Saint Innocent Orthodox Seminary Courses

Course of Study

The program of the St Innocent Orthodox Theological Seminary is not new or experimental. It has been under continuous development since it's first courses were offered in 1976 as the Pan American Institute of Apostolic Christianity, then under the omophor of the exiliar Patriarch of Alexandria.

The program may be primarily offered by distance learning, but it does not just depend on 'life-experience', essay-style book reports or training heavy in 'mentoring'. Instead, we have developed the following group of methods, unique to the SIOTS' program, so far as we are aware.

Correspondence courses -- What makes our correspondence courses different are the variety of methods used to instruct our seminarians. Not only is information learned through full-length textbooks, but comprehension is tested through state-of-the-art Web-based testing and grading. Complimentary lectures are studied and weekly on-line discussions are held between instructors and each 'class' of seminarians using the latest on-line computerized chat software and our own chat server.

Weekend Seminars -- In order to successfully complete the course of study, the seminarian attends nine (9) week-end seminars strategically placed throughout the course of study to provide practicum for the new knowlege and skills being learned. Furthermore, these seminars, along with the summer seminars, allow each seminarian to build a network of friends and acquaintances among the others currently enrolled. This component of a quality seminary education is vital to an ongoing, successful ministry within the Church. Furthermore, these 'hands-on' encounters better enable both the SIOTS faculty and the hierarchy of the Church to assess both the strengths and needs of the individual seminarian. Occassionally a seminarian may be able to complete a Weekend Seminar through Video Taped Participation and one-on- one interaction with an instructor.

Summer Seminars -- Some topics and skills have proven to be so difficult to fully grasp by distance learning that each seminarian must attend two week-long Summer Seminars each of the three (3) years for successful completion of the Course of Study.