Later on, pastoral courses were developed to serve the needs of non-Russian speakers; a shift of the seminary's mission occurred again with the creation of its Summer School of Liturgical Music. These changes augment the main mission and goal of the seminary - to serve the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia through preparing students for service in the Church.
As the only Seminary within the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, the seminary opens its doors annually to applicants not only from the US, but also from abroad thereby serving its mission to serve parishes in all corners of the world.
The seminary emphasizes the importance of spiritual life in theological education. Active participation in the life of the monastery, on whose premises the seminary is located, allows the students to experience firsthand the spiritual depth of the Orthodox Church and gives future clergy a rare opportunity of gaining a thorough foundation and experience of the Orthodox liturgical life.
Finally, the seminary strives to preserve the high scholarly standards, teachings, and traditions of the Pre-revolutionary Russian Orthodox Church - its library, print shop, publications, museum and archives play an important role in achieving this goal.