Who Do We Serve?

We serve all students and families of St. Tikhon’s Seminary — married, single, with and without children, from every jurisdiction.

St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary was established in 1938. Over the years, the population of the seminary has shifted from young, single men fresh out of high school to mostly men with an average age of 33, half of them married and usually with families. With that shift has come a change in needs. New seminarians often leave behind lucrative careers, long-time homes, and established lives in order to pick up their wives and children and move to Northeast Pennsylvania for the three-year seminary program. With a very full schedule of academic work and church services, the men are unable to work. Many of the families homeschool and/or have infants and toddlers, so most wives are unable to work. Clothing for growing children is expensive. St. Olga’s Closet aims to ease the physical burden of the sacrifice the students and their families make to be in seminary, preparing for a new vocation in God’s vineyard.