Recently I drew attention to the publication of a wholly welcome new book on the thought of the most influential liturgical theologian of our time: William C. Mills, Church, World, and Kingdom: The Eucharistic Foundation of Alexander Schmemann's Pastoral Theology (Hillenbrand, 2012), 144pp.
I asked the author, my friend Bill Mills, a priest of the Orthodox Church of America, for an interview. (Previous interviews with him may be read here and here.) Here are his thoughts.
AD:
Tell us what led you to write this book.
WCM:
I was encouraged by my adviser to choose a topic that was narrow in
scope and that I would complete in time. After all, there’s a
reason why there are so may ABD’s around! A lot of people can
do the coursework and complete their exams, but then get stuck in the
muddy and murky waters during the dissertation phase. After browsing
my bookshelves I started re-reading The Journals of Father Alexander Schmemann, 1973-1983 and
then some parts of his magnum opus The Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom and some of his essays in Liturgy and Tradition: Theological Reflections of Alexander Schmemann and Church, World, Mission: Reflections on Orthodoxy and the West.
After reading
Schmemann again I noticed that he actually had a lot to say about the
priesthood, ministry, vocation, clericalism, and pastoral care. I
then started doing some preliminary research and found that until now
most scholarship on Schmemann focused on his work on the Eucharist in
particular. Nothing had been done on his thoughts or teachings on
pastoral theology. The culmination of this research eventually became
my doctoral dissertation which was titled: "Church,
World, and Kingdom: A Study of Alexander Schmemann’s Pastoral
Theology" (2004). My
book, Church, World, and Kingdom: The Eucharistic Foundation of Alexander Schmemann's Pastoral Theology, is a complete revision of that dissertation. My dissertation
focused more on the priesthood and clericalism but the book deals
more with Schmemann’s overarching views of pastoral ministry and
theology.
AD:
A few years ago at a conference, Robert Taft noted that virtually no
other modern Orthodox theologian's writings have had the same long
"shelf life" as those of Alexander Schmemann, who died
nearly thirty years ago. Why do you think that Schmemann remains so
popular and influential today, nearly thirty years after his death?
WCM:
I fully agree with Father Taft. Schmemann’s books are read, not
just by those of us in the East but also those in the West,
especially in some Catholic circles and in mainline Christian
Churches too. A few years ago I attended a conference at Princeton
Seminary. During a break I visited the seminary bookstore and what
did I find but a two foot stack of, For the Life of the World and The Eucharist: Sacrament of the Kingdom which were both required
reading for a course on worship and prayer.
I was stunned. It was
then and there that I realized how important Schmemann was in
academic circles, even thirty years after his passing. While doing
some online research I also found that his books are required reading
at such places as Gordon Conwell Seminary, Princeton Seminary,
Westmont School of Theology, Church Divinity School of the Pacific,
as well as others. It goes to show how universal and important his
writings are today as they were in the 1960’s and 70’s.
Furthermore
Schmemann’s writings have a clearness and simplicity about them and
Schmemann had the ability of explaining very complicated and complex
issues, such as the Ordo for
example and then in a local parish he can preach on Zachaeus and our
need for repentance. His writings speak to both the academy as well
as to what the late liturgical theologian and Benedictine monk Aidan
Kavanagh called “Mrs. Murphy” a.k.a your average parishioner.
Furthermore, it is noteworthy that Schmemann’s books have been
translated into eleven languages including German, French, Russian,
Japanese, Finnish, and Spanish among others. His work has been and
continues to be read long after his death.
If
you have not read any of Schmemann’s writings please visit
www.schmemann.org
where you will find many of his essays, sermons, and book reviews.
You can read all of this for free thanks to the work and vision of
the now deceased Father Victor Sokolov, the former dean of Holy
Trinity (OCA) Cathedral in San Fransisco. This is a wonderful online
resource for those of us who still read and enjoy Father Alexander’s
writings.
AD:
Your preface notes that you provide a "new grammar" for
pastoral theology. Tell us a bit about that "grammar" and
how you understand "pastoral theology."
WCM:
I borrowed this term from David Fagerberg’s work, especially his Theologia Prima: What Is Liturgical Theology?
Fagerberg talks about creating a new grammar or a
new way of speaking about liturgical theology vis
a vis the work he did on Schmemann. I
liked Fagerberg’s use of the grammar metaphor since I was trying to
create a new way of speaking about pastoral ministry. So much of
pastoral ministry today is discussed in terms of fundraising,
administration, events, programs, and so forth, which leaves very
little of its theological underpinnings left. Of course this is
not the case everywhere and in every seminary, but when surveying
seminary curricula across the board you’ll be surprised what you
see in terms of pastoral formation.
In Church, World, and Kingdom, I attempted to redirect the discussion from merely
secular and business terms like programs, administration, and so
forth, to a theological discussion about pastoral care based on the
saving work of Jesus Christ which we express and experience in the
Eucharist--the Divine
Liturgy. My book is certainly not a panacea to the many problems
regarding pastoral theology, but it does offers direction and
guidance as we move the discussion forward.
AD:
Your preface notes Schmemann's presence as an observer at Vatican II,
and his influence on that council. Tell us a bit about what he
thought about Vatican II and how he influenced the council.
WCM:
Well, I’m not sure how much he really influenced the Vatican
Council but he certainly attended as a peritus, an observer, and was
there in October 1963. In his recently published diaries of Vatican
II, Yves Congar mentions that he had lunch on a few occasions
with Schmemann and enjoyed his company very much. Congar notes
Schmemann’s apprehension about the then growing power and authority
of the papacy versus the more open nature of conciliarism, a theme
which was repeated again and again in the various sessions of the council. Of course these themes also appear a lot in Schmemann’s
own work, not so much as a critique of the papacy as such, but
against the increasing power and authority of bishops. It is sad to
say that even fifty years after Vatican II we are still dealing with
these same issues, and even those of in the East as well.
AD:
You note that your book draws on previously unpublished material in
the archives at St. Vladimir's. What was it like working in those
archives? Are there other important materials there still in need of
publication?
WCM:
One of my friends is an archeologist who does research in the Galilee
in Israel. He told me once that when digging you often find things
that you were not originally looking for. And he is right. Digging
leads you in all sorts of directions. I cannot remember exactly how I
came across Schmemann’s archives but there were two or three large
Xerox boxes full of his notebooks, journals, letters, and essays
stacked away in the library. Some of these papers were typed on very
thin onion skin paper that was used a lot last century and it was
strange touching these papers since they are quite old and faded.
Many of Schmemann’s essays were originally talks that he delivered
at the annual St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary Education Day
lecture, or from clergy retreats and gatherings, or sermons delivered
in parishes, or talks at colleges and conferences. Very often Father
Alexander dictated these talks to his longtime secretary Ann Zinzel,
who passed away in September of this year, and she typed
them up. He then edited and made corrections, then she retyped them,
and voila, they were published. All of this was before computers so
you can imagine the hard work, persistence, and patience involved in
the process.
I
also came across a treasure trove of student notebooks from his time
at the Saint-Serge Theological Institute in Paris. These notebooks
were very simple, plain covers with lined paper and were filled with
his tiny handwriting. Schmemann had very good penmanship and those
notebooks were filled with copious notes, mostly in Russian but some
in French. He also kept not only letters and notes that he received
but also their envelopes as well. Of course I was thrilled to have
access to those archives and to actually be able to touch and see
Schmemann’s work. For a researcher this is akin to finding the
motherlode of gold in a mine or cave!
In
addition to his personal papers and notebooks there are over five
hundred “reel-to-reel” tapes of talks that he gave in
Russian for Radio Liberty. Once a week for nearly twenty years
Schmemann left the seminary campus and drove down to Manhattan where
he taped his weekly radio broadcast for Radio Liberty. During the
cold war period Radio Liberty broadcasted programs, lectures, and
music to the former USSR and other Eastern Block countries. These
talks were originally delivered in Russian but thankfully, due to the
work of Father Alexis Vinogradov and Father John Jillions, some of
those talks have been translated into English, namely the little
books Our Father and
Death Where is Thy Sting.
However there are still hundreds of additional talks and lectures
that exist and from what I gather have been published in Russian but
have not yet appeared in English. I hope one day some of these talks
would be translated and published here in our country.
I
have met many people who still read and re-read Father Alexander's Journals and other writings. I would hope that more of his writings
become available to this next generation who needs to hear his words
of wisdom!
AD:
You speak in your first chapter of the "disconnect" between
what is often taught academically in seminaries and theology
faculties, and the realities faced by pastors in parishes today. How
does Schmemann help bridge that gap?
WCM:
There are a few major “disconnects” as I mention in the book,
which are noted by both scholars in the East and West alike. First
and foremost is the tragedy that so many seminaries and schools of
formation have professors who have very little or no experience in
parish life. In his magnificent introduction to The Power to Comprehend with All the Saints: The Formation and Practice of a Pastor-Theologian, Wallace Alston,
Jr. the former director of the Center of Theological Inquiry at
Princeton, states that the gap between the academy and the local
parish is widening. Seminarians are being steeped in academic
theology, which is very important, but they are leaving with very
little pastoral and practical training. Unfortunately the academy has
looked down on pastoral or practical theology a “lesser sister”
so to speak and not a bona fide
area of study or investigation on its own. It is
one thing to read and study Sts. Augustine or John Chrysostom in
class or listen to lectures about Serbian Church history, but
then something other to not have compassion or care at the bedside of
a sick or dying parishioner. This is not the case of an “either/or”
choice but of a "both-and." Seminaries can and should provide both
types of training for future clergy and lay leaders.
The
beauty with Schmemann’s writings is that he seems to transcend
theological topics or subjects as they are often seen as “separate”
or “disconnected” or “disjointed.” He envisioned liturgical
theology, as what David Fagerberg has called prime theology or
theologia prima.
Schmemann envisioned the study of theology as one seamless whole
rather than a collection of separate parts. Most of Schmmeann’s
writings can be categorized or labeled or identified as pastoral
liturgy, since he envisioned the liturgical celebration not as a mere
theological subject to study in the academy but as a source and
wellspring for theology in general. Again, as the great Robert Taft
said in his keynote speech at the Schmemann lecture a few years ago,
the academic study of liturgy was like Humpty Dumpty. There were all
these parts and various pieces that people were talking about and
studying but Schmemann’s contribution, perhaps his greatest
contribution, was that the managed to put Humpty Dumpty back together
again. And for this purpose we are all grateful and that is why
Schmemann has enjoyed a long shelf life.
AD:
Your second chapter notes numerous Orthodox influences on Schmemann.
Which ones do you think were most influential in shaping his
eucharistic and pastoral theology?
WCM:
As a researcher and historian one must always keep in mind that
everything has a context. One cannot talk about World War II for
example without talking about the aftermath, namely, the
ramifications, and personalities of World War I. So too with
how Schmemann became the person that he was.
Schmemann certainly did not come up with all of his great ideas on
his own, but stood on the shoulders of some very formidable
theologians such as Fathers Nicholas Afanasiev, Sergius Bulkakov and
Kyprian Kern as well as his mentor the Church historian Anton
Kartashev. Each of these people, in their own ways, helped form and
shape Schmemann into the priest, professor, and writer that he was.
If your readers are interested in learning about some of these people
I encourage them to read Living Icons: Persons of Faithin the Eastern Church and Tradition Alive: On the Church and the Christian Life in Our Time, both
written and edited by my friend and colleague Father Michael Plekon.
Living
Icons
provides
some very good biographical sketches and outlines of these formidable
theologians and provides the reader with a sociological and
historical context and their place in theology.
It
was Anton Kartashev, a major figure in the great All Moscow Council
in 1917-18 who eventually found his way to the Saint Sergius Institute
in Paris, who inspired Schmemann to work on Byzantine Church history.
Kartashev was grooming Schmemann to take over his teaching post, but
eventually Schmemann changed direction and took up liturgical
theology instead, taking the lead of both Nicholas Afanasiev and
Kyprian Kern. By the time Schmemann was studying at Saint Serge,
Afanasiev already had published several very important volumes in
ecclesiology and theology and was actually cited in some of the
proceedings of Vatican II. Schmemann served as Kern’s assistant and
intern at the Saint Constantine and Helen Russian émigré parish in
Clamart, just a few miles southwest of Paris. Clamart was also the
home to Nicholas Berdiev the famous Russian philosopher who
hosted a weekly Sunday evening salon in his house where Jacques and
Raissa Maritain together with Mother Maria Skobtsova would often show
up and attend lectures, talks, and gatherings.
Finally,
in his journals Schmemann often pays homage to Professor George
Weidle, his teacher at the Lycee Carnot who taught Schmemann about
literature, music, poetry, and art, all of which Schmemann loved dearly.
His mentor Kyprian Kern also enjoyed art very much and would often
invite students to his office for tea and talks about current topics
of interest including art and culture. It is amazing that when you
read Schmemann’s Journals
you get a sense of the depth and breadth of his
many cultural experiences and love of literature. He read widely,
Russian and French poetry as well as mystery novels and the short
stories of Chekov. But he was also well versed in both national and
international news and life and read The
Tablet, The
New York Times, Time
Magazine, as well as the French weekly
newspapers.
AD:
Your third chapter, similarly, notes Catholic influences on, and
interlocutors with, Schmemann. Tell us about a few of those.
WCM:
There are so many to name. Living and studying in France
meant that Schmemann was friendly with a wide variety of Christians
from both East and West. He attended for example the World Council of
Churches during its early years as well as the annual Summer
Liturgical Institutes hosted at Saint Serge, which was started by his
mentor Kyrpian Kern as a way to bring Catholic, Orthodox, Episcopal,
Lutherans, and Methodists together to learn from one another. During
the fourth annual liturgical week he mentions the following persons
who were there, a real “who's who” of liturgical studies: Dom
Bernard Botte, OSB; Dome J. Capelle, OSB; Rev. Balthasar Ficher;
Prof. Andre Grabar, and R. E.C Varah. He was also acquainted with the
work of Yves Congar, Oscar Cullman, Henri de Lubac, Louis Bouyer, and
others. So what we have basically is a very strong interest and
devotion to ecumenism and openness--which, unfortunately, we do not have
today.
AD:
Tell us a bit about "clericalism" and how Schmemann can
help overcome it.
WCM:
I encourage every deacon, priest, and bishop and anyone who is
seeking to be ordained a deacon or priest to re-read The Journals of Father Alexander Schmemann, 1973-1983 at
least once per year. When you skim his entries you will find many
scathing remarks he makes about the real temptation for some people
who seek the priesthood just to “dress up” and be different so to
speak. Take for example the following:
“General
assembly of all students. I told them all the things that I believe
in my heart to be right and necessary. Did I reach them? I do not
know. They are so armored in their cassocks, so convinced that they
know and can do anything in their youthful self-assurance.” (Feb.
10, 1977, p. 146).
“And
to the seminary come so many tortured people, torturing themselves,
obsessed with heavy maximalism.” (April 6, 1978, p. 218).
“Some
priests only accuse, only frighten, only threaten, and nothing else.”
(April 2, 1982, p. 318)
“…but
I am always worried because of the inexplicable transformation that
often occurs when a man becomes a bishop. Ambiguity and temptation of
sacerdotal power!” (May 25, 1982, p. 333)
These
are just a few of the many very pointed remarks he makes throughout
the Journals.
And from what I gather--I have not read them--the original
largely un-edited Journals
published in Russian and now more recently in
French contain even stronger comments about clericalsim! I think
Schmemann saw the reality of ecclesial life. His mentor Sergius
Bulgakov wrote a very powerful and inspiring essay simply titled “The
Episcopate” where he writes about the downfall of the Constantinian
imprisonment of the Church with all the eagle rugs, mitres, cassocks,
and so forth, all the external trappings of ecclesial life that
really get in the way of the preaching of the gospel. So too you’ll
find similar lines of thought in the work of Elizabeth Behr-Sigel and
also Mother Maria Skobtsova and Paul Evdokimov as well.
We
also must remember that as dean of St. Vladimir’s Seminary and as
basically the chancellor or adviser to the Holy Synod of Bishops he saw first hand what power and authority can do, how it can change
people, and how it can destroy people at the same time.
Schmemann’s
writings about the Eucharist remind us that while the priest is
ordained or set apart to serve the services and preach the gospel and
visit the sick, that in the Divine Liturgy we are all equal before
God, breaking bread with one another and sharing the common love and
joy of Christ. If we always remember that in our baptism we all
become members of the royal priesthood then we’ll be okay. It is
when we as clergy begin to think and act as if we were a separate
“caste” or “class” of Christians that trouble arises.
Unfortunately, many of the troubles that we are having in the
Orthodox Church in America have arisen due to rampant clericalism and
lack of transparency and accountability.
AD:
More
than a decade ago, when I read the version of Schmemann's diaries
published by SVS Press, I noted that there were many things Schmemann
complained about, but he always seemed happiest--exuberantly joyful
even--when celebrating the liturgy. Is that how you see him?
WCM:
Yes, he certainly talks a lot about either looking forward to a feast
or a liturgical celebration. He really enjoyed the eucharistic
services very much. In his Journals for example he talks a lot about
attending Church with his mother and brother in Paris as well as the
services at Saint Serge with his wife Julianna.
AD:
Sum up your book Church, World, and Kingdom: The Eucharistic Foundation of Alexander Schmemann's Pastoral Theology for us and what you hope it will do.
WCM:
Up until now most scholars and theologians have focused soley on
Schmemann’s writings on the Eucharist and overlooking his other
theological interests. Yet when we dive in and read his entire corpus
we see that he also has a lot to say about priestly ministry and
pastoral theology, a theme which I take up in Church,
World, and Kingdom. My hope is that
both students and theologians will use Church,
World, and Kingdom as a way to once
bring renewal and revitilization to our seminaries, graduate schools
of theology, and to our parishes. Schmemann died in December 1983 and
there is an entire generation of people who never had the chance to
learn from Schmemann himself. One of my goals in Church,
World, and Kingdom is to re-introduce
Schmemann’s writings, specifically those on pastoral
theology and ministry, to a new generation of readers.
