If you are a theologian, you will pray truly. And if you pray truly, you are a theologian.
-Evagrios the Solitary
Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary is an institution of higher learning under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. The Seminary offers a five-year program of study leading to the degree of Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.), and is accredited by the Commissioner for Education and the Board of Regents at the University of the State of New York.
The mission of Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary is to serve the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia by preparing students for service to the Church. Training students in disciplines that are preparatory for active service to the Church as clergy, monastics, choir directors and cantors, iconographers, and lay leaders serves to realize this mission.
As the only seminary within the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, the Seminary opens its doors annually to applicants not only from the United States but also from abroad, thereby serving its mission to serve parishes in all corners of the world. Many members of ROCOR are now primarily English-speaking, and the English language has gained prominence as an international language. Therefore, Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary has risen to meet this need of our Church by offering instruction in English to English-speaking Seminarians. The Russian language continues to be taught at HTS.
The Seminary emphasizes the importance of the spiritual life in theological education. Active participation in the life of the monastery, on whose premises the seminary is located, allows students to experience firsthand the spiritual depth of the Orthodox Church and gives future clergy the rare opportunity of gaining a thorough foundation in and experience of the Orthodox liturgical life. The Seminary strives to preserve the high scholarly standards, teaching, and traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Seminary is located near New York's historic Mohawk Valley, one mile north of the village of Jordanville, within a triangle formed by Cooperstown, Utica, and Albany. It was founded in 1948 under the auspices of Holy Trinity Monastery, and the Seminary's life continues to be intimately bound with that of the Monastery.