Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (HCHC) is a private Orthodox Christian liberal arts college and seminary in Brookline, Massachusetts. Its mission is to educate individuals for life and service in the Orthodox Christian community; this includes men preparing for the priesthood of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and other Orthodox Christian entities, as well as men and women for leadership roles in the church or within secular society. HCHC includes a graduate school of theology (seminary) for clerical training and education, and several undergraduate and certificate programs in business, education, literature, and other secular professions. The institution was founded in 1937 as Holy Cross Theological School in Pomfret, Connecticut, but was moved to Brookline, Massachusetts in 1947.

History

Archbishop Athenagoras of America soon after his enthronement became convinced that a seminary was needed in America to prepare American born man for the priesthood. At the 1936 Clergy-Laity Congress, he announced that the school would open next year in Pomfret, Connecticut, on an estate owned by the Archdiocese, bought for a song during the Great Depression. The establishment of the seminary in Pomfret was a bold experiment, fraught with difficulties. Demetrios Michaelides, who entered the Holy Cross in the 1937, remembered: "The first year was very hard. We were isolated. Being the first class of the start of the seminary was a challenge. The school had very little money, which was a hardship for all. There was not much money for food or books or other supplies. People from Boston and Worcester would bring food for us." In 1966, Holy Cross expanded its undergraduate division into a full four-year liberal arts college named Hellenic College, which opened in 1968. Hellenic College Holy Cross is the only accredited Orthodox Christian college, seminary, and graduate school of theology in the Western Hemisphere.

Academics

Hellenic College offers programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology offers graduate programs of study leading to the degrees of Master of Divinity (M.Div), Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.), and Master of Theology (Th.M).

Accreditation

Hellenic College has been accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education and Holy Cross School of Theology has been accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada since 1974. Holy Cross is also a member of the Boston Theological Interreligious Consortium.

Campus

Hellenic College is located on a 59 acre campus in Brookline, Massachusetts just outside Boston on the former Weld estate. It is notable for having been the longtime practice site of the Boston Celtics.

Summer programs

Notable people

Notable faculty

Notable alumni

Interments