Lucid Love
The Journals of Father Alexander Schmemann: 1973–1983
translated by Juliana Schmemann
Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2000
(351 pages; $19.95, paper)
reviewed by L. Joseph Letendre
Between his 1951 arrival in New York and his death in 1983, Fr. Alexander Schmemann emerged as one of the best-known Orthodox Christian figures in this country. As dean of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, he was pivotal in developing that school into a world-class center of Orthodox studies. His scholarly work made him a pioneer in the field of Orthodox liturgical theology and the father of a eucharistic revival within the Orthodox Church. His books and essays, most notably For the Life of the World, drew praise from a wide range of readers, including Thomas Merton. For 30 years, Fr. Schmemann recorded weekly sermons that were broadcast to Russia by Radio Liberty. Most controversially, he was involved in the negotiations that resulted in the “Russian Metropolia” being declared an autocephalous (self-governing) church by the patriarch of Moscow.
THIS ARTICLE ONLY AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS.
FOR QUICK ACCESS:
L. Joseph Letendre is the author of the recently published primer When You Pray: A Practical Guide to an Orthodox Life of Prayer. His writing has also appeared in The Reformation and Revival Journal and St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly. He holds an M.Div. from St. Vladimir's Seminary and is a parishioner at All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church in Chicago.
Get six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for only $39.95. That's only $3.34 per month!
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives for only $19.95. That's only $1.66 per month!
bulk subscriptions
Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.
Transactions will be processed on a secure server.
more from the online archives
31.4—July/August 2018
Life & Love Are Real Despite Theatrical Illusions by Anthony Esolen
25.6—Nov/Dec 2012
The Loss of Aristotelian Logic & the Social, Moral & Sexual Consequences by Peter Kreeft
33.3—May/June 2020
On Flight & Fight in the Present Tribulation by Douglas Farrow
calling all readers
Please Donate
"There are magazines worth reading but few worth saving . . . Touchstone is just such a magazine."
—Alice von Hildebrand
"Here we do not concede one square millimeter of territory to falsehood, folly, contemporary sentimentality, or fashion. We speak the truth, and let God be our judge. . . . Touchstone is the one committedly Christian conservative journal."
—Anthony Esolen, Touchstone senior editor
