councils, Church Canons and liturgical texts.

Alexandra Sergeievna Chetverikova (1899-1989), elder sister of Olga Sergeievna, also moved to New York, where she taught the Russian language to students at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary. She had been born in Chernigov in 1899. As a teacher at the seminary, the students affectionately called her "Miss Chet". She was very highly respected as a person and as a teacher. A diminutive, sweet, quiet person, “Miss Chet” was regularly and predictably to be found in the seminary chapel near the candle-stand near the entrance.

In 1955, the Archpriest Georges Florovsky resigned from the deanship, and he began to teach at Harvard Divinity School, and then at Princeton University.

After the resignation of Father Florovsky, Serge Verhovskoy was appointed to be the Provost (vice-rector) of the seminary, and also to be the Dean of Students. He served in this capacity until the appointment of the Archpriest Alexander Schmemann to the deanship in 1962 (Father Schmemann had arrived at the seminary in 1951, and Father Meyendorff in 1959). During that time, Professor Sergei Verhovskoy was successful in providing a quality of leadership which assured responsible continuity and progress.

Provost and Dean of Students of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, 1955-1962

From that time, Sergei continued on in the responsibility of Provost, being concerned for the personnel, finances, and facilities operation both in New York City and at the seminary's new campus in Crestwood, New York until his retirement.

In 1956/1957, he was invited to give lectures at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute (near Geneva, Switzerland). He was a member of the Commission on Ecclesiology at the National Council of Churches (USA). With regard to such “ecumenical” encounters, that the words that were written by Father Meyendorff about Professor Verhovskoy’s principles as a student did, indeed, remain with him, both in his teaching, and in his presentations about the Orthodox Christian Church in these encounters (mostly with Protestants at that time).

Professor Verhovskoy with Father Schmemann and the Saint Vladimir Seminary Choir at Old Forge, Pennsylvania, 15 March, 1959

Photo from “The Scranton Times”. First row from L to R : Deacon N Pavlovich, Priest R V Philipos, Priest P Sayama, N Ozerov, Archpriest A Schmemann, Professor Serge Verhovskoy, Deacon E Hanna, Deacon B Nagosky, Priest P Bankerovich

In 1960, Sergei Verhovskoy received the degree of Doctor of Theology from the Saint Sergius Theological Institute.

Move to Crestwood, 1962

By 1962, the search for new and appropriate quarters for Saint Vladimir's Seminary ended with the purchase of “Saint Eleanora’s Convalescent Home for Poor Mothers”, a private institution run by the Sisters of Charity of New York City. This property was in the area of Westchester County called Crestwood (now a part of Yonkers). This site included a house, into which the Verhovskoy family moved. It was situated directly across from what was the main building.

Professor Sergei Sergeievich Verhovskoy

At the time of the move to Crestwood, the administration of the seminary expressed gratitude to Professor Verhovskoy in various ways, including in writing in the 1962 annual publication (yearbook). The Holy Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in North America expressed gratitude to “Prof” through the presentation of a Blessed Gramota (Certificate).

Expressions of gratitude

In 1968, the Orthodox Church in America sent Serge as a delegate to the 4th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Uppsala, Sweden. In other words, just as with other Orthodox Christian representatives, he participated as a witness to the Orthodox Christian Faith, and to the truth about Christ in an evangelical sort of encounter.

Saint Vladimir's Seminary, 1960s

The First Chapel

Serge loved to teach, and he spent many hours in meeting with students. He was very concerned personally with the details of their lives, to the extent that some of them would say : “Father Schmemann is our spiritual father, but ‘Prof’ is simply our father”. His relationship with the students also did not end with their graduation. Some of them maintained a correspondence with him, besides telephoning and visiting him afterwards.

Professor Verhovskoy teaching

The teaching style of Professor Verhovskoy was of an older type than is usual in North America nowadays. During his days of active teaching, the classroom in which he would lecture would be small, and on a hot day it would be quite warm. “Prof” would come to the classroom and sit down at his desk with the folder which contained the lecture, and when all were ready, and the time had come, he would begin to read the lecture for the day. He had prepared a hand-written document which covered all the material that he wished to convey on that day. He did not behave in any dramatic manner, but rather, he simply read. In due course, he would answer any questions. The lectures were densely packed with information ; and note-taking required both haste and paying close attention. If the lecture were not in the afternoon, it would be easier to give the appropriate attention.

Examinations with “Prof” tended to be oral, not written examinations. This demanded great focus and attention on the part of the student, and the need to have done the proper preparation. The older professorial style of Sergei Sergeievich was reflected in the warm and open hospitality of the family home. Students and faculty were welcomed into the home. The atmosphere of the home has been described as being reminiscent of the writings of the beloved author Anton Chekhov. This was attributed greatly to Olga Sergeievna.

In addition to maintaining the home, Olga worked in New York City. She made a daily commute by the Metropolitan line of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and she worked in the city making costumes for a ballet company. She had a very good reputation for her work. In the context of the commute, she would attempt to be present in the seminary chapel for important services, including the weekly Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts on Wednesdays in Great Lent.

Saint Vladimir's Faculty, 1970s

[Professor S S Verhovskoy is third from the left, seated.]

Recent portrayal of Saint Vladimir's Seminary campus

Professor Verhovskoy participated many times in giving talks during retreats offered by the “Saint Vladimir’s Theological Foundation” (an early entity organised for the support of the seminary). For example, on Saturday, 13 March, 1971, he gave a lecture, “A Christian in the Business World”, which followed a lecture given by Father Alexander Schmemann, “The Orthodox Layman and American Orthodoxy”. This was the second of the Foundation’s retreats, which was given at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, and many more followed.

On Saturday, 31 March, 1973, a “Foundation” retreat was offered at Saint Basil’s Russian Orthodox Church in Watervliet, New York. On this occasion, after a Divine Liturgy served by Archpriest Daniel Pavelchak, Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann gave a lecture, “Family as Revealed in Orthodox Worship” ; and Professor Verhovskoy gave a lecture, “A Christian Answer to the Current Family Crisis”. This was followed by the serving of Great Vespers.

This was the typical pattern that developed. During these retreats, the professors provided enrichment to the Orthodox Christian life in the places they visited, and the people had opportunities to support the work of the seminary. The personal contact with this seminary (as was the case with Saint Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary also) proved to be a valuable experience to all concerned, and it was strengthening to the Church in general.

Father Alexander Schmemann and Professor Sergei S Verhovskoy

During the time of Professor Verhovskoy’s service at Saint Vladimir’s, the phenomenon “The Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Octet” was established. Every 2 years, a group of 8 seminarians would be chosen from the male students. They would rehearse during the year, and after the conclusion of classes and exams in the spring, they would travel from parish to parish (usually only within the USA) through the summer months. They would often sing Vespers in a parish (sometimes the Divine Liturgy), which would be followed by a programme of spiritual songs, ethnic folk-songs, and other songs. They would stay in the homes of parishioners, and have books and recordings from the bookstore for sale. A seminarian would sometimes give a homily at the service. This personal contact between parishioners and students enabled the development of deep personal bonds of love across the continent between parishioners and the seminary.

Bereavement, 1978

On Sunday morning, 7 May, 1978, Olga Sergeievna Verhovskaya fell asleep in the Lord suddenly and unexpectedly. It was during the time of the Feast of Pascha (30 April), on Thomas Sunday. She, her husband and a Canadian student, Constance Kucharczyk, were leaving the family home for the Sunday morning Divine Liturgy when Olga Sergeievena suddenly collapsed from a heart attack. She reposed very soon thereafter.

Father Alexander Schmemann was called, and he quickly arrived. He organised the proper placement of her body in the home, and the assembled family, staff and students served the first Panikhida (Memorial Service), “At the Parting of the Soul from the Body”.

The Funeral Services for the Burial of a Lay-person were offered in the Three Hierarchs Chapel of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary. Because it was Paschal-tide, all the services were resurrectional, as prescribed. This was in the small chapel, before the construction of the larger one during the following decade.

After the funeral obsequies were completed, her body was interred at the Novo-Divievo Russian Orthodox Cemetery in Nanuet, Rockland County, New York.

The loss of his wife Olga made the last years of Serge’s life much more difficult.

Grave-marker for Olga Sergeievna Verhovskoy

View of the Novo Diveyevo Cemetery

Retirement, 1981

In 1981, Serge Verhovskoy retired, mostly because of ill health. At his retirement, it became necessary that he move from the large house near the main building (now pulled down), and he moved to an apartment in the new married students’ quarters. Until the end, Serge Verhovskoy was surrounded by former students who were visiting, and he was always ready to discuss with them the basics of the Christian Faith. Otherwise, he was immersing himself in the writings of Saint John Chrysostom. These visits were on a daily basis for as long as Prof was able to remain in his apartment.

Almost from the time he began teaching at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, and until the end of his teaching days, Professor Verhovskoy had Canadian students in his classes, as well as students from the USA, and also from other parts of the world. For about 30 years, his teaching gave the students a solid foundation in the Dogma of the Orthodox Christian Church, and a strong appreciation for the Holy Scriptures.

Repose, 1986

Sergei Sergeievich Verhovskoy fell asleep in the Lord on 4 August, 1986, at the Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, New York, at the age of 79.

He was survived by a sister, 3 daughters (Marie Kariouk of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Olga Dunlop of Palo Alto, California, and Vera Haugh of Belmont, Massachusetts), and 9 grandchildren.

After the Services for the Burial of a Lay-person at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary Chapel, his body was interred beside that of his wife at the Novo-Diveevo Russian Orthodox Cemetery, Nanuet, Rockland County, New York, USA. One of the sisters of Sergei Sergeievich had also been previously interred in the same cemetery.

Professor Sergei S Verhovskoy grave-marker

View of of Novo-Diveyevo Monastery Cemetery

Repose of Alexandra S Chetverikova, 1989

On 16 March, 1989, Alexandra Sergeievna Chetverikova fell asleep in the Lord at Valley Cottage in Rockland County, New York.

After the offering of the Services for the Burial of a Lay-person, her body was interred at the Novo-Divievo Russian Orthodox Cemetery in Rockland County, New York.

View of Novo-Diveyevo Cemetery

Three Hierarchs Seminary Chapel

Reflections

Professor Verhovskoy wrote about himself :

 As an Orthodox theologian, I have no other desire than to be faithful to the teachings of the Church. 
 If my thoughts are erroneous in anything, I’ll be the first to greet sound criticism. [...] I stopped mainly 
 on the purely spiritual, moral and intellectual side of our path to God, because it is usually talked about 
 less than other possible ways of communion with God. [...] The question of God’s knowledge may seem 
 too difficult and special.  But one can only regret that modern man often considers it superfluous 
 to know something about God and to understand why faith in God is reasonable and necessary.   
 - From the preface to the book ‘God and Man’ (New York : Chekhov Publishing House, 1956).  

Once, Professor Verhovskoy wrote to a former student who had graduated. In the course of his letter, he asked the student

 Do you think that the Orthodox Faith can really take root in North America ?

The recipient (one who had entered the Orthodox Christian Church from Protestantism, and who had yet to gain more experience), responded in the affirmative. The response came from personal experience of the joy, hope, and strength of the Orthodox Christian Faith. It also came from seeing at that time (the 1980s) that very many people in North America (and in Western Europe) were embracing the Church.

However, that recipient came to understand after another decade that Professor Verhovskoy had truly understood the difficulty which provoked the question. It is a fact that although the Orthodox Christian Church in North America and in many other parts of the world continues to grow, it is not yet necessarily sinking very deep roots in the lives of the people, let alone having any influence on the secular society.

One truly major challenge is that of nurturing a true Orthodox “phronema”. This “mind-set”, or “mentality” is now being encouraged by such authors as Dr. Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou in her book “Thinking Orthodox : Understanding and Acquiring the Orthodox Christian Mind”. However, the day-by-day formation of the general population in a very different direction makes this acquisition difficult. Western formation tends to be linear and compartmentalised, whereas Orthodox formation tends to be more “spherical” and inclusive. It is a major challenge to make the transition, and thus far, the Orthodox mentality does not seem to have been acquired by the majority. If the proportion increases, it will be by the Grace of God, and the possibility of establishing deep roots will increase. Indeed, it is the case that in former Soviet territories as well, because of the decades of atheistic communism, there was a similar difficulty to be faced and overcome.

Serge Verhovskoy served as Professor of Dogmatic, Moral, and Comparative Theology at Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, first in New York City, and then at its new site in Crestwood, Yonkers, New York. Having served on the faculty of Saint Vladimir’s for nearly 3 decades, he helped to train several generations of North American Orthodox clergymen and theological specialists.

He was a highly respected person, not only because of his erudition, but also because of his serious and dedicated love for Christ and for the Orthodox Christian Church. His students affectionately referred to him as “Prof”. He was careful about his written correspondence, and he genuinely cared about his students long after they had left the seminary. When he became enfeebled in his final years, his students took care of him and visited him frequently.

Writings

• “Light of the World” (Crestwood, NY : SVS Press, 2013). ISBN 10 : 0881410047 ; ISBN 13 : 9780881410044.

• World Catalogue entry about “God and Man ; the doctrine of the knowledge of God in terms of eastern orthodoxy” (New York : Chekhov Publishing House of the East European Fund, 1956).

• “God and Man” (with an introduction to the book, and a link to the Russian text) Another link here

• “God and Man”, reissued : (Moscow : Saint Tikhon's Orthodox University of Humanities, 2004), 464 pp. (temporarily out of stock). ISBN : 5-7429-0050-3.

• World Catalogue list of publications

• 'On the Name of God' in "Russian Thought", vol. 6 (1948), pp. 37-55.

• 'Course about Dogma' in "Russian Thought" (1949).

• 'La Procession du Saint-Esprit d'après la Triadologie orthodoxe' in "Russie et Chrétienté" no. 3/4 (1950).

• 'Orthodoxy and Modernity' in "Orthodoxy in Life" (New York, 1953) ; (also published in "Klin", (2002) ; and in “Orthodoxy : Pro et contra” (Saint Petersburg, 2001) pp. 405-415).

• ‘Christianity’ in “Orthodoxy in Life” (New York, 1953), pp. 275-330).

• ‘Christ’ in “Orthodoxy in Life” (New York, 1953), pp. 331-370.

• ‘Several theological Disputes related to the Chalcedon Dogma’ in “Russian Thought”, vol. 9, (1953), pp. 31-42.

• ‘The Procession of the Holy Spirit according to the Orthodox Doctrine of the Trinity’ in “Saint Vladimir's Theological Quarterly” (SVTQ), vol. 2, no. 1 (1953).

• ‘The Highest Authority in the Church’ in “SVTQ”, vol. 4, nos. 2-3 (1960).

• ‘About Gogol’ in “New Journal”, vol. 66 (1961).

• ‘Otets Vasily Zenkovsky : Obituary’ in “New Journal”, vol. 70 (1962).

• ‘The Unity of the Orthodox Church in America’ in “SVTQ”, vol. 5, nos. 1-2 (1961).

• ‘Book of Genesis’ in “SVTQ”, vol. 8, no. 1 (1964).

• “Christian Concept of Man/Woman Relationship” (New York, 1966).

• “Catholic Church of the Church” (Crestwood, 1972).

• ‘Catholicism and the Structures of the Church’ in “SVTQ”, vol. 17, nos. 1-2 (1973).

• “Ecclesiology and Eschatology” (Crestwood, 1983).

• “Holy Trinity” (1990).

• Azbyka.ru : Writings of S S Verhovskoy translated into English

References

Orthodoxwiki biography

Biography in ”Orthodox Encyclopaedia” (in Russian)

Biography in ”Orthodox Encyclopaedia” (in English)

Russian Wikipedia biography (in Russian)

Russian Wikipedia biography (in English)

Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary In Memoriam : S S Verhovskoy

Biography on the “LivLib.ru” web-site

Biography on the abyka.ru web-site

Russian Religious Figures Abroad biography

Additional information :

Hopko, Protopresbyter Thomas, ‘Verkhovsky, Sergey Sergeevich’ in “[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_EncyclopediaOrthodox Encyclopedia”, vol. 8 (2004), p. 24 (in Russian). ISBN 5-89572-014-5.

Kesich, V, ‘S S Verkhovskoy : A Reminiscence’ in “Saint Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly”, vol. 30, no. 4 (1986), pp. 288-290.

Prokurat, Michael ; Peterson Michael ; Golitzin, Alexander, ‘St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary’ in “Historical Dictionary of the Orthodox Church” (Lanham, MD : Scarecrow Press, 1996), pp. 287-288. ISBN-13 : 978-0810830813 ; ISBN-10 : 0810830817.

Meyendorff, J, ‘Serge S Verhovskoy’, obituary in “Saint Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly”, vol. 30. no. 4 (1986), pp. 283-287.

……, “A Life worth Living”

Zernov, Nikolai, “The Russian Religious Renaissance of the Twentieth Century”, “Russkoe religioznoe vozrozhdenie XX veka”, translated from English (London, UK : Dartman, Longman & Todd, 1963). ASIN : B0000CLXXU

YMCA silent films from 1920s-1930s about the Institut Saint-Serge de Paris, and the RSCM Summer Camp (posted by John Sanidopoulos)

Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, New York

Three Hierarchs Chapel, Crestwood, New York listing

Orthodox Church in America web-site

Orthodoxwiki article about The Orthodox Church in America

Metropolitan Evlogiy (Georgievsky)

Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich)

Metropolitan Ireney (Bekish)

Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor)

Protopresbyter Georges Florovsky

Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann

Protopresbyter John Meyendorff

Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko

Archpriest Paul Lazor

Sophie Koulomzin

Veselin Kesich

“Prof” Sergius Verhovskoy 1986-2016, Memory Eternal !

New York Times obituary for Serge Verhovskoy

Obituary by the Archpriest John Meyendorff

Findagrave listing for Sergei S Verhovskoy

Findagrave listing for Olga S Verhovskaya

Findagrave entry for Novo Diveevo Russian Orthodox Cemetery

Wikipedia article about about the Novo-Diveevo Russian Orthodox Cemetery, Nanuet, Rockland County, New York, USA

Geni genealogy information about Serge Verhovskoy

‘Verkhovskoy Sergey Sergeevich’ in “Orthodox Library : Missionary Department of the Moscow Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church”

Article about the Russian Student Christian Movement

“Orthodoxy in America, Part One : From the Russian Mission to the OCA”

History of Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary

‘Schmemann and Verhovskoy’ in “SVS News”, pp. 3-4 (Fall, 2003)

Panikhida served for the renowned late professor of Dogmatic Theology, S S Verhovskoy (7 October, 2010)

Fr John Meyendorff and the Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in America (with reference to the participation of S S Verhovskoy) (8-11 February, 2012)

Rare Film Footage of Notable Russian Orthodox Thinkers at the St. Sergius Institute of Paris Between 1926 and 1934 (posted by John Sanidopoulos) (2 April. 2021)