St. John Chrysostom Institute for Orthodox Studies

Due to the retirement of the St. John Chrysostom Institute’s faculty adviser, it will be closing down. We preserve this page for those who are interested in the hope that similar programs may someday be instituted elsewhere. —Robert Uhl, St. Theodore of Canterbury 2003

What greater work is there than training the mind and forming the habits of the young?

St. John Chrysostom

Regis University, in cooperation with the St. John Chrysostom Institute, makes it possible for Orthodox Christian students to acquire a good college education while developing their spiritual lives as well.

The Right Rev. Bishop Basil
(Antiochian Archdiocese)

Purpose of the St. John Chrysostom Institute

The St. John Chrysostom Institute of Orthodox Studies is an independent pan-Orthodox organization dedicated to serving the Orthodox community in the Rocky Mountain, Great Plains region. The purpose of the Institute is to serve as a clearinghouse for academic and scholarly activities of interest and value to the Orthodox community at large. The organization sponsors and facilitates meetings, workshops, lectures, and other appropriate activities of use and of interest to both the Orthodox community and to the broader regional non-Orthodox community as well.

The Institute is an independent agency providing educational opportunities for Orthodox Christian clergy and lay people to become better informed and trained in a wide range of Orthodox Christian activities (including worship, ministry and spiritual development), and to be a witness to the non-Orthodox world that the Church is an active, dynamic presence seeking to proclaim the Gospel to the world at large. This entails providing occasional opportunities for those non-Orthodox who would like to know more about the Orthodox Christian Church to become better informed and educated about her presence in the world. The function of the Institute is to be facilitative and not regulatory.

Organization of the St. John Chrysostom Institute

The Institute is a free standing organization made up of volunteers affiliated with the pan-Orthodox community in the Greater Denver area. The organization is administered by a Board of Advisors and by a Director named by the Board.

The current Director is Father Lester Michael Bundy, Professor of Religious Studies at Regis University, Denver, Colorado.

The Board of Advisors is made up of the local Eastern and Western Rite Deans of the Antiochian Archdiocese, the local Dean of the Orthodox Church in America, the Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Denver, and a member of the faculty of the Department of Religious Studies at Regis University to be named by the University.

The Institute's Relationship to Regis University

The St. John Chrysostom Institute of Orthodox Studies has a voluntary affiliation with Regis University through the Department of Religious Studies. The relationship is non-binding on both parties. The Regis College Department of Religious Studies provides sponsorship of some of the Institute's activities and in return the Institute provides service to the Orthodox students attending Regis University.

Opportunities for Orthodox Students at Regis University

Orthodox students at Regis University have opportunities for both academic and spiritual growth. The general academic program at Regis University is recognized as an excellent undergraduate liberal arts program. Students may major in a wide range of fields in the Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences, Religion or Philosophy. In addition to a fine program in general liberal arts Orthodox students may elect to take courses specifically designed to include content in Orthodox Christianity and including an Orthodox perspective.

Opportunities for spiritual growth include the presence of Fr. Lester Michael Bundy, Professor of Religious Studies, an Orthodox priest (Antiochian Archdiocese) who is a full time member of the faculty and also serves as the SCOBA campus minister for the University. Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church (OCA) is approximately ten minutes from the campus by automobile and provides a full range of parochial activities and services. The Pastor of Holy Transfiguration, Fr. Joseph Hirsch is also an adjunct member of the faculty of Regis University. The metropolitan area of Denver includes three Greek Orthodox, two Orthodox Church in America, and five Antiochian Orthodox Churches.

Questions About the Institute?

Please feel free to contact: