The Oriental Orthodox Institute, Berkeley

Programs:

The purpose of the Oriental Orthodox Institute is to give students the opportunity to explore Patristic theology while enabling them to address the growing multicultural challenges to the Oriental people who move to the Western hemisphere. Students affiliated with the Oriental Institute are encouraged to apply to the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology (DSPT), where they can pursue various academic programs, including the Master of Divinity and the M.A. in theology or philosophy (see www.dspt.edu). Enrollment at DSPT allows students to take courses at all member schools of the Graduate Theological Union, (see www.GTU.edu).

Programs:  Graduate Degrees:

M Div. The Masters in Divinity is a three year degree program that prepares students for pastoral ministry. By joining this program, a student becomes part of the GTU system and benefits from the opportunities of the largest theological consortium in the world. Students are encouraged to apply to the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (www. dspt.edu).

M Th. The Masters in Theology contains core courses  designed to survey and engage with the historical development of the Oriental Orthodox theology, liturgy, and spirituality. M Th. students will be encouraged to utilize the rich academic resources of the GTU to broaden their theological knowledge. 

Doctor in Theology: students who are seeking for Doctoral Studies should see the GTU website (www.gtu.edu).

Other programs:

Language School: As different nationalities represent the Oriental Institute, language teaching, as well as preparing materials/revisions for worship in different Oriental languages, are goals of the Language school. Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian/Eritrean, Syriac, Malayalam, Greek and English are all taught and brought into dialogue in this program, and students can also find instructors for Hebrew, Sanskrit, Latin in the GTU Berkeley system.

Sabbatical Fellowship

This dissertation fellowship is open to applicants who are doctoral students in their home country. To qualify to apply, students must have progressed through 30% of research work, and should submit an application to the Oriental Orthodox Institute with a letter from the applicant’s doctoral program mentor here: (https://www.orientalinstituteberkeley.info).

Youth Ministry: This program is designed to introduce young people toOriental faith and Spirituality This education holds the core mission of building Christian families and developing a public moral life. Youth [1] are encouraged to join to a program called “Pacific Oriental Youth Fellowship”,or POYF. This Zoom program is designed to teach among the Oriental youngsters on the West Coast[2]  the meaning and practice of faith, and to develop spirituality. It encourages participation in daily prayers, Bible studies, and listening to devotional material.

(2) Campus Ministry: The Oriental Orthodox Institute is committed to the goal of organizing youth fellowship in UC Berkeley, as well as outreach programs for students in several West Coast universities, in the form of weekly gatherings, classes, seminars, and faith reflections with the goal of leading to involvement in community programs.       

(3) Women’s Forum: this forum is designed to develop fellowship among Oriental Church members across the country, by organizing cultural programs, allowing for the exchange of ideas and discussions, and the exploration of value systems in each tradition. Although we live in a neighborhood while living as strangers, it is expected to enrich our spiritual and religious traditions by periodical Zoom programs and video presentations. Women from parishes are encouraged to join in the Women’s Forum.